The Samanid State

The Samanid state emerged in Transoxania in the ninth and tenth centuries as a regional successor to the Abbasid caliphate, based around the growing strength and independence of cities such as Nishapur, Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand, Hulbuk, and many more.  These urban centers became nebulae of cultural, social and economic life in this period and there are many monuments still standing that bear witness to these cultural developments.  Political unity in the area allowed agriculture, mining and craft industries to develop, as well as urban architecture, fine arts, and scholarship of literature, sciences and religion.