Mughal people

Last updated
Mughal
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Hindustani (Urdu-Hindi), Punjabi, Bangla
Persian (formerly)
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Mongolic and Turkic peoples

The Mughals (also spelled Moghul or Mogul) are a number of culturally related peoples in modern-day North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who claimed they are descended from the various Central Asian Mongolic [1] [2] and Turkic tribes and Persians that settled in Mughal India.[ citation needed ] The term Mughal (or Moghul in Persian) literally means Mongol. [3]

Contents

History and origin

In North India, the term Mughal refers to one of the four social groups that are referred to as the Ashraaf in Pakistan, the Gheba and Kassar in Punjab claim from the Barlas, a Mongol tribe that had later been Turkicised. [4] [5] Sir Denzil Ibbetson, the eminent British student of Punjabi tribal structures, noted a tendency among many tribes of the Pothohar and Upper Hazara regions of Northern Pakistan to claim Barlas Mughal ancestry.[ citation needed ]

In North India

In North India, the term Mughal refers Gürkani Türk or Timurids. They are also sometimes referred to as Chughtais or Chagatai Türks named after Chagatai Turkic language spoken by the Barlas and other Central Asian tribes. But one of the social groups that are claim to as the Ashraaf. [6] [ full citation needed ]

In Uttar Pradesh

The Sambhal, who claim Turkic descent, identify as a Biradari, literally translating to "brotherhood", which is the word used for a social unit based on kinship such as tribe or clan. [7] The chief of the Biradari is the "Sardar", who is usually an elder man annually elected as the greatest man in the Biradari. Decisions on important matters are taken only after consulting the Biradari, and once taken binding on every member. [8]

Present circumstances

North India

The community had traditionally served as soldiers in the armies of the various Turkic dynasties which ruled the Indian subcontinent. They were and still are a community of small to medium-sized farmers. A good many are also traders. Like other Gujarati Muslims, they have a caste association known as the Jamat, which acts both as a welfare organization and an instrument of social control. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

Khan is a historic Mongolic and Turkic title originating among nomadic tribes in the Central and Eastern Eurasian Steppe to refer to king. It first appears among the Rouran and then the Göktürks as a variant of khagan and implied a subordinate ruler. In the Seljuk Empire, it was the highest noble title, ranking above malik (king) and emir (prince). In the Mongol Empire it signified the ruler of a horde (ulus), while the ruler of all the Mongols was the khagan or great khan. The title subsequently declined in importance. During the Safavid and qajar dynasty it was the title of an army general high noble rank who ruling a province, and in Mughal India it was a high noble rank restricted to courtiers. After the downfall of the Mughals it was used promiscuously and became a surname. Khan and its female forms occur in many personal names, generally without any nobiliary of political relevance, although it remains a common part of noble names as well.

The Barlas were a Mongol and later Turkicized nomadic confederation in Central Asia. With military roots in one of the regiments of the original Mongol army, the Barlas spawned two major imperial dynasties in Asia: the Timurid Empire in Central Asia and Persia; and its later branch, the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timurid dynasty</span> Turco-Mongol dynasty (1370–1857)

The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani, was a Sunni Muslim dynasty or clan of Turco-Mongol origin descended from the warlord Timur. The word "Gurkani" derives from "Gurkan", a Persianized form of the Mongolian word "Kuragan" meaning "son-in-law". This was an honorific title used by the dynasty as the Timurids were in-laws of the line of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire, as Timur had married Saray Mulk Khanum, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. Members of the Timurid dynasty signaled the Timurid Renaissance, and they were strongly influenced by Persian culture and established two significant empires in history, the Timurid Empire (1370–1507) based in Persia and Central Asia, and the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) based in the Indian subcontinent.

The Karluks were a prominent nomadic Turkic tribal confederacy residing in the regions of Kara-Irtysh and the Tarbagatai Mountains west of the Altay Mountains in Central Asia. Karluks gave their name to the distinct Karluk group of the Turkic languages, which also includes the Uzbek, Uyghur and Ili Turki languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turco-Mongol tradition</span> 14th-century ethnocultural synthesis in Asia

The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually assimilated into the Turkic populations that they conquered and ruled over, thus becoming known as Turco-Mongols. These elites gradually adopted Islam, as well as Turkic languages, while retaining Mongol political and legal institutions.

