Bakhshi Iman
DJAGFAR TARIHI
(THE ANNALS OF DJAGFAR)
GHAZI-BARADJ TARIHI
(THE ANNALS OF GHAZI-BARADJ)
1229-1246 AD
Chapters 1 - 5

Translator's Notes
Page numbers, where shown, indicate pages in the book publication.
The offered copy of the printed edition has not been properly proofread, and contains typos and misspellings, for which I apologize and intend to correct them with time. Until then, the posting is representative of the general scope and the detail of the annals.
The "mouse over" explanations basically follow the definitions found in the Annals and represent the views of its writers, which may be different from the known or accepted conditions of the present time. They are the best guess and some of them may be incorrect because of incorrect interpretation of the text by the translator. The translator of the Annals to Russian left a multitude of the Türkisms in his translation, and they are preserved in the English translation, with the "mouse over" explanations where available. The dates in the chapter headings are added during translation and are imprecise indicators of the period covered.
Rendering of the terms. The Russian translation of the Türkic original added the Russian suffixes distorting the original terms, and the distortion is further complicated by the incompatibility between the Flexitive Russian and Agglutinative Türkic languages. An attempt was made to return to the original forms, and then Anglicize the words by adding English suffixes and endings to convey the semantics of the word. Where the Türkic suffix is already a part of the word, its original form was used with the understanding that an elementary acquaintance with Türkic word-forming rules is necessary for the comprehension of the context. Still, in some cases the selection used is not transparent, for example if the word in singular is Ulchi (an inhabitant of Ul), then the plural is Ulchies (the inhabitants of Ul), but not the reverse, i.e. from Ulchies (inhabitants of Ul) it could be either Ulchi or Ulchy (both for an inhabitant of Ul). To avoid a confusion of what the primary form is, the translation used the Anglicized formats Ulchian and Ulchians, which, without the English suffixes '-an' and '-ans', produce the initial word 'Ulchi'.
Spelling conventions. The specifics of the Türkic dialects in the Bulgarian Confederation found their reflections in the Arabic text and then in the Russian translation. A number of the common Türkic words are rendered in the dialectal pronunciation, like "Khan" - "Kan", "Khagan" - "Khakan", "subarchi" - "subarshi" etc., and some in both variations: 'Itil' - 'Idel'. Also, in the original translation to Russian appeared variations of the spelling, likely due to the absence of the formalized words in the Russian language, or due to the ambiguous grammatical conventions for some of the Russian conjugations, or due to the changes in the original language accumulated over the centuries. The translation generally passes on these variations without scrutinizing them.
In instances where there are accepted spellings, the accepted spelling is used with an understanding that in the 'Dj' and in the 'Ch' dialects the pronunciation is different, like for the Arabic name Jusuf (Joseph in English), the pronunciation, reflected in the Russian translation, could be 'Djusuf" and 'Jusuf' ('Djoo-soof' and 'Yoo-soof'). In cases with no universally accepted spelling, the letter 'd' shown in the Russian translation is also shown in the English translation, like in 'Karadjar' vs. the alternate 'Karadjar' with implied 'd' that can be articulated from very week to very strong.
Phonetic conventions:
y - after consonant in the middle and in the end of the word, like 'i' in 'sit', with a longer sound, corresponds to Russian 'ы': 'Bulymer ' for 'Boo-liih-mer', 'Ryshtauly' for 'Riish-tah-oo-liih'.
y - substitutes for 'i' in diphthongs, to indicate sound like Y in New York: 'biysu' for 'Bee-y-soo', instead of 'biisu', yorty for 'Yor-tii'.
yo - like 'yo' in 'yo-yo'
j - like 'z' in 'azure'
é - the accented last vowel 'e', like 'e' in 'protégé'
GHAZI-BARADJ TARIHI
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... There is no God except Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger!
... By the grace of God, by the resolve of seid Djagfar, I, his Bakhshi Iman, strang on a string of this narration the pearls of our Bulgarian historical stories, ”Ghazi-Baradj Tarihi“, written from the words of Kan and Emir Ghazi-Baradj by his Tebir Ghazi-Baba Hudja, ”Bu-Ürgan Kitaby“ by seid Mohammedjar, ”Sheikh-Gali Kitaby” by mullah Ish-Mohammed..., and also the words and documents of the Seid Djagfar archive..., to preserve the memory of the deeds of our great Bulgar people... I shall not be a judge for the described, for I did not see it and only God knows, had it been so or not.
Written by the Ghazi-Baba. Narrated by Ghazi-Baradj.
Chapter 1. Ancient history of Bulgars (ca.?? - 360 AD - 378 AD)
The beginning of our beginnings is in the tribes of Imen and Sind. Gabdulla ibn Michael Bashtu wrote that people of the Imen tribe lived by isolated families on both sides of the river Amul which was teeming with snakes, and engaged in fishery, hunting and gathering of fruits. Because of the fear of snakes, people did not dare to cross the river and fished off the banks. And only one of them, Boyan, run a ferry, and the snakes did not bother him. And as he alone was a link between the families of both sides, and excelled in bravery and honesty, people elected him as a leader. When Boyan grew old and, in addition fell ill, his sons abandoned him to a mercy of his fate. Then he began asking the Divine to give him a son for relief. The Creator cast ashore at his house, which was built on stilts, a huge fish, from whose left ear came out, wiggling like a snake, his younger son Idjik. After a death of Boyan, the women of the tribe began delivering stillborns, and Idjik, collecting the men, went at first with them to the possession of his brother Laish, and then to the Hon mountains. Here he became a ruler due to the bravery of Imens, who were excellent bow archers. The Kytai Türks, who subordinated to him, ate half-baked meat and never washed in water, for they were descendents of the wolf Chin, and they strove to have louses like him. If the louses were too annoying for the Kytais, they, like wolves, killed them with their teeth. The wives and girls of the Kytai Türks copulated freely with any men whenever possible. The Imens could not stand to see this kind of people. Taking from the Kytais several girls who did not get accustomed to the filth and fornication of their mothers, the Imens, led by Idjik, began roving from one Türkic settlement to another, in order not to be exposed for long periods to the vile life of Kytais. The mountains did not have any big rivers suitable for navigation, and the Imens were going by foot. But it was hard, and Idjik told his people to learn to ride horses, which the Kytai Türks had. Idjik ordered people to assemble and have food and tribute prepared before his arrival. During his stay he was making appointments, held court, and gave directions. These gathering were called djiens... To live among the Türks, the Imens had to know their language...
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When the girls grew up, the Imens, who brought them up in their own way, took them as wives and called themselves and their descendants Hons. They never grew close to the Kytais because of fastidiousness, and those paid them back with hatred. Afraid of the mutinies, Idjik took all Türkic arms makers, dressed his people and their horses in iron armor, and forbade the Kytais to have weaponry and to wear chain armors. He ordered to send the worst troublemakers of that tribe into raids against the Hin, so that they would attack Hins instead of Hons...
