banknote of
Turkmenistan depicting
Oghuz Khagan Shajara-i Tarākima can be divided into three parts: information of a
Quranic nature (the story of
Adam); information based on the Turkmen epic, which includes the story of Oghuz Khaghann and his descendants, and information acquired through
oral tradition about the origin, division and location of the
Turkic tribal confederations (in particular, the legend of
Salyr), about
tamga,
ongons, and others.
Shajara-i Tarākima roughly follows
Rashid al-Din Hamadani’s already
Islamized and Mongolized version of the origin of Oghuz Khaghan and Turkmens. But in his account, Oghuz Khan is fully integrated into
Islamic and Mongol traditional history. The account begins with descent from
Adam to
Noah, who after
the Biblical Flood sends his three sons to repopulate the earth:
Ham was sent to
Hindustan,
Sam to
Iran, and
Yafes was sent to the banks of the Itil (
Volga) and Yaik (
Ural. Yafes had eight sons: Turk, Khazar, Saqlab, Rus, Ming, Chin, Kemeri, and Tarikh. As he was dying, he established Turk as his successor.
Tribal organization of Ancient Turkmens woman at the entrance to a
yurt in
Turkestan; 1911 color photograph by
Prokudin-Gorskii According to the
Genealogy of the Turkmens, Oghuz Khan had six sons, each of whom had four sons from their first wives and several more from their other wives. Twenty-four grandsons from the first wives of the sons of Oghuz Khan were the ancestors of the 24 oldest and main Oghuz Turkmen tribes and the heads of the Aimak. Each of the main 24 tribes was joined by other tribes whose ancestors were the grandsons of Oghuz Khan from the secondary wives of his sons and so on: this is the main association of several clans that formed a single Aimal. Two united Aimaks formed yuzluks. Yuzluks, in turn, were grouped into two main groups: Bozoks (senior tribes) and Uchoks (junior tribes). Thus, the ancient Turkmen were divided into two parts, Bozoks and Uchoks. Each of these was divided into 12 yuzluks, and each of the yuzluks was divided into two Aimaks. 24 Oghuz Turkmen tribes according to the
Genealogy of the Turkmens by
Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur: ;Bozoks (Gray Arrows) ;;Gün Han •
Kayı (the
Ottoman dynasty and the
Candar dynasty) •
Bayat (
Qajars,
Dulkadirids,
Fuzûlî) •
Alkaevli •
Karaevli ;;Ay Han •
Yazır •
Döger (
Artuqids) •
Dodurga •
Yaparlı ;;Yyldyz Han •
Afshar (
Afsharids and
Zengids) •
Qiziq •
Begdili (
Khwarazmian dynasty ) •
Kargın ;Üçoks (Three Arrows) ;;Gök Han •
Bayandur (founders of the
Aq Qoyunlu,
Qara Qoyunlu) •
Pecheneg (
Pechenegs) •
Çavuldur (
Tzachas) •
Chepni ;;Dag Han •
Salur (
Kadi Burhan al-Din,
Salghurids and
Karamanids; see also:
Salar people) •
Eymür •
Alayuntlu • Yüreğir (
Ramadanids) ;;Dengiz Han • Iğdır •
Büğdüz •
Yıwa (
Qara Qoyunlu and
Oghuz Yabgu State) •
Kınık (founders of the
Seljuk Empire) List of ancient Turkmen tribes whose forefathers were born from the younger wives of Oghuz Khaghan's sons:
Kene - Gune - Turbatly - Gireyli - Soltanly - Okly - Gekly - Kyrgyz - Suchly - Horasanly - Yurtchy - Jamchy - Turumchy - Kumy - Sorky - Kurjyk - Sarajyk - Karajyk - Tekin - Kazygurt - Lala - Merdeshuy - Sayir. The list of tribes whose ancestors were leaders in the army and close associates of Oghuz Khan, and which were considered part of the Turkmens in ancient times and the Middle Ages:
Kankalis -
Kipchaks -
Karluks -
Khalaj people ==Edition==