Mongolica. Vol. XXVIII, No. 4 / Ed. by I. V. Kulganek (editor-in-chief), D. A. Nosov (secretary), M. A. Kozintcev (deputy secretary). St Petersburg, 2025. 90 p. ISSN 2311-5939.

PHILOLOGY

Batmunkh Munkh-Erdene. The Artistic Heritage and Stylistic Features of D. Tsoodol’s Works — 5
The State Honored Writer and Honored Worker of Culture of Mongolia D. Tsoodol (born 1944) is one of the most prominent representatives of contemporary Mongolian literature. The article deals with some features of the D. Tsoodol’s poetics. Such aspects of his writing method as structure of his poems, process of creation, regularities of his artistic manner and lyrical thinking are analyzed. The article also deals with the features of D. Tsoodol’s narrative writings and aims to highlight their distinctive features and characteristics. For that purpose the environment is examined in which D. Tsoodol’s works came to life and which shaped his narrative style. D. Tsoodol is a major representative of modern Mongolian literature who has created his own style and legacy. His work as a journalist and translator must have determined a favorable path for him as a writer. He creates his works in the form of memoirs, vividly portrays the daily life of the people of his homeland, and reveals the mentality of the Mongols. The lifestyle, circumstances, joy, pain and morals of the Mongols, especially of dwellers of Buren sum, are clearly shown in his prosaic works and ballads. Memory plays an important part in D. Tsoodol’s creative work, and his narrative style can be described as memorial.
Keywords: Tsoodol, contemporary Mongolian writers, modern Mongolian poetry, narrative prose, modern Mongolian literature.

Maksim V. Fionin. Margarita Mikhailovna Elizarova as а Translator of the Apocryphal “Testament of Abraham”: On Her Contribution to the Study of Ancient Hebrew Texts — 13
The article examines the scholarly legacy of Margarita M. Elizarova (1938–1978), a Russian specialist in Qumran studies and translator of the apocryphal Testament of Abraham. Based on materials from her personal archive at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts (RAS), the paper analyzes biographical data, research background, and specific features of her translation. Linguistic and textual aspects of the translation are discussed, including late Byzantine vocabulary (e. g., ὀψικεύω). Elizarova’s work is evaluated as an important contribution to the study of Judeo-Christian apocrypha and to the history of Russian biblical scholarship.
Keywords: Margarita M. Elizarova, Testament of Abraham, apocrypha, translation, Greek text, Byzantine lexicon, biblical studies.

Sanjperleegiin Enkhjargal. The Manifestation of Ontological Metaphor in Mongolian Idioms — 25
Language is a reflection of human cognition and a structure of thought. In modern linguistics, analyzing idiomatic expressions from a cognitive perspective has become a common and unified approach among scholars. Idioms represent a people’s worldview and patterns of thinking, expressing abstract concepts through tangible, experiential imagery. The core mechanism underlying the figurative meaning of idioms is metaphor, which is intrinsically linked to the deep structure of human cognition. Within the framework of cognitive linguistics, a “container metaphor” is regarded as a universal conceptual model derived from bodily experience and spatial perception. The paper examines how the container metaphor manifests in Mongolian idiomatic expressions, analyzing their structure and semantic features based on the metaphor theory proposed by G. Lakoff and M. Johnson, and compares selected Mongolian idioms with their English equivalents. The findings reveal that Mongolian mentality tends to be holistic and integrative, reflecting a worldview grounded in spatial and experiential understanding.
Keywords: idiom, ontology, ontological metaphor, container metaphor, Mongolian mentality.

RELATED DISCIPLINES

Igor A. Alimov. «Dong Jing Meng Hua Lu»: Great Inner [Chambers] — 33
The article is devoted to a unique Chinese work of the 12th c. “Dong jing meng yua lu” by Meng Yuan-lao, an unprecedented in Chinese history written source of comprehensive information about urban life during the Northern Song. It is the second publication in a series of works dedicated to “Dong jing meng yua lu” and includes a complete annotated translation of description of the Imperial Chambers.
Keywords: China in the 10–13th centuries, Song era, Chinese city, Meng Yuan-lao, Dong jing meng yua lu.

Konstantin A. Beketov, Natalya K. Beketova, Li Zhuangzhi. Analysis of the Progressive Development of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in the Field of Fine Arts — 41
In the paper the cooperation of Russian and Chinese art institutions in two years is analyzed. The cessation of restrictive measures taken during the pandemic, made it possible to resume face-to-face contacts, restore exchange programs and expand the range of intercultural communications between Russian and Chinese artists. One of the successful options for cooperation is the creative journey of the members of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists to Jilin Province, held as part of the next stage of the projects “Unlimited Russia” and “Art Without Borders”.
Keywords: St. Petersburg Union of Artists, fine arts, intercultural communications, art exhibitions, art education, creative travels, plein air, master classes, Jilin Province, China.

Ekaterina M. Belkina. Hebrew Palaeography in Iran: From Early Documents to the Manuscripts of the 14th Century — 53
The article analyses the palaeography of the earliest known manuscripts and documents of Iranian Jewry. During the period from the 8th to the 14th cc. local written culture underwent a certain transformation. It mostly depended on the center of Jewish literacy of a particular period. Thus, the earliest manuscripts from the late 8th and mid–9th cc. have features of the ‘Palestinian’ type of writing. Later in the 10th c. the Hebrew characters in Iranian Hebrew manuscripts acquired ‘Babylonian’ features, since Abbasid Iraq became the center of Jewish literacy. Nevertheless, some manuscripts of the 11th to 13th cc. show the existence of a local Iranian tradition, which partially preserved the old forms of some letters, but generally adopted the peculiarities of the new ‘Babylonian’ palaeographic school.
Keywords: Hebrew manuscripts, palaeography, Judeo-Persian, the Afghan Geniza, Middle Ages, Iranian Jewry, National Library of Russia.

ACADEMIC LIFE

Lyudmila S. Dampilova. The 3rd Siberian Forum of Folklore Researchers. International Scientific Conference (Novosibirsk, June 16–20, 2025) — 64

Tatiana V. Ermakova. The 19th Conference “Current Issues of Buddhological and Indological Studies” (St. Petersburg, July 14, 2025) — 67

Regina V. Ivleva. The International Symposium on Mongolian Studies 2025 (Hоhhot, China, August 20–21, 2025) — 70

Natalia V. Yampolskaya. “Kalmyk Buddhist Masterpieces from the Museums of St. Petersburg” — an Exhibition at the National Museum of the Republic of Kalmykia (Elista, September 25 — November 16, 2025) — 76

BOOK REVIEWS

Ekaterina V. Asankhanova. Rev. of the book: Batyreva, Svetlana. G. Painting in Time and Space of Culture. To the 100th Birthday Anniversary of the People’s Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Garya Rokchinsky (1923–1993). Moscow: Bumba, 2023. 232 p.: illus. ISBN 978-5-907754-25-6 — 80

Maria P. Petrova. Rev. of the book: Motherland — Great Victory. Ulaanbaatаr: Munhiin useg Publishing House, 2025. 320 p. ISBN 978-9919-0-4898-3 — 86

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