The Oriental Studies

The ideology of power in the inscriptions on Queen Hatshepsut’s obelisks in the religious and political context of the new kingdom

2025-07-22T11:20:06+02:00

This research analyzes the ideology of power of Queen Hatshepsut through the inscription on a preserved obelisk located in Karnak. The author provides a detailed examination of the text, revealing the religious and political contexts of Hatshepsut’s reign, particularly her role as a female pharaoh in a patriarchal society. The inscription plays a key role in shaping the ideological legitimacy of her rule, emphasizing her divine origin and the support of the gods, particularly Amun. Additionally, it contributes to consolidating her authority among the Egyptian elite and the general population. An essential aspect of the study is the author’s translation of the original text, which allows for a closer examination of the language and a more nuanced interpretation of the inscription within the social-political conditions of the time. The paper also explores the influence of this obelisk on later monuments of Queen Hatshepsut and the role of her ideology in strengthening her power. As a result, the work offers new interpretations of ancient texts and provides a modern understanding of the political and religious legitimation of pharaonic rule. An essential aspect of the study is the author’s translation of the original text, which allows for a closer examination of the language and a more nuanced interpretation of the inscription within the social-political conditions of the time. The paper also explores the influence of this obelisk on later monuments of Queen Hatshepsut and the role of her ideology in strengthening her power. As a result, the work offers new interpretations of ancient texts and provides a modern understanding of the political and religious legitimation of pharaonic rule.

The form and genre affiliation of the first chapter of “The Fragments from the Nogai Epic” from the Kyiv copy of Abu-l-Gazi’s “Shajara-i Turk”

2025-07-28T10:46:20+02:00

У статті розглянуто особливості форми першого розділу “Уривків з ногайського епосу”, який міститься в рукописному збірнику першої третини XIX ст. з Інституту рукопису Національної бібліотеки України ім. В. І. Вернадського, і на основі отриманих результатів зроблено висновки щодо жанрової належності твору. Дослідження підтвердило припущення стосовно того, що перший розділ “Уривків” є редакцією тексту “Розділу, що описує місця зібрань та місця перебування” з “Дафтар-и Чингіз-наме”. Було встановлено, що проміжною ланкою між зазначеним “Розділом” з “Дафтар-и Чингіз-наме” й першим розділом “Уривків” міг бути не лише берлінський список, у якому частини тексту, відповідні двом розділам “Уривків з ногайського епосу”, йдуть у тому ж порядку, що й в “Уривках”, а й “Історія татар”, яку Ю. фон Клапрот придбав у Моздоці. На можливість цього вказує те, що “Дастан про місця зібрань та місця перебування” з цього твору, як і перший розділ “Уривків”, містить речення, близьке за змістом до рядка з пісні, яку В. Х. Кондаракі почув від ногайців у Криму в 1875 р. На основі результатів досліджень ногайського фольклору було припущено, що редакція тексту “Розділу, що описує місця зібрань та місця перебування” з “Дафтар-и Чингіз-наме”, представлена в першому розділі “Уривків з ногайського епосу”, так само як і інші два ногайські варіанти цього розділу “Дафтару”, з’явилася внаслідок адаптації первинного тексту до усного виконання шляхом перетворення прозового тексту на змішаний або повністю поетичний, які більшою мірою відповідали ногайській епічній традиції. Зразками такої зміни первинного тексту в ногайському середовищі є “Дастан про місця зібрань та місця перебування” з берлінського списку “Чингіз-наме”, у якому частина розділу перетворена на чотиривірш, пісня, яку В. Х. Кондаракі почув у кримському степу в 1875 р., а також перший розділ “Уривків”. Аналіз тексту першого розділу “Уривків з ногайського епосу” показав, що він за формою відповідає ногайському народно-епічному віршу з переважною довжиною рядків у 7–8 складів і з класичною структурою їхнього членування у формі 4 + 3 та 3 + 2 + 3 / 2 + 3 + 3. Рядки групуються в катрени, у яких співзвучні парні рядки (abcb dbeb fbgb…), через що сам твір може розглядатися як монорим. Функцію так званої “редифної рими” в ньому виконує лексична епіфора yurtıdur. Зміст першого розділу “Уривків” дає підстави зарахувати його до жанру історичних пісень (йирів) ногайців.