During the time of the Idjik’s heir Tigane, nicknamed Hin-Batyr for his numerous victories over the Hins, the oppressed Hinian Khan sent messengers to Kytai Türks with instructions to tell them: ”When your ancestors lived under our power, its burden was barely felt. Now you are ruled by a small tribe of the Hons, and instead of helping us against them you fight for them against us. Are you clever? Destroy the Hons, and return again under our kind power!” Heeding the appeal of the Hinian Khan, at night the Kytais attacked the stan of Hin-Batyr and killed all the Hons. The wife of Hin-Batyr, before being surrounded by the enemies, managed to throw a big cauldron with her son in it into the Dulo river. The enemies severed her hands and legs, and she died in great pains. Michael Bashtu, in "Shan Kyzy Dastany"”, "Shan Kyzy Dastany"”, tells that a deer, which came to the watering hole, caught the cauldron with his horns and took the boy to the Jeti-Su. There, Khan Mar of Masguts sheltered and raised him. He was named Gazan, married Mar’s daughter, and began to also call his Dulo clan "Marduan-Dulo". Meanwhile, the Hons in the other camp have already elected Khazar as a new Khan. Learning about it, Gazan, together with Masguts, whom he called Badjanaks, invaded the Khazar's kingdom. Hons immediately switched to the side of Gazan, and Khazar fled to the Kytai Türks and became their leader. Gazan repelled the Hins to beyond the river Kuban-su and posted there his banner, a felt red sphere with multi-colored ribbons on a spear. It was a Masgutian image of the Alp Elbegen, a winged dragon snake which Hons were worshipping. Masguts called Elbegen "Baradj". The Hons, who had their own image of Elbegen, did not like it, and demanded that Gazan replaced the Masgutian banner with the Idjik’s banner. The Khan did not agree and forbade even to talk about it. Hons suffered that humiliation for 400 years, and accumulated a hatred to the Masguts surrounding the clan Dulo. At last, during the Gazan's successor Djilki, the Hons’ patience had burst and most of them joined the Hazar’s descendant Dugar, supported by the Kytais and Türkmen (Russian-language publication uses here the spelling Türkmen instead of Turkmen - Translator’s Note). In addition, Dugar had a support of the Bashkorts, who were a mix of the Masguts and Urmians, and spoke an Urmian language. Their pastures were to the north of the Badjinaks and west of the Hon mountains. Between the Hon mountains and the Kuban desert, to the north from the Hin, the Kyrgyz followed the vegetation. When Dugar invaded the possessions of Djilki and defeated him, some Masguts fled to the Kyrgyz-Kangly. When Dugar subdued these Kyrgyzes, a part of them, led by Saban, left to the Badjanaks and there merged into the Saban or Badjinak people. The Sabans began to speak the Kirghiz language, but its more noble version, as it was affected by the language of the Masguts. The Kirghiz language, spoken by Kumans, Oimeks and other descendants of the Kyrgyzes, who are also called Kypchaks, after the Kirghiz leader Kypchak, the brother of Saban who submitted to Dugar, sounds rough because of the influence of the Kytai Türks’ speech. Later, the Sabans subordinated to Dugar, and took so much from the language of his Türkmen that some people began to count them as a Türkmen tribe. And the borrowing of the loanwords happened because of the entry to the Sabans of several Türkmen clans... The defeated Djilki also was forced to subordinate to Dugar. Very soon, however, not putting up with his humiliation, Djilki revolted, but was defeated again and killed. His son Bulümar fled, with loyal Hons and Masguts, to the west. No expression of a sympathy did he find anywhere, because who needs the defeated and deprived? Besides, nobody liked the claims for domination of the proud Bulümar. While passing the Jeti-Su, most of the Masguts fell behind the Hons ...
Bulümar wanted to remain in the Jeti-Su, but the Türkmen tribe objected to it. These Türkmens were the descendants of some Kyrgyzian and Türkish people who came with Saban to the Masguts' land, and gradually multiplied in numbers. They are very beautiful and speak a pleasant dialect. Türkmens are very caring and kind in a kinsmen's circle, but beyond it they are very proud and quick-tempered, and in their alliances they are rather not loyal. In addition, they did not care to submit to anybody, and did not respect their elected leaders too much. In Bulümar, they saw a threat to their independence, and consequently began to threaten him with a war. The Khan was forced to depart to the Bashkorts, who sheltered the Hons and they received the name ”Sebers” ("allies") from the Bashkorts. The Türks called the Bashkorts Ugyrs, they were as headstrong as the Türkmens. They worshipped Alp Baradj, but called him Madjar. In their beliefs, Madjar was a patron of the Life... Yakub son of Nugman (likely Yakub ibn Nugman - Translator’s Note) wrote that in the beginning, Baradj lived on the mountain Kaf and then, when the Alps blocked the land from the sun by a wall, he flew to the desert Kuman, and then went to the Bashkorts.
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Here he was hospitably met by the people and with hostility by Chirmysh, the leader of the Bashkorts, who considered the Swan (Türk. Kyi - Translator’s Note) to be his ancestor, and wanted Bashkorts to worship Swan. Eventually, the Biy treacherously wounded Baradj, and Baradj fled to the Kuman desert, and he cursed Chirmysh. Soon after that, Chirmysh died with terrible pains, and Bashkorts became convinced that the Snake was the Khan of the Life, Madjar…
When they sheltered Bulümar, Dugar treacherously tried to attack them under a cover of a night. However the cranes’ cries warned Bashkorts about the danger, and they left with their chattel to the West together with the Hons. But they followed Bulümar for not too long, and dropped behind him because they disliked the pretensions of the Khan for the power... Prominent among them were two clans, Ura and Baygul. From them the Hons acquired the habit to pronounce the word " Kan" as " Khakan"...
In the Idel country, by the river Agidel, the Hon’s movement paused for a while, for there was also the state of the Honish clan Bulyar... The last Utigian's ruler of Bulyar, Djoké-Utig, carelessly burnt the Baradj’s nest to please his wife, a Murdasian, who demanded him to erect in that place a city. All children of Baradj, except for one, died in the fire, and Baradj fled to another place, and before departing he said to Djoké-Utig: ”I was always a patron of the Hons, and I shall remain a patron. But you, for your malicious act, will die of a sting of my last son, and all your children will be killed”. But this Bek not only was not scared, but on the contrary, by a new advice of his wife started searching the tombs of the ancestors for the Hinian treasures. And when he opened one tomb, from the soil, instead of the human remains, surfaced horse bones. It was a warning sign of Tangra, but Djoké-Utig did not heed it and continued searching. Then from under the bones crept out a Snake, the son of Baradj, and bit the Bek, and he died immediately... His children began to fight among themselves, and then, not wishing to give the power to one of them, gave the Khanate to Bulümar... When the Kan moved on, they followed him and except for Baksu, all perished in battles. Baksu, afraid of the Baradj curse, took in thirty girls as wives and had seventy sons from them. But the Galidjians attacked him once in the Anchian lands, and killed him together with all his sons...
The famine forced Kan to relocate to the West. Being forced to leave the center of the Idel, or Old Turan state, Bulümar with his... crossed the river Agidel, called Atil by Bashkorts, in honor of the Masgutian hero Atillé or Atilkush. The local Kara-Masguts, also called Saklans, tried to prevent that, but were defeated and, led by their biy Boz-Urus, fled to Buri-chai. But the Bulgars, subjects of the Kara-Masguts, joined Bulümar, who raised the indigenous Baradj banner of the Ases, the red felt sphere with a bunch of multi-colored ribbons above it. And it should be said that seid Yakub told in the ”Kadi Kitaby”, based on the ”Khazar tarihi” of Abdallah bine Michael Bashtu, about the antiquity of the Bulgarian tribe: ”... The Kamyrs are a branch of the Sinds. They were nicknamed so because they believed in the tale about a creation, by the Almighty, of the pra-mother Kamir-Abi from the dough. Kamyrs esteemed her so much that they also were giving her name to the boys. They could not stand that the other Sinds began carving stone images of the Supreme Sindian deity, Tara or Tangra, as a blasphemous human, instead of the sharp tipped stone mountain of Samar with smooth flat slopes, and they returned from the Sind to their former place on the river Samar near the mountain Samar. Their area began to be called Turan... However, when one part of Turans began makinge Tara out of pure gold, and another from clay, a third part left them and settled in another district, called Samar in honor of their former habitat. They began to be called Samars, and all that were remaining were called Masguts...
The Sinds called "Samar" the most beautiful and high mountains from which the sun was rising.
Those who called the images "tarvil" went to the West. They also were called Ases or Armans.
On the way, the migrants grew weaker, and the others left them at the foothills of the Kaf mountains in Azerbaijan. Later, they were attacked by Masguts, who for a while subjugated them, turning them into slaves. A part of the forsaken Ases, not conceding to the oppression, fled north to the Saklanian steppes, where they received a name "Kols", i.e. "slaves". They were also called "Askols".