Hajji Beg Barlas was a leader of the Barlas tribe, he was the immediate predecessor in this role to his nephew Timur, who later founded the Timurid Empire, he was the great-great-grandson Qarachar Barlas his lineages tracing as Hajji Beg the son of Burlaki Barlas the son of Nemule Barlas the son of Yesunte Mongke Barlas the son of Darughachi Qarachar Barlas, Hajji Barlas was the Mongol Military Commander, he was given Hajji title of his surname because he pilgrimages to Mecca his real name "Saif al-din Barlas", and get the Beg title was given for his Chieftain or Head-Leader of Barlas Clan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moghulistan</span> Mongol breakaway khanate of the Chagatai Khanate

Moghulistan, also called the Moghul Khanate or the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, was a Mongol breakaway khanate of the Chagatai Khanate and a historical geographic area north of the Tengri Tagh mountain range, on the border of Central Asia and East Asia. That area today includes parts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and northwest Xinjiang, China. The khanate nominally ruled over the area from the mid-14th century until the late 17th century.

Muslim communities in South Asia apply a system of social stratification. The stratification that operates among Muslims arises from concerns other than in the concepts of pure and impure that are integral to the Indian caste system. It developed as a result of relations between the foreign conquerors and local upper caste Hindus who converted to Islam (Ashraf) and the local lower caste converts (Ajlaf) as well as the continuation of the Indian caste system among local converts. Non-Ashrafs are backward caste converts. The neologism "Pasmanda" includes Ajlaf and Arzal Muslims, and Ajlafs' statuses are defined by them being the descendants of converts to Islam and are also defined by their pesha (profession). These terms are not used in local, sociological vocabulary in places such as Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, and therefore tell us very little about the functioning of Muslim society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semu</span> Yuan dynasty caste

Semu is the name of a caste established by the Yuan dynasty. The 31 Semu categories referred to people who came from Central and West Asia. They had come to serve the Yuan dynasty by enfranchising under the dominant Mongol caste. The Semu were not a self-defined and homogeneous ethnic group per se, but one of the four castes of the Yuan dynasty: the Mongols, Semu, the "Han" and the Southerners. Among the Semu were Buddhist Turpan Uyghurs, Tanguts and Tibetans; Nestorian Christian tribes like the Ongud; Alans; Muslim Central Asian Turkic peoples including the Khwarazmians and Karakhanids; West Asian Arab, Jewish, Christians and other minor groups who are from even farther west.

The Dughlat clan was a Mongol clan that served the Chagatai khans as hereditary vassal rulers of several cities in western Tarim Basin, in modern Xinjiang, from the 14th century until the 16th century. The most famous member of the clan, Mirza Muhammad Haidar, was a military adventurer, historian, and the ruler of Kashmir (1541–1551). His historical work, the Tarikh-i Rashidi, provides much of the information known about the family.

The Qara'unas or Negüderi were the Mongols who settled in Afghanistan after moving from Turkestan and Mongolia.

Jalair, also Djalair, Yyalair, Jalayir, is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's Jami' al-tawarikh. They lived along the Shilka River in modern Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia. After the Mongol conquest in the 13th century many Jalairs spread over Central Asia and the Middle East. Jalairs are one of the founding tribes of Mongolia's largest ethnic group Khalkha. Smaller clans named Jalayir are also found in Inner Mongolia in China. The Jalayirs who stayed in Central Asia under the rules of Genghis Khan's older sons' descendants eventually adopted Turkic language. They are found among the Kazakhs of the Great jüz; also they are found among the Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, and the Kyrgyz. The Jalairs who went to Iran and Iraq found the Jalairid Sultanate in 1330, and expanded into Turkey. The state was subjugated by the Kara Koyunlu in 1432.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Mughals</span>

The Khan Mughal are a clan of the Chaghatai Mughal tribe found in and around Kashmir and Punjab, particularly near the mountains of the Pir Panjal Range and the city of Nabeel. They traditionally assert descent from the Barlas tribe of the Chaghatai Mughal Turks who conquered the Indian subcontinent. Their ancestors initially spoke Persian and Chaghatai Turkic. The renowned Dhaka Nawab dynasty averred descent from the Khan Mughal clans of Iranian Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timur</span> Turco-Mongol military leader and conqueror (1336–1405)

Timur or Tamerlane was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeated commander, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders and tacticians in history, as well as one of the most brutal and deadly. Timur is also considered a great patron of art and architecture as he interacted with intellectuals such as Ibn Khaldun, Hafez, and Hafiz-i Abru and his reign introduced the Timurid Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Uttar Pradesh</span>

Islam in Uttar Pradesh is the second largest religion in the state with 38,483,967 adherents in 2011, forming 19.26% of the total population. Muslims of Uttar Pradesh have also been referred to as Hindustani Musalman. They do not form a unified ethnic community, but are differentiated by sectarian and Baradari divisions, as well as by language and geography. Nevertheless, the community shares some unifying cultural factors. Uttar Pradesh has more Muslims than any Muslim-majority country in the world except Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran and Turkey.

