2020, vol. 8, no. 1. Atygayev N.A., Hanayi O.

2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 167-184

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2020-8-1.167-184

   SOME INFORMATION ON THE SYR DARYA RIVER
IN HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL LITERATURE
FROM THE FIFTEENTH TO NINETEENTH CENTURY

N.A. Atygayev 1, 2, O. Hanayi 3
1 Kazakh National Agricultural University
Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
2 The State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Saraychik”
Atyrau, Republic of Kazakhstan
nuratygaev@mail.ru
3 Eurasian Research Institute
of the Khoca Akhmet Yasawi International Turkish-Kazakh University
Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
kaztegin@hotmail.com

Abstract: Research objectives: To discuss the most interesting (from the point of view of the authors) information about the Syr Darya River contained in historical and geographical literature from the fifteenth to nineteenth century.
Research materials: This work is based primarily on the earlier works of Muslim historians and geographers. These are the famous texts of such authors of the Middle Ages as Hafiz-i Abru, Sharaf ad-Din Yazdi, Nizam ad-Din Shami, Zahir ad-Din Babur, Fazlallah ibn Ruzbihan Isfahani, Abu l-Gazi Khan, Mahmud ibn Wali, and others. The authors also used Russian archival documents, information provided by the Dutch researcher Nikolaas Witsen, cartographic materials, and works of scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Results and novelty of the research: Some new information about the Syr Darya River is introduced into scholarly circulation. The Syr Darya is one of the major (in length and water content) rivers of Central Asia. It flows through the territory of modern Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. However, the largest part of the river is located in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Syr Darya is one of the most frequently mentioned hydronyms in the historical and geographical works of the late Middle Ages and the Modern Age. In many works, early or later, it is referred to as the Seykhun or Saykhun River, although other names of the river are also found in the sources. Some medieval scholars believed that the Syr Darya (Seykhun) was one of the rivers mentioned in the hadith of the prophet. The Syr Darya was a natural border between different regions of Central Asia. The river is often mentioned in Muslim sources in connection with the military and political events taking place in Central Asia. Sources also note the richness of the Syr Darya’s fauna, especially the diversity of its ichthyofauna. In general, historical materials show the importance of the Syr Darya in the history of the peoples of Central Asia.

Keywords: history, geography, Syr Darya River, Seykhun, Aral Sea, fauna, fishing

For citation: Atygayev N.A., Hanayi O. Some Information on the Syr Darya River in Historical and Geographical Literature from the fifteenth to nineteenth century. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 167–184. DOI: 10.22378/2313-6197.2020-8-1.167-184

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About the authors: Nurlan A. Atygayev – Cand. Sci. (History), Associate Professor, Leading Research Fellow, Kazakh National Agricultural University (8, Abay Ave., Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan); State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve “Saraychik” (11, K. Myrzagali Str., Atyrau 060707, Kazakhstan). E-mail: nuratygaev@mail.ru

Omirbek Hanayi – Senior Research Fellow, Eurasian Research Institute of the Khoca Akhmet Yasawi International Turkish-Kazakh University (48, Mametov Str., Almaty 050004, Kazakhstan). E-mail: kaztegin@hotmail.com

Received  January 15, 2020   Accepted for publication  March 2, 2020
Published Online  March 29, 2020