Battle of Talas
Abbasids beat Tang China and Islam takes hold in Central Asia
An Abbasid army defeated Tang Chinese forces by the Talas River in Central Asia. The battle secured Islamic influence in the region, and according to tradition captured Chinese artisans brought the secret of papermaking to Samarkand.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 8th century
Did you know
China had paper by the early 2nd century, but according to tradition it reached the Islamic world only after the Battle of Talas in 751, via Chinese captives.
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 732 Battle of Tours — 19 years earlier
Middle East
- 762 Founding of Baghdad — 11 years later
Alive at the time
- Charlemagne (aged 3)
- Li Bai (aged 50)
- Emperor Kanmu (aged 14)