Geography of the Golden Horde as presented by medieval authors.

Abstract

Objective: to study the nomenclature of geographical names from the territory of the Golden Horde, presented in medieval European, Arab and Persian narratives and on this basis to imagine how the medieval world saw the geography of this state in the 13th–14th centuries. Research materials: European works – Plano Caprini, Willem Rubruk, Marco Polo, Johann Schiltberger, Josaphat Barbaro, Arab works – Ibn al-Zahir, Rukn ad-Din Baybars, Abu l-Fida, al-Nuweiri, al-Mufaddal, ad-Dzehebi, al-Omari, Ennasir, ibn-Battuta, al-Forat, ibn-Khaldun, al-Kashkandi, al-Makrizi, al-Asadi, al-Askalani, ibn-Arabshah, al-Aini) and Persian – Juzjani , Juvaini, Wassaf, Qazwini, Zein ad-Din, Sheikh Uwais, Nizam-ad-din-Shami, Natanzi, Sherif-ad-din Yazdi authors, available to us in translations into Russian and European languages. Results and scientific novelty: the classification of names contained in narratives according to groups accepted in geography – horonyms, hydronyms and urbanonyms – shows that their number in groups is approximately the same: horonyms – 18 names, hydronyms – 15, urbanonyms – 16. The frequency of their mentions by medieval narrativist varies depending on how significant they were from the point of view of geographical knowledge of the Golden Horde by the medieval world. As for urbanonyms, how noticeable a particular city was from the point of view of international trade. Since the narrativist writers of the 13th-14th centuries, with rare exceptions, did not themselves visit the territory of the Golden Horde, their geographical nomenclature differs little over time. In this regard, the works of European authors who themselves visited the Golden Horde differ. But the list of hydronyms, horonyms and urbanonyms they provided was determined by the specific route of their passage through the territory of this state. Therefore, in the perception of the consumers of this information – contemporaries – the Golden Horde appeared as an endless plain inhabited by nomads, very poorly urbanized