The Manghud, or Manghit (, ''Mangud;'' ) were a
Mongol tribe of the Urud-Manghud federation, and a sub-clan of
Borjigin
A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...
, Manghuds (Mangkits or Mangits) who moved to the
Desht-i Qipchaq steppe were
Turkified.
They established the
Nogai Horde in the 14th century and the Manghit dynasty to rule the
Emirate of Bukhara in 1785. They took the Islamic title of
Emir
Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
instead of the title of
Khan, since they were not descendants of
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
and rather based their legitimacy as rulers on
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. However, Persian historian
Rashid-al-Din Hamadani who
chronicled the
Mongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
, claimed that many old Mongolian clans (such as
Barlas
The Barlas (;Grupper, S. M. 'A Barulas Family Narrative in the Yuan Shih: Some Neglected Prosopographical and Institutional Sources on Timurid Origins'. Archivum Eurasiae Medii Aevi 8 (1992–94): 11–97 Chagatay language, Chagatay/ ''Barlās'' ...
,
Urad, Manghud,
Taichiut,
Chonos,
Kiyat
A Borjigin is a member of the Mongols, Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei, Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and In ...
) were founded by
Borjigin
A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...
members. The clan name was used for Mongol vanguards as well. Members of the clan live in several regions of Central Asia and Mongolia.
Origins
Manghud, or, Manghut Clan founding around early-11th and between 11th Centuries, by a
Borjigin
A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...
Prince named
Mangqutai, Mangqutai he was the second son of
Nachin Baghatur, Nachin Baghatur or, a Način Ba‘atur was the seventh son of
Menen Tudun, Menen Tudun was the son of
Habich Baghatur and Habich Baghatur or, a Qabiči Ba'atur was the son of
Bodonchar Khan the founder of Borjigid Clan.
Manghuds in the Mongol Empire
According to ancient sources, they were derived from the
Khiyad
A Borjigin is a member of the Mongol sub-clan that started with Bodonchar Munkhag of the Kiyat clan. Yesugei's descendants were thus said to be Kiyat-Borjigin. The senior Borjigids provided ruling princes for Mongolia and Inner Mongolia u ...
Mongols. The Manghuds and the Uruuds were war-like people from the Mongolian plateau. Some notable Manghud warriors supported
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...
(1162–1227), while a body of them resisted his rise to power. When the
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
began to expand westward, the Manghud people were spread westward into the Middle East along with many other Mongol tribes. In the
Golden Horde, the Manghuds supported
Nogai (d. 1299) and established their own semi-independent
horde from
the khans in
Sarai.
After Nogai's death in 1299, the majority of Manghud warriors joined the service of
Tokhta Khan. Their chieftain
Edigu, the powerful
warlord
Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...
of the Golden Horde, officially founded the
Nogai Horde or Manghit Horde in the 14th-15th centuries. Majmu al-tawarikh
ru">:ru:Маджму ат-Таварих">ru included Manghit clan as one of ninety-two Uzbek
ru">:ru:Узбекские племена">ruclans of the Golden Horde.
Military unit of the Mongols
The mangudai or mungadai were military units of the
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
, but sources differ wildly in their descriptions. One source states that references to Mongol
light cavalry
Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and body armor, armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was p ...
"suicide troops" date back to the 13th century.
However, a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
author believes that Mangudai was the name of a 13th-century Mongol warlord who created an arduous selection process to test potential leaders. The term is used by element of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
as a name for multi-day tests of Soldiers' endurance and warrior skills.
Nogai Horde
Some of the Manghuds assimilated into
Turkic people
Turkic peoples are a collection of diverse ethnic groups of West Asia, West, Central Asia, Central, East Asia, East, and North Asia as well as parts of Europe, who speak Turkic languages.. "Turkic peoples, any of various peoples whose members ...
and these Manghuds became Manghit (Mangit) tribe of the Turks. The Nogais protected the northern borders of
Astrakhan
Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...
and
Crimean khanates, and through organized raids to the northern steppes prevented
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n and
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
n settlements. Many Nogais joined the service of Crimean khan. Settling there, they contributed to the formation of the
Crimean Tatars. However, Nogais were not only good soldiers, they also had considerable agricultural skills. Their basic social unit was the semi-autonomous 'ulus' or band. But Nogais were proud of their nomadic traditions and independence, which they considered superior to settled agricultural life.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the
Kalmyks or the
Oirats
Oirats (; ) or Oirds ( ; ), formerly known as Eluts and Eleuths ( or ; zh, 厄魯特, ''Èlǔtè'') are the westernmost group of Mongols, whose ancestral home is in the Altai Mountains, Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.
...
