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International Journal of
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THE STUDY OF THE TURKISH KHAKHANATE AND THE SOURCES
THAT REFLECT THEM
Master's student of the Department of Archaeology of Samarkand State
University named after Sharof Rashidov,
Yormakhammatov Sardor Safarovich
ABSTRACT.
This article discusses the formation of the Turkish Khanate, one
of the main links in the history of statehood in Central Asia in the early Middle Ages,
the history of statehood and historical sources that reflect a lot of information about it.
Keywords:
Turkish Khanate, Altai, Bumin, Mugankhan, Istami Yabgu, Orhun-
Enasoy inscriptions, "Oguznoma".
ENTRANCE.
The Turkic Khaganate occupies an important place in the history
of Uzbek statehood. Altai, Tuva and the adjacent territories were inhabited by various
Turkic tribes, such as Ashin, Argu, Ogiz, Toqqiz Ogiz, Ottuz Tatars, Karluks, Qitans,
Tolis, Turks, Uyghurs, Kurukans, Dubas, and others. At the beginning of the 6th
century, political processes in the Altai region became more active. At that time, the
Zhuzhan Khanate ruled over the northern territories of present-day Mongolia and
partly China. At the beginning of the 6th century, the position of the Ashin clan among
the Turkic peoples in Altai rose. Asan and Tuu, members of the Ashin clan, subjugated
other clans in 460-545 and founded the union of Turkic tribes in Altai.
Literature review.
The first major study of the history of the Western Turkic
Khaganate was carried out by the French historian E. Chavannes, whose work
"Documents on the Western Turks", published in 1903, despite the passage of more
than a century, remains the most valuable work for researchers of the history of the
Khaganate. It is worth noting that after him, many scientific studies were conducted
on the history of the Khaganate, and although dozens of scientific works on this topic
have appeared in the world, almost all of them were mainly devoted to the history of
the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and the history of the Western Turkic Khaganate was
not selected as a separate topic of study after E. Chavannes. The researcher, while
basing this work on the political history of the Western Khaganate mainly on
information from Chinese chronicles, also involved Byzantine (Greek), Arabic,
Persian, and ancient Turkic sources reflecting information on the history of the
Khaganate in his research, and using them, tried to further clarify the Chinese
information.
As a scholar and one of the first researchers of the history of the Turkic peoples,
V.V. Bartholdi's contribution to the illumination of the history of the Turkic Khaganate
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is great. The scientist was one of the first. Comparing the information in the Urhun
inscriptions with Chinese, Arabic and other sources, he was able to successfully reveal
the problematic aspects of the history of the Khaganate. In particular, he shed light on
the history of the Turkic Khaganate in his scientific studies such as "Ancient Turkic
inscriptions and Arabic sources", "New studies on the Urhun inscriptions".
Among the researchers who have studied the history of the Western Turkic
Khaganate relatively consistently after E. Shavann and V.V. Bartold, the works of L.N.
Gumilev and S.G. Klyashtorny are noteworthy. In particular, L.N. Gumilev in his
monograph “Ancient Turks[1]” specifically covered the history of the Western Turkic
Khaganate, and the researcher paid special attention to socio-political issues.
Among the Kazakh researchers, K.M. Naymakov has covered the history of the
Khaganate quite consistently on the basis of archaeological sources. The researcher,
through many years of archaeological research and scientific analysis of material
materials, revealed the role of the Western Turkic Khaganate and the Sogdians in it.
Also noteworthy are the studies of the Kazakh scientist A. Dosimbaeva, who covers
the history of this Khaganate precisely through archaeological finds. We can see that
A. Kamalov briefly touched upon the Western Khaganate in his research while
covering the Turkic-Sughd relations.
The studies conducted in Kyrgyzstan on the history of the Khaganate were
mainly based on archaeological excavations, among which the studies of K.
Tabaldiyev stand out. Archaeologist V.D. Goryacheva published special studies on the
urban culture of the Tien Shan Mountains - Yettisuv during the period of the Turkic
Khaganates (Western Turkic, Turgash and Karakhanids). The form of governance of
the Khaganate was studied by T. Jumanaliyev within the framework of issues of
political power among Central Asian nomads.
In Uzbekistan, research has been conducted to one degree or another on the
history of the khaganate, among which the research of Turkologists N. Rakhmonov,
Kh. Dadabayev, K. Sodikov, and historians A. Ziya should be mentioned separately.
First of all, it should be noted that since the 1940s, most scientific publications
covering the history of our republic have devoted separate chapters to the history of
the khaganate, and it is noticeable that the main attention in them is focused on the
socio-political life of the khaganate. In particular, N. Rakhmonov's monograph
"Turkish Khaganate" covers the political history of the khaganate based on ancient
Turkic inscriptions. In some places, the researcher briefly touched on the mythology
and ideology of the ancient Turks. In Kh. Dadabayev's research, an attempt was made
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to cover the statehood of the ancient Turks using military terms.
