- 383 - SUMMARY THE SPREAD AND INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC AND TURKİC CULTURE IN THE EAST ASIA - With Special Reference to the Korean-Islamic Cultural Contacts - The East Asian (China proper-Korea-Japan) - Islamic cultural contacts which are regarded as a outcome of the ancient China-Arabia commercial relations through sea- routes, are believed to be initiated as early as the first Hejira century, middle of the 7th, century. In spite of the above facts, the study of Islamic history in the East Asia has been neglected till recently, even though the comprehensive researches in this field are very important in view of enlighting forgotten history of cultural contacts of the East Asia with Islamic world, v. v. Except several research works on Islam in China by western orientalists between the late 19th. and the early 20th. centuries, very little attentions have been paid to cultural and religious aspects of mutual relations between the East Asia and Islamic world because of the relatively backward state of indigenous scholarship, Reflecting this negative trend prevalent in the today's study of this field, this dissertation is designed to trace the various historical heritage supporting by early contacts between East Asian-Islamic cultural zone as well as by Islamic activities of Turkic communities in the pre-modern period in that region with specific focus on the Korean-Islamic cultural contact s. In contrast to all the available Islamic-East ern-Western materials collected, the stu dj attempts to dig out some illuminating historical facts that may open new horizon of384 - research on this subject in the future. Some important findings achieved through this survey can be summarized as follows : - I - The exact date at which Muslims first came' to Korea has not yet been determined, but it is believed that they with their Islamic culture had come to Korea during the Unified Shilla Dynasty (A,D. 661-93 5) via China which had very close commercial relations with Arab and Persian Muslims travelled to China along the mostly sea-routes through Indian Ocean during the T'ang Dynasty of China (A.D.618-907). From Muslim manuals of navigation that have come down to us, it is clear that Muslim navigators were quite at home in eastren sea, where their own colonies called Fan Fang were established as early as the 8th century. According to some Arab travellers who visited China in the middle of the 9th century such as Sulaiman al-Tajir and Abu Zayd, there were more than 100.000 Muslims in the south-eastern coast of China even the report is believed as little exaggerated one. At same time Korea also had very friendly relations with T'ang Dynasty because Shilla Dynasty could realized long- cherished unification of Korea by the cooperative assistance of the T'ang Dynasty. Wide range of political, economic and cultural relations were at the height of prosperity. Moreover there were only a few days' voyage routes from west Korea to the various Chinese southern and eastern ports where large Muslims communities were found. It is very likely that Shilla peoples came into contact with the Muslims through several channels : 1. Business contacts in Chenese ports between Muslim merchants who dominated `Arabia-India-Malay-China` trade and Korean counter parts. who controlled eastern regional trade (China-Kodea-Japan).- 385 - 2.Political contacts in Chang-an, the capital of T'ang ; between Muslims there and Korean diplomats and trade missions who regularly visited the Ghinese court as a part of fair-respect diplomacy ör official trade. 3.Cultural contacts in China between Musliıas and Korean students who were dispatched for studying of Chinese culture with government scholarship. 4.Religious contacts with Muslims by Korean Buddhist monks who frequently went to China and the West Region (modern Turkestan) : Some of their travel descriptions teli us the contacts with Muslims and their religion. 5.Direct advances of Muslims to Korea for trade purpose. These can be borne out by references to Shilla found in the writings by Müslim historians ör geographers such as Ibn Khurdadbih, Sulaiman al-Tajir, Mas'udi, ete., between 9th- 16th centuries.Ibn Khurdadbih was the first Arab who informed of Muslims' residence in Shilla Korea. Mas'udi mentioned Iraqis* residence there. More interesting information can be found in the books of Shamsuddin Dimashki, Âhmad al-Nuwayri and Al-Maqrizi who mentioned the âlawîs' immigration to Shilla for seeking their asylum against pressure of Ummayyad Caliphate. But nobody wrote about Muslims1 return from Korea. in addition to Islamic re'sources, SKSK among Korean historical documents give us a list of trade articles transacted by Müslim merchants which mean Müslim merchants had already found their way into Korea. The first Korean historical documents on the relations with Muslims can be KS, the official chronicle of Koryo Dynasty (Â,D,936-13 92), According to KS, a 100 Tashi (Ârab) group headed by Al-Razi came to Korea for trade in 1024. Aftervard continuously several Müslim trade groups headed by Hassan, Razi and Baraka came to Korea with their native products. During their stay in Korea, they were treated as important guests by the king and returned with Korean products given by the king.