And the migrants from Idel, who made the farthest to the West, were called Bulgars...
In a new place, first of all, they erected a huge mountain in honor of Tara and called it and the country Samar. And this state of Kaf-Bulgars reached its blossom during the Khan Kamyr-Batyr. The description of his life in the book of menly Abdallah, resemble the biography of Jusuf... But after his death some of the Samars polluted water with sewage, forgetting that it also was considered sacred, because it was reflecting their deity Tara. The incensed Deity decided to flood all the land of Samara for that sin, but in the He beginning warned the people with a terrible voice. From that voice the land trembled, and all the leaves fell from the trees. A part of the Samars, frightened, left further to the West, and was called, in memory of the apparition, " Agathirs", that is "the people of the trees". They reached Misr, where they lived for some time also, and build many mountains, Samars or Djuketaus. Among the remaining was one clan of Samars which did not offend the water. The Almighty had mercy on him, and granted him a ship for a rescue, and then flooded all of the Samar. When the waters subsided again, by the will of Tangra, the ship remained on the top of the Samar mountain, and the saved clan, calling itself "Nau" ("New"), disembarked onto the firm ground. This clan gradually became numerous, and started worshipping both the mountain, and the ship. But once, some members of the clan became upset, and pulled down the ship, believing that nothing should be placed on the sacred Djuketau prayer-mountain.
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And inside of that and other Samar mountains they made caves, where they laid dead people. And if a husband died, his wife was immured alive in the cave with him, and if a wife, who won a wedding duel over her husband died, her husband was immured alive in the cave with her body.
When the ship was pulled down from mountain, the majority of Samars condemned the initiators of that act to exile. The condemned sailed by boat and, crossing the Saklan sea, settled in the Djalda and in the adjoining steppes. And a famous fighter Targiz or Tarsiz ruled over them...
The migrants were called " Kimmerians", a deformed form of "Kamyrs", they began worshipping him after his death. And in his memory, it is said, during the djien they jumped over the swords set in the ground with its blade upwards.
Then the Idelian Bulgars came there, and expelled a part, and subdued other Kimmerians for the past insults... A part of the Bulgars, together with the subjected to Idel Kypchaks, set out to pursue the fleeting Kimmerians and, finding Masguts there, began clobbering them too.
When they returned, the Bulgars learnt that those Kypchaks, who settled in the Saklan, intermixed with the Kimmerians and began worshipping Targiz.
Then they expelled them for that to the rivers Deber and Shir. And from those Bulgars who raided the Samar, came the Uruses, and from the Shir’s Targizians came the Murdases...
And the Agathirs were expelled from Misr by the Arabs and left to the Saklanian steppe ... But the Kols there met them quite unfriendly and made them their slaves... And the Ases who stayed in Samar under the name of As Bulgars also eventually left to Yana Idel, to the lake Kaban and to Azerbaijan where they reunited with the local Bulgarian Türks... Then the Persians moved one thousand Yana Idel Türks, a part of which was Armand, to Khorasan...
Then came from the Turan a part of Masguts, who departed from the others to the Tang-Alan (“Stone Field”) steppe and thus received the name "Alan" ("fields"). And we, despoiling "Tang" into "Sak", began to call them Saklans. And these Saklans, absorbing the Murdases and Agathirs, defeated their enemies, Kols, and seized the steppe of the defeated... And they also began to be called Kara-Masguts, in contrast to their relatives, the Ak-Masguts, who stayed in the Türkistan. And the Kypchak steppe, spread from the Sula to Agidel, began to be called Saklan..., and all descendants of the Ases living there were called Saklans or Alans...
Later the Almanians of the Galidj tribe came to the Buri-chai from the Sadum and pressed the Saklans, who were called "Uruses" by the name of their leader Urus. And they pressed because the Saklans started a war with the part of the Bulgars who moved from the Azerbaijan to the Burdjan... And when they crossed Idel, these Bulgars immediately joined the Hons ...
Urus tried to kick out the Sadumians from the banks of Buri-chai, but was defeated and killed. Then the Saklans-Uruses submitted to Hons and incited Bulümar to attack the Galidjians.
Chapter 2. Idel during the reign of Hons’ Khans (378 - 453 AD)
The son of the Hons’ Kan Alyp-bi with the corps of Bulgars and Hons defeated the Sadumians and forced them to flee to Altyn Bash and Rum. Then Alyp-bi with the Bulgars, who suffered many exertions from the Rumians in the Azerbaijan, crossed Sula and defeated the 80-thousand Rumian army near the city of Dere. The Rumian Kan Balyn fled to his palace, but was surrounded and burned by Hons who dealt with the leaders of enemies in this fashion. When the palace burned down, Alyp-bi rode through the ruins and found the imperial crown. He took it and brought it to his father, who called himself Kan, but during the feast in honor of the victory he suddenly died. Alyp-bi became the Kan of the Hon state formed in the Saklan, and in due time was buried on the mountain Kuyan-Tau or Kuk-Kuyan.
Before his death Kan Dere, as he was also called, ordered to put on his tomb a huge tamga of the clan Dulo, "Baltavar". And it looks like this: Ψ, where T is for axe, and W is for bow. These arms were the Bulgars’ symbols of the Khan power. The Uruses, who esteemed Kan- Dere for the defeat of the Sadumian enemies, settled at his burial place, and formed a settlement Askal. Bulgars also revered Alyp-bi because during his time they became a ruling tribe in the Hons’ state. Soon the Hon part integrated with the Bulgar tribe, with the name of Bulgars and the Türkic language of Hons. The main clans of the Bulgars were called Erdim, Bakil or Boyandur, Seber, Agathir, Kharka, Utig's, Kimmer...
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A grandson of Alyp-bi, a son of Aibat, Kan Atillé Aibat with a nickname Audan (Audon) Dulo, went against the Almans and Farangs because their Khan poisoned his wife, the sister of the Kan Atillé. Defeating the strongest Almanian tribe Galidj so that a part of it fled by the Kuk Dingez Sea to the Sadum islands and Galidj, at night Atillé besieged the capital of Farangs, the Altyn Bash. It received its name because of the golden domes of the houses. But in the morning the sun rose, and the shine of the golden roofs blinded Bulgars. The frightened Bulgars fled, not seeing the road, and after that their influence declined. The Ulchians called Atillé Myshdauly, he died in the land of the Almans during a retreat, and the country fell apart.
Three sons of Atillé, three brothers Illak, Tingiz and Bel-Kermek, together with Bulgars and Ulchians girded in the camp against the Farangs, but were defeated. Illak fell in the battle, but Tingiz and Bel-Kermek with their Bulgars were allowed a freedom to leave the camp. They went to the mouth of the Buri-chai, and on the way they lost Tingiz, killed in an ambush by the Galidjians. While breaking through this ambush, Bel-Kermek ordered for the first time to raise as a flag the red banner of Ases with a half moon on the staff. Bel-Kermek started the line of the Bulgarian Khans called either Kans or Baltavars, for the word "Baltavar" acquired a meaning of "leader".
Chapter 3. Time of Bulgarian Baltavars (453 - ca 683 AD)
Bel-Kermek called the place of the Bulgar's settlement between the mouth of Buri-chai and Djalda, where were the Rumian cities, Altynoba ("Golden Pasture" - Translator’s Note), in memory of the Altyn Bash's siege. The abandoned stan then became a city which the local Ulchians called Galidj, and the Bulgars called "Uchuly" (Uch-Ogly, “[City] of [ Atillé] Three Sons”).
After Bel-Kermek his son Djurash Masgut was the Baltavar of Bulgars, and after him his son Tatra, and after him his son Boyan-Chelbir, and after him his son Tubdjak, and after him his senior son Arbuga Ürgan, and after him his younger brother Alburi...
During Bel-Kermek time, Sabars, whom Bulgars in the Saklanian language called Sabans, invaded Saklan. From the Sabars came our language, which Persians incorrectly call Kypchak, for the Kypchaks took it from the Kyrgyzes, and in addition quite distorted it. Those Sabans who were remaining in the Turan began to be called usually Badjanaks. Their language, as I already wrote, gradually became similar to the language of the Uzes or Türkmen, and the Almighty inspired Michael to make this language our written language, along with the Arabic. The Kashans called it Bulgarian Türki, and the Türkmens called it ”Turan Tele”...
