alMulaqs
alMulaqs is a term used in speculative fiction and alternative-history scholarship to describe a hypothetical ancient pastoralist confederation in Central Asia and the eastern Iranian plateau. The concept appears in various works as a shorthand for a network of tribes that supposedly managed caravan routes before the rise of large urban states along the early Silk Road.
In these narratives, the alMulaqs are imagined as occupying a broad belt from the eastern Iranian plateau
Economy and technology in the imagined account emphasize pastoralism and seasonal markets, along with bronze metallurgy
Legacy and reception of the alMulaqs in fiction and study scenes position them as a narrative device