Volume 12, Nº 4 (2024)

The purpose of the study is a systematic analysis of the Tatar historiography of the dastan “Idegey”; the article accumulates a set of basic studies from the 19th century to the present day related to the Tatar epic of the dastan “Idegey”.

Research materials: The multifunctional science of folk art samples includes a considerable number of textual and theoretical studies devoted to the collection, publication, and study of the monumental folk epic “Idegey”. At the same time, the historiography of Dastan in Tatar studies has not yet become the subject of special research in the context of philological and historical sciences, although the famous Dastan of the Golden Horde period has repeatedly attracted and continues to attract the attention of prominent collectors and researchers over the years. The relevance of the article is explained by the need to rethink the Tatar historiography of the epic, taking into account the achievements of philological and historical science and presenting a holistic view of this problem.

Results and novelty of the research: The study is the first effort at a systematic analysis and description of sources and scientific literature about “Idegey” epic belonging to Tatar scientists. The emphasis on the works of domestic and foreign researchers in relation to the Tatar-language texts of the dastan in different historical periods, along with the identification of significant problems characteristic of the study of the historiography of the epic “Idegey” are also included in the circle of interest of the author. The novelty of the research is a reliable interpretation of the historiography of “Idegey” in the light of new scientific requirements, systematization of assessments, characteristics, and revision of a whole range of previous views on the declared topic. This research provides an important impetus for the active scientific circulation of a number of significant materials on the “Idegey” epic in a broad historical and cultural context.

The dastan “Idegey” gained popularity in all regions where Tatars lived. This article will focus on the variants of the dastan collected in the Tatar villages of Western Siberia and the Teleutes.

The object of the work is to explore variants of the Tatar version of the folk epic “Idegey”.

The subject of the work is the area of distribution of the dastan and the variants found in the specified territory, their ideological and thematic –  as well as lexico-stylistic and dialectal – features associated with local affiliation.

The aim of the work is to identify all the variants recorded in Siberia, as well as to provide information about folklore researchers who collected and studied dastan, assessing the contribution of each of the researchers and describing historical inaccuracies of fragments and excerpts published in different years.

The research materials were archival and published versions of the Tatar dastan “Idegey”. Information from literary and historical sources and scientific research was used. The works of famous folklorists were involved, in particular numerous studies and publications of recent years.

We propose to analyze the variants of the Tatar version which were found orally or in writing in different settlements of Siberia and the border regions. They were recorded by informants belonging to different ethnic groups of the Siberian Tatars and preserving dialectal features. The second part was recorded by immigrants from the Volga region, more precisely from villages belonging to the regions of Tatarstan, or copied from texts preserved in their manuscripts. The article considers each option separately, highlights the main motives and plot features, and provides the most complete information about each option to date.

Objective of the study: The aim of the research is to examine the content, origin, and chain of transmitters of the epics dedicated to the dynasty of the Golden Horde's beglerbeg, Idegei, included in the cycle of heroic epics, “Forty Heroes of Crimea”. A comparative analysis of each epic with available information about historical figures mentioned in the epics is carried out to identify the main characters. The study also seeks to determine the author of the entire cycle, “Forty Heroes of Crimea,” and establish the time and circumstances of the creation of these epics among the Kazakhs of the Junior Zhuz.

Materials of the study: The primary source of this research is the cycle of epics, “Forty Heroes of Crimea,” recorded from the oral tradition of Muryn Sengirbekuly and published as part of the “Madenі Mura” ("Cultural Heritage”) project in the 50th and 51st volumes of the “Babalar Sözi” (“Words of Ancestors”) series.

Results of the study: The author of the cycle “Forty Heroes of Crimea” has been identified as Kazytugan-zhyrau, a descendant of Idegei. The cycle of epics was composed in the last quarter of the 17th century. The circumstances of the creation of the cycle were related to Kazytugan's migration to the Kuban who were the descendants of Karasai. It has been established that the cycle of epics was introduced by fugitive Kuban Nogais into the Junior Zhuz Kazakh environment in 1745 under the rule of Nuraly Khan who settled them among the Kazakhs of the Berish clan of the Alshin tribe. These Nogais later formed the Besskaska-Berish branch from which the spread of the “Forty Heroes of Crimea” epics among the Kazakhs began. The first known Kazakh zhyrau to transmit the entire cycle was Abyl-zhyrau, followed by his students Nurym-zhyrau, Murat-akyn, and Kashagan-zhyrau. From these latter figures, Muryn-zhyrau Sengirbekuly learned the epics. The entire cycle of epics was recorded and published from his oral account.

The purpose of the study is to show the dynamics of the assessment of the personality of the ruler of the Golden Horde Idigey in Russian science of the imperial and Soviet periods.

Research materials: historical works of Russian historians who touched upon the assessment of the personality of Idigey in the 1840s – 1960s.

Results and novelty of the study: it is shown that the process of studying the history of the Golden Horde and its political history was complex and tortuous. This was especially true of the personality of Idigey, as well as the folk epic dedicated to him. Since the beginning of the study of this epic, historians have become interested in the historical personality himself, the relationship of his fate with the hero of the epic. In Russian science, his personality did not attract much attention. The emerging Tatar historical science accused Idigey of extreme ambitions, considering him the culprit of the campaigns of Aksak-Timur and the collapse of the Golden Horde. In the first half of the 20th century. historians and folklorists were influenced by the ideas of class struggle and tried to present him as a folk hero fighting against feudal oppression, which was undoubtedly a distortion of the facts. In 1944, by a decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b), the Golden Horde was recognized as a parasitic state, and Idigey was recognized as the most "insidious and predatory Horde ruler." Since that time, such a point of view has become decisive and uncontested for almost half a century, which froze Russian science in understanding this period of history.

