In multinational Russia, the Tatars are in second place in terms of numbers among other nations (after the Russians). The nationality was included in Russia as early as the 16th century. However, millennia of living side by side with other nationalities did not change the cultural appearance and historical traditions of the Tatars.
The Tatar ethnos is strongly dominated by a group of Kazan Tatars, but who were their ancestors and why did they settle there and densely settled in the Kazan territories? Quite curious are the historical scientific versions of the birth of the nation:
- Turkic roots
- Persian roots
- Greek roots
- chinese roots
- Tocharian roots
Turkic roots
If we consider that the roots come from the Turks, then we can find the name of the ethnic group in the signature dated to the 18th century on the memorial to the warrior who led the regiment of the Turks, Kül-Tegin. This monument was erected during the existence of the Second Turkic Kaganate. Then this empire was located on the lands where modern Mongolia is today, although it had a larger area.
The monument shows the tribal alliances that were made between the well-known peoples "Otuz-Tatars" and "Tokuz-Tatars".
The earlier 10-12 centuries are characterized by the fact that the nation and its name "Tatars" became known (thanks to the writers of those times) in countries such as China and Iran.
Another fact in favor of the roots of the Türks: in the 11th century, a researcher named Mahmud Kashgari in his scientific research called the “Tatar steppe” the territory located from the border of Northern China to East Turkestan. Obviously, for this reason, in the 13th century, the name "Tatars" was fixed for the Mongols, by that time the Mongols were defeated by them, and their lands were seized.
Turkic-Persian roots
According to the anthropologist Alexei Sukharev's version, voiced by him in the book, the scientific work "Kazan Tatars" from 1902, the ethnonym of the word "Tatars" originates from the word "tat". Translated from the Turkic dialect, it means "mountainous area" or "mountains". The second part of the name of the nation is the Persian root "ar", which translates as "man" or "tenant". By the way, "ar" can be found in the names of such nationalities as:
- Bulgarians,
- Khazars,
- Magyars.
Persian roots
Olga Belozerskaya, a 20th century researcher from the USSR, revealed the connection between the Tatars and the Persians, thanks to the words "tepter" and "deftar". They both have the meaning of "colonist". In her opinion, the ethnonym "tiptyar" originates in the 16-17 centuries. These are Bulgars-migrants who voluntarily came to the Urals and Bashkiria.
Descent from the ancient Persians
Recently, a hypothesis has spread in scientific circles that the word "tat" is the basis of the nation, this is precisely the old name of the nation of the ancient Persians. The notorious Mahmut Kashgar (11th century) reported in his writings that "tatami is the name for those who speak Farsi." At the same time, the Turks called both the Chinese and the Uighurs that way. So the "tatami", and then the Tatars, could simply be foreigners or foreigners, which is quite logical.
Greek origin
In Greek, the name of the nation means "the world on the other side", "hell". That is, according to the perception of the ancient Greeks, "tartarin" was nothing more than a resident of the dungeons. By the way, they were christened that way even before Batu and his soldiers came to Europe. Presumably, merchants showed the way to Khan Baty, but the Tatars even before him caused a strong association among the Europeans with the merciless barbarians. And, having caught the bloody attacks of Batu Khan, the European inhabitants began to perceive the Tatars as a hellish nation, deadly and warlike.
It is noteworthy that King Ludwig the Fourth was elevated to the rank of saints for the prayers and active calls of the people to pray day and night in order to prevent the attacks of the bloody Batu. Coincidentally, in connection with the death of the Mongol Khan Udegei, the Tatar-Mongols turned their backs. And the Europeans believed in their righteousness and made sure that for them the Tatars are everything common and barbaric, coming from the Far East.
Despite the fact that the Mongol Empire successfully disappeared in the 15th century, historians in Europe for three centuries in a row called any non-Russian peoples in Russia up to the border with China as Tatars.
Another amazing historical fact: the Tatar Strait, located from Sakhalin Island to the mainland, is so named because, again, “Tatars” lived along the shores. Whom did they not quite correctly perceive? Oroch and Udege peoples. Thanks to such a crude generalization and confusion of the perception of nationalities, the traveler Jean François Laperouse, with a light hand, named the Tatarsky Strait, which is still indicated on the map.
Chinese roots
The Tatar nation may well be of Chinese origin - by the name of the ancient tribe "ta-ta", which lived in the 5th century. between northeast Mongolia and Manchuria. Moreover, the name "ta-ta" (it is "Tatan") was given to the tribe by the Chinese neighbors. Even today it is not difficult for the Chinese to clearly pronounce the variants of the name of the nation, in view of the well-developed nasal diphthong of the Chinese:
- ta-ta
- Yes Yes
- tatan
- Tartarus.
From history, information has come that the tribe was too warlike, regularly harassed the peaceful Chinese with raids. According to one version, the tartar culture spread from here due to the restless nature of the nation. And since this is one of the first mentions, it is most likely from China that the warlike tribes received the name "Tatars" thanks to the literary works of the Arabs and Persians.
Later, the tribe "ta-ta" was cut down by the even more dangerous and unfriendly Genghis Khan. The well-known Russian historian Yevgeny Kychanov states in the book "Temujin's Life": "Long before the rise of the Mongol warriors, the Tatars, which gave them their common name, perished." According to his historical reference, even after 20-30 years. after the massacre, deadly for the Tatars, the western auls now and then awakened in fear from the restless exclamations “Danger! Tatars!"
So the bloody conquerors of the true Tatars acquired their austere name, when the Tatars themselves “were already in the land of their ulus”.
Genghis Khan did not like it when his Mongol subjects were called Tatars. Although in historical chronicles his army is called “Mongol-Tatar”.
Tokharian roots
In Asia, there was a Tocharian people (or Tagars). His mentions date from the 3rd century. BC. This nationality conquered the state of Bactria and laid Tokharistan in its place. If you look at a modern map, you can find this place: south of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and north of Afghanistan.
Up to 4 c. AD Tokharistan existed as the territory of the Kushan kingdom, then it was divided into 27 principalities (by about the 7th century). And he was subordinate to the Turks. It is possible that locals entered into marriages with non-locals. And subsequently the "Tokhars" and "Tatars" merged into a single largest group of peoples - the Tatars.
