Seljuk Motifs in the Muslim Lapidary Tradition of the Golden Horde Crimea

This study aims to identify and analyze elements of artistic and calligraphic design in epigraphic monuments of the Golden Horde Crimea that reflect the influence of Seljuk lapidary traditions from Asia Minor and Persia. The research is based on a corpus of lapidary monuments discovered in the historic city of Solkhat (Kyrym) – a key administrative and cultural center of the Golden Horde in Crimea – as well as at the Qirq-Azizler necropolis near the village of Eski-Yurt in western Crimea. The Golden Horde period in Crimean history is notable for a significant number of monuments adorned with Arabic-script epigraphy, whose decorative features were strongly influenced by Seljuk lapidary traditions. The source base is supplemented by data from medieval written records, works by Russian scholars of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and materials from archaeological expeditions of the 1920s that specifically studied Golden Horde antiquities on the peninsula. The study’s novelty and results lie in the first-time identification and systematization of the main types of ornamental and calligraphic borrowings of Seljuk origin within the Crimean lapidary tradition. Semantic parallels in calligraphic compositions have been revealed, including quotations from Quranic verses and Sufi interpretations of symbols in decorative elements, providing new insights into the symbolism and cultural context of the examined monuments.