Kınık (tribe)

Oghuz Turks are a branch of Turkic peoples. During the early Medieval ages most of them were nomads and their political structure was tribal. There were 22 or 24 Oghuz tribes. The tribes were listed in a number of medieval books with Islamic sources calling Muslim Oghuzes as Turkmen by the 10th century. They were also mentioned in Oghuz legend. According to mythology there were 24 tribes in two main groups. Each group was represented by three brothers and each brother was supposed to have four sons. In this classification Kınık tribe is the descendant of Deniz Khan who in turn was in the group of Üçok.[3]

In the 11th century Dīwānu l-Luġat al-Turk by Mahmud of Kashgar Kınık was the first in the list. But in the list prepared by Rashid-al-Din Hamadani in the 13th century Kınık is the last one.[4] In the list of Turkmen (Oghuz) tribes provided by Abul-Ghazi, the Khan and historian of the Khanate of Khiva, in his work Genealogy of Turkmens, the Kınık tribe is menioned as descendants of Deniz Khan with the name of the tribe meaning "honourable"[5].

Kınık is historically notable because the Seljuk Empire was founded by Kınık tribe.[4] In 10th century the tribe leader was Dukak (nicknamed "Demiryaylı", 'with iron bow') . He was followed by Seljuk and then Arslan Yabgu. The Seljuk Empire was founded by Arslan’s nephew Tughril and his brother Chagri . The Seljuks of Anatolia, a branch of Seljuks, was founded by Suleiman ibn Qutulmish, Arslan Yabgu’s grandson.

Most of the tribe migrated to Anatolia (Asiatic Turkey) during the Seljuk Empire and during the Mongol Invasion in the 13th century. In the Ottoman Empire official records of the 16th century, there were 81 settlements named Kınık.[4] Although they were largely absorbed in the other Oghuz tribes, there are still many settlements which bear the name Kınık. For example, in İzmir Province, Kınık is the name of one of the district (ilçe) centers. There are also many villages. The total number of various towns and settlements in Turkey carrying the tribal name of Kinik is 28 [6]. The following incomplete list is an example:

In Afyon Province

• Kınık, Dinar
• Kınık, Sandıklı
• Kınık, Sinanpaşa

In Ankara Province

• Kınık, Kalecik
• Kınık, Kazan
• Kınık (Aşağı), Kızılcahamam
• Kınık (Yukarı), Kızılcahamam

In Antalya Province

• Kınık, Kaş

In Bilecik Province

• Kınık, Bilecik
• Kınık, Pazaryeri