Crimean historical review

During the First Kurultai many important changes took place in the Crimean Tatar society, particularly concerning the women’s issue. This topic worried many people, because the equalization of Crimean women’s rights with men was a revolutionary decision not only for Muslim, but also for the majority of European nations. Nevertheless, at that time there were many opponents of this change, as not all decisions made by the Kurultai were correlated with the norms of religion and local traditions. Crimean Tatar society was split, and the agenda was filled with acute issues that lay in the religious and social planes: whether a woman can attend a mosque, whether a girl can receive a full education, whether a woman has the right to freedom of movement, how a Muslim woman should dress, what conditions men should observe in case of polygamy. Such topical issues were touched upon during the 18th and 19th sessions of the Kurultai, where Noman Chelebidzhikhan, Asan Sabri Aivazov, Shefika Gasprinskaya and many others expressed their opinions. In the preparation of the article we used transcripts of the meetings of the Kurultai, memoirs of famous figures of that period, newspapers.

The purpose of the study: to study the national policy in the Crimean
Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the interwar period (1920-1930s).

Research materials: Statistical and economic reports of the Government of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, unpublished documents of the State Archive of the Republic of Crimea were used in the work on the article.

Results and scientific novelty: The article considers the period of active national construction in the Crimean ASSR. The main attention is paid to the so-called "national minorities of the West" – Germans, Poles, Bulgarians and Estonians. The article studies the processes of indigenization, socio-political structures, surplus appropriation policy, land reform, issues of culture and education are touched upon.

One of the most famous architectural monuments of Bakhchisarai – the Yesil Jami Mosque, after the events of the 80s of the 18th century, was abandoned, without parishioners, and needed repairs. Archival documents of the Tauride Muslim Spiritual Board for the 30–40s of the 19th century, published statistical data and indicated that one of the probable reasons for the desolation of the Jami was the emigration of a significant number of Muslim residents from Bakhchisarai and the settlement of the city by the Christian population, as a result, the absence of a jamaat at the mosque, responsible for maintaining the Yesil Jami building in proper condition.

The research focuses on nicknames sourced from our survey, as well as on those received from Crimean Tatar periodical press through which this type of anthroponyms have been studied, interpreted and systematized.

The purpose of the study is to select, systematize and etymologically analyze Crimean Tatar nicknames used in various regions of the Crimean Peninsula.

The features leading to denomination are: appearance and other physiological characteristics, profession, personality and the deeds of a person. Such characteristics as historical data on the origin of the family (the name of a clan or tribe), the social status, faith of a person have less likely been a reason for nicknaming.

The article considers nicknames of noble people (e.g. Crimean khans and the family name, nickname derivatives of clans having a different status) as well as nicknames given to common folk, and describes their evaluative component.

Besides the tradition of people nicknaming, villages were also awarded nicknames.

The structure and meaning of nicknames differed within the dialects of the Crimean Tatar language. At the same time, there used to be nicknames common to all regions of the peninsula. Crimean Tatar nicknames have both clear and vague etymology.

The research provides with a more detailed classification of Crimean Tatar nicknames. An attempt has been made to give an etymological interpretation of individual nicknames and determine their dialect.

The famous Crimean Tatar writer, publicist, politician and public figure Asan Sabri Aivazov (1878–1938), after the tsarist secret police closed the Karasuvbazar newspaper “Vetan khadimi” (“Servant of the Fatherland”) in May 1908, directed all his efforts to opening a new newspaper called “Kyrym Sedasi” (“Voice of Crimea”). His correspondence with officials of the Tauride Governor’s office and personally with the governor was deposited as a series of documents in file no. 663 (fund 26, inventory no. 3) of the State Archives of the Republic of Crimea (SARC). It is these and a number of other materials and documents that formed the basis of the article, which attempts to briefly reveal the activities of A.S. Aivazov, associated with Crimean Tatar periodicals of the early twentieth century.

This work is a translation from English of the Chapter 4 “The Polish and Lithuanian Instruments of Peace Addressed to the Khans” from the second part “A Study in the Crimean and Polish-Lithuanian diplomatics and diplomacy” of the scientific work “The Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania. International Diplomacy on the European Periphery (15th–18th Century). A Study of Peace Treaties Followed by Annotated Documents. The Ottoman Empire and its Heritage” (pp. 425–443). The book “Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania” is the result of many years of research by the famous historian, director of the Institute of History of the University of Warsaw, professor of the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences Dariusz Kolodziejczyk, who studied the history of diplomatic relations between the Crimean Khanate and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The book contains many interesting facts, analyses and documents that illuminate different aspects of this complex and controversial cooperation. In Chapter 4 “The Polish and Lithuanian Instruments of Peace Addressed to the Khans” the author analyzes the form, content and significance of the documents that Poland-Lithuania sent to the Crimean khans as confirmation of peaceful relations. The author shows how these documents reflected the different stages of historical development of both sides, as well as how they influenced their mutual perception and respect. The author examines different types of documents such as letters, diplomatic accreditations, treaties, agreements, privileges, and letters of gift. The author also focuses on the visual aspects of documents such as language, handwriting, seals, signatures and ornaments. He shows how these documents reflected the complex relationship between the two states based on mutual dependence, conflict, and cooperation. The author also explores the way that Polish-Lithuanian side adapted its diplomacy to the traditions and demands of the Crimean Khanate, as well as how the Crimean khans perceived and interpreted these documents.