Medieval Riverlogues: Crossing and Contestations Along the Oxus Borderland

Illustrated lecture by Dr. Manu P. Sobti, Associate Professor in Buildings/Landscapes/Cultures, School of Architecture, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA

Chair: Prof. Madhavan K. Palat

Positioned within the context of the Arab invasions on Central Asia, Sobti's work examines medieval borderlands that witnessed passage, journey and abandonment along the Oxus or Amu Darya - the region's most significant river. Through the course of these invasions, and within the river's critical role as a liminal zone between two distinct cultural realms - the Arab versus the Persian - the Amu Darya served as the selectively permeable, border/boundary condition for the large Arab armies moving across the region of Khorasan