Qaraei
Encyclopedia
The Qaraei or Kara Tatar (Qarai, Qaray, Karai,Garai, Gharaei, Ghara Tatar, Qara Tatar, , , , , , , , , ) are an ethnic group who live between the Altay Mountains
and the Black Sea
, in Central Asia
, the Middle East
, Transcaucasia and Eastern Europe
.
They are known as Qaraei,Gharaei,Gharaee,Garai in USA, Iran
, Azerbaijan
, Afghanistan
, Pakistan
and India
, as Qara Tatar in Turkey
, Iran
and former USSR and also as Garayeli and Garayelu in Iran
.
word Kara, which means black
. The term originally was used to refer to the Kara Tatar Black Tatars, various clans and tribes such as Tatars
, Keraits, and Tayichiud
who resided in Mongolia
and Central Asia
. They arrived in the Middle East
as part of the Mongol Army when their chief Baiju
was the Mongol Commander who invaded Transcaucasia, Anatolia
and parts of Persia. In Turkey
they mixed with the native population of Sivas, Kayseri
who were Turkmen
, while Timur
who had invaded the Ottoman Empire
moved some 40,000 of them to (Damghan
and Torbat-e Heydarieh
in Khorasan
and also his capital Samarqand). In Persia they mixed with the native population and thus adopted Persian
customs and language. As part of the Ottoman Army under their chiefs Minnet Bey and Minnetoglu Mehmed-beg they settled in (Filibe, Bulgaria
) and conquered Bosnia
.
, an idea which may have been introduced through ecclesiastical conversion made among proto-Turkic tribes before Babai the Great
and their subsequent adoption of Islam. Today the Qara Tatars and Qaraei,Garai,Gharaei are scattered across the three continents of Asia
, Europe
and America
. They primarily live in Iran
, Azerbaijan
and Turkey
, though in the past they lived in Central Asia
, Afghanistan
, Crimea
, Tatarstan
and the Balkans
.
It is believed that the so-called Qara Tatars (meaning Black Tatars) were descendants of the Toquz Tatar clans (meaning Nine Tatar) who in 740 A.D. united with the Oghuz Turkic tribes and rebelled against their overlords the Gok Turks (meaning Blue Turks) during the reign of the Gok Turk Khaghan, Kul Tegin, whose military commander Mojilian Shad (later known as Bilge Khan
was the one who crushed the rebels at the Battle of Aghu. As a result of this defeat, the Oghuz
and Toquz Tatars moved to the eastern lands. They settled along the lower end of the Kerulen river and west of Lake Buir, close to the Mongolian-Chinese border.
Their name Qara Tatar (Black Tatar) was first given to them by the Chinese
, which was Heitata, due to their dark features and black hair color. This name was used to distinguish them from the other Tatars who had fair skin and red hair color. YAP signature Haplogroups found among men in their populations indicate an Arabian origin.
The Qara Tatars were not a major power in Central Asia and the Mongolian steppes until the 12th century. From the time of their settlement in Mongolia
, they were ruled by the Uighurs, Kirghiz, Kara Khitans and the Chinese. However, in the 12th century they became a powerful tribal group who posed a threat to the Mongolian Altan Khanate, the Chinese Empire, and other Tatar clans such as the Keraits, Naimans
and Kara-Khitans.
Their most famous leader was Temujin Uge who in the autumn of 1167 was captured by Genghis Khan
’s father Yesükhei. Thus Yesükhei named his newborn son (i.e. Genghis Khan) Temujin after the name of the captive chieftain. In 1196 Genghis Khan, together with his ally Wang Khan
, the chieftain of the Kerait
, began to launch attacks on the Tatar clans of the Lake Buir and Kerulen River and the Abakan Tatars. Megujin Se Ulte, who was the Khagan of the Qara Tatars and son of Temujin Uge, was defeated and killed at the Battle of the river Ulja. The Mongols
massacred every teenage and adult male Tatar, keeping only women and children alive.
However, Genghis Khan adopted a four-year-old Tatar prince who had golden ear rings. The boy, Shiqi Khutuqu, became a fearless commander in Genghis Khan’s army and played a major role in the wars against the Khwarezmian Empire
of Persia and the Chinese Qin
Empire. By 1202 all the Tatar tribes had come under the Mongol realm.
to supervise the Seljuqs who were now Mongol vessals. Their most famous leaders were Baiju
Noyan, chief commander of Mongol army in Persia and Anatolia
(1241–1246), and his son Samagar Noyan
, who was the Governor-general of Anatolia (c.1265-1274, 1277–1284) for the Ilkhan Mongol ruler of Persia, Abaqa. Arab Noyan Samaghar's son was the first Muslim Qara Tatar; he was Governor of Sivas (c.1284-1300s) for the Ilkhanid ruler Sultan Mahmud Ghazan.
