In Azov, located in the Rostov region, archaeologists found traces of the massacre that took place in 1370, that is, 10 years before the Battle of Kulikovo.
During the excavations, archaeologists have found human bones and 15 skulls that date back to the time of internecine wars that lasted in the Golden Horde for 20 years. Thanks to this find of archaeologists, historians had a real chance to learn more about the dark territory of medieval Russia.
The well-known historian of Soviet times A. P. Grigoriev argued just a few decades ago that the darkest period in the history of the Golden Horde was the period from the death of Khan Berdibek to the accession of Khan Tokhtamysh to the throne, that is, from 1359 to 1380. According to this eminent and respected scientist, for a complete reconstruction of the picture of history, it is imperative to know who, when and in which of the Golden Horde centers was the supreme power.
Historians know that at the end of the winter of 1370 the temnik and beklyarbek Mamai dealt with his protege Abdala and his people loyal to him. It was the place of this brutal murder that was discovered by archaeologists. The reason for this mass massacre, according to an employee of the Azov Historical, Archaeological and Paleontological Museum Andrei Maslovsky, was the fact that Khan Abdala, who found himself on the throne of the Golden Horde as a child, having matured and decided to rule on his own, went against the will of Mamai, who at that time held all actual power was concentrated. This could not please the "Minister of War", and he cruelly dealt with Khan Abdala and his faithful servants. At that time Azak (now the city of Azov) was the largest city in the territory of the Golden Horde subordinate to the khan. According to Andrey Maslovsky, a real massacre took place in Azak. After the pogrom in the burnt city, the surviving residents were forced to collect the bodies of their relatives and fellow countrymen and bury them in the first pits they came across.
When historians lack information in written sources (chronicles), specialists from related disciplines who study coins, heraldry, etc. come to their aid. At the beginning of the 19th century, orientalists-numismatists joined the study of the history of the Golden Horde period, who managed to read the legends inscribed on the coins of that historical period. In Arab legends, the names of the khans differed significantly from the Russian chronicles.
Unfortunately, until now historians have not been able to come to a common opinion on the names of the Mongol khans. The historiographers who wrote about these times each transcribed the name of one and the same ruler of the Golden Horde in their own way. An attempt was also defeated to convey the names in the way they are indicated in the Russian chronicles, since even with the unformed medieval spelling in various manuscripts, the names of the Golden Horde rulers were transmitted in writing in different ways. For example, Abdala, called Mr. Maslovsky, is none other than Khan Avdal, who is mentioned in Russian chronicles. Other sources call him Abdullah altogether, this is due to the fact that many Arabists, according to the established traditional transliteration, habitually add the consonant sound "X" to the ending of Arabic names. And besides,that the arbs and the Turks themselves pronounce this name - Abdullah.
Well, what about the name, it seems, has been sorted out, which means that we can return to the history of the conflict, which entailed a huge number of victims. By the middle of the XIV century, the Golden Horde was one of the largest states in Eurasia. Its area was located from the Irtysh and Ob to the Danube, from Bashkiria and Volga Bulgaria to Iran. Mamai did not happen to be born a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, so he was never a khan. However, he held very important, one might even say, key positions of temnik and beklarbek.
And if at that time there were 70 temniks, commanders of troops of one darkness (10,000 soldiers) and managers of settlements with the same population, in the “government” apparatus of the Golden Horde, then Beklyarbek was the only one and was the second most important person in the state (after the khan). Beklyarbek was subordinate to 4 ulusbeks who were in charge of the temniks. Also, in addition to the army, beklarbek disposed of both the supreme court and the external relations of the state.
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In 1359, with the death of Khan Berdibek, internecine wars began in the Golden Horde, which ended only in 1380 from the moment Khan Tokhtamysh ascended the presto. In Russian chronicles, this period, during which more than 20 Golden Horde rulers managed to be replaced, is called "The Great Zamyatney". Mamai, a descendant of the Mongol noble family Kiyat, was married to the daughter of Khan Berdibek. According to the Arab chronicler Ibn Khaldup, even during the reign of Khan Berdibek, Mamai was already an ulus prince.
He began to rule through dummies who belonged to the descendants of Khan Uzbek. In August 1361, Mamai elevated Abdullah to the throne of the Golden Horde, and the local nobility opposed Khan Kildibek to him. However, in the fall of 1361, Mamai, together with Abdullah, set out from his main base, located in the Crimea, and defeated the troops of Khan Keldibek, however, without killing the Khan himself. This was Mamai's huge political blunder. At that cruel time, it was impossible to save the lives of other pretenders to the throne. And soon the validity of this law was confirmed. To replace Keldibek, Murid ascended the throne in Saray al-Jedid.
