A SCHOLAR FROM SARAY: MAWLANA ZADA AL-SARAYI (754/1353–791/1389) IN THE BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF TAQI AL-DIN AL-MAQRIZI (766/1365–845/1441) “KITAB AL-MUQAFFA AL-KABIR” (THE GREAT RHYMED BOOK)

Research objective: to introduce into academic circulation previously unknown source on the Golden Horde history. Research materials: biographical dictionary of Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (766/1365 – 845/1441) “Kitab al-Muqaffa al-Kabir” (The Great Rhymed Book). Results and novelty of the research: This article contains materials from the works of historians engaged in the narrative biography, which V.G. Tiesenhausen did not include in his “Collection of Materials on the Golden Horde history (extract from Arab writings)”, although their writings contain very valuable information about the Golden Horde History. Research novelty consists in the fact that the author of this article presents one paragraph from biographical dictionary of Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi, whose article number 421 provides information about a scholar from Saray – Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi. The author provides its translation and commentary referring to the more than ten medieval Arab sources. After receiving basic education at home, Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi traveled to many Eastern countries in search of knowledge and after having received high recognition he settled in Cairo as a teacher of Sharia Sciences. Despite the fact that his life was interrupted at an early age (36 years), he left a deep mark in science. His son Muhibbu al-Din (Cairo, 791/1389 – Mecca, Friday, the 3rd of Dhu al-Hijjah 859/13 November 1455) also became a great scholar as well as an imam of Sultan al-Ashraf Barsbay himself and other sultans after him. Nisba al-Sarayi sounded on the lips of the Ulema of the East as a symbol of learnedness and high temper. As a result of research it must be said that the study of life of Mawlana Zada al-Sarayi (754/1353 – 791/1389) and the number of migrants from Desht-i Kipchak in Egypt will help researchers in a deeper and more detailed study of the Golden Horde history.