Toquz Oghuz

Toquz Oghuz (Old Turkic: 𐱃𐰸𐰆𐰔:𐰆𐰍𐰔‎, Toquz Oγuz)[1] was a political alliance of nine Turkic-speaking Tiele tribes in Inner Asia, during the early Middle Ages. Toquz Oghuz was consolidated and subordinated within the Turkic Kaganate (552–743) and remained after the Khaganate fragmented.

History of the Turkic peoples pre-14th century
History of the Turkic peoples
Göktürks
First Turkic Khaganate 552 – 581 Western Turkic Khaganate 581 – 657 Eastern Turkic Khaganate 581 – 650 Second Turkic Khaganate 682 – 744
Khazar Khaganate 618–1048
Xueyantuo 628–646
Kangar union 659–750
Turk Shahi 665-850
Türgesh Khaganate 699–766
Kimek confederation 743–1035
Uyghur Khaganate 744–840
Oghuz Yabgu State 750–1055
Karluk Yabgu State 756–940
Kara-Khanid Khanate 840–1212
Western Kara-Khanid Eastern Kara-Khanid
Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom 848–1036
Qocho 856–1335
Pecheneg Khanates 860–1091
Ghaznavid Empire 963–1186
Seljuk Empire 1037–1194
Sultanate of Rum
Cumania 1067–1239
Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231
Kerait Khanate 11th century–13th century
Delhi Sultanate 1206–1526
Mamluk dynasty Khalji dynasty Tughlaq dynasty
Qarlughid Kingdom 1224–1266
Golden Horde 1240s–1502
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) 1250–1517
Bahri dynasty

Oghuz is a Turkic word meaning "community" and toquz means "nine". Similarly the Karluks were also known as the Uch-Oguz – uch meaning "three".[2] The root of the generalized ethnical term "oghuz" is og-, meaning "clan, tribe"; which in turn, according to Kononov, descends from the ancient Turkic word ög meaning "mother" (however, Golden considered such a further derivation impossible).[3] Initially the oguz designated "tribes" or "tribal union", and eventually became an ethnonym.

The Toquz Oghuz were perhaps first mentioned in the Orkhon inscriptions written in the 730s. They were mentioned as "my own people" by Bilge Qaghan: "Tokuz-Oguz people were my own people. Since Tengri and earth became in disorder them, they revolted against us." (Old Turkic: 𐱃𐰸𐰆𐰕:𐰆𐰍𐰕:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣:𐰚𐰤𐱅𐰃:𐰉𐰆𐰑𐰣𐰢:𐰼𐱅𐰃:𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃:𐰘𐰃𐰼:𐰉𐰆𐰞𐰍𐰴𐰃𐰤:𐰇𐰲𐰇𐰤:𐰖𐰍𐰃:𐰉𐰆𐰡𐰃‎, romanized: Toquz Oγuz budun kentü budunïm erti Teŋіri jer bolγaqïn üčün yaγï boltï).[4] It is also mentioned in Kul Tigin inscriptions that the Göktürks and Toquz Oghuz were fighting five times in a year.[5][6] The nine tribes were named in Chinese histories as the Huihe (回纥), Pugu (仆骨), Hun (浑), Bayegu (拔野古), Tongluo (同罗), Sijie (思结), Qibi (契苾), A-Busi (阿布思) and Gulunwugusi (骨仑屋骨思)[7]. The first seven named – who lived north of the Gobi Desert – were dominant, whereas the A-Busi and Gulunwugu(si) emerged later and were accepted on an equal footing with the others some time after 743. The A-Busi apparently originated as a sub-tribal group within the Sijie and the Gulunwugu(si) as a combination of two other tribes.[8]

Turkologist Yury Zuev proposes that the Toquz Oghuz tribe Sijie (思结) may be a Chinese rendition of an endonym from Turkic root igil ( < ɣiei-kiet < igil), meaning "many". As such, Zuev controversially links the Sijie to the Uokil and the Augaloi in Transoxania.[9]