Crimean Tatars Research Articles

Application of the Int'l Conv. for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism & of the Int'l Conv. on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discr. (Ukr. v. Russ.) (Merits) (I.C.J.)

On January 31, 2024, marking the tenth anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its eagerly anticipated judgment on the merits in Ukraine v. Russia concerning alleged violations of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This was the first case lodged by Ukraine against Russia back in 2017, in response to alleged numerous violations arising from Russia's occupation of Crimea and its proxy war in Donbas. Although Ukraine might have hoped for a more favourable outcome, the majority only established narrow and rather minor violations under ICSFT and CERD, despite a plethora of claims advanced by Ukraine under both Conventions. A 13:2 majority found that Russia violated Article 9, paragraph 1 of ICSFT due to its failure to investigate individuals who allegedly committed terrorism financing offences upon receiving the information from Ukraine. As for CERD, another 13:2 majority found that Russia violated Articles 2, paragraph 1(a), and 5(e)(v) of the Convention with regard to the implementation of school education in the Ukrainian language in Crimea. In addition, an 11:4 majority found that Russia violated the provisional measures order, which obliged Russia to lift restrictions on the Mejlis, the highest representative executive organ of Crimean Tatars in Crimea banned by Russian authorities, and imposed the non-aggravation measure. The judges were divided on the scope of the non-aggravation measure, and questioned the appropriateness of establishing the violation of the provisional measures order in part concerning the Mejlis in the absence of the majority's finding of the corresponding violation under CERD on the merits.

Поэма Абу Бакра Каландара Руми «Каландар-наме» как источник сведений по суфийской ритуальной музыке

This paper is devoted to analyze the text of Abu Bakr Qalandar Rumi’s poem “Qalandar-name” from the point of view of describing the Sufi ritual of listening to sama`. As it is known, Sufi zikr can be two types – “loud”, with singing, dancing movements and playing musical instruments, and “quiet” without any musical part. Research materials: The statement of the author of the poem is of scholarly interest because the author welcomes both two types of zikr, as his Ushshaki group used singing, dancing and musical instruments. All these activities were used for the sole purpose of unity with the divine. The text of the poem is a source on Sufi rituals and their musical peculiarities in different tariqats. The poet also provides theoretical justifications for the permissibility of music in Sufi rituals, based on famous Sufi sheikhs of the earlier centuries. Also the author of the poem displays a deep knowledge of the general Sufi Islamic culture of his time, often referring to poetic images of famous Sufi poets of different countries. The musical instruments presented in the poem give a deep insight into the fact that each group of dervishes may have had their own set of instruments and their own dances. A common genre for all Sufi groups in the world is the genre of munajat, which appears four times in the poem as a separate prayer chapter. Results and novelty of the study: In this paper much attention is paid to the analysis of Sufi musical genres and instruments which were typical of that era. Also a number of the most favorite musical instruments are identified, which were widely used during the Sufi ritual of listening to sama`. The differences between the terms sama` (Sufi listening ritual) and the dance genre of Crimean Tatars “sema” and Tajik “samo” are explained separately. The musical instruments, such as arganun and organ, as well as musikar / musigar, which have different descriptions in historical and modern scientific literature, are also studied separately. The description of the organ in the context of the poem together with the image of the immortal bird Kuknus / Phoenix gives the readers the poem the image about two variants of the wind instrument – the Pan flute type and the keyboard type with mechas. Since we have not found a precise description of the organ and the arganun / musikar in the poem itself, this question remains open for future research. The poem “Kalandar-nameh” will no doubt be useful as a source on Sufi culture of different tariqats of the Middle Ages.

Крымскотатарские документы в архиве Абдурешида Медиева

The article represents documents in the Crimean Tatar and Turkish languages, preserved among the papers of the Crimean Tatar public activist, deputy of the Second State Duma Abdureshid Mediev (1880–1912). These documents are now kept in the State Museum of Taurida in Simferopol. The archive consists of letters to A. Mediev from numerous correspondents (A.S. Aivazov; Ali A Tarpi; Muhammad Tukayev; Muham­mad-bek Khadzhetlashe; Ahmed Saib Kaplan; Hassan Nuri, etc.). Among A. Mediev’s papers there are documents of other persons in Turkish and Crimean Tatar: by A. Aivazov “Reform of Islamism”; the rules for the election of the Mufti and Qadiasker by the Taurida Mohammedan Spiritual Board etc. The originals of several legal documents from the era of the Crimean Khanate are of great interest.

