Kipchaks and the Kyrgyz region of Karkyrakhan
In historical sources, the prehistory of the Kipchaks was associated with the people of Sir runic inscriptions, whose name corresponded to the Chinese ethnonym «Seyanto». S.G. Klyashtorny on this occasion wrote: «The dominant group of tribes, which the Turkic monuments proper call «Turks and Sirs», the Uigur (Oguz) monument from Shine Usu (Selenginsky Stone) calls «Turks and Kypchaks». It is reasonable to conclude that when designating the same tribal union, which to some extent shared power with the Turks, the Turkic monuments use the ethnonym Sir, and the Uigur monument uses the ethnonym Kypchak. In other words, both of these ethnonyms are identical…» [90.- P. 153; 17. — P. 43]. The Sires of the runic sources were identified with the people Seyanto of the Chinese chronicles, who were noted as «a special generation of Tele». The tribes of the union of the Tele tribes were located on a vast territory from «the Great Khingan in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west» [142. — P. 151; 17. — P. 43.] According to the sources, Seyanto consisted of two associations. In «Tanshu» on this occasion said: «Seiyanto consisted of two clans of Sye and Yanto» [17. — page 44 [17. — С. 44.]. At the head of the new union became a powerful Se clan, which destroyed the ruling clan Yanto, under the name of Ilitu (Iltar) [17. — p. 44.].
According to S.M.Akhinzhanov, the Seyanto were divided into two compact groups living apart rather than together. He writes: «At the end of the VI century, according to the sources, we know that the Seyanto lived in two compact but quantitatively unequal groups in two places in the eastern part of Central Asia, which was a fairly typical picture of intertribal distribution of tribal subdivisions of a single ethnos for that era. The smaller group of Seyanto lived in Khangai, where it was oppressed by neighboring Teles tribes. Another, powerful group of Seyanto was located with their nomads in the territory between the Eastern Tien Shan and the southwestern slopes of Altai and was subordinate first to the Kagans of the First Turkic Kaganate, and after its collapse — in subordination to the rulers of the Western Turkic dominion» [17. — P. 45]. [17. — С. 45]. Commenting on the information in «Tanshu», where it says «Seiyanto Ishibo established himself at the mountains Yanmo, he believes that here was the headquarters of their ruler Ishibo. At the same time his generation, nomadic from the Altai Mountains to the west, was subordinate to Shehu Khan, one of the Western Turkic rulers.
The union of Turks and Sirovs was formed after the Seyanto broke away from the Western Turks and migrated to the east. The source notes: «Ishiboev grandson, named Inan, 70 thousand kibits of his generation succumbed to Khyeli Khan» [17.- С. 49]. Seyanto lived on their ancient lands south of the Toly River and were dependent on the rulers of the Eastern Turks. But, later they rebelled. Their rebellion was supported by other Tele tribes, mainly Uyghurs. With the support of the related Tele tribes they managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the Eastern Turks in 627. As a result in 630 the First East Turkic Khaganate has fallen and hegemony of Seyanto in the eastern part of Steppe has established. The surviving part of Turkic tribes joined Seyanto, forming a union of Sirs and Turks, which gave rise to the ethnonym «Turk Sir Budun».
The headquarters of the leader of the Seyanto state, Inan, was located on the northern side of the Gobi Desert on the right bank of the Tola River in the western part of the Khangai Mountains. The lands of the Seyanto state were contiguous with the Shiwei Mountains to the east, the Altai Mountains to the west, the Tukyue Mountains to the south, and Baikal to the north; these were the ancient lands of the Xiongnu. During the dawn of the Seyanto state, the Yenisei Kyrgyz in the north submitted to them. Chinese chronicles noted: «Before Hagas state depended on the House of Seyanto. Seyanto was constantly ordered … to send there one person for general management». In the Kyrgyz possession they appointed a viceroy from the Az family with the title Elteber Yshbarkul Achzhan, who, despite his dependent position, pursued an active foreign policy. On the eve of the fall of the state of Seyanto in 648, Yshbarkul Achzhan made a successful embassy to the Celestial Empire and personally met with the Emperor of China.
However, after the fall of the state in 646, the Seyanto tribes became part of the Second Eastern Turkic Kaganate. During this period, part of the Seyanto tribes lived compactly in the steppes of Kazakhstan, and part — on the former nomads in Khangai, the rest were scattered in other places [17. — P. 51]. After 735 historical sources forever stop mentioning about the tribes of the Sirs. As it seems to us, one of the main reasons for the disappearance of the whole ethnos from the sources could be the Azi, who after the events in 715, having lost the battle to Kultegin in the areas of Lake Hara Kol, migrated to the west. A part of the Az tribes occupied the eastern limits of the lands of the Turgesh Kaganate, and a part remained in the former lands. I.e. Azis occupied the same territory, where Seyanto — Syrs lived.
According to historical sources, the ancient Azis, as well as Seyanto, represented two associations of tribes: small and large groupings. It is established that the eastern Azy (small part of the Azy) lived in the areas of the river Us in Western Mongolia, and the western Azy lived in the steppes of Eastern Kazakhstan in Southern Altai.
Consequently, the Azy, having merged with the ancestors of the Kimaks and Kypchaks, were able to revive at the end of the VIII century.
