This paper briefly reviews the backstage to this special section on Greater Khurāsān. The editors will open up the floor for further inquiries and investigations on the region. While some areas of the scholarship covered how the historical Greater Khurāsān finds some contemporary relevance, we argued that much is left for critical analysis, particularly when dealing with the emerging movements the majority of which – as the papers in this section indicate – have firm roots in the history of wider western and central Asia, particularly what was classically designated as Mā Warāʾ an-Nahr (Transoxania). This paper ends with a review of the eight papers included in this section, and how broader themes among such diverse studies can inform future studies.

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