«МЫ ПОСЕЛЕНЫ МЕЖДУ ГОР…»: К ИСТОРИИ СЕЛА БАЛТА-ЧОКРАК В ЮГО-ЗАПАДНОМ КРЫМУ В КОНЦЕ XVIII – ХХ ВВ.

This article presents the history of the population of the village of Balta-Chokrak with the Southwestern Crimea, a settlement with different ethnic composition. Until the beginning of the XIX century, the village was inhabited by the Crimean Tatars, but subsequently Balta-Chokrak and its agricultural territories (cultural landscape) are bought to the treasury from the noblewoman Kalitsa Ivanovna Mazganina. After the Crimean Tatars leave the village and travel to the Ottoman Empire, a colony from Greek families who came from Anatolia is founded here. Instead of the mosque that existed in Balta-Chokrak Greek colonists build a church, and begin to actively develop agriculture. What is important, the article on the basis of archival documents and field research for the first time gave a reconstruction of the Crimean Tatar stage of the history of the village, presents the peculiarities of the structure of new immigrants, the difficulties that they had to face in a new place. The point of view established in historiography about Balta-Chokrak as a Greek-Bulgarian colony was also questioned and the features of the composition of the cultural landscape of Balta-Chokrak were revealed, the history of the construction in 1818 and subsequent rebuilding of the Panteleimon Church and the spiritual life of the colonists were detailed.

Украинские источники по истории сношения запорожского казачества с Крымским ханством времен Новой Сечи (1734–1775 гг.) в фондах Центрального государственного архива Украины г. Киева

The publication includes a review of funds and a classification of sources from the history of relations between the Zaporozhian Cossacks of the New Sich era (1734–1775) and the Crimean Khanate, which are stored in the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in the city of Kyiv. For each type of document, a description is given, which includes production features and the informative potential of the source. The sources of diplomatic, political, socio-economic communications of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks with the Crimean Tatars in the specified period have been studied.

Ethnodemographic processes in Crimea at the beginning of the 21 century

The purpose of the study is to identify the features of ethno-demographic processes in Crimea during the first two decades of the 21st century. The work is based on statistical and cartographic research methods. The nature of ethno-demographic processes in the territory of Crimea in the period between the population censuses of 2001 and 2021, which saw a change in the political subjectivity of the peninsula, was determined by the growth in the number and share of the Russian and Crimean Tatar population. At the same time, there was a significant reduction in the size and proportion of the Ukrainian population, caused by both migration outflow and a change in ethnic identity. In addition, the study was able to identify an important spatiotemporal component of ethnodemographic processes in Crimea during this period – the increasing concentration of the main ethnic communities (Russians, Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars) in the southern part of the peninsula.

Disinformation against Crimean Tatars in Russian Social Media

This article examines the persistence of Tatarophobia against Crimean Tatars in the Russian segment of social media during the first year of the full-scale invasion (24 February 2022–24 February 2023). A total of 4,435 posts from various social media platforms, including Facebook, Odnoklassniki, Telegram, Twitter, and Vkontakte, were analysed. The discourse predominantly echoes Russia’s imperial and Soviet-era narratives, along with xenophobic and oppressive rhetoric exacerbated by the full-fledged invasion. The propaganda seeks to cultivate a negative perception of Crimean Tatars as an ethnic community, manipulating cultural and historical aspects related to them. Additionally, it endeavours to construct an adversarial image of relations between Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars, as well as of Ukraine’s current policies. Russian special services perceive the capacity of Crimean Tatars to self-organize, establish volunteer units, or organize blockades as a threat. The propaganda effort not only fosters harassment and hate speech but also encourages peninsula residents to view them as “unreliable elements” deserving of suppression.

Socio-Linguistic Analysis of The Problems of Vulnerable and Critically Endangered Turkic Languages in Kazakhstan

