Al-Idrīsī’s Description of the Saqīr River (On the Issue of Volga-Don Waterway Connecting)

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  Oleg Bubenok

  Danylo Radivilov

Abstract

The functioning of the waterway connecting the Don and Volga Rivers remains one of the most controversial issues in historical geography. According to the prevailing opinion, this route traversed the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, the lower reaches of the Don River, and an overland portage to the lower Volga. Medieval Muslim geographers referred to the existence of an overland portage between the Don and Volga Rivers during the early Middle Ages, often describing it as a strait. Ideas about a waterway connecting the Black and Caspian seas persisted, with al-Idrīsī referencing this connection multiple times in his 12th-century geographical treatise.

Al-Idrīsī named a branch of the Ithil River (Volga), purportedly flowing into the Black Sea, the Saqīr River. Ancient and early medieval Muslim authors believed the Black and Caspian seas were connected by a strait. Scholars have since attempted to identify the Saqīr River with known waterways. Some researchers associated it with the Don, while others proposed the Kuban River. These interpretations call for a re-evaluation of al-Idrīsī’s descriptions and their reliability.

A detailed analysis of early medieval Muslim geographical texts shows that their authors were significantly influenced by ancient sources, which described a continuous waterway between the Don and Volga Rivers rather than an overland portage. However, al-Mas‘ūdī expressed doubts about this fact. In Murūj al-dhahab, he stated that the Volga originated in the upper Turkic lands, with one branch flowing toward the land of the Azov Bulgars and reaching the Sea of Azov. Al-Idrīsī likely adapted this information from earlier works, incorporating his modifications.

Medieval sailors may have transported their ships overland from the Don to the Volga across less than 60 km, facilitated by tributaries of both rivers. Of particular interest is the left tributary of the Don, the Sakarka River, which appears most suitable for this purpose. The distance from its source to the Volga riverbed does not exceed 20 km.

A linguistic analysis of the hydronyms Saqīr and Sakar(ka) suggests a shared origin. Their meanings align with the region’s geomorphological characteristics and can be explained using the Turkic languages. One interpretation connects these names to the Oghuz term Sakar (“sands”), possibly meaning “Sand River.” An alternative explanation links them to the ancient Turkic SAQÏϒ (“mirage, apparition”) or the later Turkic Сокъур (“blind”), which could render these hydronyms as “a disappearing, phantom river.”

It is plausible that the name Sakar (Saqīr) and the concept of this river connecting the Azov-Black Sea basin with the Ithil (Volga), which flows into the Caspian Sea, reached al-Idrīsī through informants. Al-Idrīsī later revised this information, incorporating it into his understanding of the hydrological systems of Eastern Europe.

Thus, al-Idrīsī’s Saqīr River may represent an important section of Volga-Don route, extending from the Kerch Strait to the main Volga riverbed. However, the Saqīr River itself is likely a product of al-Idrīsī’s imagination and never truly existed.

How to Cite

Bubenok, O., & Radivilov , D. (2024). Al-Idrīsī’s Description of the Saqīr River (On the Issue of Volga-Don Waterway Connecting). The World of the Orient, (4 (125), 28-47. https://doi.org/10.15407/orientw2024.04.028
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