BOOK REVIEW: DMITRY M. TIMOKHIN. ‘ALA‘ AL-DIN MUHAMMAD AND THE RISE OF THE KHWARAZM STATE: 1200-1220 A. D
In 2019, the year of the 200th anniversary of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dmitry M. Timokhin, a senior research fellow with the Institute, wrote a monograph dedicated to the reign of ‘Ala‘ al-Dîn Muḥammad, ruler of the Khârazmshâh Empire, who both turned his state into a great dominion more commonly associated with the term “empire” and witnessed its decline ( ‘Ala‘ al-Din Muhammad and the Rise of the Khwarazm State: 1200-1220 A.D . Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS, 2019. 316 pp. ISBN 978-5-89282-932-8). The paper is a review of this monograph. ‘Ala‘ al-Dîn Muḥammad’s rule (1200-1220) is one of the most controversial episodes related to the history of the Mongol conquests, and the book is of particular interest because the entrenched negative historiographic perception of this figure tends to obscure any opposing views, or even any attempts at a more nuanced look. Dr Timokhin’s book offers convincing arguments in favour of a more balanced assessment of the emperor. It also contains insights into narrower subjects that will be of interest to researchers of the history of Central Asia during this period as a whole, as well as the history of Mongol conquests. The book should essentially be seen as a political biography; it relies upon a wide base of historical sources and has a clear language. The reviewer also proffers critique intended not to disagree with some of the author’s arguments, but to elicit an alternative interpretation of the material, and possibly a more comprehensive analysis of certain details.