The main goal of the article is to reveal the importance of preserving the use of native Turkic-speaking languages that are endangered such as Crimean Tatars, Tuvan, Balkars, Kumyks, Karachay, Nogai, Gagauz, Sakha and Khakass in Kazakhstan to pass the linguistic practices to the future generation before these ethnic groups disappear. The war times, the period of Great Famine, Stalin's repressions, deportation, all these events had their toll not only on Kazakhs, but also on all the Turkic peoples in general. The Turkic peoples who inhabited the Kazakh land during those hard times still live in our country. The state language of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the Kazakh language. Despite the fact that Kazakhstan is multi-ethnic, there are no obstacles for representatives of the ethnic minorities as to use their native tongues. These ethnic groups have less representation demographically as a reason their linguistic usage and practice is vulnerable. In this regard, the results of the national population census of 2021 in the Republic of Kazakhstan Statistical collection demonstrates the changes of the ethnic group from 2009 to 2021 (https://stat.gov.kz/national/2021/). The population has changed drastically. The problems of the vulnerable and critically endangered Turkic languages spoken by relevant ethnic minorities in Kazakhstan have been considered in this article.This article provides a general overview of how the oldest family classification affected the endangered Turkic languages in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, systematic grouping can be started by works of Arat. Arat proposes classifying a group of Turkic languages as “dialects” and “sub-dialects”, using the term “Turkic dialects” for modern Turkic languages from 1947 to 1951. But Arat's own classification of Turkic languages and subsequent classifications have not yet been consistently discussed in a comparative context. The article also provides an overview of the main works of such famous Turkologists as Talat Tekin’s “New classification of Turkic languages”, Benzing’s “Classification of the Turkic Languages” based on Samoilovich's classification and Karl Menges’s “Turkic languages and peoples”.The current state of the Turkic languages, the main problems of the vulnerable and critically endangered Turkic languages spoken by ethnic minorities has been considered in the article and also a socio-linguistic study of the situation in Kazakhstan, being the subject of research, has been conducted. The percentage based indicators and frequency analysis were performed by collecting data during the study using both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods. Hence, a 14 questions questionnaire was prepared with purpose of data gathering on the usage of the language and its application on day today life. The questionnaire was distributed in 2020 to collect data from 150 participants in ethnic groups. The data collected was found to be insufficient thus an alternative research method was applied to process the data. Interviews were conducted to analyze the qualitative aspects of the research. Audio recordings have been made during the interviews and recordings have been analyzed in the article. Regarding the research analyses, a concept has been formulated as to vulnerable and critically endangered Turkic languages spoken by relevant ethnic minorities in Kazakhstan.As a result of the analysis, the article discloses the similarity and differences of endanger Turkic languages in phonetic, morphological, syntactic and semantic terms, determining the level and scope of the use of native languages in Kazakhstan by Turkic ethnic communities.

Elite culture of Early Modern Crimean Khanate: Western Travellers' Perceptions

The statehood of the Crimean Tatars indigenous people of Crimea is little known worldwide. In the era of the Crimean Khanate, the Crimean Tatars cultivated elite culture characterised by a synthesis of European customs and Islamic religious traditions. The term "elite culture" refers specifically to the cultural society of the established aristocracy, the educated upper class, political influencers, and individuals active in fields such as education, art, literature, architecture, philosophy and the military. Elite culture in the Crimean Khanate can be described as the confluence of various influences leading to a distinctive fusion of artistic, intellectual and social elements. This study looks at elite culture from the perspective of Western travellers from France, Germany, Poland and England visiting Crimea in 16th-19th centuries, in particular, Martin Bronowski, Baron de Tott, Claude-Charles de Peyssonnel and others. The research contends that the travelogues portrayed a harmonious blend of culture and politics, showcasing how certain Crimean khans, who were also skilled writers and musicians, contributed to this vision. The leaders of the Crimean Tatar Giray dynasty aspired to establish an advanced state, characterized by a military and a thriving intellectual heritage, deeply intertwined with the Ottoman Empire.

Crimean Tatars in the Digital Age

Abstract This article focuses on how the digital age has affected the Crimean Tatar religious authorities in the emerging cyber-Islamic environment. I argue that despite government restrictions, the internet remains a safe space for public debate and for challenging Muslim authorities in Crimea. I also argue that although online media have allowed traditional Muslim authorities in Crimea to improve communication within their organization and expand their audiences, they have become a platform for challenging their hierarchies, structures, ideologies, and texts. First, the structure of the Crimean Muslim community is outlined. I then describe the Crimean cyber-Islamic environment, before using social-media analysis and interviews with Muslim leaders to analyze the situation in the Crimean Tatars’ cyber-Islamic environment, with a focus on their religious authorities.

