СВІДЧЕННЯ “ТАРІХ АЛ-БАБ ВА-ШИРВАН” ПРО АЛАНІВ ТА ЇХНЯ ДОСТОВІРНІСТЬ

Abstract

Up to now the Arab sources have not been sufficiently attracted to cover the history of the Alans of the Caucasus. Quite common is the opinion that this Iranian-speaking community in the Middle Ages lived in the Caucasus only in its central part. However, the involvement of Muslim sources allows to a certain degree to change the established stereotypes. Among them, the information of the Arabic-language work ‘Tarikh al-Bab wa-Sharwan’ should be highlighted. This work was published and translated into English and Russian by V. F. Minorsky. In its final version, the first part of the chronicle is dedicated to the rulers of Sharwan, and the second – to the rulers of al-Bab. Both of them contain several references to the Alans, that need an explanation.
Thus, the earliest information on Alans is contained in the fragment that is dated between the years 851 and 856. It is a question of the campaign of the Muslim commander Bugha against the Alans and Khazars, whom he defeated and taxed the jizya. As is known, jizya is a tax that the Muslims imposed on the ahl al-dhimma (in particular, monotheists). However, it is well known that the Alans of the Central Ciscaucasia became Christians only at the beginning of the 10th century, and before that they were pagans. All this makes us think that in this case we are talking about the temporary capture by Muslims of Southern Dagestan, where Monophysite Christianity took root already in the 7th century. As for the name ‘Alans’, it is quite possible that these are the local Maskuts, sometimes called Alans.
In addition, A. P. Novoseltsev, relying on the data of ‘The History of al-Bab and Sharwan’, believed that the first direct contacts between the Rus’ian people and North Caucasian Alans could be established in 1030–1032 in the Eastern Caucasus. However, in two parts of the chronicle, the descriptions of the events of 1030–1032 are very different, which casts great doubt on the assertion of such contacts. A. P. Novoseltsev relied only on the data of the second part of this chronicle, devoted to Darband, where only one campaign is reported. But he did not use the data of the first part devoted to Sharwan, where both of the two campaigns are reported, in one of which the Saririans were the allies of the Alans.
Thus, ‘Tarikh al-Bab wa-Sharwan’ can be considered to some extent a valuable source, which describes the events in the Eastern Caucasus, in which the Alans took direct part.