HISTORIOGRAPHY OF WRITTEN SOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF KAZAKHSTAN FROM THE 6TH TO THE EARLY 13TH CENTURIES: EVOLUTION OF TRANSLATIONS, TEXTUAL CRITICISM, AND HISTORICAL-GEOGRAPHICAL INTERPRETATION

Abstract

Introduction. The article offers a source-studies-oriented historiographical review of how the history of Kazakhstan from the 6th to the early 13th centuries has been studied through written evidence. Reconstructing Kazakhstan's early and high medieval past relies on a multilingual and multi-genre corpus; thus, scholarly progress has depended on translations, textual criticism, and comparative methods applied to Islamic, Chinese, Old Turkic, and European traditions. Research objectives and tasks. The aim and objectives are to identify the major stages in the formation of the source base, to characterise the leading scholarly schools and key authors, and to trace methodological shifts from compilative narratives toward critical work with primary texts. Methods and materials. The material includes historiographical works and editions of sources that reflect changing approaches to the study of Turkic tribes and polities located in the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, as well as to historical geography and interregional contacts. The methodological framework combines historiographical analysis, source criticism, comparative method, and historical-geographical interpretation. Results. The results demonstrate that the principal scholarly breakthroughs were driven by: (1) the introduction of original Arabic geographical and narrative texts into academic circulation, (2) the systematic use of Chinese dynastic chronicles, (3) the decipherment and interpretation of Old Turkic runic epigraphy, and (4) the consolidation of rigorous source criticism within academic Oriental studies. Conclusions. The conclusion argues that current research requires tighter integration of textology, historical cartography, and interdisciplinary verification, alongside further expansion of translations and improved digital accessibility of the written-source corpus.