Sh. Marjani’s Contribution to the Historiography of the Qarakhanid State

Abstract

At present, numerous studies focus on the history of the Turkic-Muslim dynasty known in historical scholarship as the Qarakhanid state, which played a major role in the
political and cultural development of medieval Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries. Although the first academic works on the Qarakhanids appeared in the West as early as the 18th century, the absence of key medieval Arabic sources left many of these studies incomplete, often limiting them to tracing the dynasty’s origins. The state’s political history and the evolution of its religious ideology remained largely unexamined. Even material culture, such as Qarakhanid coinage studied by Russian imperial numismatists in the early 19th century, received limited scholarly attention.
In studies on the rulers and history of the Qarakhanid state, the works of Ch.M. Fraehn, Ch.Ch. Valikhanov, V.V.Grigoriev, and V.V. Bartold have been widely cited. However, for a long time, the contribution of the prominent 19th-century Tatar historian, educator, and thinker Shigabutdin Marjani remained largely overlooked. In his treatise Gurfat al-Khawākin li Arfāt al-Khawākin, Marjani examined the history of the Qarakhanid state, offering valuable insights into the political landscape of Central Asia in the 10th-12th centuries. Despite its brevity, just 33 pages, the work contains a wealth of information about the region and the
functioning of the Qarakhanid state. It should be noted that Shigabutdin Marjani’s work fell into obscurity, one of the reasons often cited is the publication of V.V. Bartold’s book Turkestan Down to the Mongol Invasion, and only relatively recently have the ideas of the Tatar historian begun to enter academic discourse. The authors of the article also examine the works of Western scholars devoted to the history of the Qarakhanid state, such as Joseph de Guignes, Сh.M Fraehn, K.J. Tornberg and others, carrying out their critical analysis. Highlighting the relevance and value of Gurfat al-Khawākin li Arfāt al-Khawākin by Sh. Marjani, the authors of the article argue that Marjani’s work fills numerous gaps in the study of the medieval Qarakhanid state, and that his contribution is an undeniable asset to its historiography.