Caucase

New English Paperback. 4to. Text in Russian, with some texts in English and Arabic. 652 p., ills. Epitaphs of Muslim scholars in Samarkand (10th-14th centuries). Edited by Bakhtiyar Babadjanov, Lola Dodkhudoeva, ?shirbek Muminov, Ulrich Rudolph. The book contains texts in Arabic script of 239 epitaphs of Central Asian scholars who lived from the 10th to 14th centuries with their representations, photos, translations into Russian and commentaries. It includes an introductory article, detailed scholarly indices, a glossary, bibliography, and other illustrations. The published materials are original sources for the study of the politics of religion under the Qarakhanid Dynasty (992-1211), for the mechanisms of cooperation between the state and religion, and for the role of Islamic scholars in mediating between the authorities and the pubslic. The publication will benefit researchers in religious studies, Islamic studies, anthroplogy, history, and al those interested in the evolution of traditional Islam in Central Asia.