- 386 - - II - When the Mongols controlled över Korea in 1270, many Muslims who had exerted their ability in most policy-making and administrative posts under Mongol regime, came to Korea accompanied by the Mongols. During the Koryo Dynasty (918- 1392), particularly the Yüan (1270-1368) intervention to Koryo, we understand through detail investigation of Korean historical reference such as KS, KSC. many Muslims settled down permanently and assimilated to Korean society thanks to the preferential treatment toward Muslims and profitable economic advantages. Öne example of Muslims1 naturalization to Korean society is the case of SAMGÂ who is believed te be a Uygur Müslim came to Korea as a chamberlain for Mongol princess Che-kuk, a daughter of Kubilai Khan, who later became a queen of Kroyo Dynasty. He naturalized to Korea after marriage with a Korean woman and he is now known as the originator of Chang elan of Doksu whose communities is prosperous even in present times. Muslims in Korea formed their own communities in Kae-song, the Koryo capital and its outskirts, where they could keep on their own cultural customs and tradition as well as Islamic religious occasions, They even possessed own shops selling native products in Kae-song, They built Mosques called Ye-kung. Religious lea ders ^*ere chosen in the Müslim communities to perform act of worship in accordance with the Islamic law and customs. From time to time Müslim leaders had exceptional honor to be invited to attend court ceremonies where they practiced their own religious rituals such as Quran recitation to pray for king's long life and the prosperity of the country. But under the assimilation policy of the Choson Dynasty (1392-1910) Müslim settlers in Korea who had secured quite high-387 - social and economic positions, shed gradually their native attire, custom and rituals to which they had adhered for about 150 years, in spite of the negative progress for the Müslim upgrading in Korea under the assimilation policy of Choson Dynasty, high cultural and scientific achievemehts by Muslims such as astronomy, calendar. science, medicine, musical and scientific instruments introduced and utilized with wide range in Korean society, According to CVS (official chronicles of Choson Dynasty), Korean lunar calendar system which was videly used through the Choson Dynasty, was completed based on the theory of Islamic astronomy and calendar sicence. The advanced Islamic science might contribute to new invention of various scientific instruments in Korea in the middle of the 15th century, such as celestial globe, water clock, sundial, astronomic clock, rainfall gauge, ete. in addition, some factors of Turkic culture were also introduced into Korea at that time. Most important Turkic culture inf luenced Korean socety without doubt was the using of Turk-Uygur alphabet and its language as a court language among Koryo aristocrats during a certain period (late 13th- early 15th centuries), -III - With collapse of the Yüan Dynasty (a Mongo1-Chinese regime), Ming Dynasty was established in China, whil e Choson Dynasty newly appeared in Korea replacing Koryo Dynasty, By the influence of political change and new government's conservative policy which had concentrated on Confucianizm as a national ideology in Korea as well as external change in commercial dominance in the East Âsia from Muslims to western merchants such as the Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, Muslims1 contacts to the Korean peninsula and their cultural and commercial activities- 388 - became decreased. No more lıistorical documents are found on cultural cantacts between Korea and Islamic world till ttıe early this century, Islamic activities in the East Asian regions became again vigorous with coming of some religious missions who were despatched officially ör secretly to China and Japan as a part of Pan-Islamic policy of the Ottoman Sultan II, Abdulhamid. Abdurreshid ibrahim Efendi, öne of the patriotic Pan- tslamist of Russian Turks in this perîod came to Korea to initiated certain Islamic propagation, but his efforts were not successful because the situation of Korea under Japanese f-. control and his language problems didn't permit him free contacts and the collection of accurate information concerned from the Korean general publics. Nevertheless his travel account named `Alem-i islam (islam in the world)` is regarded as a very valuable resources for the modern history of Korea to show the real situation of Korean socety with a Müslim's point of view just before Korean annexation to Japan in 1910. Islamic activities in pre-modern times in Korea were started with coming of Russian Turks to Korea in 1920s who had escaped from pressure of the Russian Bolshevik regime. Around 200 peoples of Russian Müslim Turks, mostly Kazan Turks, made permanent settlement in Korea, The Turkic population established their own communiti es.called `maha11-j tslamiye` in Seoul, Pusan and Taegu, opened own educational institutes called `mekteb-i islam` and organized own national and religious federation (Millî ve dinî cemiyet) under chairmanship of Kerim Sulaiman Efendi, They bought a second-floor building in Seoul near the City Hail and used it as prayer hail as well as cultural center and school. But these Turkic Muslims faho had enjoyed than selves by the profitable regional trade between Manchuria- Korea-Japan and obtained high social position under the protec- tion of the Japanese government-general stationed in Korea, vere faced to emigrate to Turkeyand ü.S.A. during the political- 389 - turmoil between 1945-1950. Modern Müslim community in Korea appeared in 1955 by the another group of Turkish Muslims who had participated in Korean War (1950-1953) under the banner of the United Nations to defend South Korea from the military attacks of combined Communists troops from north. These Turkish soldiers, besides their duties to defend peace and freedom, propagated their religion by which the first Korean Muslims opened new era for islam in Korea. The findings in this study reveals some interesting aspects of Korea's relations with Islamic cultural zone. Contrary to the previously shared understanding that islam had been introduced in Korea in 1955 by the Turkish ground troops, islam itself ör Islamic cultural influence had penetrated into Korea long before. This fact alone provides us with new sense of direction and sources of research in the further understanding Korea's 1000 years1 relations with Islamic cultural sphere. This thesis is a preliminary and compr ehensive survey to initiate and trigger our research interests in this direction. The possible re-orientation on each topics of this study may help reshape our present status of arts in approaching the issue of Korea Islamic cultural cofluence.