The role of ethno-cultural orientation of physical education in teaching physical culture of Crimean Tatars

The role of ethno-cultural orientation of physical education in teaching physical culture of Crimean Tatars

Https://www.shdisj.com/index.php/shdisj/article/view/110

A person lives nowadays in a multicultural world, and transformations of the conditions of social life lead to the changes in the sphere of values and worldview of both the indigenous population and the representatives of national minorities. Family values of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar youth living in mainland Ukraine after the occupation of the Crimea, were investigated. The purpose of the research is a cross-cultural study of family values and parental attitudes of Ukrainian and Crimean youth. Methodology. Sample: N=220 (110 Ukrainians (55 boys and 55 girls) and 110 Crimean Tatars (55 boys and 55 girls) aged 17-24. Methods: Schwartz's value questionnaire, PARI questionnaire, "Family atom" by E. Eidemiller, "Role expectations and harassment in marriage" by A. Volkova, questionnaire "Development of a complete personality in the conditions of modern changes" by O. Vlasova, V. Shcherbina, "Scales of multicultural identification" by A. Mambetova, "Emotional self-awareness" test by O. Vlasova, M. Berezyuk. Results. The majority of Ukrainian youth demonstrate the values of stimulation, which are pronouncedly expressed in the form of the desire for novelty, the need for changes and deep experience, the value of a life full of thrills, new impressions and complicated tasks, as well as universalism (tolerance, protection of human well-being and natural environment). Among the Crimean Tatar youth the values of safety, achievement, universalism and conformity are expressed at a high level (in ½ and more of the respondents). In the course of this research common (nuclear) parental attitudes of the respondents were revealed, which serve as the basis for the formation of transcultural values. Both ethnic groups are characterized by avoiding conflict, developing the activity of a child, partnership relationship, suppression of aggressiveness, verbalization.

"KLAVKA", "YURA", "LARA" BY MARYNA HRYMYCH: FAMILY TRILOGY

The article explores the peculiarity of literary interpretation of the Soviet past in the family trilogy by Maryna Hrymych. The author navigates through time, from post-war Kyiv to the late 1980s. Hrymych creates a unique three-dimensional reflection (the story of three generations) intertwining it with her own experiences and personal reckonings with the past. Attentive to details at the level of toponims (Kyiv, taiga, Crimea, Chernobyl) and everyday life, the author shifts the focus from the collective to the individual stuff stripping the past of monumentality and infusing it with intimacy. Her protagonists attempt to adapt to life in a totalitarian state (Klavka and Yura) or reclaim lost national identity (Lara). In the novel "Klavka," the author delves into the literary scene of 1940s post-war Kyiv focusing on the character of Klavka, the secretary of the Writers' Union of Ukraine. Klavka finds herself at the center of the events of 1947 including the Plenum where the names of Ukrainian writers Maxim Rylskyi and Yurii Yanovskyi were denounced. Hrymych intertwines the stories of artists (the Writers' Union, the ROLIT house, Irpin dachas) with the story of a young woman seeking her place in the world. The next novel, "Yura," is set in 1968, a pivotal time for the Soviet totalitarian state (Khrushchev Thaw gives way to the repressions of the 1970s). Klavka and the following generation of the youth are depicted as adherents of the Soviet world, conformists who adapt to and feel secure as well as fully-fledged in the reality around them. The trilogy concludes with the novel "Lara," unfolding in four locations: the taiga in the northern Tomsk region (1986), Kyiv and Crimea (1987) and Chernobyl (1988). Hrymych intertwines the stories of two nations – Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars – forced to share not only one territory but also a fate in the totalitarian Russian world. While the older generation (Klavka and her son Yura) may settle for culinary reconciliation (Uzbek plov and chebureks), the third generation (Lara) finds conformity in decisions and the substitution of concepts unacceptable. The main heroine not only reflects on history (both general and individual one) but also demands self-definition ("Not Lara – Diliara").

Кримські татари в історичній та культурній спадщині України XV–XVII ст.

The article aims to study the history of the Crimean Tatars of the XV–XVII centuries within historical cultural heritage materials. The territorial is limited to the Volyn region, namely the cities of Ostroh and Dubno. The study methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. Besides these principles, we use the principle of systematicity to study the documents. The factor analysis was effective in examining the social and political processes that took place in the late medieval and early modern periods. We also use the typological method considering material culture objects. Analytical and synthesizing methods were used to generalize the information obtained. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that it studies the historical, cultural, and material heritage of one of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine - the Crimean Tatars in the late Middle Ages and early modern times. During the Ukrainian independence historians and archaeologists prepared some publications on the subject, but the generalized monographic study is absent. In addition, a significant part of material artifacts are kept in the collections of various museums and are not available in exhibition halls. Conclusions. The study of the Crimean Tatars’ material heritage on the territory of mainland Ukraine is important. Despite the rather complicated relations during the XV–XVII centuries, there are many examples of cooperation against common enemies, such as the Moscow state or the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Communities of immigrants from Crimea lived in many Ukrainian cities, towns, and villages, and together with the locals, they contributed to the common welfare and prosperity. All this has left a significant mark on the history, culture, and historical memory of different peoples. The presented artifacts of the Crimean Tatars from the collections of the museums of Ostroh and Dubno will contribute to the study and popularization of the cultural heritage of one of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine. We are firmly convinced that other Ukrainian museums (especially in their collections) hold many items related to the Crimean Tatars. Therefore, our research will continue.

