Shihabutdin Marjani on the Golden Horde

Abstract

Research objectives: The publication of the Russian translation of the section on the history of the Golden Horde from the work of Shihabutdin Marjani, “Mustafad al-akhbar fi akhvali Kazan va Bulgar” (Information Related to the History of Kazan and Bulgar). Research materials: This Russian translation of the section on the Golden Horde history from the well-known work of Sh. Marjani “Mustafad al-akhbar fi akhvali Kazan va Bulgar” is presented to the attention of specialists. This section was earlier excluded from the 1989 edition for ideological reasons. A translation of the first volume of this book in the Russian edition of 2005 turned out to be substandard. This section was also published in 2008 in the modern Tatar language. The authors decided to publish this work now in consideration of the fact that the 200th anniversary of Sh. Marjani’s birth will be celebrated this year. In his work, Sh. Marjani used many written sources by such authors as Rashid al-Din, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Battuta, Mirkhond, Abu al-Ghazi, Ibn Arabshah, and others. He also used numismatics and epigraphic data, written documents, and historical legends. According to Sh. Marjani, the Golden Horde state became one of the greatest states of the Middle Ages. He pointed to the decline of education and culture, internal strife and feuds, and invasions of external enemies as the main causes for the dissolution of the Golden Horde. Research results and novelty: This work which the founder of Tatar historiography, Sh.Marjani, dedicated to the Golden Horde history will now be introduced into the present scholarly discussions.