Buddhism in Central Asia in the context of "Tocharians"

The nations which make up Central Asia are five of the former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which have a total population of about 76 million. Afghanistan is not always considered part of the region, but when it is, Central Asia has a total population of about 122 million (2016); Mongolia and Xinjiang (part of China) is also sometimes considered part of Central Asia due to its Central Asian cultural ties and traditions, although geographically it is East Asian. Most central Asians belong to religions which were introduced to the area within the last 1,500 years, such as Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, Ismaili Islam, Tengriism and Syriac Christianity (mostly East Syriac). Buddhism, however, was introduced to Central Asia over 2,200 years ago, and Zoroastrianism, over 2,500 years ago.

Talas (Kyrgyz: Талас облусу, romanized: Talas oblusu; Russian: Таласская область, romanized: Talasskaya oblast) is a region (oblast) of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Talas. It is bordered on the west and north by Jambyl Region of Kazakhstan, on the east by Chüy Region, on the south by Jalal-Abad Region and on the southwest by a finger of Uzbekistan. Its total area is 13,406 km (5,176 sq mi). The resident population of the region was 270,994 as of January 2021.

During the 8th-century, the Battle of Talas between the Abbasid Caliphate and the Tang dynasty was fought here, which culminated in Abbasid victory that led to the Islamization of Central Asia and subsequent abandonment of Buddhism in the region.