The Persian Samanid dynasty rules Central Asia and Khorasan, making Bukhara and Samarkand cultural and trade centres on the Silk Road.
Approximate date.
The last Sasanian king, Yazdegerd III, is killed, completing the Arab Muslim conquest of Persia.
The monk Xuanzang travels to India and brings back hundreds of Buddhist texts, which he translates into Chinese.
A kurultai proclaims Temüjin as Genghis Khan, founding the Mongol Empire.
The founder of the Mongol Empire dies during the campaign against Western Xia; his heirs continue its expansion.
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo travels to China under Kublai Khan; the account of his journey shapes European knowledge of Asia.
Timur becomes ruler of the Chagatai Ulus, making Samarkand his capital and launching conquests across Western and South Asia.