Hebrew manuscripts and scribes in the crimean golden horde (solkhat)

Solkhat, the regional capital of the Golden Horde in the Crimean Peninsula, was a multi-cultural city, with two Jewish communities-Rabbanite and Karaite. Unlike other Jewish centres in the Golden Horde, Hebrew manuscripts from 13th-15th century Solkhat have survived. These documents enable a micro-historical glance into its Jewish life, mainly of the Karaite community. However, they provide only a partial picture of the origins of these Jewish communities, circumstances of Karaite immigration to Eastern Europe, and their use of the Qıpçaq language. Parallel social and cultural processes in Solkhat's non-Jewish communities offer directions for a possible solution to these issues.