2026, vol. 14, no. 2. Acar S.

2026, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 368-384

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2026-14-2.368-384

EDN: https://elibrary.ru/SENKXC

   ON THE LETTER SENT BY THE CRIMEAN KHAN MENGLI GIRAY
TO KAZAN KHAN MUHAMMAD AMIN

Serkan Acar
Ege University
İzmir, Türkiye
serkan.acar@ege.edu.tr

Abstract. To reconstruct the features of the epistolary culture of the Tatar khanates – successors to the Golden Horde – based on a previously unknown document, and to introduce into scholarly circulation a unique letter from Crimean Khan Mengli Giray to Kazan Khan Muhammad Amin.
Research materials: The study uses a copy of an original khan’s letter recorded in an Ottoman manuscript in Istanbul. The original document, dating from the early 16th century, is lost; the surviving copy dates from the late 16th century. The letter is written in four languages (Tatar, Ottoman, Arabic, and Persian). The research draws on the publication by Bedriye Sabit, through which Halil İnalcık and Zeki Velidi Togan gained access to the copy.
Scientific novelty and results. This document has not yet been introduced into scholarly circulation. It is now presented to the academic community for the first time, accompanied by detailed explanatory notes. The study fills a gap in the source studies of Eastern European medieval history by demonstrating direct correspondence between khans, which has scarcely survived. The introduction of this new source confirms the existence of an epistolary tradition between the Crimean and Kazan khanates in the early 16th century. Despite the loss of the original, the late copy allows us to refine our understanding of diplomatic and cultural ties in the region.

Keywords: Kazan, Crimea, Moscow, Mengli Giray, Muhammad Amin

For citation: Acar S. On the letter sent by the Crimean Khan Mengli Giray to Kazan Khan Muhammad Amin. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2026, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 368–384. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2026-14-2.368-384

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Serkan Acar – Associate Professor of the Department of History, Faculty of Letters, Ege University (35040 Erzene Mahallesi, Bornova / İzmir, Türkiye); ORCID: 0000-0003-1642-9269. E-mail: serkan.acar@ege.edu.tr

 Received  31.08.2025
Revised  04.05.2026
Accepted  03.06.2026