Abstract
Abstract. This article reviews the scholarly legacy of orientalist and professor Akhmet-Zaki Validi (Ualidi) Togan (1890–1970). The growing political agency of Turkic-speaking states today necessitates a more detailed study of A.-Z. Validi Togan's contribution to both the development of modern Oriental studies and the theory and practice of state building. At the beginning of the 20th century, together with the leaders of the Alash Orda, Validi Togan substantiated and realized the idea and historical right of Turkic-speaking peoples to self-determination. The purpose of this article is to identify understudied aspects of A.-Z. Validi Togan's scholarly work from 1912 to 1950 and to summarize the results of his work on Turkology. The practical significance of this study lies in identifying his real contribution to the development of historical Oriental studies. Along with creating fundamental works on the history of the Turkic peoples, A.-Z. Validi Togan was the first to widely circulate a number of unique written sources: the manuscript of Ibn Fadlan's work, a version of Utemish Haji's «Chingiz-name,» and other valuable sources.