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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.001

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALANS IN EARLY ARABIC-LANGUAGE SOURCES.

Kaziev, Eduard V.
Izvestia SOIGSI. 2026. Issue 61 (100). P.14-27.
Abstract:

The article examines the complex of data on the Alans of early Arabic-language historical and geographical records, covering the period of the 2nd - 10th centuries. Research objective: to systematize and verify the data on the Alans contained in the early Arabic historical and geographical tradition. Research relevance: scholarly discussion surrounding the geography of Alanic settlement during late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, as well as the contentious issues regarding their political history during these epochs. Scientific novelty: a comparative analysis of Arabic and Chinese textual sources on the Alans and a reassessment of the character of Alania’s dependence on the Khazar Khaganate. The paper reconstructs the spatial and geopolitical conceptions of the early medieval Arabic tradition regarding the Alans. It is noted that within the framework of adapting the ancient system of climates, the sources demonstrate a dual localization of the Alanic ethnos: along with the North Caucasian area, groups are indicated in the North-Eastern Caspian region and Central Asia, which finds direct parallels in ancient and early medieval Chinese sources. Special attention is paid to the description of the “Alan Gates.” Arabic authors document in detail the evolution of this defensive complex, from Sasanian-era fortifications built to contain nomads, to the Arabic military presence and the subsequent transfer of control over the fortress to the independent Alan state in the second half of the 10th century, which is consistent with the data of modern archaeological excavations. The study substantiates the thesis that Alania maintained its internal autonomy and sovereign institutions of power despite its integration into the Khazar polity. The methodological basis of the research comprises a combination of general scientific and specific methods of historical analysis, incorporating comparative-historical, diachronic, historical-genetic, and chronological methods, along with methods of systematization and periodization.


Keywords: Alans, Bab al-Lan, Darial Gorge, Sassanids, Arab-Khazar wars, political status of Alania.
Language:: Russian Download the full text  
For citation:: Kaziev, E.V. Information about the Alans in early Arabic-language sources // Izvestiya SOIGSI. 2026. Iss. 61 (100). Pp. 14-27. (in Russian). DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.001 DOI 10.46698/VNC.2026.100.61.001
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