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THE HISTORY OF TURKIC NATIONS’ FORMATION
Akhmedova Ugiloy Abdisalom kizi
Independent Researcher
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
Abstract:
In this article, the author, based on sources that have been little studied to date,
sheds light on the history of the origin of the Turkic peoples, the processes of formation of the
term Turk. An attempt has been made to reveal the initial formation process of the term Turk,
the true foundations of the Turkish people. The information presented in the article serves as
additional material to the works published in the scientific community so far.
Keywords:
Ancient Turkestan, Himalayas, Tibet, Pamir, Tian Shan, Altai, Taklamakan,
Ughurs, Tatans, Aymans, Jami ut-Tawarikh, Tungus, Scythians, Tujue, Tuke, Yuruks,
Turkmens, Tahtacis, Abdals.
Today, more than 130 nationalities and ethnic groups are peacefully coexisting in our
homeland. One of these nations is the Turkish diaspora. The history of this nation's arrival in
our homeland's territory dates back to the distant past.
The history of the origin of the Turkic people, one of the peoples living in our country,
can be traced back to ancient times. Various accounts have been provided about the origin of
Turkic tribes. Below, we will focus on information about who the Turkic tribes were and how
they were formed.
Although humans are biologically similar, they develop based on common social laws and
divide into countless groups. As a result, diverse groups and communities of people exist on
Earth. Ancient Turkestan was also a land of many tribes, each with a developmental path
stretching back to the distant past. The primitive society our ancestors lived through spans
approximately 800 thousand years.
During this period, significant natural and geographical changes occurred on the Earth's
surface. Consequently, the changing geographical environment greatly influenced societal
development. The Himalayas, Tibet, the Pamirs, and the Tian Shan mountains rose. Due to
the onset of colder weather, large glaciers formed. The animal and plant world took on a
different appearance. Heat-loving animals migrated southward or became extinct. They were
replaced by cold-resistant animals. People began to live in caves.
Fire began to be used. When natural caves became too cramped, they started building shelters.
Living in close proximity to each other led to kinship and clan formation. The hardships of
survival forced tribal communities to unite with one another. Thus, large nomadic military-
tribal alliances emerged.
There are different views on the origin of the Turkic tribes:
- The Chinese consider the Turks to be descendants of the Xiongnu. Indeed, there is reason to
believe that the ancestors of the Turks were one of the tribes that entered the Hunnic alliance:
- Western historians assume that the Turks are related to the Scythians (Saka) and do not
hesitate to say that they are part of the Scythian people;
- Some Western historians say that the ancestors of the Turks were the Xianbei people, who
had lived to the east of the Mongols since ancient times. Supporters of this hypothesis call the
Huns Mongols and the Xianbei Turks.
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According to Chinese sources, the Xiongnu were defeated by the Chinese army in 92
AD. Subsequently, the Chinese allowed the Ashina tribe, which was part of the Hunnic
system, to settle in the Altai region. They obligated the Ashina people to extract iron from the
Altai Mountains as a form of tribute.
The Chinese referred to this tribe as "tukuyu." Later, the word "tukuyu" evolved into "turk
yurt" (Turks). L. Gumilyov described the word "Turks" in his book "Ancient Turks" using the
Russian words for "strong" and "robust." According to I. Bichurin, the Altai Mountains
resemble a round iron helmet, which the Chinese called "tuke." This translates to "shlyom" in
Russian, and "temir qalpoq" or "dubulg'a" (meaning "iron helmet" or "helm") in Uzbek.
Information about the Turkic peoples was first recorded in ancient Orkhon inscriptions.
Orkhon is the name of a river in present-day Mongolia, and the inscriptions date back to the
8th century. However, linguists state that the Turkic language appeared earlier than the 8th
century. It has been proven that the Turkic language, which currently has its own phonetic
system, originated in Altai in the 1st century BC.
The ancestors of the Mongols - the Tungus - lived in Tibet. Later, they moved to the banks of
the Amur River, towards northern China. The renowned Russian orientalist I. Bichurin
suggested that the Turks, Mongols, and Tungus emerged from a common ancestor 2.5
thousand years before our era. It is known from history that the Tungus initiated the formation
of two peoples - the Huns and the Tatar-Mongols.
The ancestors of the Turkic tribes were the peoples who lived west of Lake Baikal,
along the Irtysh and Yenisei rivers, in the Altai region and Taklamakan desert, forming tribal
unions before the Common Era. The Tungus, who lived between the Pacific Ocean and Lake
Baikal, along the banks of the Amur, Argun, and Shilka rivers, gave rise to the Ilou, Wuhan
Fuyu, Xianghu, Dingling, Kara-Khitai, Dinghu, Xunyu, Juan-juan, Kumoxi, Shivgi, Mohe,
Sushen, Boisi, and other peoples.
