Mahar as a condition for concluding a nikah among the Turkic-Tatar population of the Tobolsk province in the 19th — early 20th centuries (based on metric records)

Abstract

The article examines the specifics of paying mahar among the Turkic-Tatar population in the 19th — early 20th centuries. The sources are handwritten materials in Old Tatar language — Muslim metric records of the Tobolsk province, which are the only historical source that allows tracing the peculiarities of marriage and divorce processes among Muslims in pre-revolutionary Russia.

The research methodology is based on comparative-historical, source-study, and textual methods. Documentary sources show that mahar was a mandatory condition for concluding a nikah and was expressed in monetary form and/or consisted of transferring residential real estate (or its part). Analysis of the structure and content of records about mahar confirms the standardized nature of the official documentary paperwork. The text indicates 1) the form of mahar, 2) the amount of mahar, 3) full/partial transfer of mahar, 4) the groom's signature, 5) the signature of the authorized person on the bride's side.

When describing the amount of mahar, the names of currency units sum (Turkic), tien (Turkic), tenghe (Persian), and manat (Latin) are used. Synonymous relationships of lexical units sum, tenghe, and manat, denoting the name of the currency unit equal to 100 kopecks, are established.