Baraq Khan’s Ulus: Some Issues of Localization of his Pastures in Light of Written Sources

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the article is an attempt to determine the appro­ximate boundaries of Baraq Khan’s nomads’ territories, to summarize information from various written sources and modern literature, and to determine how the name of this famous ruler should actually be written. Research materials: To achieve this goal, we used medieval Muslim written sources. Among these sources, we have identified four groups based on language. The first group is written in Arabic. It is represented by one source – the work of al-Aini “Iqd al-juman”. The second group is more plentiful: here we drew on the data of Samarkandi’s “Matla ‘as-sa’dain”, Hafiz-i Abru’s “Zubdat at-tavarih”, Mirkhond’s “Rauzat al-safa”, and also Ibn Ruzbihan’s “Mihaman name-yi Bukhara”. The third group includes works in the Turkic language, among them Ötemish Haji’s “Kara Tavarih”, Qyrymi’s “Umdet al-Akhbar”, and Qadyrgali’s “Jami at-tavarih”. Another group of sources is written in Russian; these are the data of the chronicles and materials of the Ambassadorial Department of the Russian state. In addition to these sources, we used numismatic data and that from the letter of the Golden Horde Khan, Ulugh-Muhammad, to the Turkish Sultan Murad I. Results and novelty of the research: According to al-Aini, the lands of Baraq Khan bordered on the lands of Amir Temir. The materials of the Ambassadorial Department drew a direct continuity between the ulus of Baraq Khan and the khanate of the Qazaqs. Persian chroniclers called Baraq Khan the ruler of the Uzbek Ulus whose territory was contingent with the Qazaq Ulus that arose later. Ötemish Haji and Qyrymi call Baraq Khan’s property the “Qazaq summer pasture”. The same lands were called Uzbekiya in the work of Qadyrgali. Coins of Baraq Khan do not clarify his main possessions but nevertheless indirectly refer to the fact that the main territory of his nomads was the steppes east of the Volga. All this information has led to several important conclusions. The main conclusion is that the Baraq Khan’s ulus was located in the eastern part of the Jochid Ulus, mainly in the left-bank area of the Volga region, on the Ural and Emba rivers, and in the northern Aral and Syr Darya regions. Baraq Khan did not pursue the goal of annexing these lands to his possessions. Geographically, the lands of his ulus were contingent with the lands of the future Qazaq Khanate, founded by his son, Zhanibek. Russian and Nogai contemporaries of the Qazaqs perceived them precisely as the heirs of Baraq Khan and his grandfather Urus Khan. That last fact testifies to the continuity of not only the dynasty, but also the territories. In conclusion, the etymology of the name Baraq, which is a common Turkic anthroponym, is considered while attempts to establish Arabic roots for it are ruled out as erroneous.