E.L. Skvortsova. The Japanese Art Tradition and Romanticism (in the Light of a Problem of Interaction of Reason of a Body in the East and Discursive Knowledge of the West)

The article deals with the problem of inexpressive, non-discursive "corporal" knowledge in the Far-Eastern aesthetical tradition, as opposed to the knowledge based on social-oriented text. The latter, during the last 2.5 thousand years existed as the main form of true knowledge about the Universe in the West. But in the aesthetical thought of the Romanticism there was an attempt to consider personal corporal aspect of mind as the base of the true knowledge, which draws together the two traditions.

Key words: corporal mind, the Far-Eastern aesthetical tradition, the Romanticism.

V.I. Kunkova. Abbasid "Art of the Beautiful Life"

The main research problem of this article is the flourishing period of all forms of arts and crafts under the Abbasid dynasty rule (750 - 1258) in the Arab Caliphate while the principal foundations of the Arab Islamic art that took in the original traditions of the Arabs with its Islamic philosophy of life and the heritage of such great civilizations of the Ancient World as the Byzantine Empire and Sasanid Iran, were laid down. Their distinctive features of the Middle Eastern art based on the Abbasid aesthetic conception called "art of the beautiful life" are shown by the examples of works of Arab medieval art that form numerous collections of the museums all over the world.

Key words: Arab-Muslim art, aesthetics, the Arab Caliphate, the Abbasid dynasty.

A.I. Tugutov. The Mongolian Prophecy

The article focuses on some aspects of a prediction in the history of the Mongolian people. The author reviews the means of divination, including those occurred in today's daily life. The theme is based more in detail on materials of medieval sources, especially "Mongolyn Nuuts Tovcoo" - "The Secret History of The Mongols" (first third of XIII century) and travel writings of foreign travelers.

Challenges to a prediction of the future were based on interpretations of dreams, omens, prognostic and signs on divinations and on special ways of a prediction. The people who were not professional religious figures used traditional forms of divinations, one of which was "mutton shoulder", for example.

Shamans used ecstatic methods for treatment of patients, one of which was communication with spirits. Priests could give their prophesies to the most significant problems about destiny of a person and a society.

One of the cores in this article is the problem of comparative studying of medieval Mongolian culture. The author compares religious representations of medieval Mongols with their contemporaries - the western Christian missionaries. As the next step, he considers how some religious motives written in later Mongolian annals were transformed, being influenced by Buddhist ideology.

Key words: divination, Eternal Heaven, destiny, the Mongolian medieval culture, religion, literature, folklore, comparative medieval studies.

O.E. Philippov. Classification of Doctrines According to the Old Translation School of Tibetan Buddhism

The article considers in brief the classification of doctrines explained by the Nyingma texts. This school is the oldest at Tibet and has its own classification doctrines of studies, which differ from other classifications of Buddhist schools. The article also considers worldly views of common people also consider contains description of all types of Buddhist views, beginning from the low Vehicle (Hinayana) up to studies of Great Perfection, incending the Nyingma School. Special attention is given for briefly description of views that help to describe different way of view on relative and absolute reality.

Key words: Buddhism, Vajrayana, the classification of tantras, Nyingma, Hinayana, Mahayana.

D.V. Kiselyov. Prince Tszaj Chzhen in Manchuria in 1906 (on Materials Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of the Russian Empire)

Article is devoted to an interesting and scantily explored to event of a modem history of China - a trip of dignitary Tszaj Chzhen to Manchuria in 1906. The Prince Tszaj Chzhen was last representative of the Cin dynasty, who made such trip during its governing. In the end of XVII - the beginning of XIX centuries the practice of "a detour of east provinces and visiting of patrimonial tombs" was obligatory for all Manchurian emperors of China. Since 1829 visits to Manchuria emperors and other most august persons have completely stopped. The trip of prince Tszaj Chzhen has been undertaken in a year after the end of the Russian-Japanese war and passed in conditions of occupation of the considerable territories of Northeast China

by foreign armies. Visit preceded the large-scale administrative transformations which have put an end to existence in Manchuria archaic of system of government.

Key words: Minister Tszaj Chzhen, Manchuria, Cin empire, Russia and China.

