Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch
ORASHKB and author
14
Vol. 1 (1961)
ISSN 1991-7295
The retreat of the Macedonian army was followed by the complicated history of North-west India, the present Pakistan, in which invasion followed invasion, Bactrian Greek, Indo-Scyth, Ephthalite and Turk, and dynasty followed dynasty, of which that of the Guptas was one of the most illustrious.
But the impact of the Greeks, though it was eventually absorbed, lasted for a long time, and its effect is still to be seen in the abundance of Graeco-Buddhist sculpture unearthed in the ruins in the Buddhist monasteries in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, reaching even to the confines of North-west China.
To the Greeks of Alexander and of his successors, we owe a large part of our early knowledge of Persia and of Northern India.
When the power of Islam had spread through Western Asia, the Moslem Arabs and Turks became the intermediaries between East and West.
The Crusades were one, but not the only, answer of the West to the Moslems,
The way of St. Francis was another, But yet another was that of Raymond Lull, who, born as it were before his time, advocated the study of Moslem philosophy and the Moslem tongue as a preliminary for the preaching of the Gospel.
Meantime Moslem learning in Latin translations, and even the Greek authors, translated into Arabic, and from Arabic into Latin, reached the Western World.
The Mongol dominion became divided. The Mongol rulers of Persia, and the partly Turkish partly Mongol rulers west of the Pamirs became converted to Islam. The dominion of Timur arose, and the Moghuls of India followed.
First-hand accounts in Persian and Arabic now became added to the study of the Mongol regime. I refer in particular to Juvaini's History of the World Conqueror (between 1252 and 1260), by one who had served as a high official under the Mongol conquerors.
From henceforth Islam contributed to the philosophy, poetry and art of the Persians, and the study of Islamics formed part of the study of Persia.
Before leaving the subject of Persia one can only refer in passing to the mystic philosophy and poetry of Persia, the beauty of Persian miniatures, Persian rugs, and of Persian architecture.
III. Finally we come to the sea-route to India and China, and the islands and peninsulas from South-east Asia to Korea and Japan.
In the course of his travels Herodotus had visited Egypt, where he had learned about the navigation of the Red Sea, and recorded that Phoenician sailors in the service of the king of
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch
ORASHKB and author
14
Vol. 1 (1961)
ISSN 1991-7295
The retreat of the Macedonian army was followed by the complicated history of North-west India, the present Pakistan, in which invasion followed invasion, Bactrian Greek, Indo-Scyth, Ephthalite and Turk, and dynasty followed dynasty, of which that of the Guptas was one of the most illustrious.
But the impact of the Greeks, though it was eventually absorbed, lasted for a long time, and its effect is still to be seen in the abundance of Graeco-Buddhist sculpture unearthed in the ruins in the Buddhist monasteries in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, reaching even to the confines of North-west China.
To the Greeks of Alexander and of his successors, we owe a large part of our early knowledge of Persia and of Northern India.
When the power of Islam had spread through Western Asia, the Moslem Arabs and Turks became the intermediaries between East and West.
The Crusades were one, but not the only, answer of the West to the Moslems,
The way of St. Francis was another, But yet another was that of Raymond Lull, who, born as it were before his time, advocated the study of Moslem philosophy and the Moslem tongue as a preliminary for the preaching of the Gospel.
Meantime Moslem learning in Latin translations, and even the Greek authors, translated into Arabic, and from Arabic into Latin, reached the Western World.
The Mongol dominion became divided. The Mongol rulers of Persia, and the partly Turkish partly_Mongol rulers west of the Pamirs became converted to Islam. The dominion of Timur arose, and the Moghuls of India followed.
First-hand accounts in Persian and Arabic now became added to the study of the Mongol regime. I refer in particular to Juvaini's History of the World Conqueror (between 1252 and 1260), by one who had served as a high official under the Mongol conquerors.
From henceforth Islam contributed to the philosophy, poetry and art of the Persians, and the study of Islamics formed part of the study of Persia.
Before leaving the subject of Persia one can only refer in passing to the mystic philosophy and poetry of Persia, the beauty of Persian miniatures, Persian rugs, and of Persian architecture.
III. Finally we come to the sea-route to India and China, and the islands and peninsulas from South-east Asia to Korea and Japan.
In the course of his travels Herodotus had visited Egypt. where he had learned about the navigation of the Red Sea, and recorded that Phoenician sailors in the service of the king of
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