Battle of Talas River - Background

Few people today have even heard of the Battle of Talas River.  Yet this little-known skirmish between the army of Imperial Tang China and the Abbasid Arabs had important consequences, not just for China and Central Asia, but for the entire world. Eighth century Asia was an ever-shifting mosaic of different tribal and regional powers, fighting for trade rights, political power and/or religious hegemony. The era was characterized by a dizzying array of battles, alliances, double-crosses and betrayals. At the time, nobody could have known that one particular battle, which took place on the banks of the Talas River in present-day Kyrgyzstan, would halt the Arab and Chinese advances in Central Asia and fix the boundary between Buddhist/Confucianist Asia and Muslim Asia. None of the combatants could have predicted that this battle would be instrumental in transmitting a key invention from China to the western world: the art of paper-making, a technology that would alter world history forever. Background to the Battle For some time, the powerful Tang Empire (618-906) and its predecessors had been expanding Chinese influence in Central Asia. China used soft power for the most part, relying upon a series of trade agreements and nominal protectorates rather than military conquest to control Central Asia. The most troublesome foe faced by the Tang from 640 forward was the powerful Tibetan Empire, established by Songtsan Gampo. Control of what is now Xinjiang, Western China, and neighboring provinces went back and forth between China and Tibet throughout the seventh and eighth centuries. China also faced challenges from the Turkic Uighurs in the northwest, the Indo-European Turfans, and the Lao/Thai tribes on Chinas southern borders. The Rise of the Arabs While the Tang were occupied with all these adversaries, a new superpower rose in the Middle East. The Prophet Muhammad died in 632, and the Muslim faithful under the Umayyad Dynasty (661-750) soon brought vast areas under their sway. From Spain and Portugal in the west, across North Africa and the Middle East, and on to the oasis cities of Merv, Tashkent, and Samarkand in the east, the Arab conquest spread with astonishing speed. Chinas interests in Central Asia went back at least to 97 B.C., when the Han Dynasty general Ban Chao led an army of 70,000 as far as Merv (in what is now Turkmenistan), in pursuit of bandit tribes that preyed on early Silk Road caravans. China also had long courted trade relations with the Sassanid Empire in Persia, as well as their predecessors the Parthians. The Persians and Chinese had collaborated to quell rising Turkic powers, playing different tribal leaders off of one another. In addition, the Chinese had a long history of contacts with the Sogdian Empire, centered in modern-day Uzbekistan. Early Chinese/Arab Conflicts Inevitably, the lightning-quick expansion by the Arabs would clash with Chinas established interests in Central Asia. In 651, the Umayyads captured the Sassanian capital at Merv and executed the king, Yazdegerd III. From this base, they would go on to conquer Bukhara, the Ferghana Valley, and as far east as Kashgar (on the Chinese/Kyrgyz border today). News of Yazdegards fate was carried to the Chinese capital of Changan (Xian) by his son Firuz, who fled to China after the fall of Merv. Firuz later became a general of one of Chinas armies, and then governor of a region centered at modern-day Zaranj, Afghanistan. In 715, the first armed clash between the two powers occurred in the Ferghana Valley of Afghanistan. The Arabs and Tibetans deposed King Ikhshid and installed a man named Alutar in his place. Ikhshid asked China to intervene on his behalf, and the Tang sent an army of 10,000 to overthrow Alutar and reinstate Ikhshid. Two years later, an Arab/Tibetan army besieged two cities in the Aksu region of what is now Xinjiang, western China. The Chinese sent an army of Qarluq mercenaries, who defeated the Arabs and Tibetans and lifted the siege. In 750 the Umayyad Caliphate fell, overthrown by the more aggressive Abbasid Dynasty. The Abbasids From their first capital at Harran, Turkey, the Abbasid Caliphate set out to consolidate power over the sprawling Arab Empire built by the Umayyads. One area of concern was the eastern borderlands - the Ferghana Valley and beyond. The Arab forces in eastern Central Asia with their Tibetan and Uighur allies were led by the brilliant tactician, General Ziyad ibn Salih. Chinas western army was headed by Governor-General Kao Hsien-chih (Go Seong-ji), an ethnic-Korean commander. It was not unusual at that time for foreign or minority officers to command Chinese armies because the military was considered an undesirable career path for ethnic Chinese noblemen. Appropriately enough, the decisive clash at Talas River was precipitated by another dispute in Ferghana. In 750, the king of Ferghana had a border dispute with the ruler of neighboring Chach. He appealed to the Chinese, who sent General Kao to assist Ferghanas troops. Kao besieged Chach, offered the Chachan king safe passage out of his capital, then reneged and beheaded him. In a mirror-image parallel to what had happened during the Arab conquest of Merv in 651, the Chachan kings son escaped and reported the incident to Abbasid Arab governor Abu Muslim at Khorasan. Abu Muslim rallied his troops at Merv and marched to join Ziyad ibn Salihs army further east.  The Arabs were determined to teach General Kao a lesson... and incidentally, to assert Abbasid power in the region. The Battle of Talas River In July of 751, the armies of these two great empires met at Talas, near the modern-day Kyrgyz/Kazakh border. Chinese records state that the Tang army was 30,000 strong, while Arab accounts put the number of Chinese at 100,000. The total number of Arab, Tibetan and Uighur warriors is not recorded, but theirs was the larger of the two forces. For five days, the mighty armies clashed. When the Qarluq Turks came in on the Arab side several days into the fighting, the Tang armys doom was sealed. Chinese sources imply that the Qarluqs had been fighting for them, but treacherously switched sides midway through the battle. Arab records, on the other hand, indicate that the Qarluqs were already allied with the Abbasids prior to the conflict. The Arab account seems more likely since the Qarluqs suddenly mounted a surprise attack on the Tang formation from the rear. Some modern Chinese writings about the battle still exhibit a sense of outrage at this perceived betrayal by one of the Tang Empires minority peoples. Whatever the case, the Qarluq attack signaled the beginning of the end for Kao Hsien-chihs army. Of the tens of thousands the Tang sent into battle, only a small percentage survived. Kao Hsien-chih himself was one of the few who escaped the slaughter; he would live just five years more, before being put on trial and executed for corruption. In addition to the tens of thousands of Chinese killed, a number were captured and taken back to Samarkand (in modern-day Uzbekistan) as prisoners of war. The Abbassids could have pressed their advantage, marching into China proper. However, their supply lines were already stretched to the breaking point, and sending such a huge force over the eastern Hindu Kush mountains and into the deserts of western China was beyond their capacity. Despite the crushing defeat of Kaos Tang forces, the Battle of Talas was a tactical draw. The Arabs eastward advance was halted, and the troubled Tang Empire turned its attention from Central Asia to rebellions on its northern and southern borders. Consequences of the Battle of Talas At the time of the Battle of Talas, its significance was not clear. Chinese accounts mention the battle as part of the beginning of the end of the Tang Dynasty. That same year, the Khitan tribe in Manchuria (northern China) defeated the imperial forces in that region, and Thai/Lao peoples in what is now Yunnan province in the south revolted as well. The An Shi Revolt of 755-763, which was more of a civil war than a simple revolt, further weakened the empire. By 763, the Tibetans were able to seize the Chinese capital at Changan (now Xian). With so much turmoil at home, the Chinese had neither the will nor the power to exert much influence past the Tarim Basin after 751. For the Arabs, too, this battle marked an unnoticed turning point. The victors are supposed to write history, but in this case, (despite the totality of their victory), they did not have much to say for some time after the event. Barry Hoberman points out that the ninth-century Muslim historian al-Tabari (839 to 923) never even mentions the Battle of Talas River. Its not until half a millennium after the skirmish that Arab historians take note of Talas, in the writings of Ibn al-Athir (1160 to 1233) and al-Dhahabi (1274 to 1348). Nevertheless, the Battle of Talas had important consequences. The weakened Chinese Empire was no longer in any position to interfere in Central Asia, so the influence of the Abbassid Arabs grew. Some scholars quibble that too much emphasis is placed on the role of Talas in the Islamification of Central Asia. It is certainly true that the Turkic and Persian tribes of Central Asia did not all immediately convert to Islam in August of 751. Such a feat of mass communication across the deserts, mountains, and steppes would have been utterly impossible before modern mass communications, even if the Central Asian peoples were uniformly receptive to Islam. Nonetheless, the absence of any counterweight to the Arab presence allowed Abbassid influence to spread gradually throughout the region. Within the next 250 years, most of the formerly Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, and Nestorian Christian tribes of Central Asia had become Muslim. Most significant of all, among the prisoners of war captured by the Abbassids after the Battle of Talas River, were a number of skilled Chinese artisans, including Tou Houan. Through them, first the Arab world and then the rest of Europe learned the art of paper-making. (At that time, the Arabs controlled Spain and Portugal, as well as North Africa, the Middle East, and large swaths of Central Asia.) Soon, paper-making factories sprang up in Samarkand, Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, Delhi... and in 1120 the first European paper mill was established in Xativa, Spain (now called Valencia). From these Arab-dominated cities, the technology spread to Italy, Germany, and across Europe. The advent of paper technology, along with woodcut printing and later movable-type printing, fueled the advances in science, theology, and history of Europes High Middle Ages, which ended only with the coming of the Black Death in the 1340s. Sources The Battle of Talas, Barry Hoberman. Saudi Aramco World, pp. 26-31 (Sept/Oct 1982).A Chinese Expedition across the Pamirs and Hindukush, A.D. 747, Aurel Stein. The Geographic Journal, 59:2, pp. 112-131 (Feb. 1922).Gernet, Jacque, J. R. Foster (trans.), Charles Hartman (trans.). A History of Chinese Civilization, (1996).Oresman, Matthew. Beyond the Battle of Talas: Chinas Re-emergence in Central Asia. Ch. 19 of In the tracks of Tamerlane: Central Asias path to the 21st Century, Daniel L. Burghart and Theresa Sabonis-Helf, eds. (2004).Titchett, Dennis C. (ed.). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 3, Sui and Tang China, 589-906 AD, Part One, (1979).

Business Plan-Example Essay - 1322 Words

RUSH BAKERS RESTAURANT (PVT) LTD No 56 New Bus Stand Nittambuwa Telephone -0773892174 Fax-0338937268 Table of Contents 1.Executive Summary 2 1.1Objectives 1.2 Mission 2.Company summary 3 2.1 Company ownership 3.Start-up summary 3 4. Products and Services 4 5. Market Analysis Summary 4 5.1 Market Segmentation 5.2 Target Market Segment Strategy 6. Strategy and Implementation Summary 5 6.1 Competitive Edge 6.2 Marketing Strategy 6.3 Sales Strategy 6.4 Sales Forecast 7. Management Summary 6 8. Financial Plan 6 8.1 Important Assumptions 8.2 Break-even Analysis 8.3 Projected Profit Loss 9. Summary 7 1. Executive Summary Rush Bakers Restaurant (RBR) is a start-up bakery†¦show more content†¦-People or family members who come to Nittambuwa for shopping and who will be looking for walk-in food convenience feeling tired. -Local travelers and tourists who are active restaurant seekers. 5.1 Market Segmentation Rush Bakers intends to serve a wide range of customer base. Our market segment includes: Young adults and business people Families with children Travelers and tourists High-end singles or bachelors 5.2 Target Market Segment Strategy The dominant target market for Rush Bakers Restaurant is a regular stream of local residents. .We can specifically divide the market into two segments, ordinary people with families and business people. 6. Strategy and Implementation Summary This business hopes to succeed by offering high quality foods and bakery products at a competitive price and superior customer service at a friendly neighborhood-feel atmosphere. 6.1 Competitive Edge The competitive edge of Rush Bakers Restaurant is relatively low level of competition in the local areas in this particular niche. Rush Bakers Restaurant rely on two competitive advantages: The importance of experience-The customer experience is extremely important as an effective way of distinguishing offerings. When a customer has a good experience at a restaurant, the probability of the customer repeating to the hotel is more and there is chance of sharing hisShow MoreRelatedBusiness Plan for Wash Dry and Guard Detailing Essay examples15667 Words   |  63 PagesBUSINESS PLAN FOR WASH DRY AND GUARD DETAILING Bachelors Capstone Final Project Elizabeth M. Towler MT499-01 Professor Ernest Norris Table of Contents Section 1: Executive Summary (Business Description) 2 Section 2: Code of Conduct 7 Section 3: Marketing Plan (Strategy and SWOT) 11 Section 4: Operations 16 Section 5: Finance 22 Section 6: Cash Flow Analysis 28 Section 7: InformationRead MoreBusiness Plan Example3318 Words   |  14 PagesGenius In Training Inc. Business Plan June 28, 2013 Table of Contents Description Page Executive Summary 2 Company Mission, Vision, Value Statement 4 Opportunity Analysis 5 Marketing Plan 7 Operations and Management 9 Financial Statements 12 Estimate and Request for Funding 15 Exit Strategy 16 Genius In Training Inc. Executive Summary Syndee Howgate CEO of Genius In TrainingRead MoreExample Of A Business Plan801 Words   |  4 Pagesneeds.  We designed this product to be insulative, safe, and to expand to fit any drink to fulfill this aspect of our companies obligations. It is crucial to us that we manage and organize our business properly, that way our product can effectively satisfy our customers. Managing the Business Day-to- Day The business will be run under a limited liability partnership, the partners will include; Rebecca Dent, Daniel Frisk, Rylee Kane, Louis Duncan, Leah Searfoss, and Eric Shellock. Our team of consultantsRead MoreBusiness Plan Example1258 Words   |  6 PagesLocation, place, area is the old adage about picking realistate for your organisation. High website traffic areas, areas that are quickly ease of access for customers, as well as structures that best fit the company are a few things local business owner consider. These exact same insights apply to a businesss website. The place of your internet site, its style, and its marketing all contribute to its success. Higher online web traffic, website usability, as well as having relatable web contentRead MoreBusiness Plan Essay examples606 Words   |  3 Pagestype of business you have created including: a. the product or service, and general staffing plan. Provide a rationale for your plan. b. The form of your business and the benefits it offers your particular business, c. A chart of accounts specific to your business, including a rationale as to the selection of each account. (Note: The chart of accounts is a blueprint of your business for the lender/investor. It should report the expected resources that you will consume in your business (assets)Read MoreAn example of a business plan for a hypothetical company3310 Words   |  14 PagesBusiness Plan: Progressive Consulting What follows is a complete business plan for a hypothetical company. Please copy or save to your disk and use as an example in developing your own business plan. If you would like to read a series of articles jump to Web Marketing . For additional business aids click on The Practical Tools of Consulting 1. 0 Executive Summary Progressive Consulting will be formed as a consulting company specializing in marketing of high technology products in internationalRead MoreGun Security Business Plan Example1010 Words   |  5 PagesWithin my upcoming future, I plan to start a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) with my brother-in-law, that is an outdoor shooting range called the Top Shots Gun Range. The company will have a small retail shop as you enter the building. This will allow you to buy the products you need before entering the shooting range. The store would sell the basic needs from targets, ammo, and hearing protection. We also will be selling shirts and hats with the ranges logo on it. The shooting range is setupRead MoreSuccess And Failure Of Im Management1385 Words   |  6 Pagesstrategy, even powerful leadership can be worthless. It can also be defined as the long term planning for any business. An IM leader should make sure to have it in place. 2. Vibrant firm Culture - A firm s culture is defined as the collection of beliefs, expectations, and values shared by the members of an organization. The firm s culture, a broad representation of how the firm does business, is an important characteristic of the organization because it captures the way, often unspoken and informalRead MoreBusiness Plan For A New Venture1355 Words   |  6 PagesA business plan can be used for beginning a new business, to create a more profitable business or for consideration of new services and ideas. A business plan is a written document that gives details on a business idea or venture and present the outlook of the business over a number of years. This plan will guide the business project management and operations, assist in vital decisions and measure performance. There are many types of business plans and not one of them is considered a universal planRead MoreCase Study Mr.Dees Essay1721 Words   |  7 PagesModel, he focused on ensuring all th e workers know what what is expected of them. That means that he shows a high level of self awareness† * When Mr.Dee was working for Agri, he made a business plan for Mr.Steven who wants to buy The Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. He did not just want to sell this plan, he wants to explain to members that they can emotionally involved. At first he applied the forming and storming stages of team building in order to be more acceptable. Then he applied the norming

Free Sample Assignment on Sources of The Law of Armed Conflict

Question: Describe the sources of the law of armed conflict. Provide examples to support your discussion? Answer: The law of armed conflict which is also known as the law of war is related with the particular aspect of public international law that deals with acceptable justifications for engaging in war and also the limits that have been described for wartime conduct. Among other issues that are dealt with by the modern law of armed conflict includes the declaration of war, the surrender by the enemy and also the way in which the prisoners of war have to be treated. In the same way, military necessity as well as the provision of certain types of weapon due to the unnecessary suffering is caused, are also within the purview of the law of conflict. However as compared to other bodies of law, the law of armed conflict is considered as distinct. For example it is separate from the domestic law of nations state that is party to the conflict, which may provide additional limitations regarding the justification or the conduct of war. When it comes to the sources of the law of armed conflict, these can be divided into the early sources and the modern sources of the law of armed conflict. Since the early human history, efforts have been made to regulate the conduct of war by individuals as well as by the nations and also to reduce the impact of war on innocent citizens. Some of the early examples of these efforts can be