SOURCE-BASED REPRESENTATION AND SCHOLARLY INTERPRETATION OF TURKIC TOPONYMS OF EASTERN TURKESTAN IN THE WESTERN RESEARCH CORPUS

Abstract . This article examines the representation and historical-linguistic characteristics of Turkic toponyms in the works of Western scholars who studied the region of East Turkestan. The purpose and significance of the study are to analyze the etymology of place names found in Western research and to determine their Turkic origins through concrete examples, thereby revealing the deep historical and cultural presence of Turkic civilization in East Turkestan. The novelty, directions, and main ideas lie in introducing Western sources that have not previously been included in domestic academic discourse and in conducting a comprehensive semantic and historical analysis of the toponyms they contain. The study offers a new perspective on the ethnolinguistic and cultural role of Turkic place names, comparing Western interpretations within a broader cross-cultural framework. Scientific objectives and practical significance include classifying toponymic data from Western studies, reconstructing their etymological and historical bases, and determining their geographical distribution within Turkic-speaking regions. The results have practical value for the fields of toponymy, linguacultural studies, and historical geography. The methodology employs historical-comparative, descriptive, and etymological analysis, allowing for an examination of linguistic layers, semantic development, and cultural context. Main results and conclusions demonstrate that many of the toponyms recorded by Western scholars have Turkic origins, confirming their importance as linguistic evidence of historical and cultural continuity in East Turkestan. This research contributes to expanding global understanding of Turkic toponymy. Acknowledgments: The article was carried out within the framework of the project funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the topic «Ancient Turkic Toponyms in Chinese and Other Eastern Sources –One of the Foundations of Modern Turkic Integration: a historical-etymological and linguistic perspective» (individual registration number: BR24993043). Keywords: East Turkestan, Turkic toponyms, Western researchers, collections of foreign missionaries