The Crimean Tatar Khanate was a legitimate heir to the čingisside Empire, particularly its western part known as the Golden Horde. In the latter, the official language was Mongolian, and then, from the 14th century, Turkish (today described as Khwarezm Turkish), first written in the Uighur alphabet, and then, following the Islamization of the čingisside court, in the Arabic alphabet.
At the same time, the khans of Crimea drew up their documents in the languages of their neighbors: Ottoman Turkish, as well as Ruthenian, Russian, Polish, Greek, Italian and even Latin. What's more, apart from tamgha - the large square čingisside seal - the Tatars would adopt Ottoman tughra , and even the hanging seal typical for Russian and Polish chancelleries, to authenticate their documents.
In Abstract, the chancellery of the Khanate of Crimea is a fascinating amalgam of various Eurasian traditions, reflecting the creativity of the Tatars, who knew how to adopt foreign models and at the same time retain their own cultural identity.
