Pages: 483-508

The article is devoted to the administrative-territorial structure of the political center of a Golden Horde region (vilayet) known as Sarai, which was located in the Delta of the Volga River. Research history of the largest towns and their environs is discussed. The administrative units are characterized in accordance with the chronology of historical events. The life span of the settlements and the stages in their development are determined through analysis and comparison of archaeological, numismatic and written data. The process of urbanization in the region is linked to the changes in the level of the Caspian Sea. Suggestions are made about the location of the first capital of Jochi Ulus (the city of Sarai) and the name of Krasny Yar town.

Keywords: Jochi Ulus, Golden Horde, historical geography, administrative-territorial structure, Sarai region (vilayet), Orda, Hadji-Tarkhan, Summerkent, Saray al-Jadid, Kizil

Information about author:

Evgenii Pigarev. Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences.  Butlerov St., 30, Kazan, 420012, Russian Federation.
E-mail: [email protected]