The
Karluks (obs.
Qarluqs,
Qarluks,
Karluqs, Arab/Persian
Halluh,
Chinese ???;???;
pinyin Géluólù, customary phonetic
Gelolu,
Gelu,
Khololo,
Khorlo,
Harluut) were a prominent
nomadic Turkic tribe residing in the regions of Kara-Irtysh (Black
Irtysh) and
Tarbagatai west of the
Altay Mountains in
Central Asia. They were closely related to the
Uygurs. Karluks gave their name to the distinct Karluk group of the
Turkic languages, which also includes the
Uygur,
Uzbek and
Ili Turki languages. Karluk is widely known as
Chagatai language. Karluks were known as a coherent ethnic group with autonomous status within the
Turkic Kaganates, and the independent states of the Karluk
Yabgu and
Karakhanids, before being absorbed in the
Chagatai Ulus of the
Mongol empire.
The first Chinese reference to the Karluks (644 AD) labels them with a Manichaean attribute Lion Karluks (Shi-Gelolu, shi stands for Sogd. "lion"). The "lion" (Tr. "arslan") Karluks persisted up to the time of the Mongols [1]. In the Early Middle Age, organized as the Uch-Karluks (Three Karluks) union, composed of Karluks, Chigils, and Yagma tribes, they were members of the Turkic Kaganate. After the split of the Kaganate around 600 into the Western and Eastern Kaganates, the Uch-Karluks remained in the Western Turkic Kaganate under a non-autonomous home rule, as the members of the five Tele (Dingling) tribes that did not receive autonomy the Karluks; the Yagma (Yan Nyan); the Kipchaks; the Basmyls; and the Hun (Dulu) tribes Chue, Chumi, and Shato. After the breakup of the Western Turkic Kaganate around 630, the Karluk union became independent, and by the year 665 it was led by a former Uch-Karluk bey with the title Kül-Erkin, now titled "Yabgu" (prince), who had a powerful army. The Karluk vanguard left the Altai region, and at the beginning of the 8th century reached the banks of the Amu Darya.[2]
The Karluks were a branch of the Turkic Türgesh, or aboriginal Altaians. In 650 AD, at the time of their submission to the Chinese, the Karluks had 3 tribes Meulo, Chjisy (Popou), and Tashili. On paper, the Karluk divisions received Chinese names as Chinese provinces, and their leaders received Chinese state titles. Later, the Karluks spread from the valley of the river Kerlyk along the Irtysh River in the western part of the Altay to beyond the Black Irtysh, Tarbagatai, and towards the Tien Shan. [3].
In 630 AD the Aru-Kagan (Chinese, Helu) of the Eastern Turkic Kaganate was captured by the Chinese, and his heir apparent, the "lesser Khan" Khubo, with a major part of the people and 30,000 members of the army, escaped to Altai, conquered the Karluks in the west, the Kyrgyz in the north, and took the title Ichju Chebi Khan. The Karluks allied with the Dingling and their leaders the Uygurs against the Turkic Kaganate, and participated in enthroning the victorious head of the Uygurs (Tokuz Oguzes). After that, a smaller part of the Karluks joined the Uygurs, and settled in the Bogdo-Ola mountains in Mongolia, and the larger part settled in the area between Altai and the eastern Tien Shan.[4]
