REFERENCES TO THE TITLE OF THE TURKIC RULERS WHEN DESCRIBING THE HISTORY OF THE GHAZNAVIDS IN “TABA’I’ AL-HAYYAWAN” BY AL–MARWAZI

Abstract

Within the framework of this article, the focus is on the mention in al-Marwazi’s work “Taba’i’al-hayyawan” (“On the nature of animals”) of embassies from the Uighur and Khitan rulers to the court ofSultan Mahmud Ghaznаvi. This author also cites in his work the text of the messages that were sent to thissultan by both rulers. In the text of the letter of the Khitan emperor, the title “Qara-khan” is used in relationto Mahmud Ghaznavi, which could not but raise certain questions from researchers. In this article, we wouldlike to consider, first of all, the author’s explanation of the origin of such a title, as well as its application toMahmoud Ghaznаvi. Here it is necessary to analyze al-Marwazi’s instructions on the connection betweenthe title “Qara-khan” and African slaves in the Turkic nomadic environment, on which this author dwellsin detail. In addition, we will analyze the points of view of researchers, both on the origin of such title, andits existence in the political system of Desht-i Qipchak and neighboring regions. We hope that this articlewill be useful not only for researchers dealing with the history of the Ghaznavid dynasty, but also for a widerange of experts on the history of nomadic Turkic tribes, as well as the reflection of their history in medievalMuslim historiography.