, migrated from the steppes of southern Siberia on the banks of the
Irtysh River to the Lower
Volga
The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...
region about 1630. The Kalmyks expelled the Nogais who fled to the plains of northern
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
and to the Crimea under the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. A few part of them joined to
Kazakh Khanate as part of
Little jüz.
Manghit dynasty

The Manghits had been settled by Genghis Khan around the city of
Qarshi. Qarshi would continue to serve as the Manghits' base of power under the Bukhara Khanate. In the 18th century, the basins of the
Amu Darya and
Syr Darya passed under the control of three
Uzbek khanates, claiming legitimacy in their descent from Genghis Khan. These were, from west to east, the
Qunggirats based on
Khiva in Khwārezm (1717–1920), the Mangits in Bukhara (1753–1920), and the Mings in Kokand (Qǔqon; c. 1710–1876).
The Manghit dynasty was founded by a common
Uzbek family that ruled the
Emirate of Bukhara from 1785 to 1920. Manghit power in the
Khanate of Bukhara began to grow in the early 18th century, due to the emirs position as ''ataliq'' to the khan. The family effectively came to power after
Nader Shah's death in 1747, and the assassination of the ruling
Abu al-Fayz Khan and his young son Abdalmumin by the
ataliq Muhammad Rahim Bi.
From 1747 to the 1780s, the Manġits ruled behind the scenes, until the emir
Shah Murad declared himself the open ruler, establishing the Emirate of Bukhara. The last emir of the dynasty,
Mohammed Alim Khan, was ousted by the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
in September 1920, and fled to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. There is disagreement over whether the dynasty descends from simple Uzbeks or of true Mongolian origin. According to the Russian orientalist N.V. Khanykova, the Manġit dynasty was considered the oldest Uzbek family in the Bukhara Khanate descending from
Timur Malik; from the division of which the tuk came the reigning dynasty, in addition, this clan enjoyed some special privileges.
The Manghit dynasty issued coins from 1787 up until the Soviet takeover.
Heads/rulers of the Manghit dynasty of the Emirate of Bukhara
*''Pink Rows Signifies progenitor chiefs serving as Tutors (Ataliqs) & Viziers to the Khans of Bukhara.''
**''Green Rows Signifies chiefs who took over reign of government from the
Janids and placed puppet Khans''.
House of Manghud of Bukhara
Descendants
Their descendants, the Nogai and
Karakalpak people live in
Dagestan and
Khorazm. Others are the present-day
Khalkha Mongols
The Khalkha (; ) have been the largest subgroup of the Mongols in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos Mongols, Ordos and Tumed, were directly ruled by Borjigin khans until the 20th century. In cont ...
who live in
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
and the Baarin banner in
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
. While the Manghits are found among the
Tatars
Tatars ( )[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...
in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, the
Bashkirs and the
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
.
The daughter of the last Emir
Alim Khan, Shukria Alimi Raad, worked as a broadcaster for
Radio Afghanistan. Shukria Raad left Afghanistan with her family three months after
Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979. With her husband, also a journalist, and two children she fled to
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and then through
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. In 1982 she joined the
Voice of America, working for many years as a broadcaster for VOA's
Dari Service, editor, program host and producer. She was interviewed in
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Farsi, where she talked about her father and how the
Emirate of Bukhara fell into the Soviets hand. At the end she talked about how she wanted to raise her kids as
Tajiks and that she herself is a
Tajik.
Alim Khan also had a son named Shahmurad, who denounced his father in 1929 (at the age of seven) and later served in the Soviet Army. During his governance in Bukhara, he also had a son named Qasem who was killed by the Bolshevik revolutionaries. Qasem had only one son who, when he was 13 years old, escaped from Bukhara to Iran-Mashhad with his stepfather. When he arrived in Iran, he took the name Husein Bukharaei. He married Bibimeymanat Mohsenolhoseini in Mashhad. They had 6 sons and 4 daughters. Husein Bukharaei died in 1993. Their children (Hasan, Lo'ba, Ali, Narges, Qasem, Reza, Fatemeh, Mohammad, Mahmoud, Mahboubeh) all live in Mashhad. In 2020, the BBC World Service made a documentary called "Bukhara" about the last ruler of Bukhara, which refers to the fate of the family of Amir Alam Khan. Alim Khan's descendants include granddaughter Nailaj Naebzadeh from his daughter Razia Alimi, and great-granddaughter Kadeij Naebzadeh. They live in United States. Nailaj Naebzadeh was born in United States. Just like her aunt, Shukria Alimi Raad, her mother Razia Alimi too escaped from Afghanistan during the invasion of the Soviet Army in 1979.
References
Further reading
*
External links
History of the Khanate of Bukhara
{{Authority control
Military history of the Mongol Empire
Nirun Mongols
Emirate of Bukhara
Borjigin
Mongol dynasties