Re: Toponymy and ethnic Realities [...]

>******%%%%%%GK: I doubt very much the appearance had anything to do
>with the original name. Note that as to Bilhorod Dnistrovs'kyj, there
>is good evidence that at one point there were two fortresses in the
>area, a "white" one and a "black" one. Here the colours refer to
>geography, "white" indicating "west" (quite proper for a right bank
>location) and "black" east. When Moldavians and Turks built up
>Bilhorod, they may well have given it that "white" appearance you
>mention. I don't think this was the case in the 10th century. There
>were other "Bilhorods" in Slavic territories (and the Kyivan one was
>also called thus because of location, not colour per se).*******

In Turkic contexts, also to be verified "kara" (subordinate) and
"ak" (free; chief) realities, i.e. administrative entities. (cf. Székes-
fehérvár = a "white" city & old capital of Hungary; Gyulafehérvár
= B@... = Alba Iulia = the old capital of Transylvania (starting as
such under a Turkic chieftain related to the Arpadian royal house;
also cf. Nándorfehérvár = Belgrad = Beograd = Serbia's capital).

George