The Avars, the last splinter of the Hons still remaining in the Hin, expelled Sabars from the Jeti-Su, their native land. But in the Saklan these refugees did not act any better than their predesessors, and clobbered many of the Hons’ clans. They drove a part of the local Hons to the Kaf mountains, where they formed a Khondjak Beilyk. The other Sabars drove another part of the Hons to Djurash, where they had to conjoin Bulgars...
The Murdases, who hated Hons, allied with the Sabars and intended to finish off the Hons, and the Bulgars who accepted them, but Bel-Kermek became kindred with the Bek of Masguts, and because the Murdases were afraid of the Masguts, by that maneuver he saved his people from a destruction...
Bel-Kermek's son Djurash, with a nickname Masgut, from a daughter of the Masgutian Bek, served to one or another Sabarian Beks, and for that he received lands between the Sula and Djalda... Being naturally kind, he ransomed from the Sabars a hundred of the Hons’ biys and a multitude of their people, and added them to the Bulgars under a name of Sürbiys ( Serbiys)...
Masgut’s son Tatra became famous for his successful attacks on Rum, which he was doing with the help of his Ulchian subjects...
During the reign of Tatra’s son Boyan-Chelbir, the Avars, expelled by the Khazarian Türks, came to the Saklan. The Sabars, panic-stricken of them, quieted down, and our Bulgars, on the contrary, raised their heads... . Boyan-Chelbir be-fraternized with the Avarian Khakan Tubdjak and named his son Tubdjak, and the Khakan took his name Boyan. After Avars came their tormentors, the Khazarian Türks, but in a fierce battle the Bulgars, together with the Avars, repulsed them from the Sula and Buri-chai. The Türks retreated, but took a part of the Djalda Bulgars and allowed them to form a Burdjan Beilyk in Djurash, to protect their possessions from the south. In fact, since the time of Kan-Dere battle, the Bulgars were known as most skilful and brave soldiers in the world. These Bulgars, headed by the Boyan-Chelbir’s senior son Atras, therefore began to be called Burdjanians.
The western Bulgars of Boyan-Chelbir, remaining the subjects of Avarian Khakans, began to be called Kara-Bulgars, that is the western, instead of the “black” as the Türks normally use. In fact, the Bulgars called the West " Kara", the East - " Ak", the North - " Kuk", and the south - " Sara" or "Sary"...
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Boyan-Chelbir's son Tubdjak went to war with Rum and the Ulchians, who were subordinated to Rum, on the side of the the Avars. While the Avars were ruthlessly killing the Ulchians, the Bulgarian Baltavar was sparing them and moved up to two hundred thousand of them from the Rum to his possessions. These Bulgarian Ulchis began to be called Anchians (Anchylar), that is the "boundary", "frontier people", because they were settled on the the northern boundaries of the Kara-Bulgar Beilyk, in the Uchuly and by the Buri-chai. The Avarian Khakan the in the beginning viewed it with irritation, but when under Tubdjak order the Anchis built a few hundred boats and successfully fought on them with the Rums, he softened and left them alone...
In the 605 AD Tubdjak died, after ruling for 15 years, and left to his senior son Bu-Ürgan an extensive Beilyk from Uchuly to the river Ak-su and from Kuk-Kuyantau to Djalda. But very soon a misfortune visited the new Kara-Bulgar Baltavar. The Avarian Khakan besieged one Rumian city, and, as always, Anchians went in the first attack, and behind them were Bulgars. When the Khakan decided that the defenders' forces were crushed, he ordered Bulgars to let the Avars to go first. But Rums defeated the Avars, and Khakan in a fury accused Bu-Ürgan of the defeat, and ordered to raise Tubdjak's younger son, Alburi, to the Kara-Bulgar Baltavar throne. The dislodged Bu-Ürgan left, with a part of Bulgars, to the Rumian part of the Djalda, and enlisted into a service of the local Rums. He possessed such an unusual might that he was called Ar-Buga.
His stint in the Rumian service was short, for the the power of the Avar's Khakan weakened soon after his defeats, and Bu-Ürgan could return to his favorite Buga-Idel river. Baltavar was coaching between the rivers Burat and Buga-Idel, and had headquarters in the Kashan. Alburi’s senior son Kurbat was coaching between the Saklanian aul Askal by the Buri-chai, and the aul Kharka by the Ak-su and had his headquarters an the aul Baltavar...
In the 618 the growing insane Avarian Khakan summoned Alburi as if for the negotiations, and treacherously executed him in his encampment for the attack of the Anchians upon the Avars. In reality the Avars themselves attacked the Galidjian Ulchians and stole their cattle. Some Avars were killed by the Anchians resisting robbery, and that allowed the Avar's sardar to pretend to be a victim of the Ulchian attacks... Before the Alburi departure to the Khakan, in a dream Bu-Ürgan saw a piece of red cloth in which Ases were wrapping the diseased, and a tip of a spear.
Waking up with anxiety, he told his brother: ”Tangra made me a boyar and showed me in a dream signs of misfortune: a red funeral cloth and a tip of a spear with impaled heads of the dead. It means that a death awaits you in the Khakan camp. Do not go there!” Alburi did not listen to him and perished. And people recognized Bu-Ürgan as a boyar or askal, that is a prophet...
When the message about the murder reached Bulgars, Bu-Ürgan went to Rum and declared that Kara-Bulgars broke off all relations with the Avars and are ready to conclude an alliance with Rum against them. The pleased Rumian Kan immediately recognized the Bek as a Baltavar of independent Kara-Bulgar, and concluded a treaty with him... When Ar-Buga returned to his people, the biys wanted to raise him immediately to the Bulgarian throne. But Bu-Ürgan valued the status of the boyar more than the title of the Kan and said: ”people, certainly, are free to choose their rulers, but not from the boyars who are chosen by Tangri...” Following his advice Bulgars elected Kurbat, with a nickname Bashtu, the son of Alburi, as the Baltavar of Bulgars, and he immediately began preparations for a war with the Avars.
In the 620 under Kurbat’s order his younger brother Shambat erected on the mountains Kuyantau (Jack Rabbit mountain - Translator’s Note), in the place of the aul Askal, a city Bashtu, and in a head of a large unit of Bulgars, Anchians and Saklans- Ruses he set out from it against the enemy. He succeded in quickly defeating Avars and capture of their country. In that campain he was helped by the local Ulchians, and also by the Bashkorts, who called themselves "Honturchy" (Honturchies) and were unhappy with the reign of the Avar Khakan. But immediately after Shambat proclaimed himself an independent ruler, and named his state Duloba, that is” Pasture Dulo”. Kurbat, upon learning about it, ordered his brother to return to his service, but Shambat refused, and for that received from Bashtu a moniker " Kyi" ("Cut off", "Separated").
Shambat ruled in Duloba for thirty three years and became famous for his victories over Farangs and Almanes. Artes, and Bailaks, and Galidjians, and Avarian Ulchians, and Saklans, and Honturchies came to serve under his banners. But at the end he was defeated by Farangs and returned to the Kurbat service. The Baltavar ordered Shambat to take the old post of the governor of Bashtu...
The city dwellers loved him so much that they called the citadel of Bashtu by his name, "Shambat", and the whole city by his nickname "Kyi". And now the Anchians call Bashtu city "Kyi"...
While Shambat was fighting in the Duloba, Kurbat was tirelessly expanding the limits of Ak Bulgar Yorty. Taking advantage of the upheaval in the Turanian Horde, he purged the Khazarian Türks from the Djurash, and became the ruler of everything between the Sula and Idel. Aspiring to further humiliate the defeated Avarian and Turanian rulers, Kurbat, in addition to the title of Kan, also takes their title of Khakan... .
