The mentions about ancient Slavs (aṣ-Ṣaqālibah) by «the father of the Muslim historiography» aṭ- Ṭabarī (839–923)

Abstract

The author of this article extracted all historical, geographical and ethnographical materials (including legendary) concerning the ancient Slavs of the Eastern Balkans and Asia Minor mentioned in the multivolume «History of the Prophets and Kings» (Ta’rīḫ ar-Rusul wa-l-Mulūk) by «the father of the Muslim historiography», an Arabic spoken Iranian Muḥammad b. Ǧarīr (Djarir) aṭ-Ṭabarī (839–923), which outlines the general history from the Creation to 302 AH (914/5). The extracted passages are from a classic edition carried out in three series and 15 volumes by the eminent Dutch Arabist Michael Jan de Goeje (1836–1909) in Leiden (Annales quos scripsit Abu Djafar Mohammed ibn Djarir at-Tabari / Cum aliis ed. M. de Goeje. Series I–III. Lugduni Batavorum, 1879–1901). The selected passages are translated from Classical Arabic into Russian for the first time. The detailed text notes and scholarly comments based on the historical and geographical narratives of the Antiquity, Pre-Islamic Middle East, Christian and Muslim Orient are attached to the translated materials as well. They are also based on the world’s leading scientific, reference (encyclopedic) and educational publications.