After printing press licenses were wrestled by the Central Asians from the Russian government during the 19th century, many were collected by the Central Asians and others, and published. The Monuments have proved to be durable. Primarily works of Central Asian thought, they belong also to civilization at large, representing the endeavors of human activity. The present volume presents essays on eight Central Asian Monuments. Each essay discusses one Monument, placing it in historical perspective.
Some works are very early products of Central Asian thought.
A few, are quite new, that is, were produced in the 19th and the 20th centuries. They all, however, are repositories of thought and culture and all have had palpable repercussions. Their enduring quality is manifested in repeated references to them by present-day Central Asians in their own historical, literary, and even political writings. Indeed, this use of Monuments provided an additional reason for undertaking this collection. In a time when Central Asia's importance to the world affairs is again resurgent, it is necessary to understand the intellectual nucleus of Central Asians' mode of thinking.