After the Ilkhanid period, the Qara Tatars in Anatolia came under the Eretna Emirate in Kayseri and subsequently under Kadi Burhan al-Din
state in Sivas. Muruvvet Bey (c.1370s-1398), chieftain of the Qara Tatars in Sivas, was a close friend of Kadi Burhan al-Din
and fought against his own son-in-law Kara Osman
of the Ak Koyunlu
Horde who had their capital in Diyarbakir
.
In 1394, Qara Tatar territories came under Ottoman
rule. However, Sultan Bayezid I
could not hold these territories long as a new threat came from the east. In the year 1402, when Tamerlane defeated the Ottoman army at the Battle of Ankara
and captured the Ottoman Sultan Yildirim Bayezid I
, the Qara Tatars who were in the service of the Ottomans and had played a major role in Tamerlane’s victory by siding with him, were now rewarded as some of them remained in Anatolia
as powerful tribes while others were moved to Khorasan
in today’s Iran and Samarqand, Tamerlane’s capital in modern Uzbekistan, and given territories to live in.
However, when Nader Shah became the Emperor of Persia in 1735, he gathered some of the Qara Tatars from across Persia, approximately 4,000 families and settled them in Khorasan in Torbat-e Heydarieh
and Khaf
townships and made Najafaliqoli Khan Qara Tatar as their chief. From this time their power grew which then from (1802–1816) under Sardar Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati and subsequently under his son Sardar Mohammad Khan Qaraei-Torbati (1823–1829) had formed an independent Khanate in Khorasan who posed a threat to the ruling Qajar Dynasty of Persia.
By 1925 when Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power, the tribal lifestyle of the Qaraei changed. The Qaraei were no longer a tribal people and had become city dwellers.
, see also: Franco-Mongol alliance
, Kerman
, Fars and West Azerbaijan.
According to a recent census, current nomadic tribal Qaraei population in Iran is 1,740 household or a total of 7,780 people, mostly reside in Kerman province and Hormozgan province
.
In Khorasan province, they lived as tribal people in Torbat-e Heydarieh
and its districts (Dowlatabad; Roshtkhar; Rabat Baba Qodrat), Khaf
, Kashmar
, Mahmudabad (Khorasan) in Torbat-e-Jam, Soltanabad (Khorasan) in Torshiz. They had their own Qaraei Khanate with each district or town ruled by a khan while the main khan resided in Torbat-e Heydarieh
.
In Yazd
province, they lived as tribal people in Tabas
, Tun
and Taft
. They had their own Qaraei Khanate ruled by two khans, one in Tabas and the other in Tun
. They are descendants of Allah Qoli Khan, son of Mohammad Khan. His mother was the daughter of Amir Hasan Khan Zangooyi-Sheybani-Tabasi, the powerful chieftain of the Zangooyi clan of the Arab Sheybani tribe of Tabas. The Qavami are one of the Qaraei clans of Tun.
In Kerman
province, they lived as nomadic tribal people who switched their place of living accordingly to Summer or winter seasons. Their summer quarter stretched from the Kana Sorkhòi mountain pass, on the Kerman-Saidabad (Sirjan
) road, down to the neighborhood of Balvard. Their winter quarters were in the Ayn-al-Bagal region, across the salt lake from Saidabad.
According to Encyclopaedia Iranica, in 1957 they comprised some 420 households and their tiras (clans) were: Tela Begi, Kurki, Abbasi, Beglari, Haydari and Yar-Ahámadi. The village of Tangu was their headquarters.
In Fars province, the Qaraei lived as clans within the nomadic Qashqai
tribal confederation that comprised Turkic
, Arab and Tajik clans. There are clans by the name Qaraei in the Amala tribe, Eynalli (Inanlu) and Arab Jabbara tribes of the Khamseh tribal confederacy, and in the Bakesh tribe of the Mamasani tribal confederacy. Some Qaraei lived in the dehestan of Sar Ahan, near Bavanat, and in the dehestan of Abada Tashk, near Neyriz
. It is believed that the Qaraei of Kerman and Fars were moved there from Khorasan during the Safavid period.
In West Azerbaijan province, the Qaraei lived as clans within the Shahsevan tribal confederations, near modern Urmia
.
, after he signed the treaty of Gyandzha with the Russians, two Qaraei Khans with the names of Islam Khan and Fath Khan who were commanders in the Persian army took governorship of Ganca. They might have been Khorasani Qaraeis. Today there is nothing known about the Qaraei in Azerbaijan.
came under Qaraei Khanate territory. Eshaq Khan made his nephew Yusef Ali Khan the chief in Ghurian.
Tatar. They are believed to be the descendants of Samagar Noyan, a Mongol commander under Abaqa Ilkhan who held the position of Governor-general of Anatolia from 1271-1276. They lived in cities and townships of Sivas(Sebastea), Kayseri
(Caesarea), Iskillip, Kirsehir
, Tokat
and Amasya
. After the collapse of the Ilkhanid Sultanate in 1337, the Kara Tatars lived as tribes under a chief with a title of bey. Their beys were vassals of Eretnids, Kadi Burhan al-Din
Ahmed State, Ak Koyunlu
Horde and Ottoman
Sultans.
were a result of force settlements by the Ottoman sultans. The first of these was the forced population settlement of the Crimean Tatars under their chief Aktav in 1393. The second was the forced population settlement of Tatars from Saruhan under their chief Pasayigitbey (Pasha Yegit Bey) in 1400, in Filibe (modern Plovdiv
), both during the reign of Bayezid I (1380–1402). The third was the forced population settlement of Kara Tatars from Iskilip under their chief Minnet Bey to Konit Hisari (near Filibe) in 1418 during the reign of Mehmet I (1413–1421).