M.A. Musaev. Traditions of Studying and Teaching Astronomy in Dagestan

On the basis of comparative studying of the Dagestan arabo-graphic sources and researches the author traces history of transfer and development of astronomical knowledge in madrasa Dagestan epoch of the Middle Ages and new time. The collected materials witness about close connections of Dagestan and as a whole North Caucasian region with the centres of Arab-Muslim culture behind its limits, first of all, the Ottoman Near East. Dagestan 'ulama' used all heritage of a Muslim astronomical science and kept traditions of continuity of knowledge up to the beginning of the Soviet transformations of the Dagestan society and destruction of a traditional Muslim science in the thirtieth years of XX century

Key words: Islam in Russia; Muslim astronomy, Islamic culture, Dagestan, 'ulama', madrasa.

M.S. Shapovalov. The Attempt of Correcting the Great Britain's Foreign Policy towards Palestine in 1930 - 1931

The article is devoted to the attempt of changing the Britain course in Palestine, that had been undertaken in 1930 - 1931 by the second Labour Government. In this article in details examined conditions and the content of The Passfield White Paper, the role of Arab and Jewish national movements in the crash of course adjustment (correction). A special point is dedicated to the social and political struggle in Britain around outputting of new course in Palestine. Novelty of this research consist in investigation of Britain policy with taking into account international, regional and domestic political factors. The practical importance of this research consist in its possibility to be used in the process of university teaching of Modern and Contemporary history or for research work preparing on the history of the Near East, and the foreign politics of Great Britain.

Key words: Near East, Palestine, British policy in Palestine, Second labour government, White Paper 1930.

V.S. Bojko. Liberal Experiment in Afghanistan and the Rise of Mohammad Daud in the End of 1940 - the Beginning of 1950

This paper is examining on the basis of archival and other sources (of government and personal nature) the main features of socio-political development in Afghanistan in second part of 1940s- early 1950s. It was this period, when upper circles (the ruling Yahya-khel clan) launched liberal experiment from above - actually second after Amani reforms (1919 - 1929), but fare more modest effort to modernize the Afghan state. Government and emerging opposition (the set of political groupings ("Wish zalmyan", "Watan", "Nida-e halk")) introduced new patterns and methods of political process.

"Partisation" project of the government herself had been failed - it was fraught with opposition's further activities, - the ruling circles resorted to bans and repressions, that is interrupted liberal experiment in the country where the power was concentrated in the hands of family oligarchy. One of the solutions became the advent to power in 1953 the representative of the next Yahya-khel generation, already presented himself on high military-administrative positions - prince Mohammad Daud. It was time frame of 1940s - early 1950s, when Daud developed into active and independent politician and manager, whereas the circumstances of the formation of new states in South Asia, in particular the neighboring Pakistan, absorbing the part of Pashtun ethnos, the nation-forming in Afghanistan herself, strengthened in Daud nationalist (Pashtun) spirit - his foreign policy credo for the rest of his lifetime and career. In this respect the occupation by Daud premier-ministership in 1953 (in 1973 - 1978 - presidency) and opening of new directions of domestic and foreign policies may be considered as turning point of Afghanistan's recent history, which caused both achievements and failures, including new conflicts of late 1970s -early 2000s.

Key words: Afghanistan, Muhammad Daud, clan oligarchy, political opposition, (proto-)parties, "Wish zalmiyan", National-democratic party, liberal experiment.

L.M. Isayev. League of the Arabian States: Creation History

In the article author considers the role of Egypt in establishing the League of Arab States. Analyzed the most probable realization of projects of Arab unity of the first half of XX century. Particular attention is paid to the figure of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nahhas Pasha. His role and contribution in carrying out bilateral talks with representatives of the six Arab states, as well as his presidency at the Preparatory Committee took place in Cairo in the summer of 1944.

Key words: Arab League, Egypt, Nahhas Pasha, Great Syria, Fertile Crescent.

