Alle Aspekte des vorislamischen Zentralasien (Geschichte, Kultur und Kunst) beleuchtet das Standardwerk History of civilizations of Central Asia (Paris 1992 ff.):
- Vol. I. The dawn of civilization: earliest times to 700 B.C. Editors: A. H. Dani, V. M. Masson. Paris 1992
- Vol. II. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. Editor: J. Harmatta. Paris 1994
- Vol. III. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750. Editor: B. A. Litvinsky. Co-editors: Zhang Guang-da, R. Shabani Samghabadi. Paris 1996
In die frühislamische Zeit leitet über:
- Vol. IV.1. The age of achievement: A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century. Part 1. The historical, social and economic setting. Editors: M. S. Asimov and C. E. Bosworth. Paris 1998