.
who dwell on the Cheptsa River"
and Azerbaijani
in Iran
, Dari
in Afghanistan
, Azerbaijani
in Azerbaijan
, Turkish
and Turkmen
in Turkey
,
Tajik
and Uzbek
in Uzbekistan
, Russian
in Russia
, Ukrainian
in Ukraine
and Bulgarian
in Bulgaria
.
.
Altay Mountains
The Altai Mountains are a mountain range in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob have their sources. The Altai Mountains are known as the original locus of the speakers of Turkic as well as other members of the proposed...
and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Transcaucasia and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
.
They are known as Qaraei,Gharaei,Gharaee,Garai in USA, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, as Qara Tatar in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and former USSR and also as Garayeli and Garayelu in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Etymology
The name of the Qaraei people derives from the TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word Kara, which means black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
. The term originally was used to refer to the Kara Tatar Black Tatars, various clans and tribes such as Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
, Keraits, and Tayichiud
Tayichiud
The Tayichiud were one of the three core tribe Khamag Mongol confederation in Mongolia in 12th century. Though Khiyad Borjigids and Tayichiuds were closely related and shared a common ancestry Bodonchar, at times they were arch rivals for the rule of Khamag Mongol...
who resided in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. They arrived in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
as part of the Mongol Army when their chief Baiju
Baiju
Baiju was a Mongol commander in Persia appointed by Ögedei Khan to succeed Chormagan, and expand Mongol power further in that area....
was the Mongol Commander who invaded Transcaucasia, Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and parts of Persia. In Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
they mixed with the native population of Sivas, Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
who were Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
, while Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
who had invaded the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
moved some 40,000 of them to (Damghan
Damghan
Damghan is a city in and capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families.Damghan is situated from Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of...
and Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....
in Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
and also his capital Samarqand). In Persia they mixed with the native population and thus adopted Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
customs and language. As part of the Ottoman Army under their chiefs Minnet Bey and Minnetoglu Mehmed-beg they settled in (Filibe, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) and conquered Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
.
Emergence of the Kara Tatar
Qara Tatar legend trace their ancestry back to Nimrod whom they make into a descendant of Salm son of FereydunFereydun
Fereydūn also pronounced Farīdūn or Afrīdūn , also called Apam Napat, "Son of the Waters", is the name of an Iranian mythical king and hero who is an emblem of victory, justice and generosity in the Persian literature.-Etymology:All of the forms of...
, an idea which may have been introduced through ecclesiastical conversion made among proto-Turkic tribes before Babai the Great
Babai the Great
Babai the Great was an early church father of the Church of the East. He set several of the foundational pillars of the Church, revived the monastic movement, and formulated its Christology in a systematic way. He served as an unofficial head of the Nestorian Church from 611 to 628 AD, leaving a...
and their subsequent adoption of Islam. Today the Qara Tatars and Qaraei,Garai,Gharaei are scattered across the three continents of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They primarily live in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, though in the past they lived in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
It is believed that the so-called Qara Tatars (meaning Black Tatars) were descendants of the Toquz Tatar clans (meaning Nine Tatar) who in 740 A.D. united with the Oghuz Turkic tribes and rebelled against their overlords the Gok Turks (meaning Blue Turks) during the reign of the Gok Turk Khaghan, Kul Tegin, whose military commander Mojilian Shad (later known as Bilge Khan
Bilge Khan
Bilge Qaghan was khagan of the Second Eastern Turkic Khaganate...
was the one who crushed the rebels at the Battle of Aghu. As a result of this defeat, the Oghuz
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
and Toquz Tatars moved to the eastern lands. They settled along the lower end of the Kerulen river and west of Lake Buir, close to the Mongolian-Chinese border.
Their name Qara Tatar (Black Tatar) was first given to them by the Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, which was Heitata, due to their dark features and black hair color. This name was used to distinguish them from the other Tatars who had fair skin and red hair color. YAP signature Haplogroups found among men in their populations indicate an Arabian origin.
The Qara Tatars were not a major power in Central Asia and the Mongolian steppes until the 12th century. From the time of their settlement in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, they were ruled by the Uighurs, Kirghiz, Kara Khitans and the Chinese. However, in the 12th century they became a powerful tribal group who posed a threat to the Mongolian Altan Khanate, the Chinese Empire, and other Tatar clans such as the Keraits, Naimans
Naimans
The Naimans, also Naiman Turks or Naiman Mongols, was a Mongolian name given to a group of people dwelling on the steppe of Central Asia, having diplomatic relations with the Kara-Khitan, and subservient to them until 1177...
and Kara-Khitans.
