Oghuz tamgas

Abstract

The Oghuz, whose history of emergence and development lies in the period of the VIII–XIII centuries, played a significant role in the formation of modern Turkic peoples. The Oghuz tribes consisted of 24 families. They started the process of Turkization of the peoples of the medieval Eurasian steppes. The evidence of it is the similarity of Oghuz tamgas found on the territory of Zhetysu, Syr Darya and Western Kazakhstan with tamgas of other Turkic-speaking peoples. Today Oghuz tamgas attract the attention of many domestic and foreign researchers, but scientists are only interested in genealogical and cultural aspects so far. In case tamgas are perceived as a full-fledged source, some problems related to the studies of the medieval history of the Great belt of steppes can be solved, for example, such as clarifying the geography of distribution of the Oghuz tribes, analyzing their political and economic activity, as well as determining the degree of kinship of the Turkic peoples among themselves. The article considers the pronounced differences and similarities of Oghuz tamgas in different written sources, the synchronicity of the existence of tamgas in the Turkic world, and how well the problem is studied. The results of preliminary research indicate the presence and preservation (based on the monuments) of Oghuz tamgas among Kazakhs, Turks, Azerbaijanis, Kirghiz, Tatars, Turkmens, Nogais, Bashkirs. This, in turn, indicates the existence of Turkic unity in the researched territories during the periods of the proliferation of Oghuz tamgas.