Central Asia and Western Siberia in the second half of the XVI century (political and ethnocultural relations)

Abstract

XVI century became a “point of bifurcation, both in the history of Western Siberia and in relations with Central Asia. Defined by ethnolinguistic kinship with the Turkic population of Siberia, in the XVIth century. Interest was smoldering in Central Asia. But there was not enough (including military and missionary) forces to move north. Economic aspects (including the expansion of the market of goods) mutually beneficial contacts “rested” not only in the complexity of communications, but also in the difference of mental attitudes and socio-cultural features. The religious community of the population of the two megaregions was poorly felt. Unity on the basis of faith has retreated, in some cases, to the background under the pressure of circumstances. Islam did not become the dominant (state) religion in Siberia. In the second half of the 16th century, the number of local Muslims remained modest amid a larger number of supporters of archaic beliefs. The spiritual practices of the Muslims of Siberia differed from the established traditions of the fellow believers of Central Asia. The Russian state did not disturb the “balance” between the eastern and western vectors until it acquired territorial acquisitions on the Volga and then in Asia. Behind each “player” were geopolitical interests shaped by dominant ideas, and not only religious ones.