Their most famous leader was Temujin Uge who in the autumn of 1167 was captured by Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
’s father Yesükhei. Thus Yesükhei named his newborn son (i.e. Genghis Khan) Temujin after the name of the captive chieftain. In 1196 Genghis Khan, together with his ally Wang Khan
Wang Khan
Wang Khan, also Ong Khan, was the title given to the Kerait ruler Toghrul by the Jurchen Jin Dynasty of China. Like the rest of their tribe he may have been Nestorian Christian...
, the chieftain of the Kerait
Kerait
The Kereit tribe was one of the five major tribal confederations in Mongolian plateau in the 12th century, and dominant in the area and, as allies of Genghis Khan, influential in the rise of the Mongol Empire...
, began to launch attacks on the Tatar clans of the Lake Buir and Kerulen River and the Abakan Tatars. Megujin Se Ulte, who was the Khagan of the Qara Tatars and son of Temujin Uge, was defeated and killed at the Battle of the river Ulja. The Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
massacred every teenage and adult male Tatar, keeping only women and children alive.
However, Genghis Khan adopted a four-year-old Tatar prince who had golden ear rings. The boy, Shiqi Khutuqu, became a fearless commander in Genghis Khan’s army and played a major role in the wars against the Khwarezmian Empire
Khwarezmian Empire
The Khwarazmian dynasty or Khwarezmian dynasty, also known as Khwarezmids, dynasty of Khwarazm Shahs or Khwarezm-Shah dynasty was a Persianate Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic mamluk origin.They ruled Greater Iran in the High Middle Ages, in the period of about 1077 to 1231, first as vassals of...
of Persia and the Chinese Qin
Qin
-Chinese dynasties and states:*Qin , a state of China during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty*Qin Dynasty , which followed Qin's unification of China in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC*Da Qin , Roman Empire, 202 BC to AD 220...
Empire. By 1202 all the Tatar tribes had come under the Mongol realm.
13th to 15th century
In the years between 1230 and 1243, Qara Tatars as members of the Mongol army swept through Afghanistan and Persia, and after the defeat of the Seljuqs of Rum at the Battle of Kosedag in 1243, settled in AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
to supervise the Seljuqs who were now Mongol vessals. Their most famous leaders were Baiju
Baiju
Baiju was a Mongol commander in Persia appointed by Ögedei Khan to succeed Chormagan, and expand Mongol power further in that area....
Noyan, chief commander of Mongol army in Persia and Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
(1241–1246), and his son Samagar Noyan
Samagar
Samagar, also Cemakar, was a Mongol general of the Il-Khan ruler Abaqa Khan , mentioned as leading a Mongol invasion force in 1271, in attempted coordination with the Ninth Crusade.-Background:...
, who was the Governor-general of Anatolia (c.1265-1274, 1277–1284) for the Ilkhan Mongol ruler of Persia, Abaqa. Arab Noyan Samaghar's son was the first Muslim Qara Tatar; he was Governor of Sivas (c.1284-1300s) for the Ilkhanid ruler Sultan Mahmud Ghazan.
After the Ilkhanid period, the Qara Tatars in Anatolia came under the Eretna Emirate in Kayseri and subsequently under Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din Ahmed was vizier and atabeg to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 783 AH he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He was an outstanding Turkish poet. He was also a poet who wrote primarily in Persian...
state in Sivas. Muruvvet Bey (c.1370s-1398), chieftain of the Qara Tatars in Sivas, was a close friend of Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din Ahmed was vizier and atabeg to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 783 AH he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He was an outstanding Turkish poet. He was also a poet who wrote primarily in Persian...
and fought against his own son-in-law Kara Osman
Kara Osman
Qara Osman or Kara Osman or Qara Yoluq Osman or sometimes Uthman was a late 14th- and early 15th-century leader of the Turkmen tribal federation of Aq Qoyunlu in what is now Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Turkey...
of the Ak Koyunlu
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu or Ak Koyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans , was an Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled parts of present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, and Iran from 1378 to 1508.-History:According to chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, the Aq Qoyunlu...
Horde who had their capital in Diyarbakir
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
.
In 1394, Qara Tatar territories came under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule. However, Sultan Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
could not hold these territories long as a new threat came from the east. In the year 1402, when Tamerlane defeated the Ottoman army at the Battle of Ankara
Battle of Ankara
The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...
and captured the Ottoman Sultan Yildirim Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
, the Qara Tatars who were in the service of the Ottomans and had played a major role in Tamerlane’s victory by siding with him, were now rewarded as some of them remained in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
as powerful tribes while others were moved to Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
in today’s Iran and Samarqand, Tamerlane’s capital in modern Uzbekistan, and given territories to live in.