Another Turkologist, K. Sodikov, in a number of monographs devoted to ancient
Turkic inscriptions, also paid attention to the issue of state administration of the
khaganate. A. Mukhammadjonov also paid special attention to the history of the
Turkic khaganate, and paragraphs 4-5 of the textbook published by the researcher are
entitled “Peoples of Central Asia: During the Turkic Khaganate” and “Military Turkic
Khaganate”.
Another young Uzbek researcher, A. Kubati, in his special study devoted to the
system of titles of the Turkic Khaganate, shows several dozen Turkic units used in the
military khaganate, and a number of issues related to the history of the khaganate are
resolved. It is noteworthy that another young researcher, F. Jumaniyozova, studied the
history of the Turkic dynasties that ruled in Tukhoristan and the Kabul Valley during
the Turkic Khaganate, shedding light on previously unexplored aspects of the history
of the Khaganate, in particular, the activities of the Turks in the southern regions of
Central Asia and Northern India [7, 31-33].
Main part.
Although there are enough sources about the Turkic Khaganate,
most of them provide contradictory information. Among them, Chinese sources, the
famous "Ogiznoma", Orhun-Enasoy inscriptions, Kultegin inscriptions, the historical
works of the Byzantine historians Menander Protector, Feofan of Byzantium, and the
Syrian historian John of Ephesus who lived at the end of the 6th century are valuable
sources. Information on this topic is also found in the works of Arab historians at-
Tabari, Denovari (9th-10th centuries), Abu Raykhan Beruni, Narshahi, and others.
Information about Turkic culture, literature, and history is provided in the works of
Turkic authors of the Middle Ages such as "Alpomish", "Gorughli", and "Manas".
Yusuf Hos Hajib, in his work “Kutadgu Bilig” (Knowledge Leading to Happiness),
writes about the legendary Turkish commander Alp Er Tunga: “he was a learned,
intelligent and skilled craftsman, these qualities spread his fame throughout the world.
He was the head of the Turkish chieftains, his voice carried the world, and his crafts
were numerous.” There are many legends and stories in history about the origin of the
Turks. According to one legend, the ancestors of the Turks living on the western coast
of the sea were exterminated by neighboring tribes. Then a 10-year-old boy hid and
survived. A she-wolf there became his wife. The wolf took the child to the Turfan
Mountains. There, the wolf gave birth to 10 children. One of the sons was named
Ashin, who later became the leader of a new tribe. According to legend, the word
"Turk" comes from the oldest name of the Altai Mountains. In Chinese written sources,
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the Turks settled in the foothills of the Altai in 92 AD under the name "Hun". This
tribe was named after the Ashin tribe. The Chinese also called the Ashin tribe "Tuk-
yu". P. Pelyu interprets this word as "Turk-yut" (i.e. Turks). The term "Turk" means
strong, vigorous [1, 153].
ANALYSIS AND RESULTS.
The Turkic term originally given to this clan
later became a general name for all the clans and tribes close to them. Bumin founded
a new state - the Turkic Khaganate (551-744) and, having declared himself the ruler
of the Ili River, took the title "Ili Khan". The ruler of the Turks began to call himself a
khagan (Turkic khagan). Bumin gave his brother Istami (Istemi-Turkic, Sedimi-
Chinese, Sinjibu-Arabic, Stembi-khagan in Greek), the title of "Yabgu",
corresponding to the rank of the first commander, the first official of the state, and
together with him set out to expand his state. Istami headed a more western direction
and soon subdued the Nushibi, Turkash, and Uzli tribes of East Turkestan.
After Bumin Khan died in 553, his eldest son Mugan Khan (553-572) came to
power. Mugan Khan dealt the last crushing blow to the Zhujans in 558 and
consolidated his rule in the territories up to the Pacific Ocean. His uncle Istami
expanded the territory of the Khaganate to the west, occupying the Seven Seas,
Kashgar and other territories. During 563-567, Istami's troops inflicted successive
blows on the Hephthalite state and managed to occupy lands up to Central Asia and
the Caspian Sea. As a result, the Hephthalite state collapsed. During the reign of
Mugan Khan, the Turkish Khaganate reached its peak [5, 98]. In 554, Mughan Khagan
marched eastward, subjugating the Far Eastern lands and reaching the shores of the
Pacific Ocean. He subdued the Kyrgyz along the Orkhon, Tugla, and Selenga rivers,
and the Uyghurs around Lake Baikal. In 558, the Turks conquered the Urals and Volga
and clashed with the nomadic Ovars in the North Caucasus.