Mikhail V. Karpov. Price Reform as the Key Link of the "Chinese Way". Practices and Theories of the "Double-Track Price Model"

M.V. Karpov's article is the first one in his series of sketches on political economy of Chinese economic reform. It examines social, political and institutional circumstances of the implementation of the so called "double-track" price model in China between 1979 and 1993. Author pays special attention to the structural and regional dimensions as well as to dynamic characteristics of the "double-track" model, introducing the concept of "plan-market frontier". M.V. Karpov suggests that the term "double" in this model is to be understood not only as the "symbiosis of plan and market" but also as the competition between the central and local authorities for more leverage to define the "plan-market frontier". According to the author, unsuccessful attempts of the central government to administer "double-track" model caused political crisis in 1989. Subsequently ventured policies of recentralization had actual results in further fragmentation and localization of decision making in pricing. Eventually, by 1993, there evolved new dynamic arrangement of pricing which author calls "multiple-track" model, centered on local party-state authorities.

Key words: "Chinese way", price reform, "double-track" price model, "multiple-track" price model.

N.Yu. Ulchenko, A.M. Kuznetsova. The Issue of Regional Unevenness of Development in the Context of Economic Integration of Turkey with EU

Having received status of candidate to EU in 1999 Turkey assumed liabilities to conduct a number of reforms in economical, social-political sphere and to implement policy aimed at economic integration in EU.

The gap between Turkey and the majority of European countries in social-economic indicators is quite considerable. Moreover social-economic disparities between different regions within Turkey make it even more difficult for Turkey to comply with EU requirements and to "catch up with" developed countries than it may seem on the basis of average indicators.

That's why "smoothing" regional-economic disparities in Turkey is one of most important directions in integration to EU policy. Along with that decrease in regional disproportions is aimed not only at complying with EU requirements, but also at improvement in internal economy and social-political situation in the country.

The article contains evaluation of level of regional disproportions in Turkey, identification of major problems of lagging regions, comparison of situation in Turkey with EU members in regional development sphere.

The authors prove the presence in Turkey of serious disparity in production facilities layout, qualified working force, research potential and educational infrastructure within the country. Comparison of GDP per capita and a number of quantitative and qualitative indicators of production and human potential in different regions of the country enables to identify the Eastern part of Turkey as relatively less developed.

Regional disproportions in Turkey are far deeper that in EU countries and the consequences of these disparities are qualitatively different.

Key words: regional development, regional economic disproportions, regional policy, regional competitiveness, Turkey and EU.

Yu.A. Pronina. History of the Investigation of Pepi I Pyramid Complex in Saqqara

Pyramid complex of the king Pepi I (VI dynasty) is a unique scientific object. It was here the first time in the history of Egyptology were discovered inscriptions, known since then as the Pyramid Texts. This article is devoted to the history of investigation of the pyramid complex of the king Pepi I from its discovery to the present day. Thanks to the hard work of scientists - participants in the beginning of a small expedition turned eventually to the French archaeological mission in Saqqara - this ancient complex, almost completely destroyed, have risen from the ruins and became a monument of exceptional historical and cultural significance.

Key words: Ancient Egypt, archaeology, pyramid of Pepi I, the Pyramid Texts.

L.D. Bojmatov. New Sources About Tarabi Revolt

The author shows, that the data containing in two new recently revealed historical sources dated from the 13th century, i.e. "al-Havadis-1-jamaa' ("Society events") Kamal ad-dyne Abd ar-Razzak binni Ahmed Shajbani more known as Ibni Fuvati, and the treatise of the astronomer of the 13th century Mas'ud Ali-shah Dargani Buhari under the name "Ashjar wa asmar" ("Origins and posterities") are valuable source, for the study of revolt of Mahmud Tarabi in Bukhara (1238).

Keywords: Tarabi revolt, Bukhara, Chagatajsky ulus.

O. Batsaykhan. I.V. Stalin's meetings with the Mongolian heads in 1932 - 1937

The paper explores the Russian and Mongolian archives to reconstruct details and results of meetings between I.V. Stalin and other USSR leaders with leaders of Mongolia in 1930s. Stalin considered policy towards Mongolia in general context of the USSR Far Eastern policy. Defending USSR interests, he followed military and strategic line against Japan expansion. The question of Mongolian independence was a secondary issue for him. However, his policy in the Far East allowed securing Mongolia's independence.

Key words: Mongolia, Manchzhou-go, archives, Stalin, negotiations, independence.

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