16th to 20th century
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Qara Tatars started to call themselves Qaraei and served in the Safavid Persian Army. Throughout this period they were scattered across Iran and Afghanistan by the Safavid Shahs who feared their power.However, when Nader Shah became the Emperor of Persia in 1735, he gathered some of the Qara Tatars from across Persia, approximately 4,000 families and settled them in Khorasan in Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....
and Khaf
Khaf
Khaf may refer to:* Khaf County, Iran* Khaf, Iran, the capital of Khaf County* Kaph * Half Moon Bay Airport, whose ICAO code is KHAF...
townships and made Najafaliqoli Khan Qara Tatar as their chief. From this time their power grew which then from (1802–1816) under Sardar Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati and subsequently under his son Sardar Mohammad Khan Qaraei-Torbati (1823–1829) had formed an independent Khanate in Khorasan who posed a threat to the ruling Qajar Dynasty of Persia.
By 1925 when Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power, the tribal lifestyle of the Qaraei changed. The Qaraei were no longer a tribal people and had become city dwellers.
Kara Tatar Noyans and Beys
- Baiju NoyanBaijuBaiju was a Mongol commander in Persia appointed by Ögedei Khan to succeed Chormagan, and expand Mongol power further in that area....
, Chief of Besud Clan (d.1260?), West Asia, Transcaucasia & Asia MinorAsia MinorAsia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
: MaraghehMaraghehMaragheh also Romanized as Marāgheh and Marāghen) is a city in and the capital of Maragheh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 146,405, in 38,891 families....
(c.1241-1246); Sivas(c.1258-1260) - Samagar NoyanSamagarSamagar, also Cemakar, was a Mongol general of the Il-Khan ruler Abaqa Khan , mentioned as leading a Mongol invasion force in 1271, in attempted coordination with the Ninth Crusade.-Background:...
, (d.1284?) Rum: Sivas (c.1264-1274, 1277-1284).
, see also: Franco-Mongol alliance
Franco-Mongol alliance
Franco-Mongol relations were established in the 13th century, as attempts were made towards forming a Franco-Mongol alliance between the Christian Crusaders and the Mongol Empire against various Muslim empires. Such an alliance would have seemed a logical choice: the Mongols were sympathetic to...
- Qutu Noyan, c.1277, grandson of BaijuBaijuBaiju was a Mongol commander in Persia appointed by Ögedei Khan to succeed Chormagan, and expand Mongol power further in that area....
. - Arap Noyan, GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of KonyaKonyaKonya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, KayseriKayseriKayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
(c.1295) - Ishbugha Noyan, GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of AmasyaAmasya- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:... - Teberruk Bey
Ottoman Military Chiefs and Sancaks
- Muruvvet Bey (d.1398?), Governor of KirsehirKirsehirKırşehir, formerly Macissus and Justinianopolis, is a city in Turkey. It is the capital district of the Kırşehir Province. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 121,947 of which 105,826 live in the city of Kırşehir.-History:The history of Kırşehir dates back to the Hittites...
(c.1398)
- Minnet Bey Governor of IskilipIskilipİskilip is a district of Çorum Province of Turkey, on the left bank of the River Kızılırmak, located at 56 km from the city of Çorum, 100 miles northeast of Ankara and 60 miles southeast of Kastamonu. It covers an area of 1,187 km², and the elevation is 2460 ft . Population is about 39,124 of...
(c.1400); Konit Hisari; Filibe(c.1418?) - Mehmet Minnetovic, SanjakSanjakSanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
: SarajevoSarajevoSarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
(c.1463-1464)
Khurasan
| Name | | Image | Title | Start term | | End term | Seat | | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazem Beg Qara Tatar |
ilkhan of Qara Tatar tribe | 1728 | Merv Merv Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of... |
He was murdered in battle against Nadir Shah in 1728. | ||
| Sarukhan Qara Tatar |
ilkhan of Qara Tatar tribe | 1728 | Merv Merv Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of... |
Appointed by Nadir Shah as Chieftain of the tribe after death of Kazem Beg. |
| Name | | Image | Title | Start term | | End term | Seat | | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Qoli Khan Qaraei |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | Zaveh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... |
Chieftain of the tribe, he was succeeded as ilkhan by his son Mozaffar Khan. | |||
| Mozaffar Khan Qaraei |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | Zaveh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... |
Chieftain of the tribe during reign of Nader Shah Afshar. | |||
| Haji Mohammad Beg Qaraei |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | Zaveh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... |
a Qaraei Chieftain in Afsharid dynasty army (d.1745). He was set up by Nader Shah Afshar, sent to a battle where he would eventually die. | |||
| Najaf Qoli Khan Qara Tatar |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | Zaveh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... |
He was murdered by his own kinsmen. | |||
| Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Agha Mohammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He was fluent in Persian and Arabic.-Rise to power:... |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | |1816 | Zaveh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... |