Istami and the chief khagan Mugan Khan, who ruled the immediate western part
of the khaganate, also began to try to resolve this issue peacefully, realizing the
importance of the trade route. Istami entrusted the Sogdian Ikhshid Yabgu with the
task of resolving this issue. A group of ambassadors was sent to Iran under the
leadership of the famous Sogdian merchant and diplomat Moniakh. Khusraw Shah,
taking advice from his entourage, bought the silk brought by the Sogdians, then
collected it and burned it in front of the ambassadors. Istami, deeply offended by this
incident, sent his ambassadors to Khusraw Shah a second time. This group of
ambassadors now consisted only of Turks, and its outcome was to reveal the policy in
the near future. This time, the Turkish ambassadors were poisoned and killed. Only a
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few of them reached the khagan. The Sassanids justify their actions by saying that “the
Turks could not stand the hot weather.” Istami Khusraw I defeated the troops of
Anushirvan and invaded northern Iran [1,87]. The Hephthalites regained the part of
their lands that had fallen to Iran. Iran agreed to a peace treaty and was obliged to pay
40,000 Byzantine gold pieces. After that, war broke out between Iran and Byzantium,
and the Sassanid state found itself in a very vulnerable position. After the deaths of
Mughan Khan and Istami Yabgu in 576, the influence of the Turkish Khaganate began
to weaken significantly. The Iranian commander Bahram Chubin defeated the
300,000-strong Turkish army commanded by the Khaganate of Chur Baga. Bahrom
Chubin invaded the city of Poykend, near Bukhara, and captured the khagan's son,
Barmuda Tegin.
The Khaganate sent the treasury to the Iranian king Hormuzd. In 568-569, the
Turkic Khaganate, seeking to establish economic and trade relations with the powerful
state of Byzantium at that time, sent ambassadors there led by the Sogdian merchant
Maniakh. The ambassadors were received by Emperor Justinian. After that, the
ambassadors headed by Zemarkh arrived at the Khaganate. Although the Turkic
Khaganates ruled Central Asia, they did not themselves move to this region [3, 154].
They remained in their headquarters in the Seven Seas and other regions, and governed
the territories they controlled through local rulers, contenting themselves with taxes,
tributes and payments. It can be seen that during the Turkic Khaganate, the existing
local state structures and their management systems in this region were preserved, and
the Khaganate continued to operate independently in internal politics. The Khaganate
interfered in the socio-political life of the country only in exceptional cases. This
matter concerned more issues of foreign policy and international trade. As noted in
Chinese sources, there were 9 independent khokimiyats in the Zarafshan, Amudarya
and Kashkadarya oases: Samarkand, Ishtikhan, Maymurg, Kesh, Naqshhab, Kushan,
Bukhara, Amul and Andkhoy.
The khakims of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm, and Chach were quite
independent. Coins minted by the Bukhara rulers were widely circulated. At the same
time, there were internal conflicts and conflicts between these relatively independent
khakims. This led to a desperate situation for the local population. In 585-586, a
rebellion led by Abroi broke out in Bukhara against noble peasants and wealthy
merchants. The troops of Khokan Karachurin suppressed the rebellion and severely
punished the rebels. The system of governing the conquered territories through local
khakims weakened the khaganate. After the death of Mughan Khagan, his brother
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Arslon Toba ascended the throne. Although Arslon Toba converted to Buddhism, he
concluded an agreement with the Si kingdom to strengthen the country [2, 103]. In
addition, he took measures to develop the country socio-economically. However, after
the death of Arslan Toba in 581, the struggle between the Turkic khagans intensified.
As a result, the khaganate was divided into two parts.
CONCLUSION.
In conclusion, the Turkic Khaganate has its place in the
history of our country. However, since the history of this period has not been studied
in depth due to the lack of sources, this topic requires the necessary analysis. During
the period of the Turkic Khaganate, independent khokimiyats also caused its
disintegration and division. As a result of research, we can obtain information about
the life and reforms of the rulers of the Turkic Khaganate.
LIST OF REFERENCES USED
1.
Гумилев Л.Н. Древние тюрки. М., 1993.
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Буряков Ю.Ф., Грицина А. Мавераннахр на Великом Шелковом пути.
Самарканд-Бишкек: IICAS, 2006.
3. Асадов Ф. М
., Арабские источники о тюрках в раннем средневекове,
Баку, 1993; 4. Коʻчанов Е. И., Кочевиэ государства от гуннов до манчжуров, М.,
1997.
5.
Nasimxon Rahmon, Turk xoqonligi, T., 1993.
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Shoniyozov K., Oʻzbek xalqining shakllanish jarayoni, T., 2001.
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