ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION AND LOCAL TRADITIONS: THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF MAWARANNAHR DURING THE EASTERN RENAISSANCE

The article examines the intangible cultural heritage of Mawarannahr (Transoxiana) that took shape in the 9th–12th centuries, during the Eastern Renaissance, as a result of the interaction between Islamic civilization and local traditions. The study draws on the works of al-Biruni, Narshakhi, Mahmud al-Kashgari and Yusuf Khass Hajib, the musical treatises of al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, the accounts of Arab geographers, and archaeological evidence. Festivals and rituals, oral traditions, musical theory and performance, traditional craftsmanship and knowledge concerning nature are examined according to the classification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention. The study shows that some pre-Islamic Sogdian, Khwarezmian and Turkic traditions survived by adapting to the new religious and cultural environment, others acquired Islamic content, and Islamic civilization in turn introduced new forms of heritage to the region. The intangible heritage of the Renaissance era is characterized as a product of cultural synthesis. The findings can be applied in preparing nomination files, in education and in cultural tourism.