The Narrative of Bashkirs by the Balkhī School: Essentials, Sources, Verification
https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2025-77-1-139-151
Abstract
Introduction. Scholars of the tenth-century classical school of Arab-Muslim geography — or the al-Balkhī school — have preserved a large amount of information about the peoples of Eastern Europe. Goals. The article examines the narrative of Bashkirs in the works of the Balkhī school to identify its sources and verify the reliability of messages contained therein. Materials and methods. The study focuses on manuscripts and published critical texts of Kitāb masālik al-mamālik (‘Book of Roads of the Kingdoms’) authored by AbūIsḥāq Ibrāhīm al-Iṣṭakhrī, as well as the work of Abū-l-Qāsim ibn Ḥauqal an-Naṣibī distinguished by that its various editions were published under two titles — Kitāb al-masālik wa-l-mamālik (‘Book of Roads and Kingdoms) and Kitab ṣūrat al-arḍ (‘Book of Depicting the Earth’). In addition, the article reviews the cartographic material accompanying the mentioned texts. To facilitate these, the work employs tools of source analysis, textual criticism, and those of the comparative historical method. Results. The main source of the Balkhī school about the peoples of Eastern Europe was testimonies of merchants and travelers from Gorgan, Khorasan and other localities of the Caspian who mastered the Volga River Route. They visited the ‘inner Bashkirs’ in the Black Sea region, which is evidenced by the presence of a corresponding itinerary and the designation of the latter’s place of residence on the round world map. Meanwhile, the route to the Bashkirs of the Southern Urals — the so-called ‘outer Bashkirs’ — was less familiar to them. Therefore, the geographers of the Classical school borrowed major parts of their narrative pertaining to the South Ural Bashkirs from other authors. Conclusions. The narrative of the Bashkirs of the Balkhī school is essentially multi-layered, and may have been compiled from writings of Ibn al-Muqaffa‘, Ibn Faḍlān, al-Mas‘ūdī, as well as from messages delivered by Muslim merchants and travelers.
About the Author
Salavat I. Khamidullin
Ufa University of Science and Technology (32, Zaki Validi St., 450076 Ufa, Russian Federation)
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Cand. Sc. (History), Leading Specialist
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Review
For citations:
Khamidullin S.I. The Narrative of Bashkirs by the Balkhī School: Essentials, Sources, Verification. Oriental Studies. 2025;18(1):139-151. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2025-77-1-139-151
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