The importance of medieval historical sources in the study of the history of the Mamunids

The study of life and activity of Middle Ages historical figures, who played a significant role in the historical destinies of Central Asia peoples, seems extremely important for the history of world Oriental studies. The pleiad of outstanding historical figures includes rulers from the Mamunid dynasty who ruled Khorezm from 995 to 1017. The Arab-Persian historical and geographical writings represent one large set of data basing to which science builds a historical picture of the Mamunid era. The Arab-Persian geographical literature has preserved a lot of information collected from merchants, travellers, scientists and other personalities about the history and ethnography of Khorezm in the Mamunid era. The information of Arab and Persian authors about the Mamunids is the most important historical source. The main set of sources involved in the research dates back to the 9th – early 13th centuries. During the study later sources containing valuable information on the history of the Mamunids were also used. The Mamunid era was a period of economic prosperity and cultural growth in Central Asia. The article reflects the history of the founding of the dynasty and the personalities who played a key role in the founding and rule of the state based on data from medieval sources.