Meaning of the Bulgachi-Saluchi ethnonym in "Zafar-name" by Nizam al-din Shami

Purpose. This article is the first attempt to provide a linguistic and historical-ethnographic analysis of the second component of the dual name of the cluster of Kyrgyz tribes « bulgachi-saluchi » mentioned in the sources dated back to Timurid era in the 14-15th centuries. Moreover, the ethnonyms bulgachi-sabudzhi, bulgachi-vilkar, bulgachi-dalkar are found in Timurid historical chronic writings together with bulgachi-saluchi. The etymology of the bulgachi ethnonym and its origin of the tribal clusters have already been discussed in Kyrgyzstan historiography for a long time. However, the second component of the name saluchi, as well as «sabudzhi», «vilkar», «dalkar» are yet to undergo analysis and be studied by researchers. The dual ethnonym bulgachisaluchi is mentioned only in historical sources of Timurid era in the 15th century, and later the second component was dropped. It is necessary to conduct a more detailed historical-ethnographic analysis of the ethnonym saluchi. Results. Comparative historical analysis of the available information (written sources and ethnographic materials) with the findings of other scholars showed that in the times of Timur’s troops invasion to Mogolistan (in 1388-1389) the bulgachi-saluchi tribal cluster resided in the mountainous regions of Jungar Alatau, which is located on the right bank of the Ili River. Our textual comparative analysis of the various manuscripts belonging to the Timurid era with the text of «Zafarname» by Shami revealed that the terms dalkar and vilkar were misrepresented by copyists and were just distorted variants of the ancient Turkic term ilgar with the meaning «leading tribe, avantgarde». Consequently, the avant-garde part of bulgachi under the name bulgachi-ilgar was located on the western coast of the Ili River, though the bulk of this tribe under the name bulgachi-saluchi inhabited the eastern coast, near the lake Sairam-Nuru. According to turkologists’ findings, the etymology of the term «saluchi» dates back to the ancient oguz tribe Salgur ( Salur ) and means a «warrior». The origin of the name Oguz Seljuk clan is the same, and it is known for founding the Seljuk state, which existed in the 11-12th centuries in the Middle East. Later some parts of Oguz tribes of Central Asia gradually integrated into the Uighur kagant and Kyrgyz kaganate, and during the Mongol period they were called saldzhiuts. Closer to the collapse of the Mongol Empire, they regained their ancient identity, which is reflected in the title of the Kyrgyz tribal cluster of bulgachisaluchi and the Tuvan tribe saldzhak. Conclusions. Summarizing the results of the analysis of written sources, ethnographic and linguistic materials the author points out that the origin of a large tribal union of the Kyrgyz tribes bulgachi ( bulgachi-saluchi ) is connected with the surviving parts of the ancient Oguz tribes in their ancestral homeland in Mongolia and Semirechie. There is a need to continue exploring inter-ethnic relations between the Kyrgyz and Oguz in ancient and medieval times, which allows researchers to clarify the meaning of the same components used for ethnic identification of the Kyrgyz people. These materials are very important for the development of training materials in the educational process in higher educational institutions of Kyrgyzstan and neighboring territories.