Chigils

Tschigil or Tschigilen ( Turkish CIGIL ) is the name of an ancient Turkic people. The Tschigil originally lived in the Altai and formed part of the later tribal federation of the Kipchaks. There they were associated, among others, the clan of the Kimek.

History

As in the 6th century attracted the Kipchaks to the west, the Tschigil remained first in the Altai region. There they were subjected to 552 from the tribe of the " door " under their Khagan Bumin Ilkhan.

In the 7th century, parts of the Tschigil moved from the Altai region from west and settled near the Aral Sea. They settled among the Turkic tribes of Türgiş and the Oghuz. With the latter, the Tschigil also resulted in wars for the few fertile pastures in the region.

Other parts of the Tschigil settled down southwest of Issyk Kul. There they continued to live according to nomadic tradition between the Taras (Kazakhstan ) region and the city of Kashgar. There the Tschigil from the 9th century came under the political influence of Karluks.

The Tschigil who lived in the steppes of Transoxiana were subjected from the 10th century by the Seljuk Turks, and were again independently in the 11th century. They appeared Mahmud al - Kashgari as a nomadic tribal federation, which consisted of three tribes.

In the 13th century the Tschigil appear as vassals of the Khorezm Shah. So in 1220 the Tschigil were conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan and belonged from about 1226 to the Chagatai Khanate.

Footnotes

• Ethnicity in Asia
• Turkic ethnic group