Naming China in Ancient Turkish Texts: notes on tabgaç/tavgaç, kitań and çin

Abstract

The Chinese, the oldest neighbors and enemies of the Turks in ancient times, are one of the peoples who left the deepest trace in the Turkic culture. The names used in ancient Turkic texts for the Chinese who ruled dynasties also differ depending on the periods and dynasties. The most commonly used of these names are tabgaç/tavgaç, kitań and çin (tabgach/tavgach, kitan and chin). The first two of these words refer to the Turkic Khaganate, and the third is partially found in ancient Turkic texts dating back to the ancient Uighur period.In the Old Turkic period, which lasted from the VI to the XIII centuries, the I Turkic Khaganate (Kekturk), II Turkic Khaganate (Kutluk), Orkhun-Uygur Khaganate, Kansu-Uygur Khanate, Khojo-Uygur Khanate, Turkic Khakanate (Karakhanid), Western Turkic Khakanate and Eastern Turkic Khakanate ruled. The equivalents of this period in the history of China are the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–581/589), the Sui Dynasty (581–618), the Tang Dynasty (618–907), the Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms (907–960) and the Song Dynasty (960–1279). For this reason, in ancient Turkic texts related to China, one of these Chinese dynasties should be indicated in the designations, depending on the period of the text.In this study, textual assessments of the origin, derivatives and use of names related to the Chinese in the ancient Turkic language will be carried out on the basis of the words tabgaç/tavgaç, kitań and çin.