Oghuz Khagan

Oghuz Khan
Modern-day representation of Oghuz Khan as Dhu al-Qarnayn, with two horns, on a 100 manat banknote
Born
Known forbeing an eponymous ancestor of Oghuz Turks
TitleKhagan
PredecessorQara Khan
SuccessorDivision of Empire between his sons
ChildrenGun, Ay, Yildiz, Kok, Tagh, Tengiz
Parents

Oghuz Khagan or Oghuz Khan (Turkish: Oğuz Kağan or Oğuz Han; Azerbaijani: Oğuz Xan or Oğuz Xaqan; Turkmen: Oguz Han or Oguz Kagan) is a legendary khan of the Turkic people and an eponymous ancestor of Oghuz Turks.[1] Some Turkic cultures use the legend of Oghuz Khan to describe their ethnic and tribal origins. The various versions of the narrative preserved in many different manuscripts have been published in numerous languages as listed below in the references. The narratives about him are often entitled Oghuzname, of which there are several traditions, describing his many feats and conquests, some of these tend to overlap with other Turkic epic traditions such as Seljukname and The Book of Dede Korkut.

The name of Oghuz Khan has been associated with Maodun, also known as Mete Han; the reason being that there is a remarkable similarity between the biography of Oghuz Khagan in the Turkic mythology and the biography of Maodun found in the Chinese historiography, which was first noticed by the Russo-Chuvash sinologist Hyacinth.[2][3]

  1. ^ Bonnefoy, Yves (1993). Asian Mythologies. University of Chicago Press. p. 337. Oghuz Khan , the eponymous ancestor of the Oghuz from whom the Seljukids and the Ottomans descended , probably owes his reputation to the importance...
  2. ^ Bichurin N.Ya., "Compilation of reports on peoples inhabiting Central Asia in ancient times", vol. 1, Sankt Petersburg, 1851, pp. 56–57
  3. ^ Taskin V.S., "Materials on history of Sünnu", transl., 1968, Vol. 1, p. 129