The Gök Turks and the Sasanians: The Wars of the Silk Road

Abstract

Relations between settled communities and the nomadic tribes have always bordered between all out war or various forms of temporary peace between the two. This balancing act was carried out by all the states that happened to border and interact with the Central Asian Steppe and its inhabitants. It is here that the most vital and important trade route, the Silk Route, passed through to get to the most precious markets of China. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Sasanian Empire, with its mighty Shahanshah’s and armies, would sometimes focus on the challenges faced in their eastern borders and try to control or mitigate the threats to their empire to ensure the success of this trade route. The Gok Turks, one of the earliest Turk Kaghanates, were one of the major states that the Sasanians had to continually deal with during the 6 th and 7 th centuries. The Gok Turks forced the Sasanian to focus on their eastern border for the second time against a Central Asia opponent. The arrival of the Gok Turks also changed trading relations, especially along the Silk Route, for the Sasanians on a large scale. This paper examines the three reasons that led to the relegated nature of the trade between the Gok Turks and the Sasanians when compared and contrasted to the increasing wealthier relations between the Gok Turks and China.