Historical toponymy and sacred topography

Abstract

The article analyzes the significance of medieval toponymy in the formation of the ethnic territory. The research issue is examined comparatively, based on interdisciplinary historical written sources and oral data. By studying the medieval toponymic system of the Kazakh people in the context of ethno-ontology, we relied on the concept of a specific ethnic group's temporal continuum—its geomythological essence.

The data base consists of traditional written historical sources related to the issues of medieval Kazakhstan history, a comprehensive collection of monuments related to oral history, literary works, as well as recent archaeological and ethnographic material data. Attention was paid to the historical and cultural aspects of the sacred nature of toponyms. Therefore, studying the issues of medieval toponymy in the context of the formation of the ethnic territory of the Kazakh people allows us to address complex issues through folklore materials, especially national data derived from the poetry of the bards. By comparatively analyzing the onomastic space with the model of the living world in the minds of the people today, we can deepen the content of important issues in its ethnic history, the formation of ethnic territory, ethnogenesis, and ethnic relations.