Языковые единицы со значением меры пространства, веса и стоимости как фрагмент языковой картины мира крымских татар

The aim of the research is to identify linguistic units expressing one of the fundamental philosophical concepts, i.e., the category of measure, in the linguistic worldview of the Crimean Tatars. The authors have examined units of measurement in historical and contemporary, official and folk metrology presented in the Crimean Tatar language with various genetic types: original, common Turkic, and borrowed vocabulary. Similar and distinctive features of synchronic and diachronic linguistic units have been identified. The work is novel in that it is the first to explore metrological vocabulary in the Crimean Tatar language as a universal linguistic phenomenon with a dual nature: linguistic and cultural. As a result, the researchers have analyzed metrological units found in various Crimean Tatar documentary sources and identified their ratio and genetic affiliations. It has been determined that etymologically, metrological terms can be traced back to common Turkic, Indo-European, and Arabic roots. Borrowings from different periods are linked to the development of socio-economic relations and trade of the Crimean Tatars with neighboring peoples. In the analysis, special attention has been given to the linguistic units containing concepts significant for Crimean Tatar ethnic culture, reflecting the particularities of the people’s traditional way of life and their assessment of the surrounding reality.

THE THEME OF THE DEPORTATION OF CRIMEAN TATARS IN POPULAR SONGS

In the article an attempt of the analysis of two songs composed and performed by Jamala, a Ukranian singer of Crimean Tatar origin, has been made. The songs under the study − ‘1944’ and ‘The way home’ – are both dedicated to the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 forced many Crimean Tatars to leave the peninsula as protestors against Russian colonial regime were persecuted, threatened, killed. Jamala together with her dissident compatriots had to leave their ancestors’ land in 2014. Crimean Tatars including the singer’s grandparents underwent ruthless mass deportation in 1944. Jamala like other Crimean Tatars of her age represents the generation who were born in deportation, returned home and were doomed to experience the repeat of the forced exile. The singer knows the tragic collisions of her family history from her parents and grandparents who passed down to her their invaluable legacy − Crimean Tatar language, traditions, stories, memories, music, songs – the core of their identity. Jamala and her family are the witnesses and keepers of historical truth and authenticity which serves the foundation for the investigated texts.

The War as the Consequence: The Examination of How the Communist Remnants Led to Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

The paper presents the results of exploring Russia’s ecocidal and genocidal war on Ukraine, which started in 2014 from Crimea and Donbas, and continued in 2022 as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A lot of very important aspects have been analyzed in the paper concerning the Ukrainian and the whole civilized world’s victory in the fight for human rights and freedom against the ‘state sponsoring terrorism and using terrorist means’ Russia and its died ideologies, such as communism, the ‘Russian world,’ the imperial USSR, the Cold War, etc. The methodology of the research consisted of qualitative methods. For analyzing the subject of the research, primary and secondary data have been collected and used. The primary data have been collected by the author in Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Lithuania, Denmark, and other countries during 2014-24, using case studies, fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and very rarely, focus groups. The secondary data have been collected, using desk research from open international sources. To understand the topic of the research deeper, the paper also analyzed the traditionally aggressive behaviour of Russia as a successor country of the imperial USSR against other states and territories in different years and even centuries, symbolisms and ‘coincidences’ of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the present fight on the front line for the European past and future of Ukraine, and several stages of the heroic fight of Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars, representatives of other minorities of Ukraine, and foreign volunteers fighting against Russia for the Ukrainian freedom during 2014-24.

Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs: a Comparative Analysis of the Imperial Policy of Acculturation in the Management System, Social, Military and Educational Spheres

The article examines the acculturation policy pursued by the tsarist government and regional authorities in relation to nomadic, semi-nomadic and sedentary peoples living in the Black Sea and Central Asian regions. Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs were selected for comparative analysis. The study analyzes the main directions of state policy pursued to integrate the Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs into Russia. These areas of work define the management system, social, military and educational spheres. The article also raises the question of whether the tsarist government had a unified program according to which the integration of nomadic, semi-nomadic and sedentary peoples took place in the southern and south-eastern outskirts of Russia. The chronological framework of the work is determined by the end of the 18th — beginning of the 20th centuries, since it was during this period that the Russian authorities carried out the main activities aimed at integrating the Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs into the empire. Archival documents, legislative acts, statistical data and scientific publications were used to cover this topic. The article indicates that this topic has not previously been the subject of special study. The study showed that the tsarist government did not have a single program in accordance with which the integration of the newly annexed peoples living in the southern and southeastern outskirts of Russia took place. In each individual case there were regional peculiarities. It is noted that the acculturation of the Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs in the management system, social, military and educational spheres cannot be assessed unambiguously. Administrative acculturation led to the gradual replacement of traditional institutions of power and the introduction of a general imperial system of management. Legislative consolidation of the rights of new subjects representing different class groups contributed to their rapid incorporation into Russian society. Acculturation in the educational sphere cannot be viewed unambiguously. The main task of the tsarist government in creating Russian-foreign schools was the gradual Russification of new subjects. At the same time, Crimean Tatars and Kazakhs, studying the Russian language and Russian literature, became familiar with the achievements of European civilization.

Transformation of the Status of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People in the Ukrainian Legislation

From the beginning of Ukraine's independence in 1991, Crimean Tatars began effective political activity to restore their right to live in Crimea as indigenous people and to maintain a decisive role in Kyiv’s relations with the regional government of Crimea. Qurultay (representatives’ body) and Mejlis (executive body) were recreated to represent the Tatar people. The Mejlis adopted acts that did not have necessarily binding legal force, however, it was recognized and integrated into the Ukrainian legal system in 1999 through a presidential order. Policy recommendations of Mejlis were considered noteworthy in decisions made by Ukrainian authorities regarding issues of the Crimean Tatars particularly and Crimea in general. 
 The focus of the paper is to study the transformation of Ukrainian supremacy in Crimea and the status of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar in pre- and post-2014. It is based on historical data on Crimean Tatars and analyses the legal acts and policies adopted by the highest authorities of Ukraine related to the subjects of the Mejlis. During the political events of ‘Euromaidan’ that took place in Ukraine in 2013-14 and the Russian annexation of Crimea through a referendum in 2014, the topic of the autonomy of the Crimean Tatars became a relevant issue of human rights and placed as a priority area in the agenda of the Ukrainian government. This research also serves as a case study of the minority group of displaced people who need someplace to stay and settle.

Religious syncretism in the funeral and memorial rites of the Crimean Tatars in modern times

The author touches upon the funeral and memorial customs and rituals of the Crimean Tatars, in particular their content and transformation. The main purpose of the study is to examine the mutual influence of religions and identify elements of ancient pre-Islamic beliefs in the funeral culture of the Crimean Tatars during the late XVIII-early XX centuries. Based on this, the author of the work had two main tasks: 1. To highlight and characterize the main customs and rituals that formed the funeral and memorial complex during the specified period; 2. to highlight the rituals that are conditioned by religious prescriptions and rituals formed as a result of the mutual influence of ancient Turkic views with Islamic religious norms. In general, based on the fact that customs and traditions imply an inherited set of behavior, studying the ritual component will allow us to assess the stability of the development of the spiritual culture of the Crimean Tatars. An analysis of ethnographic descriptions, diaries and records of travelers published in the XIX - early XX century was carried out on this topic. The 20th century allows us to reconstruct the funeral rite and identify elements not related to religious dogmas. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the conducted rituals are considered through the prism of Islamic doctrine, which allowed us to partially determine the degree of religious syncretism in the culture of the Crimean Tatars and identify specific elements associated with ancient pre-Islamic views. As part of the study, it can be concluded that Muslim religious norms were generally observed. Among them: the order for the speedy burial of the body, the correct corpse laying and the vestments of the deceased. At the same time, there are separate descriptions of the funeral rite, where some variability in the performance of rituals is presented, in particular, improper sitting of the corpse and the presence of inventory, which is explained by religious competence and the preservation of echoes of ancient pre-Islamic cults. The echoes of ancient cults are mainly traced in memorial rites, through a ritual meal. Cooking, especially the food that the deceased loved, refers us to the veneration of the cult of ancestors, which was represented among the Turkic-speaking tribes before the adoption of Islam. At the same time, since the meals were accompanied by the recitation of prayers for the deceased, they were firmly associated with religious norms among the inhabitants.