Ancient Turkic toponyms of the Mangystau region

Abstract

To systematically gather information about the history, language, customs, traditions, and religious beliefs of the tribes and peoples that inhabited the Mangystau region in different periods, it is crucial to analyze changes in the Mangystau topo-area across various historical eras. In this context, the information on Mangystau's toponyms, presented in ancient written documents, research works, old maps, as well as in the records of Russian expeditions of the 18th-19th centuries, plays an important role. Comparing data from historical written documents, diaries, reports, and maps allows for the completion of missing information and the reconstruction of Mangystau's topographic features.

Special attention is given to analyzing toponymic information preserved in the memory of the indigenous inhabitants of Mangystau and to re-evaluating the accumulated knowledge about place names and water bodies. In the current global ecological situation, where fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea – its periodic rises and falls – lead to the emergence and disappearance of islands, peninsulas, and bays, studying their names as recorded on various maps becomes a key focus of this research.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the origins of the ancient Caspian coastal toponym, Aǵys Ada, examining its connection to the language of the ancient Turkic tribes that inhabited the area. We believe that studying the names of islands, bays, and peninsulas, as well as the changes in their forms and the possibilities for future transformations, is necessary for scientifically predicting changes in the Caspian region. Previous studies on Mangystau toponyms have largely overlooked the names of islands, bays, peninsulas, and capes in the Caspian Sea.