There are several Chinese transcriptions including 咄陸 (Middle Chinese *tuɑt̚-lɨuk̚ >MandarinDuōlù), 咄六 (MC. *tuɑt̚-lɨuk̚ > Mand.Duōliù), 都陸 (MC. *tuo-lɨuk̚ > Mand.Dōulù), and 都六 (MC.tuo-lɨuk̚ > Mand.Duōliù). TheOld Turkic name behind those has been variously reconstructed as *Tör-ok,[1] *Turuk,[2] *Tuğluq,[3]Tölük,[4]Türük,[5] and most recentlyTuğluğ (𐱃𐰆𐰍𐰞𐰍) "have flags, have standards".[a][6]
There is confusion, or possibly connection, with the earlierOnogurs which also means 'ten tribes'. Additionally, Duolu's relation to theDulo clan of theBulgars is possible, but not proven.
Initially, the Western Turks might have organized themselves into eight tribes, consistent with statements by Syriac and Greek authors:John of Ephesus mentioned eight rulers of the Turks besidesIstämi; andMenander Protector mentioned that at Istämi's death, the Western Turkic realm was divided into eight parts. Later on, two Nushibi tribes, Axijie and Geshu, reformed themselves, each sub-divided into two sub-tribes, bringing the total number to ten. Therefore, the Western Turks were also called theOnoq or 'ten arrows', that is 'ten tribes', five led the Duolu chors (chuo 啜)[b] and five by the Nushibierkins (sijin 俟斤).[c]
They lived betweenLake Balkhash and theTian Shan Mountains. Their western neighbor was theNushibi confederation which extended west to theSyr Darya and southward. The boundary between the two was around theIli River and theChu River, that is, near a line running south from the southwest corner of Lake Balkhash. The Nushibi had connections southwest with the literateSogdian merchants. The Duolu were probably more pastoral. Rivers running down from the Tianshan supported agriculture and towns and thus a natural caravan route. The Duolu presumably taxed these people. The West Turkic khagans had a sort of capital atSuyab near the Duolu–Nushibi boundary.
From at least the time ofHeshana Qaghan (603) new khagans were usually supported by either the Duolu or Nushibi faction. In 638 there was a separation of the two factions along the Ili River.
^likely of Iranian origin, fromčyaura- "to go out, hunt". See Bailey, H.W. "Khotanese Texts, VII" in Golden, Peter B. (1992). "An Introduction to the History of the Turkic People." Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden.
^"collected together in one place" from rootirk- "to collect or assemble (things Acc.)"; compareAnatolianirkin ~irkim "a hoard, a buried treasure". See Clauson, Gerard. (1972)An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-13th Century Turkish. Oxford University Press. In English. p. 221, 225
^from Sogdianšāw/u (š’w) “black” &xšēδ (xšyδ) ‘chief, commander’ (< Avestan *xšaēta) & plural suffix-ā; cf. the “king of the Turks”Šāba ﺵﺍﺏﺓ mentioned by al-Ṭabarī, orSāwa Šāh ﺱﺍﻭﻩ ﺵﺍﻩ , mentioned by Ferdowsī. Zuev (1998: 91-92) reconstructed here *Jebšed. Zuev (2002: 143-146) links the Black PrinceShu/Shav in Sogdian-Türgesh mythology to the Black Prince Shu mentioned by 11th-century Karakhanid scholarMahmud al-Kashgari as well as to the legendaryIranianSiyâvash mentioned in theAvesta andShahname
^Stark (2007 & 2016) proposed that 賀羅施 might have transcribed the tribal nameKhalaj
^Atwood (2013) also linked the personal nameShŭnĭ 鼠匿 *Šünrik, of a Türk ruler who'd conquered Ferghana, to 鼠泥施 *Šüŋiš and 蘇尼 *Süŋiš (or *Soni), all derivatives fromsüŋü and *süŋüš ~süŋiš “soldier, war”, which are derived presumably with a variantšüŋi of the root.
Golden, Peter B., “Oq and Oğur ~ Oğuz”,Turkic Languages, 16/2 (2012). pp. 155–199
Stark, Sören (2016)."Türgesh Khaganate".Encyclopedia of Empire. Vol. IV. Chichester/Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.
Kenzheakhmet, Nurlan (2014). ""Ethnonyms and Toponyms" of the Old Turkic Inscriptions in Chinese sources".Studia et Documenta Turcologica.II:287–316.
Kasai, Yukiyo (2014). "The Chinese Phonetic Transcriptions of Old Turkish Words in the Chinese Sources from 6th-9th Century Focused on the Original Word Transcribed as Tujue 突厥".Studies of Inner Asian Languages.29:57–135.
Klyashtorny S.G. (1986). "Genealogiya i khronologiya zapadno-tyurkskikh i tyurgeshskikh kaganov VI–VIII vekov." InIz istorii dorevolyutsionnogo Kirgizstana. Frunze: Ilim, pp. 164–170.
Yury Zuev.Horse Tamgas from Vassal Princedoms (Translation of Chinese composition "Tanghuiyao" of 8-10th centuries), Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences, Alma-Ata, 1960, pp. 93–139 (In Russian)
Yury Zuev,Early Türks: Sketches of history and ideology, Almaty, Daik-Press, 2002 (in Russian)
Yury Zuev.The strongest tribe, p. 32-61, Almaty, 2004 (in Russian)
1 Central Asian (i.e.Turkmeni,Afghani andIranian)Turkmens, distinct from Levantine (i.e.Iraqi andSyrian) Turkmen/Turkoman minorities, who mostly adhere to an Ottoman-Turkish heritage and identity.2 In traditional areas of Turkish settlement (i.e. formerOttoman territories).
