A. G. YURCHENKO. GOLDEN HORDE: BETWEEN YASA AND KORAN (BEGINNING OF THE CONFLICT). The book is a synopsis. St. Petersburg: Evraziya Publ., 2012, 368 p. (1); A. G. YURCHENKO. KHAN UZBEK: BETWEEN EMPIRE AND ISLAM (STRUCTURES OF EVERYDAY LIFE). The book is a synopsis. St. Petersburg: Evraziya Publ., 2012, 400 p. (2). The peer-reviewed books are a single project dedicated to finding an answer to a question that seems to have been solved long ago: was the Ulus of Jochi, better known to modern readers as the Golden Horde, an Islamic state? Therefore, it is no coincidence that the author pays the closest attention to two historical figures: Berka (reigned in 1257-1266) and Khan Uzbek (reigned in 1312-1341). Usually, the Islamization of the Jochi Ulus is associated with the latter. In Muslim sources, both are portrayed as zealous Muslims, and with the filing of medieval historians, they are usually considered them in modern historiography. But was this really the case? The author rightly points out that our knowledge of the religious situation in this part of the Mongol Empire is actually captured by the information provided by Egyptian and Syrian sources, and this information contributes to the formation of a far from objective picture. The written heritage of the Golden Horde itself, which has come down to us, alas, is quite insignificant, and does not allow for correct reconstructions. Here, auxiliary historical disciplines and the ability to read Muslim sources "between the lines"come to the rescue. The two-volume book is written in a living language; however, it is positioned as a scientific publication and has almost all the necessary features as such. What is clearly missing is a conclusion that summarizes the results of the author's studies and more or less concisely formulates the conclusions. Unfortunately, there are no pointers either. In total, it has 12 chapters, divided or not divided into paragraphs, which are independent plots. In the first book, A. G. Yurch ... Читать далее