Muslim sources on the connections of Khorezm, Desht-i Qipchak and the Volga region in the XII century

Abstract

This study is devoted to the analysis of information from Muslim sources regarding the political and economic relations of Khorezm with the Volga region and the nomadic Turkic tribes of the eastern Desht-i Qipchak in the 12th century. The author paid attention to the message of the Persian historian Juzjani in his work “Tabakat-i Nasiri” (“Nasir Tables”) that Khorezmshah Qutb ad-Din Muhammad (1097-1127) kept the borders of his state “from the infidel Saksins, Bulgars and Qipchaks”. Despite the fact that at first glance this message does not correlate well with the historical realities known to researchers and information from other Muslim monuments, the author of the article tried to find out what could be hidden behind this statement of Juzjani. This medieval author confused Qutb ad-Din Muhammad and his son, 'Ala' ad-Din Atsyz (1127-1256), who not only made several military campaigns within Desht-i Qipchak, but, from the point of view, the author may be the same ruler of Khorezm, about whom another Muslim historian, al-Garnati, gives a historical anecdote, which refers to the siege of the city of Saksin by Khorezmian troops, which allegedly continued for forty years. The aggressive political and economic expansion of Khorezm during the years of Atsiz's reign could well become a prototype not only for al-Garnati's report, but also become the basis for the quoted quotation from Tabakat-i Nasiri. The mention of "Bulgars" in it can also be explained through the work of al-Garnati, who mentions that a large Bulgarian community was present in Saksin.