At the end of the summer of 1362, the troops of Mamai met with the troops of Murid, after which Murid went to the left bank of the Volga to Sarai al-Jedid, and Mamai remained the full owner of the right bank from the Volga to the Crimea. Abdullah, with the help of Mamai, ascended the throne in New Sarai in September 1362. From that very moment, Mamai's unlimited power spread to all areas between the Volga and Don, the Black Sea steppes, the North Caucasus and Crimea. But, on the left bank of the Volga, where the capital of Saray al-Jedid was located, a series of continuously changing rulers began.
It is noteworthy that the Russian princes reacted to all this Golden Horde mess (by the way, the word came from the Tatar word "kutermyak" - the ceremony of enthronement of the khan) reacted in almost the same way as our compatriots react to the change of homeowners association in their homes - they showed respect, but tribute were not paid. Even the well-known Dmitry Ivanovich (better known as Donskoy) had labels on the Great Reign from both Abdullah and Murid, but he did not pay tribute to either of them, explaining that until they themselves decide which of them is more important, he will pay will not be.
The power of Abdullah under the leadership of Mamai was not overshadowed by anything until the winter of 1363, when Murid's detachments, set out from Gulistan, defeated the troops of Mamai and drove Abdullah to the right bank of the Volga. This event is attested on the coins minted by Murid in New Sarai, Gulistan and Sarai. Since 1963, two terms have entered the Russian chronicles: Murotova Horde (territory from the Volga to the east) and Mamaev Horde (territory from the Volga to the west)
Apparently, further events developed in this way: the troops of Abdullah, under the leadership, of course, of Mamai, all in the same 1363 defeated the troops of Murid and recaptured not only the New Saray, but also the territory of Sarai al-Jayed. Abdullah drove the pretender to the throne far to the Trans-Volga steppes, where after some time (1.5 years) Murid was killed by one of his advisers. Apparently, this success turned Abdullah's head, so he decided to get rid of the tutelage of his patron - Mamai, who actually ruled for him. To do this, Abdullah devised a very ingenious plan that took years to develop.
With the help of people dissatisfied with the autocracy of Mamai, in 1368, an uprising of the Crimean population was "arranged" under the leadership of the temnik Khadzhi-Cherkes. Mamai, disturbed by the uprising, with a large detachment of soldiers went to the Crimea to "rein in" the rebel. However, this cunning plan did not work, since after Mamai left the left bank of the Volga, Abdullah was easily ousted by Uljai-Timur, who also claimed the throne at that time. So, as a result of his rash act, Abdullah became a "homeless person", having lost two capitals at once. All of the khan's entourage left him, with the exception of relatives and several emirs loyal to him with their small detachments.
In the meantime, Beklarbek dealt with the Crimean rebellion, but did not kill Hadji-Cherkes himself, thereby making the following political mistake. After the defeat of the Golden Horde in the Battle of Kulikovo, this rebel convinced the inhabitants of Kaffa (Feodosia) to kill Mamai. But at that moment, only having figured out who was the instigator of the Crimean rebellion (Abdullah), Mamai invites the treacherous ruler to come to Crimea. The khan apparently accepted the invitation of his comrade-in-arms and went there in 1370, but did not reach the destination, but disappeared without a trace along with his entire retinue.
In the Russian chronicles there is information that Abdullah died in 1370 under very mysterious circumstances, but the place of death was not indicated anywhere. The authors of the chronicles also add rumors that circulated among the merchants in the Horde that Abdullah, along with his retinue, was killed by secret order of Mamai. By the way, according to the famous historian G. V. Vernadsky, the murder of Abdulla took place not far from the "military base" of Mamai (Crimea). The insidious beklyarbek lured Abdullah into a trap and brutally dealt with him, and declared the young Mahmud-Bulak Khan, who became the "leader" of the Golden Horde troops in the Battle of Kulikovo.
And so, the white spot in history was erased, since thanks to the discovery of archaeologists, a place was found where the bloody massacre took place, which took the life of Abdullah and his associates. However, according to the scientists themselves, it is too early for us to draw such conclusions, since upon a closer inspection of the burial, you can find many more interesting surprises.