An episode from the history of the origins of Iranian dramaturgy (Melkum Khan and Hagop Baronian)

2025-07-22T11:22:40+02:00

The article refers to the role played by the Armenian intelligentsia of Istanbul in the modernizing cultural life of Iran and the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century. In those countries, the Persian literary tradition formed in the Middle Ages was gradually being modified by the French influence. The contribution of Melkum Khan, an Armenian who converted to Islam and claimed Iranian identity, was great in bringing the European Enlightenment ideas and literary and journalistic methods to Iran. In his homeland, he became the founder of Western-type dramaturgy, following the creative style of Hagop Baronian, an Armenian playwright and satirist who worked in Istanbul and had the best experience of localising French cultural values. Melkum Khan is considered the founder of a new schooling simplifying the Persian literary and publicist language, and many Iranian intellectuals of the time followed the simple style of the newspaper “Qanun” (Law) published by him. The application of the analytical and comparative, as well as descriptive methods of analysis reveals that Armenian intellectuals working in Istanbul in the nineteenth century acted as real cultural mediators between the West and the East.

Change of the paradygm of personal names in Kosovo as a reflection of socio-cultural transformations

2025-07-22T11:25:10+02:00

Personal naming practices among Albanians in Kosovo, in the last few decades, have also reflected the social and political attitudes of the population. Therefore, there has been a trajectory that has marked a change in the paradigm, from dominant Turkish-Islamic names in the middle of the 20^th century (etymologically, these names may be Arabic and Persian, but they all entered Albanian through Turkish), to names with Albanian meaning that have had changing trends depending on social and political changes, to the return of oriental names as dominant names (names that have not entered through Turkish). This study aims at exploring and describing this trend. In this framework, personal names serve not only to reflect the social context of the community, but, above all, to create narratives, hereby certain social circumstances are created and realities are constructed. Therefore, the study of personal names, in a broad sense, is important in terms of viewing the changes in the list of names as not only a reflection of reality, but also as a mechanism for reality construction, in which case the current list of people’s names is seen as driving social identity changes. However, the linguistic level, which is the essence in this regard, involves following the list of names as a variable of social and identity contexts in general. The study will involve collecting lists of names of people in Kosovo in different periods, by presenting them in certain social and political contexts.

The influence of Saib Tabrizi on the work of Raghib Pasha

2025-07-22T11:25:43+02:00

This article explores the influence of Saib Tabrizi (1676), one of the prominent representatives of the “Sabk-i Hindi” style, on the works of Raghib Pasha, a distinguished figure in Ottoman-Turkish literature. Our research has revealed that Saib Tabrizi’s impact extended not only to Raghip Pasha but also significantly to Ottoman Turkish literature as a whole. Throughout his life, Saib Tabrizi traveled extensively, and the impressions he gathered from these journeys, as well as the individuals he encountered, had a profound effect on his literary output. His works spread widely and were read extensively in the places he visited. The didactic themes found in his lyrical poetry are also deeply reflected in Raghib Pasha’s writings. The poet himself mentioned Saib Tabrizi’s name with respect when referring to representatives of the “Sabk-i Hindi” style in his works. He not only took Saib as a model within the Sabk-i Hindi style, but also admired his ghazals to the extent of writing tamises of them, and strove for many years to obtain a manuscript copy of his Divan. In the works of both authors, the similarities in language and style are clearly reflected in their use of phraseological expressions and folk sayings. This resemblance is not limited to linguistic devices alone but also manifests itself in their aesthetic approach and thematic orientation. The influence of Saib Tabrizi’s style on Raghib Pasha’s literary work is thoroughly examined in this article.