son-in-law of Najaf Qoli Khan. Governor Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families.... (c.?-1816); Mashhad Mashhad Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its... (c.1813). Commander-in-Chief of Khurasan, Vizier of Khurasan, father-in-law of Khurasan governor Mohammad Vali Mirza Qajar. He was executed by the order of Fath Ali Shah. |
||
| Mohammad Khan Qaraei-Torbati Mohammad Khan Qaraei-Torbati Sardar Mohammad Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Fath Ali Shah. He was admired by his friends and cursed by his foes.... |
ilkhan of Qaraei tribe | 1816 | |1833 | Dowlatabad (Khorasan) | son of Eshaq Khan, He was also Governor of Ghurian Ghurian Ghurian is a city and the administrative center of Ghurian District in Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is an uncommon name, but when used means "giant lumber" or "rock hard". It is 790 m high with a population of more than 54,000 people. There is a local TV station and a health center. Ghurian is... (1813-1816);Mashhad Mashhad Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its... (1829). Imprisoned in Tehran Tehran Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to... for two years, then lived in exile in Tabriz Tabriz Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former... and Karbala Karbala Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people .... . |
- Minor Khans
Name | Image Title Start term | End term Seat | Note Mohammad Ali Khan Qaraei Zaveh Torbat-e HeydariehTorbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....a Qaraei Chieftain in Safavid dynasty army, c.1729 Baqer Khan Qaraei Zaveh Torbat-e HeydariehTorbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....a Qaraei Chieftain in Safavid dynasty army, c.1729 Amir Khan Qaraei Dowlatabad (Khorasan) also appointed Governor of Mashhad MashhadMashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
(c.1749) by Noor Mohammad Afghan on behalf Ahmad Shah DurraniAhmad Shah DurraniAhmad Shah Durrani , also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī and born as Ahmad Khān, was the founder of the Durrani Empire in 1747 and is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.Ahmad Khan enlisted as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose...
.Hassan Khan Qaraei |1775 Dowlatabad (Khorasan) brother of Amir Khan. He was murdered by a Prince Nasrollah Afshar, great-grandson of Nader Shah Afshar. Hassan Ali Khan Qaraei-Torbati 1815 |1816 Torshiz eldest son and heir to Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-TorbatiEshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Agha Mohammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He was fluent in Persian and Arabic.-Rise to power:...
, also Governor of Soltanabad (Khorasan)(1816). He was executed by the order of Fath Ali Shah.Yousef Ali Beg Qaraei-Torbati |1803 1813 Ghurian GhurianGhurian is a city and the administrative center of Ghurian District in Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is an uncommon name, but when used means "giant lumber" or "rock hard". It is 790 m high with a population of more than 54,000 people. There is a local TV station and a health center. Ghurian is...nephew of Eshaq Khan. Hossein Ali Khan Qaraei-Torbati 1816 |1818 Zaveh Torbat-e HeydariehTorbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....fourth son of Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-TorbatiEshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Agha Mohammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He was fluent in Persian and Arabic.-Rise to power:...
.Lutf Ali Beg Qaraei-Torbati 1818 |1821 Mahmoudabad (Khorasan) eldest son Hasan Ali Khan. Navab Khanoom Qara Tatar Jafarabad (Khorasan) daughter of Najaf Qoli Khan and wife of Eshaq Khan. Amin Khan Beg Qara Tatar Roshtkhar son of Najaf Qoli Khan. Allah Qoli Khan Qaraei-Torbati Tun Tun- Science and technology :* TUN/TAP, a computer network device driver* TUN , a Danish product standard for building materials* Tun , a part of the Mayan long count calendar system* A unit of time in the Mayan Long Count calendar...a son of Mohammad Khan's Arab wife Haji Khan Yavar Roshtkhar a colonel in Persian Army. Mohammad Khan Yavar Roshtkhar son of Haji Khan, a colonel in Persian Army. Zolfaqar Khan Qaraei Roshtkhar a descendant of Eshaq Khan's son Ahmad Khan. He was one of the Khans in Roshtkhar region from the early 1900s til the 1930s. He was known as Emad-ul-Mamalik. Abolfazl Khan Qaraei Roshtkhar a descendant of Eshaq Khan's son Ahmad Khan. He was one of the Khans in Roshtkhar region from circa early 1900s. He was a cousin of Zolfaqar Khan.
- Princely Families
Name | Image Father Mother |Note Jafar Qoli Mirza Qajar Mohammad Vali Mirza Qajar daughter of Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-TorbatiEshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Agha Mohammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He was fluent in Persian and Arabic.-Rise to power:...a commander in Persian Army. Qahreman Mirza Qajar Hasan Ali Mirza Qajar daughter of Eshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati Eshaq Khan Qaraei-TorbatiEshaq Khan Qaraei-Torbati , was one of the wealthiest and most powerful chieftains in Khorasan during the reigns of Agha Mohammad Khan and Fath Ali Shah. He was fluent in Persian and Arabic.-Rise to power:...his father was Shoja os Saltaneh. He is ancestor of Qahreman, Qahremani and Shojania families of Khorasan.
Original Homeland
Towns and cities of their habitat is unknown, roughly along the lower Kerulen river along the Mongolian-Chinese border. Also see Kereit.Iran
The Qaraei in Iran are scattered. They live in the provinces of Khorasan, YazdYazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
, Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
, Fars and West Azerbaijan.
