THE EARLY MUSLIM CONQUESTS CONVERTED MOST OF THE PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE LOCAL RULING CLASSES, INTO ADHERENTS OF ISLAM. DURING THIS PERIOD, CITIES SUCH AS SAMARKAND, KHIVA AND BUKHARA BEGAN TO GROW RICH FROM THE SILK ROAD AND WITNESSED THE EMERGENCE OF LEADING FIGURES OF THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE, INCLUDING MUHAMMAD AL BUKHARI, AL-TIRMIDHI, ISMAIL SAMANI, AL-BIRUNI, AND AVICENNA. THE LOCAL KHWARAZMIAN DYNASTY, AND CENTRAL ASIA AS A WHOLE, WERE DECIMATED BY THE MONGOL INVASION IN THE 13TH CENTURY. AFTER THE REGION BECAME DOMINATED BY TURKIC PEOPLES. THE TERRITORIES OF THE TIMURID DYNASTY WERE CONQUERED BY UZBEK SHAYBANIDS IN THE 16TH CENTURY, MOVING THE CENTRE OF POWER TO BUKHARA. THE REGION WAS SPLIT INTO THREE STATES: THE KHANATE OF KHIVA, KHANATE OF KOKAND, AND EMIRATE OF BUKHARA. CONQUESTS BY EMPEROR BABUR TOWARDS THE EAST LED THE FOUNDATION OF INDIA’S PROTO INDUSTRIALIZED MUGHAL EMPIRE.