Marjani’s Sources for the First Volume of His “Mus­tafad al’-akhbar fi Ahwali Qazan wa Bulgar”

Abstract

Objective: “Mustafad al’-akhbar fi Ahwali Qazan wa Bulgar” is one of the most important studies of Tatar history. In fact, Sh. Marjani was the first to attempt an academic description of the Volga Bulgarian and Tatar history, as well as the history of related and neighboring peoples. Materials of the research: For this purpose, Sh. Marjani used a large array of various sources covering the period from the tenth to the eighteenth century. In addition to edited and manuscript materials, the author also used epitaphs and coins. Thus, Marjani was not limited to quoting excerpts from historical works, but compared their contents, specified dates, and characterized events and personalities. Results and novelty of the research: An analysis of his sources has made it possible to divide them into material, written, and oral ones. Material sources are represented by gravestones and coins. Written sources are the works of Arabic, Persian and Turkic historians and geographers, various reference books and dictionaries, as well as theological works. In turn, the oral testimonies and statements of the Tatar imams about various events and issues of theology represent a third type of sources employed by Marjani.

Keywords

• sh. marjani
• mustafad al’-akhbar fi ahwali qazan wa bulgar
• tatar history
• history of the bulgars