The image of the city in ancient Turkic monuments

Abstract

The article deals with the city models in the philosophical tractates «Beneficial knowledge» by Yusuf Balasaguni and «Diwani Hikmet» by Ahmed Yasawi. The above mentioned philosophical tractates «Beneficial knowledge» by Yusuf Balasaguni and «Diwani Hikmet» by Ahmed Yasawi are nowadays the common heritage of the Turkic people as a treasure of the history of social, cultural and literary life of the middle ages. All-round systematic study of the ethnic group and statehood, language and graphic system, historical, cultural and ethnopolitical situation of the Kazakh and other Turkic people is an important task for our contemporaries. There are a lot of evidences that the Turkic people inhabiting the vast steppes at the junction of Europe and Asia have long been accustomed to urban life. This is evidenced by the description of the life of the city's inhabitants that can be found in medieval works: «Beneficial knowledge» by the philosopher, poet Y. Balasaguni and «Diwani Hikmet» by A. Yasawi. City Kuzorda (Balasaguni) and Kashgar are mentioned in the work of Y. Balasaguni «Beneficial knowledge» and the cities Medina, Mecca and Turkestan are mentioned in the work «Diwani Hikmet» by A. Yasawi. We have identified the following models of the city through hermeneutical analysis of the selected artistic works: 1. «City – space»; 2. «City – sacred place»; 3. «City – citizens»; 4. «City – disappointment»; 5. «City – historical figures».