Zolotoordynskoe Obozrenie (Mar 2020)
O. Some Information on the Syr Darya River in Historical and Geographical Literature from the fifteenth to nineteenth century
Abstract
Research objectives: To discuss the most interesting (from the point of view of the authors) information about the Syr Darya River contained in historical and geographical literature from the fifteenth to nineteenth century. Research materials: This work is based primarily on the earlier works of Muslim historians and geographers. These are the famous texts of such authors of the Middle Ages as Hafiz-i Abru, Sharaf ad-Din Yazdi, Nizam ad-Din Shami, Zahir ad-Din Babur, Fazlallah ibn Ruzbihan Isfahani, Abu l-Gazi Khan, Mahmud ibn Wali, and others. The authors also used Russian archival documents, information provided by the Dutch researcher Nikolaas Witsen, cartographic materials, and works of scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Results and novelty of the research: Some new information about the Syr Darya River is introduced into scholarly circulation. The Syr Darya is one of the major (in length and water content) rivers of Central Asia. It flows through the territory of modern Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. However, the largest part of the river is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Syr Darya is one of the most frequently mentioned hydronyms in the historical and geographical works of the late Middle Ages and the Modern Age. In many works, early or later, it is referred to as the Seykhun or Saykhun River, although other names of the river are also found in the sources. Some medieval scholars believed that the Syr Darya (Seykhun) was one of the rivers mentioned in the hadith of the prophet. The Syr Darya was a natural border between different regions of Central Asia. The river is often mentioned in Muslim sources in connection with the military and political events taking place in Central Asia. Sources also note the richness of the Syr Darya’s fauna, especially the diversity of its ichthyofauna. In general, historical materials show the importance of the Syr Darya in the history of the peoples of Central Asia.
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