Kazan epigraphic monuments studied by Shihabutdin Marjani

Abstract

Epigraphic monuments are of great value as a source for studying their history, language, and culture. One of the first scholars to turn to this area of research was Shihabutdin Marjani. He contributed a lot to the Tatar epigraphy by expounding some facts he had learnt in his work Mustafadel-ahbar fi ahwali Kazan va Bulgar (Extracting the News of the Events of Kazan and Bulgar). S. Marjani identified and studied the ancient tombstones discovered on the Kabansky settlement territory, as well as during construction works on Voskresenskaya Street (modern Kremlin Street) and made a full description of their texts with author’s comments. Thus, he made a significant contribution to the identification and study of the most ancient Tatar epigraphic monuments of Kazan. However, despite the unconditional authority of Sh. Marjani, discrepancies in dates and names raised doubts about the correct reading of the text of certain epigraphic monuments.

Keywords

• shihabutdin marjani
• “mustafadel-ahbar fi ahwali kazan va bulgar”
• gravestones
• kazan
• necropolises
• epigraphic monuments