found in the Torah (Old Testament) and the Mahabharata. For example in Deuteronomy 20:19, limitations have been prescribed regarding the collateral and environmental damage that can be considered as acceptable. It has been said in this regard that when a city has been deceased for a long time, in war, the trees shall not be axed in order to use them for laying the siege. In the same way, as at another place it has been said that while marching for attacking the city, an offer of peace should be made first of all to the people of the city. If the offer of these is accepted by the people and the open the gates of the city, the people in the city can be subjected to forced labor. On the other hand, if they refuse the offer of peace, sieze can be laid to the city and engage in battle. Similarly Mahabharata also contained a discussion regarding the acceptable behavior in the battlefield in which it was mentioned that the chariots should not be attacked with cavalry and they should only be attacked by chariot warriors. In the same way, it was discussed that the warrior in this test should not be attacked for scaring order to defeat the warrior. It was also said that they should not be enraged against the enemy was not trying to kill them and therefore war should only be waged in order to achieve victory. In the same way, Koran also provides rules that have to be followed by the Muslims in combat. The Catholic Church also started to promulgate teachings regarding the just war. On the other hand, among the modern sources of the law of armed conflict, there are the lawmaking treaties; customs and the general principles. In this way, these are the various sources of the law of armed conflict. References Johnson, James Turner (1998), Just War Tradition and the Restraint of War: A Moral and Historical Inquiry, New Jersey: Princeton University Press Lamb, A. (2013), Ethics and the Laws of War: The moral justification of legal norms, Routledge Roberts, Adam; Guelff, Richard, eds. (2000), Documents on the Laws of War (Third ed.), Oxford University press Walzer, Michael (1997), Just and Unjust Wars: A moral Argument with Historical Illustrations (2nd ed.), New York: Basic Books Johnson, James Turner (1998), Just War Tradition and the Restraint of War: A Moral and Historical Inquiry, New Jersey: Princeton University Press Lamb, A. (2013), Ethics and the Laws of War: The moral justification of legal norms, Routledge Roberts, Adam; Guelff, Richard, eds. (2000), Documents on the Laws of War (Third ed.), Oxford University press Walzer, Michael (1997), Just and Unjust Wars: A moral Argument with Historical Illustrations (2nd ed.), New York: Basic Books

Intro to Engineering Graphics free essay sample

Drawing is a graphical representation of a thought, an idea, a concept, a structure or an object which actually or potentially exists in life and could be done using freehand, mechanical or computer methods. It can also be defined as a graphical language in engineering application that use lines to represent the surfaces, edges and contours of objects. It can also be referred to as drafting. The drawing itself is †¢A way of communicating all necessary information about abstraction ,such as an idea or a concept †¢A graphic representation of some real entity, such as machine part, a house, a tool. Types of drawing includes ?Artistic drawing ?Technical drawing ?Rendering or illustration drawing it ranges in scope from the simplest line drawing to the most famous paintings. Regardless of their status or complexity, they are used to express the feelings, beliefs, philosophies or abstract ideas of the artist. Hence in order to understand it, you must understand the artist. We will write a custom essay sample on Intro to Engineering Graphics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page it is a means of clearly and concisely communicating all of the information necessary to transform an idea or a concept to reality. It can also be defined as an act or discipline of composing plans that virtually communicate how something functions or how it is to be constructed. Therefore, a technical drawing often contains more than a graphical representation of its subject. It also contains dimensions notes and specification they are neither completely technical nor artistic, they combine elements from both hence are referred to as the third type of drawing. They are technical in that they are drawn with mechanical instrument or on a computer-aided drafting system and they contain some degree of technical information. However, they are also artistic in that they attempt to convey a mood, a status, or other abstract, non technical feelings. Projection is a protocol by which an image of a three-dimensional object is projected onto a planar surface without the aid of mathematical calculation, used in technical drawing. The projection is achieved by the use of imaginary projectors. The projected, mental image becomes the technician’s vision of the desired, finished picture. By following the protocol the technician may produce the envisioned picture on a planar surface such as drawing paper.