According to a recent census, current nomadic tribal Qaraei population in Iran is 1,740 household or a total of 7,780 people, mostly reside in Kerman province and Hormozgan province
Hormozgan Province
Hormozgan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, facing Oman. Its area is , and its provincial capital is Bandar Abbas...
.
In Khorasan province, they lived as tribal people in Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....
and its districts (Dowlatabad; Roshtkhar; Rabat Baba Qodrat), Khaf
Khaf
Khaf may refer to:* Khaf County, Iran* Khaf, Iran, the capital of Khaf County* Kaph * Half Moon Bay Airport, whose ICAO code is KHAF...
, Kashmar
Kashmar
Kashmar is a city in and the capital of Kashmar County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Kashmar is located near the river Sish Taraz in the western part of the province, and south of the province's capital Mashhad, in Iran, from east to Bardaskan, west to Torbat-e Heydarieh, north to...
, Mahmudabad (Khorasan) in Torbat-e-Jam, Soltanabad (Khorasan) in Torshiz. They had their own Qaraei Khanate with each district or town ruled by a khan while the main khan resided in Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh
Torbat-e Heydarieh is a city in and capital of Torbat-e-Heydarieh County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 119,390, in 31,869 families....
.
In Yazd
Yazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
province, they lived as tribal people in Tabas
Tabas
Tabas is a city in and capital of Tabas County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 30,681, in 7,962 families.Tabas is located in central Iran, 950 kilometers southeast of Tehran, in Yazd Province. Formerly it was part of the Khorasan province. It is a desert city with...
, Tun
Tun
- Science and technology :* TUN/TAP, a computer network device driver* TUN , a Danish product standard for building materials* Tun , a part of the Mayan long count calendar system* A unit of time in the Mayan Long Count calendar...
and Taft
Taft, Yazd
Taft is a city in and the capital of Taft County, Yazd Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 15,329, in 4,265 families....
. They had their own Qaraei Khanate ruled by two khans, one in Tabas and the other in Tun
Tun
- Science and technology :* TUN/TAP, a computer network device driver* TUN , a Danish product standard for building materials* Tun , a part of the Mayan long count calendar system* A unit of time in the Mayan Long Count calendar...
. They are descendants of Allah Qoli Khan, son of Mohammad Khan. His mother was the daughter of Amir Hasan Khan Zangooyi-Sheybani-Tabasi, the powerful chieftain of the Zangooyi clan of the Arab Sheybani tribe of Tabas. The Qavami are one of the Qaraei clans of Tun.
In Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
province, they lived as nomadic tribal people who switched their place of living accordingly to Summer or winter seasons. Their summer quarter stretched from the Kana Sorkhòi mountain pass, on the Kerman-Saidabad (Sirjan
Sirjan
Sirjan is a city in and the capital of Sirjan County, Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 167,014, in 40,605 families....
) road, down to the neighborhood of Balvard. Their winter quarters were in the Ayn-al-Bagal region, across the salt lake from Saidabad.
According to Encyclopaedia Iranica, in 1957 they comprised some 420 households and their tiras (clans) were: Tela Begi, Kurki, Abbasi, Beglari, Haydari and Yar-Ahámadi. The village of Tangu was their headquarters.
In Fars province, the Qaraei lived as clans within the nomadic Qashqai
Qashqai
Qashqai are the largest group of nomadic pastoralists people of Azeri descent who mainly live in the provinces of Fars, Khuzestan and southern Isfahan on the territory of modern Iran, especially around the city of Shiraz in Fars. They speak the Qashqai language which is a member of the Turkic...
tribal confederation that comprised Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
, Arab and Tajik clans. There are clans by the name Qaraei in the Amala tribe, Eynalli (Inanlu) and Arab Jabbara tribes of the Khamseh tribal confederacy, and in the Bakesh tribe of the Mamasani tribal confederacy. Some Qaraei lived in the dehestan of Sar Ahan, near Bavanat, and in the dehestan of Abada Tashk, near Neyriz
Neyriz
Neyriz is a city in and the capital of Neyriz County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 45,180, in 11,970 families....
. It is believed that the Qaraei of Kerman and Fars were moved there from Khorasan during the Safavid period.
In West Azerbaijan province, the Qaraei lived as clans within the Shahsevan tribal confederations, near modern Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
.
Azerbaijan
Some Qaraei tribes lived as clans within the Shahsevan tribal confederation in Mughan throughout the 17th century. When Nader Shah in 1740s recovered the lost Persian territories of the CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, after he signed the treaty of Gyandzha with the Russians, two Qaraei Khans with the names of Islam Khan and Fath Khan who were commanders in the Persian army took governorship of Ganca. They might have been Khorasani Qaraeis. Today there is nothing known about the Qaraei in Azerbaijan.