Objective: The aim of the research is to reveal the history of studies in Turkey on the Edigey Epic, one of the most important epics in the Turkish world, to introduce the published copies of the Edigey Epic, and to determine from which perspectives the epic was researched and what kind of conclusions were reached. Research materials: The source of the study consists of copies of the epic published in Turkey, master’s and doctoral theses on the epic, and articles published in various scientific journals in Turkey on the subject.

Results and novelty of the research: As a result of the research, it was determined that the Tatar, Bashkir, Nogay, and Kazakh versions of the epic were published in Turkey, two master’s and two doctoral theses were written on the Edigey Epic, and dozens of articles were written. Although the different versions of the Edigey Epic published in Turkey are attributed to different nations, in fact the subjects and heroes of all these publications are the same, and we see the differences only in the motives and cultural characteristics specific to these respective nations. As in many other fields, Tatar intellectuals were the first to research the epic in Turkey. On the other hand, articles written about the epic examine it in terms of history, literature, and language. These studies mostly attempt to reveal how the epic deals with the image of Edigey and Timur, the theme of homeland, weapons, steppe and steppe culture, birth-wedding-death, etc. In addition, some articles examine topics such as supernatural powers, mythological motives, and the functions of animals in the epic.

Research objectives: This article is the publication of a fragment of an unpublished study by Pavel Alexandrovich Falev (1888–1922), “The Nogai Legend of Idegey”, dedicated to the epic of Idegey, as well as a brief overview of the study and collection of various Turkic versions of the epic (primarily in the Tatar language).

Research materials: Pavel Falev's unpublished work is kept as a manuscript in the Archive of Orientalists of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg and consists of 16 copybooks which are of considerable interest to researchers, both turkologists and folklorists. It represents a certain stage in the field of study regarding Turkic epic in general and the epic of Idegey in particular, and, of course, needs a annotated publication. The main feature of this work is, first of all, that Pavel Falev considers all versions of the Turkic legend of Idegey known to him at that time.

Results and novelty of the research: The archive of Pavel A. Falev has already attracted the attention of researchers, but not by itself and only in connection with the research works of other Turkologists. In Falev’s text there is furthermore an overview of the versions of the epics known to the author, and the need to study and collect various versions of the legend of Idegey is quite clearly stated – only this, according to Pavel Falev, would allow for recreating the full picture of its distribution.

Purpose of the research: To present the study of the Uzbek version of the dastan “Idegey”.

Research materials: Uzbek versions of the epic “Idegey” and archival materials. The scientific novelty of the study: The Uzbek version of the epic “Idegey” were studied in a comparative approach. For the first time, archival records of the epic with live performances in the epic tradition were analyzed and comparatively studied. Important theoretical conclusions were made regarding the study of the epic.

Results of the study and its scientific novelty: The article proved that variants and versions of the epic about Idegey are widespread in Central Asia among Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Kazakhs, especially in Khiva City, Khiva District and Khanka District, Nukus City, and the Chimboy District of the Khorezm oasis.

The work compares the versions recorded by researchers A. Belyaev, Erpolat zhyrau, and Kiyos zhyrau, demonstrating how the differences in their interpretation reflect the peculiarities of the epic tradition of each respective people. The conclusions of the study emphasize the richness of the language, artistic expressiveness, and historical significance of the epic. The work contributes to the study of the folklore of the Turkic peoples, highlighting the relationship between oral tradition and written sources. It is scientifically substantiated that the Kiyos zhyrau version is the richest in linguistic composition, the most beautiful in artistic coloring, and in the excellent description of traditions associated with ancient life, even acquiring historicity. In this version, an individual strong improvisational quality is manifested in the performance of the epic “Idegey”, thus manifesting all the talent and ability of Kiyos zhyrau.

From October 4 to 6, 2024, the II International Congress on the History of Turkic Statehood was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the theme “The statehood of the Turkic peoples in the Chingisid era ”, dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the Ulus of Jochi. The Congress was organized by the Turkic Academy in collaboration with the Turkish Historical Society under the Atatürk Supreme Council for Culture, Language, and History and the Research Institute for Jochi Ulus studies, under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan.

The international event brought together leading scholars, representatives of academic and diplomatic circles from Turkic countries, as well as guests from Mongolia, Korea, Russia, the USA, Austria, Ukraine, France, and Bulgaria, creating a platform for multilateral exchange of opinions and scientific discoveries. The congress presented reports covering a wide range of topics – from analyzing the chronology of key events to examining the political, economic, and cultural processes related to the history of Turkic peoples during the Chingisid era. Special attention was given to key issues concerning the history of the Ulus of Jochi, its role in the formation of Turkic states, as well as the processes of Islamization and Turkification. The congress not only facilitated the exchange of knowledge and scientific discoveries but also laid a strong foundation for future research. An important result was the strengthening of academic ties and international cooperation, opening up prospects for new joint projects and research endeavors aimed at studying the history of Turkic states and their role in world history.