1.Explanation of the names of some Turkish, Arabic and Persian diet in “Fundamental principles of food and drink”
Sambuu Ochirkhuu ; Buyandelger Sharav ; Shagdarsuren Dashjamts ; Gerelmaa Battogtokh ; Khaliunaa Baasanjav ; Bold Sharav
Mongolian Pharmacy and Pharmacology 2025;26(1):29-34
Introduction:
This time, we will clarify the terms used to express the traditional medical knowledge of
Turks, Arabs, Persians, Khotons, or Uyghurs that have not been deeply explored by researchers in the book “Fundamental Principles of Food and Drink.” In addition, we propose to lay the foundation for studying the level of ancient medical relations between the ancient Mongols and Islamic countries and to create a new direction of research. Therefore, it is important to conduct a detailed study based on the sample of words related to food, drink, and herbal medicine of Islamic countries such as Turks, Arabs, Persians, and Uyghurs in the book “Fundamental Principles of Food and Drink” besides from Chinese medicine.
The aim of the research:
To explain the names of food and drink of Turkic, Arabic, and Khoton (Uyghur)
origin in the “Fundamental Principles of Food and Drink” of 1330 AD.
Research results
Paul D. Buell and Eugene N. Anderson (2010), who translated the book “Fundamental
Principles of Food and Drink” into English titled “A Soup for the Qan” with an explanation, have extensively and seriously considered how the book relates to the Islamic world. These researchers also say that “the diet, medicinal plants, and grains of the Islamic world reflect a common Middle Eastern (Iranian-Arab) culture rather than the specifics of the Turkic peoples. However, since Turkic elements are dominant in other parts of Islamic culture, there is no doubt that the Turkic forms of some Arabic and Iranian words are often found in “Fundamental Principles of Food and Drink.” Therefore, we have selected some words from Paul D. Buell and Eugene N. Anderson’s book “A Soup for the Qan” and considered them to be Turkic, Persian, and Arabic words. In fact, there are 36 Turkic origin words, 4 Persian origin words, and 5 Arabic origin words. However, if we look closely, we find that there are quite a few Mongolized Turkic words and Turkized Mongolian words. Conclusion: In the book “A Soup for the Qan” translated from Chinese with commentary into English by Paul D. Buell and Eugene N. Anderson, words of Turkic, Persian, and Arabic origin, namely 36 Turkic words, 4 Persian words, and 5 Arabic words, were selected and noted. Our research revealed that 11 of these 45 chosen words were Mongolian or Mongolian words of Turkic origin after thorough analysis. This result is in line with Bold Sharav’s 2022 book, which explained and noted that there were 23 Mongolian words in “Fundamental Principles of Food and Drink,” and it became clear that there were a total of 34 Mongolian or Mongolian words of Turkic origin words.
2.A study of an ancient book of Islamic medicine
Sambuu Ochirkhuu ; Ariunaa Erdene ; Shagdarsuren Dashjamts ; Gerelmaa Battogtokh ; Khaliunaa Baasanjav ; Bold Sharav
Mongolian Pharmacy and Pharmacology 2025;26(1):35-39
Introduction:
Among the ancient medical books, manuscripts written in clear script, with unique vocabulary and treatment methods, have been found. The vocabulary in this work is very ancient, and the treatment
methods are systematic, with few mentions of theoretical concepts. Most of the unfamiliar words were written in the pronunciation of the ancient Oirat Torghut and Dorbet. Some of these words were of Uyghur and Sartuul (Khui Khui) origin. Therefore, we worked to determine when and by whom this book was written, what its content was, and which direction of medicine it belongs to.
Objectives:
To study an ancient book written in clear script, containing Islamic medical knowledge, found
in Mongolia.
Results
“The Healing Charm of Blue Ram” (Khökh khutsyn uvdis orshivai) records that Genghis Khan
ordered Chagatai Khan to send him medical books from his land. He may have been in poor health shortly after the founding of the Chagatai state in 1225. Thus, he ordered Chagatai to send him books containing medical methods. It is reasonable to assume that the books were sent in 1226. At that time, the Chagatai state was highly developed, consisting of many ethnic groups, including Khorezm, Sartuul, and Uyghurs, who practiced Islam. In particular, the medical field was well advanced, resulting in many excellent doctors and medical books. We tried to list and explain a total of 15 words from “The Healing Charm of Blue Ram,” with many more to explore in the future. In general, it is hypothesized that many vocabulary related to medicine have spread to the Mongolian vocabulary through Arabic, Turkic, Uyghur, and Sartuul among the Western Mongolians. Conclusion: The ancient book “The Healing Charm of Blue Ram” found in Mongolia, written in clear Mongolian script, contains Islamic medical knowledge, as well as traditional Mongolian medicine methods, as is clear from the explanations of some vocabulary related to medicine. In the future, it is important to further clarify how Mongolian medicine and Islamic medical knowledge influenced each other and the contribution of Mongol khans to the development of the Ilkhanate and the Chagatai state in the study of the history of Mongolian medicine.