The history of the Uyghur people extends over more than two millennia and can be divided into four distinct phases: Pre-Imperial, Imperial, Idiqut, and Mongol, with perhaps a fifth modern phase running from the death of the Silk Road in AD 1600 until the present.

Bodonchar Munkhag was a renowned Mongol Borjigin tribal chieftain and warlord. He was a direct ancestor of Genghis Khan who was the founder of Mongol Empire in 1206, as well as the Mongol Barlas tribe of the Central Asian conquerer Amir Timur who was the founder of Timurid Empire in 1370.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urdu-speaking people</span>

Native speakers of Urdu are spread across South Asia. The vast majority of them are Muslims of the Hindi–Urdu Belt of northern India, followed by the Deccani people of the Deccan plateau in south-central India, the Muhajir people of Pakistan, Muslims in the Terai of Nepal, and the Biharis and Dhakaiyas of Old Dhaka in Bangladesh. The historical centres of Urdu speakers include Delhi and Lucknow, as well as the Deccan, and in the modern era, Karachi. Another defunct variety of the language was historically spoken in Lahore for centuries before the name "Urdu" first began to appear. However, little is known about this defunct Lahori variety as it has not been spoken for centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkic peoples in India</span> Expatriate group

Turkic peoples have historically been associated as one of the non-indigenous peoples to have ruled areas of India and the Indian subcontinent. Although modern day Turks in India are very small in number, and are likely recent immigrants from Turkey. In the 1961 census, 58 people stated that their mother tongue was Turkish. According to the 2001 census, 126 residents of India stated their place of birth as Turkey. In a state visit during early 2010, Prime Minister Abdullah Gül of Turkey met Turkish expatriates living in India and handed out Hindi-Turkish dictionaries to Turkish students in New Delhi.

Ichil Barlas, also known Ichil Noyan was a Head of Barlas Confederation, advisor and minister of Chagatai Khan's, he was ruled a region named Transoxiana, the land based on Middle Asia, he was the son and successor of his father Qarachar who was the founder of Barlas confederation and governor of transoxiana, he was the paternal Great-Great-Grandfather of Timur the central Asian conquer, who founded the Timurid Empire, Ichil paternally direct descendent of Tumanay Khan, Khan of the Mongol Borjigin Confederation.

References

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  2. Liz Wyse and Caroline Lucas (1997). Atlas Of World History. Scotland: Geddes & Grosset.
  3. Collins Compact Dictionary. Glasgow: HarperCollins. 2002. ISBN   0-00-710984-9.
  4. B.F. Manz, The rise and rule of Tamerlan, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1989, p. 28: "... We know definitely that the leading clan of the Barlas tribe traced its origin to Qarachar Barlas, head of one of Chaghadai's regiments ... These then were the most prominent members of the Ulus Chaghadai: the old Mongolian tribes — Barlas, Arlat, Soldus and Jalayir ..."
  5. M.S. Asimov & C. E. Bosworth, History of Civilizations of Central Asia, UNESCO Regional Office, 1998, ISBN   92-3-103467-7, p. 320: "... One of his followers was [...] Timur of the Barlas tribe. This Mongol tribe had settled [...] in the valley of Kashka Darya, intermingling with the Turkish population, adopting their religion (Islam) and gradually giving up its own nomadic ways, like a number of other Mongol tribes in Transoxania ..."
  6. Muslim Caste in Uttar Pradesh (A Study of Culture Contact), Ghaus Ansari, Lucknow, 1960
  7. Shenila Khoja-Moolji (2018). Forging the Ideal Educated Girl:The Production of Desirable Subjects in Muslim South Asia. University of California Press.
  8. Khan Amanat (1938). Agriculture and Live Stock In India Vol-viii. The Imperial Council Agriculture Research. p. 485.
  9. People of India Gujarat Volume XXI Part Three edited by R.B Lal, P.B.S.V Padmanabham, G Krishnan & M Azeez Mohideen pages 1394-1399