From refugees to statehood: the United States and the formation of Israel, 1945–1948

2025-07-22T11:27:35+02:00

The article explores the transformation of U.S. refugee policy in the aftermath of World War II and its role in the creation of the State of Israel. While the initial American approach was shaped by humanitarian concerns, particularly the crisis of Jewish displaced persons (DPs) in Europe, the issue gradually evolved into a matter of strategic diplomacy. The article highlights the impact of the Harrison Report (1945) and President Truman’s directive (December 22, 1945), which marked a significant departure from existing immigration quotas and prioritized the resettlement of Jewish refugees. Despite domestic resistance and isolationist sentiment, Jewish organizations mobilized illegal migration routes through Austria and Italy, often supported tacitly by Czechoslovak and Soviet authorities. The research also examines the diplomatic dynamics between the United States and Great Britain, particularly in the context of Palestine. It analyzes the failure of joint Anglo-American efforts, such as the Morrison-Grady Plan and the Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry, to reconcile Arab, Jewish, and British interests. The article argues that these failures contributed to the internationalization of the “Palestine question” and the eventual adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 (1947), which proposed the partition of Palestine and laid the groundwork for the Jewish state. The study underscores the dual function of Jewish refugees as both a humanitarian concern and a political instrument. Their displacement catalyzed policy shifts, tested transatlantic relations, and legitimized the Zionist project in the eyes of international actors. The American response to the refugee crisis, thus, became a lens through which broader postwar transformations in global order, migration policy, and nation-building were enacted.

Contemporary policies regarding the accommodation of transnational Islam in western Europe: the success and failure of muslim Representative organizations

2025-07-22T15:09:22+02:00

This article deals with the problem of state involvement in the creation of representative umbrella structures for Muslims in Western Europe from the 1970s onwards. Based on a wide range of previous studies, official documents and media reports, it offers a general overview of the current state of this issue in sixteen European countries with different models of church-state relations and different sizes of Muslim populations. On the most basic level, the article demonstrates that the choice of government policies in this area has been determined by a combination of objective and subjective factors predominant in each specific context, rather than by some overarching European paradigm rooted in the principles of secularity. In this regard, it is highly indicative that common social, religious or cultural backgrounds of certain societies did not automatically translate into the deployment of similar strategies of accommodation of Islam through the formation of single representative entities. By contrast, countries with different state-church arrangements but similar political motivations often adopt comparable approaches to dealing with this problem. In order to illustrate such effects, three major clusters of cases have been singled out based on the level of state involvement and the level of success of the umbrella-type entities in executing their designated tasks of mediation between Muslims communities and European governments. Overall, the argument of this paper is that, despite some initial optimistic assessments of these processes, from the perspective of the mid-2020s the policies of political interference with the “natural” dynamics of the institutionalization of Muslim minorities can hardly be viewed as an effective means of managing the inherently transnational (or “transplanted”) nature of European Islam as a conglomerate of various, often conflicting, theological, cultural and ideological agendas.

“A spell how to go forth by day and live after death”. Chapter 2 of the ancient egyptian Book of the Dead: Translation and commentary

2025-07-22T15:12:52+02:00

The article is devoted to the Spell/Chapter 2 of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead in its Theban edition (New Kingdom – Third Intermediate Period). As of today, 193 records of this spell are known, however, these are mainly documents of later editions of the collection (Saite and Ptolemaic). Only 12 obejcts date from the New Kingdom. In a number of documents, Spell 2 is combined with Spell 3 as a single utterance. There are 17 records of Spell 2 from the Third Intermediate Period. The text of this spell has a long history and originates in the Coffin Texts (Spells 93 and 152) (CT, II, 64–66; 260–261). The article provides the first translation into Ukrainian and a commentary on Spell 2 of the Book of the Dead according to the papyrus of Nu (pLondon BM EA 10477 (sheet 13), 18^th Dynasty, Thebes). The vignettes of this spell, which had several types of illustrations, are specially considered, differing in the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period.