Tarkhan
Tarkhan or Tarchan ( Old Turkish Tarqan , modern Turkish Tarkan , Mongolian : Darkhan ; Persian ترخان Tarxan , Chinese 達 干 , W.-G. Targan , Arabic طرخان Tarkhaan ; alternative spelling Tarcan ) is an ancient Central Asian title that was used by various Indo-European (e.g. Iranian , Tocharian ) and Turkic - Mongolian peoples of Central Asia, especially during the Middle Ages in the successor states of the Mongol Empire.
etymology
The origin of the word is unknown. Historians see it as either of (Eastern) Iranian , Turkish , or Mongolian origin.
R. Frye suspects that the word is "probably foreign to Sogdian" and perhaps to be seen as a loan word from Turkish. Gerhard Doerfer agrees, but points out that the word tarxan forms the plural tarxat with the Mongolian plural suffix -at , which is foreign to Turkish and ultimately assumes a Mongolian origin.
L. Ligeti draws the same conclusion, adding that “tarxan and tegin [prince] form the completely un-Turkish plural tarxat and tegit” and that the word is unknown to medieval West Turkish languages such as Bolgarian . Doerfer gives the meaning “tax exempt” or “blacksmith”. With reference to the Magyar for * tarxan, Abaev assumes a Scythian origin meaning judge and refers to Ossetian tærxon ("dispute, trial") and tærxon kænyn ("speak right").
What is certain is that Tarkhan is not related to the Turkish-Mongolian king title Khan / Khagan .
The word has been adopted in other languages, e.g. B. Armenian tʿarxan , Georgian t'arxani and Russian тархан .
history
The title was used by numerous Iranian ( Sogdians , Hotanese and Hephthalites ) and Turkish-Mongolian peoples of Central Asia and other steppe peoples , e.g. B. as a high military rank in the army of Timur . Tarkhane commanded units and were roughly generals . They could also be used as military governors of conquered provinces.
The Göktürks probably took the title Darqan (Mongolian spelling) of the mongolischsprachigen Rouranern or Avars . The Tarkhane had the privilege of entering the yurts of the khagans without prior notice and were usually pardoned for crimes until the ninth generation.
Like many titles, Tarkhan (Turkish spelling) also appears as a first name, regardless of the social rank of the person, which in some cases makes the assignment difficult. For example, Arabic sources often mention a "Tarkhan, King of the Khazars". Whether this is an inaccurate description of a high military man or the name of the Khazar Khagan himself remains unclear. The name is still used occasionally in Turkish and Arabic speaking countries today.
In the Mongol Empire , the Darkhan was exempt from taxation, forced labor and military service. Genghis Khan made all of his followers who had helped him ascend Darkhanen in 1206. The Darkhane families played a crucial role in succession disputes in the Yuan Dynasty and the Ilchanate . Abaqa Khan (1234–1282) made an Indian Darkhan after he had safely guided his mother and her entourage from Central Asia to Persia. A wealthy Persian trader was appointed Darkhan by Ghazan . In Russia the khans of the Golden Horde assigned important tasks to the Darkhanen.
A Tarkhan established the Tarkhan Dynasty , which ruled northern India between 1554 and 1591.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b A Study of the Ancient Turkic "TARQAN" (PDF; 136 kB), Han-Woo Choi, Handong University
- ^ Leland Liu Rogers - The Golden Summary of Cinggis Qayan: Cinggis Qayan-u Altan Tobci, p. 80
- ↑ Paul Ratchnevsky - Genghis Khan: his life and legacy, page 82
- ↑ a b Qarīb, Badr-az-Zamān. 1995. Sogdian dictionary: Sogdian - Persian - English. Tehran: Farhangan Publ.
- ↑ a b Abaev, quoted by Agustí Alemany: Sources on the Alans. A critical compilation. Brill, Leiden [u. a.] 2000, ISBN 90-04-11442-4 , p. 328
- ↑ Frye, Richard N., "Tarxun-Turxun and Central Asian History", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Volume 14, Number 1/2 pp. 105–129
- ↑ a b Gerhard Doerfer: Chaladschica extragottingensia. In: Central Asiatic Journal. Volume 37 1993, pp. 33-78, p. 40
- ^ L. Ligeti, Researches in Altaic languages , e. A. Kiadó, 1975, University of Michigan, p. 48
- ↑ Gerhard villages: Mongolo-Tungusica. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1985, ISBN 978-3-447-02502-7 , p. 99
- ↑ Pelliot - Neuf Notes, p. 250