VERSIONS OF AL-ZAMAKHSHARI’S MUQADDIMAT AL-ADAB DURING THE JOCHI ULUS PERIOD

This article examines issues related to the creation, versions, preservation, and lexical composition of Muqaddamat al-Adab by Abu’l-Qasim Mahmud ibn ʿUmar ibn Muhammad al-Zamakhshari (1075–1144), who lived during the Khwarazmshah era (1097–1231). Particular attention is paid to the manuscripts of Muqaddamat al-Adab copied in the Jochi Ulus, with detailed information provided about their preservation. The aim of the study is to introduce into scholarly circulation the copies of Muqaddamat al-Adab produced during the period of the Jochi Ulus and to determine their linguistic, cultural, and historical significance. The objectives are to describe the history of the dictionary’s creation; to identify and characterize its copies disseminated in the Jochi Ulus period; to conduct a comparative analysis of the Arabic, Persian, and Turkic language layers; to determine the features of scribal traditions and translation methods; and to assess the dictionary’s influence on the development of lexicography in the Golden Horde and the Mamluk Sultanate. Scientific novelty lies in the fact that, for the first time, the linguistic features of the copies of Muqaddamat al-Adab transcribed in the Kipchak language during the Jochi Ulus period have been systematized, and their connection with the Qur’an translation tradition has been demonstrated. Furthermore, the geography of the manuscripts’ dissemination (Khwarazm, Sarai, Saraychik, Jand, Crimea, Cairo, etc.) has been clarified on the basis of concrete data. Research methods include source-critical analysis, the comparative-historical method, as well as lexicological and palaeographic description. Results show that Kipchak-language versions of Muqaddamat al-Adab were widely disseminated during the Golden Horde period, and their lexical composition vividly reflects the development of medieval Turkic languages and the influence of Islamic civilization. The dictionary’s vocabulary consists predominantly of Turkic lexemes, which confirms the status of the Kipchak language as one of the main literary and official languages of the Golden Horde.