In the 4th century, the Ughi tribes formed from the tribes living on the banks of the Amur. In
the 7th century, the Ayman (clan) separated from the Ughi and was called Mohe. Mohe is a
Chinese word meaning Mongol.
At the beginning of the 9th century, one of the Ayman tribes moved towards Southern
Mongolia. The Ayman who went south were called Tatan in Chinese sources. In European
sources, the word "tatan" was referred to as "totar." By the end of the 12th century, the Tatar-
Mongols were formed as a result of the intensification of the process of various language-
speaking peoples merging into one nation. Among those who joined these peoples were the
Oirats, Merkits, Jalayirs, Tejuts, Bartuts, Naymans, Uriankhai, Durbens, Barins, Keraits,
Onguts, Buryats, and Barlas.
In his work "Jami ut-tawarikh" (Compendium of Chronicles), Rashiduddin, discussing the
tribes called "Mongols," clearly states that "the names of these peoples, now called Mongols,
were not like this before," and he explains that among them, the Jalayir, Sunit, Tatar, Merkit,
Kurlovit, Tulas, Tumat, Bulagachin, Keremuchin, Urasut, Tamghaliq, Torgut, Oirat, Bargut,
Kori, Telingut, and other tribes are Turkic peoples.
Thus, Rashid al-Din's information reveals that all Turkic peoples who were part of
Genghis Khan's political union at that time were called Mongols. The author's following
thoughts provide even clearer evidence for this idea.
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The scholar, discussing the Ergene-kun (Arkanakun) tribe, states that the word "Mongol"
became the name of their clan, and now they are spreading this name to other peoples similar
to the Mongols. This is because their mingling with other peoples coincided with the Mongol
era, though in reality, these latter peoples are Turks.
The author notes that the Mongol tribe was actually very small, listing 18 tribes that
originated from the true Mongols, including Nukus, Uryankat, Qong'irot, Ikras, Ulkunit,
Kuralas, Eljigin, Kunkulayut, Urtaut, Kunqo'ton, Orulat, Kingut, Ushin, Sulduz, Eldurkin,
Boyovut, and Kingut. However, even among these, there are peoples who are not of true
Mongol origin. In the past, various tribes began to define their lineage and status by
associating themselves with the Mongols, because Genghis and his clan were called Mongols.
For this reason, the work notes that some tribes, despite initially not recognizing the Mongols,
later began to proudly consider themselves Mongols.
Rashiduddin even believes that "in ancient times, the Mongols themselves were merely a part
of the Turkic peoples living in the steppes."
The National Encyclopedia of the Republic of Uzbekistan provides the following information
about the Turks. Anthropologically, the Turks belong to the Mediterranean group of the
southern Europoid race. Ethnically, the Turks are composed of two main components:
nomadic Turkic pastoral tribes (mainly Oghuz and Turkmen) that migrated from Central Asia
and Iran to Asia Minor during the Seljuk and Mongol invasions in the 11th-13th centuries,
and the local population of Asia Minor. Some Turkic groups (Uz and Pechenegs) migrated to
Asia Minor through the Balkan Peninsula. The Turks intermingled with the indigenous
population (Greeks, Armenians, Georgians, and others), assimilating part of them and
adopting many features of their economy and culture. Arab, Kurdish, South Slavic, Romanian,
Albanian, and other elements also contributed to their ethnogenesis. In the 14th-16th centuries,
the Turks conquered the Balkan Peninsula, Cyprus, and other territories.
The Turkish people were formed around the 15th century. Among the Turks, there are semi-
nomadic ethnographic groups: Yörüks, Turkmens, Tahtacıs, Abdals, and others. These semi-
nomadic groups are gradually settling and assimilating into the Turkish population. The
majority of modern Turks (65%) are engaged in agriculture, while more than 35% work in the
industrial sector.
Currently, over 70 thousand people belonging to the Turkish diaspora live in the territory of
Uzbekistan.
List of references:
1.
Jurakulov O. Original Turkic Tribes // Science and Life, No. 5-6 p. 17.
2.
Decree of President Mirziyoyev "On the Strategy of Actions for Further Development of
the Republic of Uzbekistan" dated February 7, 2017.
3.
Speech by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev at the meeting
dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Republican International Cultural
Center //https://president.uz/uz.lists/view/198
4.
Doniyorov A. On the general methodological, ethnopolitical, and ethnocultural aspects of
the "diaspora issue"
5.
Musayev O. "Formation of Interethnic Relations" // Society and Governance. 2009.
