Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane

In this sweeping and richly illustrated history, S. Frederick Starr tells the fascinating but largely unknown story of Central Asia's medieval enlightenment through the eventful lives and astonishing accomplishments of its greatest minds and remarkable figures who built a bridge to the modern world. Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts and above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. It chronicles this forgotten age of achievement, seeks to explain its rise and explores the competing theories about the cause of its eventual demise. Informed by the latest scholarship, yet written in a lively and accessible style, this is a book that will surprise general readers and specialists alike.