在米尔咱•海答儿生活的年代，蒙兀儿人作为一个种族，正处在衰落和灭亡中。蒙兀儿诸可汗已被逐出文明世界，不得不僻处于荒漠之地。特别是在他们信奉伊斯兰教以后，根本没有人写过他们的历史。所以他就下决心写一部中亚蒙兀儿人的历史，目的在于保存蒙兀儿人及其诸汗的事迹。米儿咱•海答儿从1541年起开始用波斯文写作此书，分为两部分，第一部分的内容是概述从秃黑鲁•帖木儿•汗信奉伊斯兰教，到赖世德•汗这二百年间（即从十四世纪中期到十六世纪中期）蒙兀儿诸汗和蒙兀儿人的历史，第二部分实际上是作者个人的回忆录，其内容主要是记述从羽奴思汗到回历948/公元1541年间作者的经历和同时期中亚、南亚的历史事件。

For nearly a century the two most powerful nations on earth - Victorian Britain and Tsarist Russia - fought a secret war in the lonely passes and deserts of Central Asia. Those engaged in this shadowy struggle called it 'The Great Game', a phrase immortalized in Kipling's Kim. When play first began the two rival empires lay nearly 2,000 miles apart. By the end, some Russian outposts were within 20 miles of India. This classic book tells the story of the Great Game through the exploits of the young officers, both British and Russian, who risked their lives playing it. Disguised as holy men or native horse-traders, they mapped secret passes, gathered intelligence and sought the allegiance of powerful khans. Some never returned. The violent repercussions of the Great Game are still convulsing Central Asia today.

Svat Soucek's book offers a short and accessible introduction to the history of Inner Asia. The narrative, which begins with the arrival of Islam, charts the rise and fall of the different dynasties right up to the Russian conquest. Dynastic tables and maps augment and elucidate the text. The contemporary focus rests on the seven countries which make up the core of present-day Eurasia, that is Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Sinkiang and Mongolia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, renewed interest in these countries has prompted considerable political, cultural, economic and religious debate. While a divergent literature has evolved in consequence, no comprehensive survey of the region has been attempted. Soucek's history promises to fill this gap and to become an indispensable source of information for anyone studying or visiting the region.

本书主要研究了唐朝时期中亚各民族的兴衰以及政治变迁。它主要由三编组成。上编主要论述中亚游牧部族的兴衰；中编的主要内容是内陆腹地的沧桑巨变；下编则回到唐朝治下的狭义西域，即中亚史的东部地区，即今新疆的天山南北的安西、北庭两大都护府或唐碛西节度使的地界。

"Islamic Central Asia" is the first English-language anthology of primary documents for the study of Central Asian history. Scott C. Levi and Ron Sela draw from a vast array of historical sources to illustrate important aspects of the social, cultural, political, and economic history of Islamic Central Asia. These documents - many newly translated and most not readily available for study - cover the period from the 7th-century Arab conquests to the 19th-century Russian colonial era and provide new insights into the history and significance of the region.