The Baltavar seasonal route was between the city of Bandja on the Azak sea and the encampment in the Khorysdan, which was also called Batavyl, which is the princely headquarters... On the return way the Khakan was always stopping by the campuses Tiganak and Baltavar, and the burial place of Bu-Ürgan, located in a day of travel from them. And the mother of this well-known boyar clan was from the Ürganian clan of the Hon tribe of Khots or Khotrag's. And in the antiquity this tribe was called Sohot, or, in the Serbiyan, Khol, but then the word changed the form to Khot or Khotrag. And from all the Hons’ tribes only the tribe of Utig's or Utyak could compete in strength and number with the Khotrags. And after the route of the Hons by the Chins, Türks and Serbiys, during the Kan Tigan with a nickname Hin-Batyr, the Khot and Utigs disperced in different directions. The Khots settled by the river Sob or Sobol (Subyl), by its right inflow Baigul and its left inflows Sasy-Idel and Tora-su. And the Sobol runs into the Chulman sea. The Kar Dingez and Kara Dingez are only the gulfs of that enormous sea. The name of the great river Sobol gave the descendants of Hots, who settled in its area and, led by biy Tuba, together with Kara-Oimeks, entered the State in the reign of Kolyn and his son Anbal. And as from there were brought the best martens in the world, they also received from us the name "Sobol".
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However, on the origin of the name for the sables, Abdallah biné Bashtu also told this history.
During the times of Baltavar Alyp-biy, the grandfather of Aibat, a Bulgarian merchant Toima with a nickname Tur went to the land of Bashkorts also called Sebers. Having visited there, he went further north and came to the country of Urs. And now the Urs live at the end of the Earth, on the coast of the Chulman sea, but long ago they lived in the province Tubdjak and in the south of the province Ur. And a part of Sebers occupied their lands and pushed them away to the north, but gave them a name "Ura", which is misleading to many. The Urs were very timid, for all their neighbors offended them, but their customs forbade them to spill human blood. Therefore all Urs during the trade left their goods under a sacred tree and hid in thickets, and the visitor merchants put their goods against theirs. If the Urs, after the departure of the merchants, took the imported things, the transaction was considered as done and the merchants could take the Urian goods... For the arrival of Tur-Toima the Urs could prepare only selected sables. The merchant, besides the goods necessary in the north, brought them magnificent Rumian and Persian clothes and utensils. The Urs took away all this and were so happy with the acquisition and were so afraid to offend the merchant with the poor goods, that their aksakal added some sables and bravely remained visible at some distance from the tree. But Toima remained very pleased with the sables and, driving off, waved the pelts and friendly shouted to the old man shivering from excitement: ”Sai byl!” The Urs thought that ”sai byl” or as they pronounced this word "sobol" or "tobol", in Bulgarian meant "sable" and from that time offered sables to the visitor merchants as the most valuable goods and called them "sobol". And we reportedly began to call sables by the word "Sobol", and through us the Ulchis, Almans, Frangs and Altyn Bashes. This story is very entertaining, but Abdallah tebir was known for his weakness of the tall stories and re-telling other's fantasies, and consequently we cannot trust his words completely.
But with all this, Abdallah also gave real facts. Like, a merchant Tuimas said that Toima was his real ancestor, who in his travels reached the place of the future auls Menhaz and Surhot. When Toima died, the Seber biy Eseg (Esek), in respect for the Hon Kan, ordered to bury him on the right bank of Agidel, opposite his northern encampment. And the small river on which the merchant was stricken by death, from that time began to be called Toima-su. Also in memory of him one of the Urian clans took the name Toima...
And the Utigs settled to the west of Hots, between the Idel and Agidel. Here they mixed up with the Murdases and learned from them the agricultural skills. The area and the river, flowing there, they called Hinel in memory of their former residence. And later the Hinel transformed into Kinel...
Soon after that settling, the former commander of Hin-Batyr, Kama-Tarkhan, became the Utig's Khan and subdued all neighboring Arian tribes and Hots. He called his state "Atil". His descendants ruled there for three hundred years, and when Bulümar or Bulümbar with their Hons came to the Bulyar, they gave him... their state... . Bulümbar called Atil "Bakil" or "Bulyar", and ruled there for thirty years. He would have ruled Bulyar longer, but happened a terrible winter, and after it came a famine. Almost all the cattle, and many people had perished. Intent to prevent a demise of the whole people, Bulümbar took his people further west. The Hons harnessed Murdasian women in the their carts, for a rumor went that it was exactly them who, with their magic, first caused a severe winter, and then a drought. Many Khots and Utigs left with the Hons, and they gave many rivers and districts in the Kara-Bulgar the names from their native land: Bozauly, Samar, Tiganak, Orel, Agidel, Hingul and others.. And the Hons or Hols who stayed behind in the Hin were eventually subordinated by the Serbiys, and took their name. The Menkhol tribe, and its clan Tingiz or Chingiz come from those Hons...
Kurbat’s senior son Bat-Boyan route was coaching between Djalda and the middle course of Buga-Idel, one part of his people went up the left bank of the river, and the other went on the right... .
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The youngest son of Kurbat, Atilkesé with nickname Asparukh, had his seasonal coaching route between Burdjan and Bekhtash, and the Utigs's and Murdases were also submitted to him. His main stan was in the city of Burdjan in the south of Djurash. He was very amicable with his uncle Shambat, the sitting Ulugbek of the Bashtu, who was surrounded by both loyal Bulgarian Saklanian biys and the Anchian boyars. This attachment was not overly pleasing for Kurbat, who always suspected his brother of propensity for treachery, so Atilkesé received an ulus remotest from Kyi... .
While such a Khakan was alive, the country was peaceful. But when in the 660 AD he was striken by death, Shambat, with support of Atilkese, raised arms against the new Khakan Bat-Boyan, with a purpose of seizing the throne. They let him rule more or less calmly for three years only, and then they started an open war against him. Because Kurbat before his death forbade Bulgars to fight each other, Shambat attacked the Kan with the forces of the Ak-Balynian Ulchians and Saklan-Uruses, and Atilkese attacked with the forces of Murdases, Masguts, Türks, and a hired band of Türkmens...
The war went on for a few years. Atilkesé managed to crush the Bat-Boyan’s Sabans, then he devastated As-Bandja, and together with Shambat besieged the Khakan in Djalda. In the action, the Bek's people, and especially Murdases, killed many Bulgars of the Kan. That caused a bad hostility between the Black Bulgars and that Saklanian tribe. The Khakan complained to Atilkesé about the actions of his people, but Atilkesé sarcastically replied: ”Murdases could not distinguish between your Bulgars and Sabans, because they really speak the same Sabanian language... .”
With support from Atilkesé, Shambat was besieging Djalda for five years, and in the other part of the Saklan-Bulgarian state he was accepted as a Khakan.
In the heat of the siege the Türkic Khakans, whose might has increased again, attacked the Saklan across Agidel. It is said that then across the river from Türkistan came 150 thousand Kumans, Türkmen Kuk-Oguzes and Kyrgyzes, united by a name of Hazar, a founder of the Türkic state. Shambat with Atilkesé raced towards the enemy, but were defeated and fled to Bashtu with a part of their forces.
This route happened because during the battle the Djurashian Türks, Murdases and Utigs switched over to the side of the Khazars, and the Serbiys fled to the north and hid in the Sura forests. The Khazars gained many captured Burdjan Bulgars, whom they forced to fight on their side.
The Djalda Bulgars were so angery with the others that they wanted to finish off immediately their defeated fellow tribesmen in the Bashtu. But noble Bat-Boyan did not allow these bad feelings, and he led Kimmerians against the Khazars. The opponents met at the river which we called Almysh, and the Kyrgyzes called Kelmes, and Khakan Bat-Boyan urged Kalga, the leader of Khazars, to return the territory of the Saklan that he unlawfully took.
In reply, Kalga ordered his forces to ford the small river, and a fierce fight erupted. Tangra helped his slaves, and made the Burdjan leader Khumyk to join his fellow tribesmen, after which the Bulgars, with the support of the heroic Anchians, managed to gain a full victory. From both sides fell 90 thousand soldiers, of which 50 thousand were Khazars, and Kalga was hacked up by Khumyk, and from that time the Khazars called the small river Almysh "Kalga".
Continued on page Chapter 1-5

