Battle of Talas
The Battle of Talas in AD 751 was a conflict between the Arabic Abbasid Caliphate and the Chinese Tang Dynasty over the control of Central Asia. Chinese infantry were routed by Arabic cavalry near the bank of the River Talas after the supporting Qarluq mercenaries defected to the Abbasid and cut off the infantry from the rest of the Chinese troops. Commander of the Tang forces Gao Xianzhi escaped.
Due to this defeat, the domestic rebellion of An Lushan and subsequent warlordism, Tang ceased to be influencial there. Former Tang's tributaries then switched to the authority of the Abbasid; introdution of Islam was hence faciliated among the Turkic peoples. Well supported by the Abbasid, the Qarluqs established a state that would be conquered in late 9th century by invaders who founded the Kara-Khanid Khanate.
The technology of paper making was also spread to the Central Asia and the Middle East as the skilled Chinese POWs were ordered to produce paper in Samarkand.
The exact location of the battle has not been confirmed but is believed to be in Kyrgyzstan, southeast of Zhambyl (previously named Taraz) in present day Kazakhstan.
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Paper | T'ang | Tang China | Tang Chinese | Tang Dynasty | Tang Empire | Ticket
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