History of the Gurid state in Muslim sources XII - XIII centuries

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Muslim sources of the XII-XIII centuries, containing information on the history of the Gurid state in the pre-Mongol period. After the death of the Seljuk Sultan Sanjar in 1157, various regional leaders will lay claim to the lands that were part of his state, as a result of the struggle between which Khorasan and Mawerannahr, as well as adjacent regions, will become part of the Khorezm state. One of the most serious opponents of Khorezm during this period will be the Gurid state, whose rulers will finally gain independence from the Seljukids and will seriously claim dominance in Khorasan. In many ways, it was the victory over this rival that ensured the rulers of Khorezm a victory in the regional struggle and the opportunity to annex to their own state not only the above-mentioned regions, but also the lands of modern Afghanistan. Medieval historiography of the history of the Gurid state was not a subject of special study as a whole: researchers preferred to focus their attention on the analysis of individual monuments or the most informative historical works from their point of view. In the same article, we will try to outline the boundaries of the corpus of monuments of the 12th - 13th centuries, containing information about this state and its rulers, indicate the features of this information, and also indicate possible connections between this kind of Muslim writings.