Bakhshi Iman
DJAGFAR TARIHI
(THE ANNALS OF DJAGFAR)
Volume 3
KUL GALI
HON KITABY (BOOK OF HUNS)
Volume 3 Contents
Fargat Nurutdinov DJAGFAR TARIHI publication story pp. 6-10

Fargat Nurutdinov Timing of the Kazan city foundation pp. 11-15

Fargat Nurutdinov Bulgarian Khans of all dynasties pp. 81-103

Fargat Nurutdinov Tore (Tengrianism) pp. 110-124

Fargat Nurutdinov ? Ukrainian Troy pp. 129-141

Fargat Nurutdinov How and when got to Kazan a Czech coin of the 10th c. pp. 141-144

Fargat Nurutdinov Unknown Mokhammediyar pp. 145-156

Fargat Nurutdinov Oldest History of Trident pp. 157-166

Fargat Nurutdinov Miniatures from the Djagfar Tarihi Annals pp. 171-177

Kul Gali HON KITABY A few advices for travelers to Tubdjak pp. 16-30

Kul Gali HON KITABY Description of Saksin pp. 31-58

Kul Gali HON KITABY Brief about Bulgaro-Kipchak relations pp. 64-75

Kul Gali HON KITABY Fragments pp. 62-63

Kul Gali Brief about Yar Chally p. 169

Kultasi Kazan History pp. 60-62

Bakhshi Iman Brief about Bulgarian Viziers pp. 75-80

Bakhshi Iman Fragments of "Djagfar Tarihi" pp. 59-60

Reykhan Bulgari Flowers of the Kipchak Fields pp. 103-106
Gazi Baba Brief about Bulgarian Heraldry p. 107
Gazi Baba Bulgarian Calendars Tore and Kam-Boyans pp. 108-109

