Uzbeks
- Uzbeg redirects here. For the Mongol khan, see Uzbeg Khan.
| File:Prokudin-Gorskii-42.jpg An Uzbek woman outside her yurt, ca. 1910. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Uzbekistan: 20,000,000 Afghanistan: 80,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Uzbek, northern and southern dialects | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam, Atheism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Turkic peoples |
Uzbeks (own name – O`zbek) - main population of Uzbekistan. The modern Uzbeks are predominantly Turkic people, Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school, yet their ethnogenesis shows significant Persian and Turco-Mongol elements. Uzbeks found primarily in Uzbekistan, along with large populations also living in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and the Xinjiang province of China. Smaller refugees populations of Uzbeks from Afghanistan are also found in Iran and Pakistan. The Uzbeks are a mainly Caucasoid though many of them have Mongoloid features.
Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims, albeit the majority of Uzbeks came to practice religion with a more liberal interpretation due to the official atheism of the former Soviet Union, while Uzbeks in Afghanistan and other countries to the south of tend to be more conservative. However, with Uzbek independence in 1991 came an Islamic revival amongst some segments of the population. People living in the area of modern Uzbekistan were first converted to Islam as early as the 8th century AD, as Arab troops invaded the area, displacing the earlier faiths of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Nestorian Christianity. Arab victory over the Chinese in 751, at the Battle of Talas, ensured the future dominance of Islam in Central Asia.
Uzbek language
The Uzbek language relates to south-eastern (central asian) or karluk group of Turkic languages. Uzbek language is close to Uyghur, Kazakh, Turkmen, and more distantly, to Turkish. Uzbek was written in Arabic, Latin, Cirillic scripts. Aftter independence government of Uzbekistan decided to adopt latin script.
There is strong impact of Persian, Arabic and Russian languages in modern Uzbek.
History
Formation of Uzbek people cover long historical period from early Paleolithic until 10th and 15th centuries AD . Different tribes and peoples, who were interconnected not only poltically and economically, but also ethnogenetically, inhabited Central Asia during many centuries.
Ancient ancestors of modern Uzbeks and some other Central Asian peoples were Sogdians, Khorezmians, Bactrians, Ferganians and Saka – Messagetae tribes.
From the beginning of the 1st century AD different Turkic-speaking tribes began to move to the area between Ox (AmuDarya) and Jaxart (SirDarya) rivers. Turkic tribes Hunnu or Huns inhabited this region between 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
From the 6th century when Central Asia was part of Turkic Kaganat migration of Turkic – speaking tribes had enforced. In the following centuries sedentary Turkic-speaking and sedentary Iranian-speaking people intermingled with nomads. With the development of feudal relations there had formed two ethnicities Uzbek and Tajik. This led to the formation of their languages and cultures.
Karakhanid state established in the Maverannakhr in the 10-11th centuries AD. Karakhanids brought with themselves several Turkic tribes, such as: Turgash, Tukhsil, Karluk, Chigil, Yagma, Oghuz, Argin and others.
After Mongol invasion of Central Asia several Mongol and Turko-Mongol tribes (Jalair, Barlas, Karlavut, Suldus, Bakhrin) dissolved in this region.
Between the 15th and 16th centuries AD Central Asian region was occupied by nomadic tribes from the steppe Dashti Kipchak (Kipchaks, Naymans, Kanglis, Kungrats and Mangits) leading by Sheybani Khan. From that time majority of Turkic – speaking people are called their selves as Uzbeks. After Russian invasion almost all Turkic peoples of modern Uzbekistan including Khorezmians were called Uzbeks.
Name
It has been traditionally believed that the Uzbeks take their name after the Golden Horde's most famous ruler, Uzbeg Khan. His name means "independent" or "the lord itself", from Uz – self, Bek - a noble title of leadership. Many Uzbekistani scholars, however, reject this point of view, because, in their opinion, the name alludes to the qualities of the Uzbek people rather than to the ancient ruler.
The name Uzbek, both for the people and for the nation itself, is often said to be self-referential from the period the Russians first encountered the people, parsing as ozum bek, or "I am the lord (or ruler)".
References
- Great Soviet Encyclopedia, the 9th part, pages 483-489
- Uzbekistan. The Golden Road to Samarkand.