DIFFERENCES EMERGING IN THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TWO WORKS BY YAQUT AL-HAMAWI

Researchers of medieval sources are aware that medieval scholars occasionally repeated the works of writers who lived before them without specifying the identity of the quoted source or author, added their own thoughts or remarks, and created new works on similar subjects. On the other hand, some authors expanded on previous works and wrote new ones under the name “zeyl” (supplement, “tail”). These types of works had as many differences as similarities. There were even differences between previous and subsequent works by any writer on similar topics. In this context, while comparing Yaqut al-Hamawi’s “Kitab Al-Mushtarik Waḍ’an Wa-Al- Muftarik Suq’an” (“A Book of Names, Common in Form and Different in Place”) with the author’s “Mu’jam al-Buldan” (“The Dictionary of Countries”), a few distinctions in information about the Caucasus and Azerbaijan appear. Probably, while writing his last work, Yaqut al-Hamawi revisited some facts, clarified, and developed the parts that raised doubts in the work. Therefore, the most recent written work of the author has been preferred in examining the data related to the region. Additionally, both the original and translated versions of the work are presented, making comparisons and enriching them with comments and notes.