 Tamgha of Bayats, which represents theEurasian eagle-owl according toMahmud al-Kashgari. According toAbu al-Ghazi Bahadur, the Tamgha represents thesnowy owl[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Iran,Azerbaijan,Afghanistan,Iraq,Turkey,Turkmenistan,Syria | |
| Languages | |
| Azerbaijani,Turkish,Turkmen andPersian | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Oghuz Turks |
Bayat (Azerbaijani:Bayat tayfası;Persian:بیات;Turkish:Bayat boyu;Turkmen:Baýat taýpasy) is one of theOghuz tribes inTurkmenistan,Iran,Turkey,Azerbaijan,Iraq,Afghanistan, andSyria.[2] When Oghuz Turks started to migrate from the Aral steppes toKhorasan in the 11th and 13th centuries, Bayat people spread throughout the region.[2][3] They are sub-ethnic groups ofTurkmens andAzerbaijanis.[4] The Bayats areMuslim and speak a southern dialect ofAzerbaijani language in Azerbaijan and Iran, or their own dialect of Turkish[failed verification] in Turkey,[5] andErsari dialect ofTurkmen in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The ancientTurkmen proverb says: "Kayı and Bayat tribes shall lead the people" (Turkmen: "Il başy - gaýy-baýat").
Initially, the ethnonym Bayat was mentioned as an Oguz tribe in the 11th century by the Turkic historianMahmud Kashgari.[6] Bayat - an Oghuz Turkic tribe, which stood together with theKayi tribe at the head of all 24 Oguz tribes - "Il bashi Kayi-Bayat."
In the traditions of the Turkic tribes, the origin of this tribe is traced to Bayat - the grandson ofOghuz-Khan. In the book of the Khan and historian of the Khiva Khanate,Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur, "Genealogy of the Turkmens," the meaning of the name of the tribe is given as "rich". Bayat was the second son of Gun-Khan, who was the first son of Oguz-Khan.[7] According to the work of the historian,Rashid-al-Din Fazl-Allah, "Oghuz-nameh", which is part of his extensive historical workJami' al-tawarikh (Collection of Chronicles), the name Bayat means "rich, full of grace".[8]
On the territory ofKievan Rus, Bayats are recorded as part of the Oghuz tribes in chronicles of the 10th-12th centuries by the name ofbouts.[9]
Bayat is the name of an originallyTurkic clan in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran which traces its origin to the 12th century. When Bayat clan started to migrate from theAral steppes, their first destination was the city ofNishapur in the south ofKhorasan, a state in the north-east ofIran. The Bayat clan moved in the 13th century to three different locations after attacks by Mongol forces.
From there, one group went east and north-east, so that the surname Bayat is still found inAfghanistan.[10]
A second group went south-west towards Isfahan, and the surname Bayat is prominent inArak,Hamedan,Malayer,Isfahan,Zanjan andShiraz cities. The third group went north-west, and inAzerbaijan they divided in two; one part of the group took the west toAnatolia, and second part went south intoIraq,Syria andLebanon.
Until 1928, theGyzyletrek settlement of theBalkan velayat of Turkmenistan was calledBayathaji, while Bayat Turkmens still live inDarganata,Danew,Turkmenabat,Sayat,Farap andHojambazetraps (districts) of theLebap velayat of Turkmenistan. Representatives of the Bayat tribe may also be found in many districts ofBukhara province of Uzbekistan, especially inOlat andQarako'l.
Bayats are spread far into western Anatolia, their principal areas of settlement being in the provinces ofKonya,Bursa,Afyon,Balıkesir andKütahya. Today the name in forms such as Bayat, Bayatlar, Bayatlı is found in thirty-two mainly western Anatolian toponyms. The name also appears in toponyms in Iran, two near Arāk, one near Zanjan, one near Urmia, one in Khuzestan, one near Borūjerd, and one in Khorasan. In post-Soviet countries, five places in Azerbaijan, four in Turkmenistan, and one in Uzbekistan close to the Turkmenistan border bear the names Bayat.[11] In Gujarat, India, one place can be found about 250 km away from the India-Pakistan border.
Bayat is a common surname today inIran,Azerbaijan and to a lesser extent inTurkey,Afghanistan, andTurkmenistan where it carries the meaning "Knight" or "Chevalier". The Bayat surname can be found in theUnited Kingdom,India andSouth Africa.
Notable people with this name include:
