XIV-XVI ҒАСЫРЛАРДАҒЫ ОЙРАТ-МОҢҒОЛ ҚАТЫНАСТАРЫ ЖӘНЕ ОЙРАТТАРДЫҢ БАТЫСҚА ЖЫЛЖУЫ

Abstract

Arabic geographical literature is of significant importance for medieval source studies in Kazakhstani historical scholarship. Although many of these works are copies, they nonetheless contain abundant general data about the central regions of the Eurasian continent. Al-Istakhri's "al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik", that is, "Roads and Kingdoms", written in the 10th century, also provides us with substantial information on medieval states and peoples from a source study perspective. Regarding the book's content, we have divided the main topic of the article into several subsections - "About the Seas", "Khorasan", "Mawarannahr (Transoxiana)", "Turkestan", "The Khazar Sea and Mangystau", ""The Khazar Sea and Mangystau"" "The Caspian Sea and Mangistau", "The Volga Region", "About Balkh". The data contained in "al-Masalik wal-mamalik" allow us to show the regional characteristics and common features of ethnopolitical processes that took place in the territory of Kazakhstan in the Middle Ages. The work of al-Istakhri, Kitab al-Masalik wa-l-Mamalik, and its cartographic materials constitute an important source for the study of historical toponymy and the ethnic composition of the population of Central Asia, including the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, in the medieval period.