Gazi Baba Alphabet of Danube Bulgars p.125

Gazi Baba Batyr Djilan and Karamats (Sacred Groves, Temple) pp. 126-128

KUL GALI
HON KITABY (BOOK OF HUNS)
FRAGMENTS FROM THE CHAPTER
"A FEW ADVICES FOR TRAVELERS TO TUBDJAK"
Translator's Notes
Because of the eclectic structure of the Volume 3, with massive editorial comments by Fargat Nurutdinov, and multiple fragments of different authors assembled from a loose-leaf like conspectus format, the publication's sequence is not followed, but the contents are reorganized by the authors of the fragments and editorials. The Page numbers, where shown, indicate the actual pages in the book publication. The offered copy of the printed edition contains typos and misspellings, for which I apologize and intend to correct them with time.
The "mouse over" explanations basically follow the definitions found in the Annals and represent the views of its writers, which may be different from the known or accepted conditions of the present time. They are the best guess and some of them may be incorrect because of incorrect interpretation of the text by the translator. The translator of the Annals to Russian left a multitude of Türkisms in his translation, and they are preserved in the English translation, in blue italics, with additional comments by the translator from Russian to English denoted with a marker "- Translator's Note" .
For a brief dictionary of medieval Bulgarian geographical names and expressions click here. For phonetical conventions click here

What we know about Kul Gali and his works
Kul Gali Biography here

Bulgaria
ca 1050

Tubjak
ca 1050

KUL GALI
HON KITABY (BOOK OF HUNS)
(FRAGMENTS FROM CHAPTER "A FEW ADVICES TO TRAVELERS TO TUBDJAK")
1. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT TUBDJAK
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Tubdjak is the biggest il [province] in the State, settled by 70 Uzian and Kirghiz nomadic tribes. But you will not find sandjaks [viceroyalty], beyliks, uluses, Tarkhanlyks there, like in the other ils, as it is divided only into tübas. Such a division was partly established because our hishdeks [nomads] more than all others are concerned about the preservation of equality, and consequently do not allow neighbors to raise in rank of their titles or possessions. There is also another reason for it: from a tüba is raised the smallest tax ...
There are a total of seven tübas in the province. They are Urug-tüba, Ulug-tüba, Seber, Kara-Idjim, Ak-Idjim, Saban-tüba and Sary-tüba...
In the western part of the province stands out Urug-tüba, limited from the west and north by Djaik [Ural], from the east by the Urugtau [Mugodjar] mountains, from the south by Djurdjan [Khoresm], the banks of the Turanian [Aral] sea and Man-Kyshlak. From the time immemorial the Uzian tribe Urug or Djurug dominates there, that's the reason for that called.
In addition to the Urugs, there also lives a part of another Uzian tribe, the Uy. It is also called Uil, Uildar, Uyyaguz (pronouced as Uy-Yaguz- Translator's Note) , Uykek...
"Kek" or "As" means in the Uzian "clan", but sometimes also "tribe". The Uilians, together with the Khindyrians, established the Sabanian confederation of the Uzian clans, and untill now a part of the Uilians live in their old native land, in the Sabanian tüba, on the river Uyyaguz [Ayaguz]. One more big group of the Uilians lives in the Saksin and Mardan, in the tübas of the cities Uykek [Uvek] and Suz Uryny...
The river, along which are located Uilian pastures is also called Uil' [Uil]...
The center of the tüba is the city of Er or Er-balik, located at the mouth of the river Er-Inesh [Or].
The northern part of the il, where is also located its capital Saba-Kül, is called Ulug-tüba. West from it is Urugtau, to the south is Idjim, in the east is Yrtysh [Irtysh]. Here, in surrounded by the Kirghiz tribes and clans, is coaching Kydan, the clan of the Tubdjak Ulugbek Kichi-Mergen, the son of the Kondjik Ulugbek and the nephew of the Kara-Mergen Ulugbek...
We call Kydans the part of the Kypchaks in service to the Kytay [Mongolian] tribe of Kara-Kytay. Once the Kara-Kytays served to the Hons and took from them the called "Syanbi", they were the strongest of the Kytay tribes, but then they were defeated by the Imens [Manchurians] and weakened...
However a lack of the people Kara-Kytays compensated by their natural bravery which surpassed that of the other Kytays, and with taking into the service of the Kypchaks. Coming to the Kara-Kytays service, these Kypchaks had to drink a bowl of koumiss, take an oath of loyalty and say: "I am Kytay". This phrase they pronounced in the form "mon - gyt", and we began to call them Mongyts. The Mongyts adopted the Kytay's language, but did not merged into one mass. Among them were those who accepted Kytay's customs and superstitions (pagan blunders). They were especially cruel during the war toward the Türks oppositing the Kytays. We despised them and called them Kaymans, that is "identical to the pagan Uigurs". The word "kay" [pagan Uigur] was considered an expletive...
It arose in the time when the Kays were at war with the Hons and destroyed a few Sabanian clans...
The word "Kayman" is a very strong curse in our language, like the word "kay". Those Kays who accepted the the true belief, we praised very much and called them "Sary Kashan". In the Kuakbash I visited a colony of local Sary Kashans at the invitation of their duvan [head] Kutlu-Mohammed, and saw myself that they are very tidy and benevolent people...
When the ruling dynasty of the Kara-Kytays split, one Kara-Kytayan prince with a greater part of the Kaymans formed his beylik to the east of the Kara-Kytaja, and began to called it and his people Kaymanian [Naymanian]...
Those Kypchaks who had to hire into the service to the Kara-Kytays but preserved their Türkic customs and their respect for other Türks, we call Kydans. Our Kans willingly accepted and still take the Kydans, and the Kara-Kytays, onto the service, as they acquired from the Kara-Kytays their military bravery, skills and the weapons. But the Kydans were and are very proud and capricious, and quite often raised mutinies against their masters. So, in the reign of the Emir Adam the Kydanian troops of the biy Ugyrdjak raised a mutiny against the Uzian's Sultan in the Uzian land. Braking through Daglyk, Ugyrdjak and his brothers of Turbin and Ardjan besieged the Madjara-Suba, were beaten off. Then they went to Khin-Kerman, but there also they failed to profit. But in the Kara-Saklanian [N.Pontic] steppe spread a rumour about their heroism, and the Shir Kyrgyzes, the usual foes of the State, invited them. Together with these Kypchaks, Ugyrdjak established his domination over that steppe, but he did not want to remain there and left to the Man-Kyshlak. The Saksinians tried to stop him, but he outwitted them by organizing a false river crossing, crossed the Idel in another place and broke through to the Man-Kyshlak. Ardjan inherited his authority, tried to conclude an alliance with the Bashtu Bek against the State, but that, ingratiating Adam, killed the Kydanian. Then Turbin left the Kara-Saklan and engaged into the service to the State. He and his people accepted the true belief and established the city of Gazilar in the Mardan...
The Kydanian ancestor of the Kichi-Mergen Ulugbek fled with his people to the State during a conflict in the Kara-Kytayan state...
The Kyrgyzes, who in the beginning were unhappy with his appointment as an Ulugbek, soon reconciled to it, as he protected their freedoms and besides was not one of them...
However Kichi-Mergen himself lost valour and the pride of his ancestors, and in his fear lowered himself by taking me for a secret naib [auditor], and my travelling notes for a book of the court records. Forgotting about any decency and honour, he, like a last amil [collector and re-buyer of taxes], right during the feast selebrating my arrival, humiliatingly expressed his concern: "Is the greatest in the whole universe Kagan [Kan Chelbir] (1178-1225 - Translator's Note) pleased with my service?" I calmed him as well as I could, but since then loathed even a sight of him and was very glad when our caravan set out from the Sabakül...
The Kydans are coaching in the Ulug-tüba together with several loyal Kirghiz clans, who are called "tazlar" by the others Tubdjakians ...
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Everything in the Tubdjak between the rivers Yrtysh and Abi-Darja [Ob], is the tüba Seber with center in the city Omek...
Here the inal [head of tüba] is chosen from among the biys of the Kirghiz tribe Iskilik. The word "Iskilik" is pronounced also "Askal" and "Esegel". As the motherland of the Iskiliks is the Seber, they are also frequently called "Sebers". They are descendants of the Kirghiz Kilik tribe and Altaians, that's why they are called "Kilikian". The Iskiliks also live in the south of Bajgul, and in the Ulug-tüba, and we quite often call the south of the Bajgul and Northern Tubdjak, alongside with the Seber, "Iskil" ("Askal", "Esegel") or "Seber"...
And the native land of the Kiliks is Kara-Idjim tüba. Is is encircled by the Turanian sea , Ulug-tüba, Idjim, headwaters of thr river Khin-Darya [Turgay] and Ulugtau [Ulytau] mountain. Here... dominates the Uzian tribe Hindyr (from Hin > Hun + plural affix "dyr", i.e. "Huns" - Translator's Note), whose warriors are famous for their marksmanship in the bow shooting... The center of the tüba, city Hindyr, is located on the river Khin-Darya at its merging with its influent river Kilik-Bulak [Irgiz], on which banks the Kiliks live. From there one part of the Kiliks in the famine years moved to the Sébér, and another joined Badjanaks and left with the Sabans to the north. The northern Kiliks, whom we frequently call "Illak" or "Ilek", settled on the bank of the Djaik influent, which received their name Illak (Ilek)...
South of the Kara-Idjim is Sary-tüba, limited in the west by the Turanian sea, in the north by the border with the Kara-Idjim, lake Bulyar or Baylar dingize [Tengiz] and the upper and middlr flow of the river Atil [Kulanutpes], in the east by the source of the river Sarysu and the western coast of the Bulgarian or Sabanian [Balkhash] lake, in the south by the river Irgiz [Kalmakkyrgan]. And the name "irgiz", was explained to me, means a steppe stream that cuts a ravine and disappear...
In the Sary-tüba dominates the Uzian tribe Kangly, also called Bulyar or Baylar. This tribe sometime, together with the Sabans headed the Badjinaks, but it was less numerous than the Sabans, and for this reason the Badjinaks sometimes are also called Sabans, but not the Kangly. A part of the Kangly, with Badjanaks, left from there to the Mardan, where they settled around the lake Kangly dingeze [Shalkar], and to the mountain [shan] Cherem [Cheremshan], near which is the great capital of our State, Bulyar.
The mountain Ulugtau, which the ancients called "Cheremshan", is greatly revered by the Badjanaks (this hill, promonent in the flats of the area, has a remarcable history spanning millenia. Lately, it was repossessed by the state Orthodox Chirch commercializing the pilgrimage and arousing the reverence to the legendary mountain - Translator's Note)... It is a source of the rivers Djilanchyk (Snake river - Translator's Note), Khin-Darya and Bulyarchay (Bulyar river - Translator's Note), the right influent of the Sarysu...
When we were in Tubdjak, the Kytay tribe Burdjigin suddenly attacked the friendly to the State Kytay tribe Arakytay [Merkits]. Arakytays are the northern Kytays and are considered the indigenous Kytays, and that's why they are called "pure (Ara) Kytays". This Arakytay tribe controlled the eastern part of the Hons and Kyrgyzes, whom they called "Argyn", by the Argyn [Argun] river, where they managed to defeat Bulümar's father, the Kan Djilka of the Hons. After that battle Bulümar withdrew one part of the Hons and the subjected to them Kyrgyzes to the West, but the other part, led by the Bulümar brother Burdjigin, retreated at that time to the river Djilka [Shilka]. Djilka carried the name of this river because he was born on its bank. In that same place he also was buried in the wooden house "kur", above which was built a kurgan [artificial earthen hill]...
But soon the Djilkian part of the Hons and Kyrgyzes also had to submit to Arakytays and began to be called "Argyns". The descendants od Burdjigin or Chindjigin adopted the customs and language of the Kytays, and were left by the Arakytays as the biys of the Argyns, but did not forget their humiliation. To always remember it, they even kept the name of Burdjigin, made out of two Bulgarian words: "buri" or "chin" [wolf] and "djigin" or "djakyn" - "prince"... From that clan came out the present ruler of the Kytay land Timer [Chingizkhan]...
Despite of the past wars, the relations of the State with Arakytays were good, and their merchants were frequently coming through the Altai to the Seber for their trading business. The Arakytays Khan Kara-Kolyn even sent to the Bulyar his ambassadors, who told the Kan: "The event with Djilka happened after the Djilka's ancestor, the Hons Kan Madji, defeated and killed our Khan and for a long time enslaved Arakytays, so that even the blood account of our feud is equal, and there is no sense to cloud our relations by already superfluous memories of the past insults. In fact, you are friends with the Kara-Kytays, and they are descendents of the Arakytays "... Gabdulla liked this straight talk, and he sent to Arakytays our ambassadors and merchants. The pestilent Kaymans, who managed to form their own beylik in the Altai, did not let the Kan's ambassador into the land of the Arakytays... When the Kaymans, together with Kytay tribe Kirey attacked Kara-Kolyn, Timer with his Burdjigins and Argyns traitorously switched over to the side of the enemies. However, Arakytay defeated the enemies and captured Timer, and then sold him to a merchant Nazym in the Kozgyn. Nazym did not bring the slave to the Echke Bulgar, as the Kytay slaves were not valued, and sold him to the Sabanian inal Kukdjal.. .. The Imenian Khan, learning about it, demanded from the Kara-Kytay Khan Aldjan to release Timer, as this Burdjigin earlier rendered him considerable services... Aldjan, mindful that the Imens would disrupt the trade with the Kara-Kytays, very important to them, meekly asked Chelbir to release Timer. The Kan has been appreciating the friendship with Aldjan, and ordered the Tubdjak Ulugbek Kara-Mergen to resolve the affair. The Ulugbek personally visited Saban-tüba and persuaded inal to release Timer, and for that he gave his daughter in marriage to the Kukdjal's son Kamal...
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Timer for a few years served the Imens, and then with their support seized most of the Kytay lands and began to call himself "Khan Chingiz". And this word, as the explained to me Saban inal Kukdjal, is the Imenian name of the clan Burdjigin... Kara-Kytays call Timer people "Tatars", the way they always called all Kytays who were serving Imens. In fact, Timer and his ancestors served Imens for a long time ...
The children of Kara-Kolyn with a part of remaining Arakytays and loyal Argyns fled to the kind Aldjan, and he sheltered them. In the beginning they were placed in the area Kagan located between river Uyyaguz (Ayaguz), lake Kagan (Zaisan), Kara-Yrtysh (Black Irtysh) and Kagan mountains (Tarbagatai Ridge). Then the younger son of Kara-Kolyn, Tudjun, also received pastures near t