In the VIII-X centuries within the Karluk Kaganate, the Azs, together with the related Tuhsi, representing the Türgeshs, lived in a separate ulus. Even ibn Hardadbek in the list of Turkic tribes indicated Azovs (Az gishi) as an independent ulus, next to Türgeshs, Kypchaks and Kyrgyz. Utemish Khodji and S.Akhsikendi informed about the union of Az-Shirin tribes, created on the basis of Az-Shirins, Kypchaks, Bakhrins and Argyns. If under Turgeshs to understand Bakhrins, who ruled Turgesh Kaganate, then tribes of the above mentioned union of tribes had ethno-political ties among themselves from the epoch of Kyrgyz Great Power.
The Kimak Kaganate consisted of three areas Yaksun Yasu, Andar az Kypchak and Karkar(a)khan. Apparently, the first area belonged to the Kimaks proper, the second as its name suggests to the Altai tribes — Andar, Az and Kypchak, and the third had a connection with the Kyrgyz. In the work «Hudud al-Alam» about the region of Karkar(a)khan it was noted «the inhabitants … resemble by their customs Khirkhyzov» [178. — P. 50.]. Consequently, this area could be formed also by the Azs and their relatives Kyrgyz, Kimaks, Kangli, Kipchaks, Oguzes and other Altaic tribes. This indicates the important role of the Azi in this region. It is not excluded that the Azy could also be called Turks and together with the Tuhsi could play an important role in the formation of the Karakhanid Kaganate on the Tien Shan.
S.Akhsikendi’s book «Majmu at-Tavarikh» is the only source that confirms the information of the anonymous author of «Hudud…» about the above-mentioned region of Karkar (a) khan. S.Akhsikendi informed about the Kyrgyz region of Karkyra, with the center in the valley of the Talas River on the Tien Shan. [16. — С. 46-62.].
In the 10th century the Kipchaks separated from the Kimak tribal union. In the XI century Kipchaks expanded the borders of their state in the south to Taraz, where they had a fortification Kenjek Senir. The Kipchaks shared the coast of the Aral Sea with the Oguzes. They owned the Mangistau peninsula. Here the interests of the Kipchaks clashed with the interests of the Seljuks. The Kipchaks tried unsuccessfully to capture Khorezm. After the Kipchaks merged with the Azami and began to migrate to the West.
In historical sources they were called in the east by the union of tribes Shary or Az-Shariyya, and in the west by Komans or Polovtsians (Russian sources). The union was represented by passionary groups of two tribes — Azov and Kypchaks.
According to sources, the Shars first came to the Talas River valley, but then part of them moved westward, and the other part returned to their ancestral lands in the east. However, the Kipchaks in the Talas River valley and Kashgar appeared even before the migration of the Shars. In connection with the above, it can be assumed that the ethnonym «Kypchak» was imported by the Kypchaks and the Shary to the Talas River valley. Apparently, these migration processes, accompanied by the settlement of the Kipchaks in this region, influenced the epic «Manas» by S. Akhsikendi, which underwent certain changes and superimpositions. It is quite possible that it was in connection with these events that the population of the Kyrgyz region of Karkyra began to be called Karkyrala Kipchaks or Karkyra Kipchaks. In the genealogy of the Kyrgyz found traces of ethnogenetic and ethno-political connection of the Azovs with the Kipchaks. B.Soltonoev [163. — P. 94.], O.Sydykov [160.] linked the origin of the Kyrgyz tribe Azyk with the Kipchaks, which suggests the connection of Kyrgyz Azyks with the tribes of the Az-Shirin union.
In the 12th century, during the period of strengthening of the Kara Chinese, the Kipchaks joined the triple union of tribes, which was created by the Kyrgyz, Kipchaks and Yabagu. According to the epic «Manas» by S.Akhsikendi and other later versions of it, during the period of Kara Chinese expansion, the union of Altai tribes was headed by the Kyrgyz, who were able to consolidate around them the majority of Altai tribes. According to S.Akhsikendi, some of the main ones were Az-Shirins, Kypchaks, Keraits, Kangls (Kangs/Kandy), Bakhrins, and in later versions of the tale — Kangs, Dolos, Teyits, Keseks, Azyks, Kara Turks, Kypchaks, Argyns, Naimans, Durmans and others. As we see, the Kyrgyz had an alliance mainly with the tribes of the Az-Shirin union and Saluchi-Bulgachi (the first four in the later versions of Manas).
In the Mongol era, the Kypchaks and Dashti Kypchak were part of the Golden Horde. The strengthening of the Kypchaks within the Golden Horde began during the period of Toktamysh Khan. According to Utemish Khoja, the alliance of Az-Shirin tribes, which included the Kipchaks, from the first days supported the new ruler of the Golden Horde Toktamysh khan. S.Akhsikendi in his version of the epic «Manas» also confirms the information of Utemish Khoja about the support of the Az-Shirin union of Toktamysh khan. Military detachments of the Az-Shirin union were always near Toktamysh khan, accompanied him everywhere and anywhere. According to his data, Toktamysh khan and the union of az-Shirins had close ethno-political ties with the Mughals of the Anga Tore ulus and the Kyrgyz.