“The Nogai Massacre”
Screex In 1547, the warlike Crimean Khan Sahib-Girey took Astrakhan and, “having defeated the Astrakhan Khan Yamgurji, scattered his subjects, and the men and women who had escaped death, with all…
Timur ibn Taragai Barlas: 12 little-known facts about the greatest military leader in world history
Who was this undoubtedly talented organizer and the greatest military leader in world history? In Asia he is considered a genius, in Europe - an ogre. Perhaps, only Genghis Khan,…
Who are the Kalmyks? The history of the ethnonym
How do the Kalmyks differ from the Dzungars, Oirats, and Torguts? And how do the Kalmyks differ from their relatives, the Torguts, Dzungars, and Oirats? Some would say that they…
Steppe Lords: The Dzungar Perspective on the Centuries-Long War with the Kazakhs
Western Campaign: Why the Sons of Choros Needed the Steppes of Desht-i-Kipchak The lands stretching west of the Tarbagatai and Altai mountain ranges always attracted the Oirat leaders. It was…
Batu’s Iron Fist: The Daily Life of a Warrior of the Great Steppe
Morning in the felt world: rituals and duties The sun had not yet had time to scorch the withered grass, and the camp-smoke was already buzzing like a disturbed beehive.…
Batu — the eldest of the Chingizids
Batu and Guyuk In December 1241, Khan Ugedei died. All power was concentrated in the hands of his wife and regent Doregene (Turakin in Russian sources). Doregene wanted to transfer…
Sholoy-Setsen Khan
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Manchus set out to conquer eastern Mongolia, a prospect that the Mongols themselves viewed in different ways: some resigned themselves to fate,…
How did Batu become khan? Why did he not fight for power in the Mongol Empire?
There is a certain stereotype that a great ruler and military leader should look stern and formidable. As for our today's hero, he was often ill during his not very…
What did the ancient Mongols look like?
Modern Mongols have a classic East Asian appearance, assuming dark hair, a specific skull shape, characteristic eyes and specific body proportions different from European ones. Due to their military successes…
What Turkic peoples live in Siberia?
Southern Siberia, especially the Baikal region, is the historical homeland of the Turks. It was here that their immediate ancestors the Dinlins formed during the Iron Age, who migrated southward…