Afghanistan
Under Eshaq Khan, the chief of the Qaraei tribe in Khorasan, the city of GhurianGhurian
Ghurian is a city and the administrative center of Ghurian District in Herat Province, Afghanistan. It is an uncommon name, but when used means "giant lumber" or "rock hard". It is 790 m high with a population of more than 54,000 people. There is a local TV station and a health center. Ghurian is...
came under Qaraei Khanate territory. Eshaq Khan made his nephew Yusef Ali Khan the chief in Ghurian.
Turkey
In Turkey they are known as Kara Tatar, Küyin Tatar and SamagarSamagar
Samagar, also Cemakar, was a Mongol general of the Il-Khan ruler Abaqa Khan , mentioned as leading a Mongol invasion force in 1271, in attempted coordination with the Ninth Crusade.-Background:...
Tatar. They are believed to be the descendants of Samagar Noyan, a Mongol commander under Abaqa Ilkhan who held the position of Governor-general of Anatolia from 1271-1276. They lived in cities and townships of Sivas(Sebastea), Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
(Caesarea), Iskillip, Kirsehir
Kirsehir
Kırşehir, formerly Macissus and Justinianopolis, is a city in Turkey. It is the capital district of the Kırşehir Province. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 121,947 of which 105,826 live in the city of Kırşehir.-History:The history of Kırşehir dates back to the Hittites...
, Tokat
Tokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey, at the mid Black Sea region of Anatolia. According to the 2009 census, the city of Tokat has a population of 129,879.-History:Tokat was established in the Hittite era....
and Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
. After the collapse of the Ilkhanid Sultanate in 1337, the Kara Tatars lived as tribes under a chief with a title of bey. Their beys were vassals of Eretnids, Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din
Kadi Burhan al-Din Ahmed was vizier and atabeg to the Eretnid rulers of Anatolia. In 783 AH he took over Eretnid lands and claimed the title of sultan for himself. He was an outstanding Turkish poet. He was also a poet who wrote primarily in Persian...
Ahmed State, Ak Koyunlu
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu or Ak Koyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans , was an Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled parts of present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, and Iran from 1378 to 1508.-History:According to chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, the Aq Qoyunlu...
Horde and Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultans.
Bulgaria
The Kara Tatars of BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
were a result of force settlements by the Ottoman sultans. The first of these was the forced population settlement of the Crimean Tatars under their chief Aktav in 1393. The second was the forced population settlement of Tatars from Saruhan under their chief Pasayigitbey (Pasha Yegit Bey) in 1400, in Filibe (modern Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
), both during the reign of Bayezid I (1380–1402). The third was the forced population settlement of Kara Tatars from Iskilip under their chief Minnet Bey to Konit Hisari (near Filibe) in 1418 during the reign of Mehmet I (1413–1421).
Bosnia
Minnetoglu Mehmed-beg :bs:Minnetoglu Mehmed-beg was the Sancak of BosniaBosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
.
Crimea
- The Kara Tatars ruled as a dynasty in CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and KazanKazanKazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
under the name of Giray Dynasty. The dynasty ruled in Crimea from their capital Baghchisaray from the 1440s until June 1792, when they were conquered by the Russians and also ruled in KazanKazanKazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
(TatarstanTatarstanThe Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
) roughly between 1524 to 1551.
Former USSR
Kara Tatar are listed as an ethnic group of USSR. "The Kara Tatar call themselves the Qara Tatar and have also been known as the Nukrat Tatar. They are a small group of Volga TatarsVolga Tatars
The Volga Tatars are the largest subgroup of the Tatars, native to the Volga region.They account for roughly six out of seven million Tatars worldwide....
who dwell on the Cheptsa River"
Music
Qaraei is one of the music sub-style(gusheh) of Afshari(dastgah) of Iranian traditional music.Carpet weaving
Qaraei are well known for their carpet weaving, specially Qaraei of Khorasan.Language
The Qaraei have adopted the language of the country they settled in. Thus they speak PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Dari
Dari (Eastern Persian)
Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
,
Tajik
Tajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
and Uzbek
Uzbek language
Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia...
in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
Religion
They originally were Shamanist and Nestorian. In modern times they are Sunni and Shi'a, and some practice Karaite JudaismKaraite Judaism
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
.
Further references
- rugreview
- A look at the word tribal by Murray L. Eiland
- The word Karai in Iranica Encyclopaedia
- From the horses mouth with Jerry Anderson
- Craycraft, Michael: Belouch and Karai Rugs of Torbat-i-Heydarieh
- Qaraei Tribe of Sirjan
- http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Persia/qajar6.htm
- Central Asia After the Mongol Invasion-Islam and Sedentray Life as a Consequence by Prof. Dr. Ozkan Izgi
- http://rbedrosian.com/tm4.htm rbedrosian
- The word Deportation in Iranica Encyclopaedia
- http://www.ozturkler.com/data/0003/0003_03_02.htm ozturkler
- List of Qara Tatar clans
- http://www.enfal.de/otarih23.htm
- http://hattusa.sitemynet.com/b_kale.htm
- Afshar and Khorasani Turks
- Beginning of Great Mongolia
- http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/MONGOLS.htm