PROLIFERATION OF PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT IN TRANSOXANIA BETWEEN 9th AND 12th CENTURIES

The valley located between the rivers of Amu-darya (Oxus) and Syr-darya (Jaxartes) is called Mawaraunnahr (“beyond the river”) in Arabic and now is located within the borders of Uzbekistan. It formed a basis for many civilizations. Mawaraunnahr has an important place due to the scientific and cultural activities it carried out and the scientists it raised. It represents a great intellectual development took place in middle ages within the area of Islamic civilization. The term of Mawaraunnahr is used since 9th century in Persian resources. The region is also called as Çay-Ardı by some Turkish writers along with difference terms used with reference to it in Arabic and Western sources such as Mawarau’l-Jeyhûn or Haytal and Transoxania respectively. The term of Transoxania is used, in modern period, to refer to the geographical area covering approximately 660.000 square kms between Oxus and Jaxartes. The intellectual developments in Transoxania are started in 8th century, have been interrupted by the Mongols’ invasion between 13th and 14th centuries and reinitialized between 14th and 15th centuries during Timurid era. Events that took place between 9th and 10th centuries in all areas have important place within the history of world civilization. Many Islamic scholars and philosophers carrying the identity of Middle Asia like Khwarazmi, Farghānī, Fārābī, Avicenna, Sagunī, Bīrūnī, Bukhārī, Māturīdī, Tirmizī and Samarqandī have been raised during this period. The “Khwarezm Ma’mūn Academy” which is built in Khwarezm at the beginning of 11th century (1004) and chaired by Bīrūnī takes an important place within the proliferation of intellectual activities in Transoxania. It is aimed, in this article, to give an outline of the proliferation of the philosophical thought within aforesaid period