Salur, Salyr or Salgur (, , ) was an ancient Oghuz Turkic (or Turkoman) tribe and a sub-branch of the ''Üçok'' tribal federation. The

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Karamanid The Karamanids ( or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman (), was a Turkish people, Turkish Anatolian beyliks, Anatolian beylik (principality) of Salur tribe origin, descended from Oghuz Turks, centered in South-Centra ...

principality in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

belonged to the Karaman branch of the Salur. The Salghurids of Fars (Atabegs of Fars), were also a dynasty of Salur origin. The patriarchs of the modern Turkmen tribe of the Salyr in

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

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 ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, as well as the Salars of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, claim descent from the original Oghuz Salur.

Etymology

Historian and statesman of the

Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

Rashid al-Din Hamadani Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (;‎ 1247–1318; also known as Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, ) was a statesman, historian, and physician in Ilkhanate Iran.Oghuzname'', which is part of his extensive history book

Jami' al-tawarikh ''Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh'' () is a work of literature and history, produced in the Mongol Ilkhanate. Written by Rashid al-Din Hamadani (1247–1318 AD) at the start of the 14th century, the breadth of coverage of the work has caused it to be call ...

(Compendium of Chronicles), writes that the name ''Salyr'' means “''wherever you go, you fight with a sword and a club''”. The khan of the

Khanate of Khiva The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khwarazm, Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid Iran, Afsharid occupat ...

and simultaneously a historian, Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur, in his ''

Shajara-i Tarākima ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' () is a Chagatai language, Chagatai-language historical work completed in 1659 by Khan of Khiva and historian Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur. ''Shajara-i Tarākima'' is one of the two works composed by Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur that hav ...

'' (Genealogy of the Turkmens) expresses his belief that the meaning of the tribe's name is “''armed with a saber''”. Turkologist Peter B. Golden believes the name comes from Salğur < ''sal-'' "to put into motion, violent motion," in Oghuz "to be aggressive, to hurl oneself into attack." Thus, this is a tribal name expressing military power, force and aggression. Such nomenclature may have appeared more in the medieval Turkic environment (e.g.

Qiniq Qiniq may refer to: * Qiniq (tribe), a historical Oghuz Turkic tribe * Qiniq (company), a Canadian communications company {{DAB ...

), as for personal names.

History

According to various versions of the Oghuz Turkic heroic epos ''Oghuzname'', the Salyr tribe played an important role in the

Oghuz Yabgu State The Oghuz Yabgu State or Oghuz il (Old Turkic: Oghuz Land) was a Turkic state, founded by Oghuz Turks in 750, located geographically in an area between the coasts of the Caspian and Aral Seas. Oghuz tribes occupied a vast territory in Kazakh ...

up to the middle of the

10th century The 10th century was the period from 901 (represented by the Roman numerals CMI) through 1000 (M) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the last century of the 1st millennium. In China, the Song dynasty was established, with most of C ...

until the beginning of the

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

movement, and many Khans of this State were from the Salyrs. Rashid al-Din Hamadani: Subsequently, the bulk of the Salyr tribe lived on the territory of

, a significant part of them in the 11th–12th centuries left along with other Oghuz-Turkmen tribes to the west; in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

they established the

Salghurids The Salghurids (), also known as the Atabegs of Fars (), were a Persianate dynasty of Salur Turkoman origin that ruled Fars, first as vassals of the Seljuks then for the Khwarazm Shahs in the 13th century. History The Salghurids were es ...

State centered in

in the 12th century, and supported other Turkmen beyliks in the reconstruction of

. The Salgurid Dynasty, which ruled in Fars in 1148-1282 and played an important role in the creation of the

Sultanate of Rum The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...

, belonged to the Salyr tribe. Part of the tribe moved to

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, and the Crimean river Salgir, according to some scholars, owes its name to this tribe.В.А.Бушаков. Тюркская этноойконимия Крыма. Институт языкознания Академии наук СССР, Москва (1991).
In the 14th–16th centuries, the Salyr led the largest military-tribal association of five Turkmen tribes: Salyr, Arsary, Tekke, Yomud and Saryk. This military alliance existed until the waters of the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

stopped flowing along Uzboy watercourse. The Salyrs of Khorasan were known in the southern Turkmenistan. In the 16th–19th centuries, the Salyr Turkmen tribe lived in Mangyshlak peninsula and the area of Northern

Balkan mountains The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...

of Turkmenistan, then in the

Khiva Khanate The Khanate of Khiva (, , uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva xonligi, Хива хонлиги, , ) was a Central Asian polity that existed in the historical region of Khorezm from 1511 to 1920, except for a period of Afsharid occupation by Nader Shah betw ...

, later in the middle reaches of the Amu Darya river, in the Murghab oasis and, finally, in Serakhs – the last place of their final settlement in 1884. Salur Kazan, one of the heroes in Dede Korkut's epic tales, is also a Salurian. Some Salurs still live in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold (academic), Tom Arnold, literary professor, and Willi ...

's poem Sohrab and Rustum mentions the "lances of Salore" as a contingent of the Tartar army fighting the Persians.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Salur

Etymology

History

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography