ETHNIC CONTACTS BETWEEN MARI AND TATARS IN THE XVII CENTURY

The question of the relationship between Mari and the Persians in the XVII century is one of the little-studied. The purpose of the article is to identify and analyze the features of contacts between Mari and Persians in the XVII century. The article is based on written sources, the results of linguistic and ethnographic research. There are specific historical and comparative historical methods which were used in the work. It is concluded that trade communications developed between the Mari and the Persians, which was facilitated by the Great Volga Way. Goods from Persia entered the Mari territories as early as the pre-Mongol period, but the earliest information about direct contacts of the Mari people with Persian traders dates back to the XVII century. Persian merchants allocated a special addressable category of their goods “for Cheremis”. The main subject of Persian imports to the Mari Region were silk products, called “porsyn” in the Mari language, as well as dyes and cowry shells. Persian merchants were well acquainted with the Mari people and their culture. Based on the use of various sources, it was found out that the Mari-Persian contacts in the XVII century developed within the framework of episodic trade interaction.