Name of Oguz
The name of Oguz is derived from the word of "ok" (arrow). The word of ok has also the meaning of "tribe" in Turkish language. As a matter of fact, this word was translated into Chinese language as "tribe" even in those periods (for example On-ok = Ten tribes).
Accordingly, the suffix of z that was the plural suffix in the ancient Turkish language was attached to the word "ok" and "the name of "Oguz" was derived thereof. In fact, the name of "Oguz" is not an "ethnical" name and it is a word that directly defined the meaning of "Turkish tribes".
The name of "Oguz" has been firstly observed in the 1st inscription ("Six Oguz tribal union") in the banks of the Barlık Stream (Ulu-kem: flows into Yenisey River). It is the subject matter that 6 tribes had integrated and formed a "tribal union". Since the inscription belonged to their beys, it should be admitted that these Oguz people survived within these environs in the form of a union. However, it seems possible to date back the identification of Oguz style to the very ancient periods.
Within the Chinese resources, a tribe named as O-kut (there was not the name of Turk in those periods) pertaining to the 2nd century BC was cited. This name was the Chinese form of the Turkish name of "Ogur". This difference has resulted from the difference of pronunciation of some Turkish communities that spelled the voice of z as r in Turkish language. In other words, it is the expression of the name of Oguz in R Turkish. The region of Tabargatay-Kobdo was indicated as the region of O-kut people within the Chinese resources. As it has been known, this region was a region of Turks
Oguz and Gok Turk People of the Same Race
Some of the Turkish tribes that had gathered within the structure of the Gok-Turk khanate since the 6th century formed a union among themselves just like some other Turkish tribes. They had established the Dokuz-Oguz (Nine-Oguz) khanate within the region of Tolga-Selenga Rivers. Oguz people that were defeated by Ilteriş (Inek Gölü War) in the year of 682 were in this situation. The stele of Baz Kagan who was the ruler of the Oguz State was erected in the tomb of Ilteriş Kagan.
We have dealt with the attitudes and rebellions of Oguz people in the period of the Gok-Turk khanate. On this occasion, the expressions within the inscriptions indicate that there was not any differentiation between Oguz and Gok-Turk people. Furthermore, it was stated that Oguz people constituted the base for the khanate. Therefore, it was already accepted that Oguz people and Gok-Turk people were of the same kind.
However, Thomsen V considered Oguz people as "a tribal union under the high sovereignty of Turks" within his las article that he allocated in the inscription of Tonyukuk. This historical reality was then considered as an "ethnical" difference and the issue was studied in details with new researches. Thus, there has aroused an important point of conflict in relation with the consideration of Oguz people as Turks and or any other ethnical organisation. The first important issue that is related with this matter is whether such a community existed in return for Oguz people.
It is possible to give a negative reply to this question. Actually, it has been cited that the name of "Turk" was a political name used for the expression of an "ethnical identity" with the meaning of power-strength. Therefore, they are included within the same ethnical community together with the Oguz people that came from the lineage of "Turk". In other words, the Oguz people and Gok-Turk people were of the same kind. Now, as for the second issue: which "Turkish" community founded the Gok-Turk State.
As it has been known, this state was founded by an ancient Turkish ruler dynasty called as "Aşina" through the support of the groups with "Turkish origin" around this dynasty. These groups must have been the Turks (in other words Oguz) that had formed a tribal union. W. Barthold had the opinion that "the Gok-Turk rulers were from the origin of Dokuz-Oguz". This opinion proves the relation between Aşina family and the members of this Oguz unio. However, it has been cited within the Chinese resources that the Turkish (Gok-Turk) community in the 6th-7th centuries were directly composed of this group of Oguz people. Within the documents pertaining to the T'ang period (T'ang-su and Kiu T'ang-shu almanacs and 4 state translation), the nine tribes (the "Dokuz-Oguz" people in the inscriptions) were sometimes cited as the "nine tribes of Turks (Gok-Turks) or "the Turks (Gok-Turks) of Nine tribes, and sometimes as "nine tribes of Töles people".
Therefore, the Dokuz-Oguz people of Töles people and the Dokuz-Oguz people of Gok-Turk people were the same groups. In other words, the Oguz tribes constituted the community that formed the Gok-Turk State. In the Chinese resources, the Oguz people were not cited as a separate group (for example; directly as "Oguz" people) in the period of the Gok-Turk Khanate and the word of Oguz was translated as Nine tribes (Kui-sin) in these resources. This situation displays that there was not any need for the identification of the community that was composed of T'u-küe (=Turk) under a different name. Due to the same reason, the name of "Oguz" was not cited in the period of 1st Gok-Turk Khanate within the inscriptions. However, in the period of interregnum, the members of the Aşina dynasty became puppets in the service of the Chinese palace.
Upon this event, some of the tribes got organised among themselves and they founded a "state". This state was the "organised" Oguz union that rebelled against the ruler's dynasty in the period of the 2nd Gok-Turk Khanate. The government tried to suppress these rebellions of this union. Afterwards, the term of "Turkish tribal union" that were stated within the inscriptions implied the groups that were directly under the domination of the ruler doubtlessly. Within the inscriptions, the ruler had uttered that "Oguz tribal union belonged to the Turkish tribal union".
It is difficult to observe a contradiction between this statement and the rebellions of Oguz people. Actually, the subject matter was composed of the struggle of the "people" against the dynasty that they supported and exalted. (There are some other examples for this situation in the Turkish history). The resistance of Karluk people against Kara-Hanli people, the resistance of Turkmen people against the Seljuk sultans and the fight of Sultan Sencer that was an Oguz in origin against the rebellious Oguz people, etc…).
Period after the Gok-Turk State
Particularly the Islamic resources have cited the Uighur people as Dokuz-oguz people. Therefore, the misinterpretation that was caused by this statement must have been eliminated pursuant to the determination of Uighur tribes and the Dokuz-oguz (nine oguz) tribes (see above Uighur people).
In the beginning of the Uighur Khanate, Mo-yen-çur who was just a "tegin" (prince) was the leader of the Oguz people. However, after a short period, the Oguz people rebelled against the Uighur ruler. They were composed of "Sekiz-oguz" (Eight-Oguz) tribes. Mo-yen-çur Ruler defeated the Oguz people that had collaborated with Otuz-Tatars in Burgu and in the banks of Selenga River successively. Oguz people passed over Selenga River and they retreated.
There is not much information about the Oguz people that stayed in the homeland region following this period. There must have been a probable movement of migration in the direction of the west. Ibnü'l-Esir declared that the Oguz people had come to the region of Transoxania in the perod of the Caliph El-Mehdi (775-785). It has been anticipated that these people were related with the "Dokuz-oguz" (Nine-Oguz) raid that was forayed towards Uşrusana (between Seyhun- Samarkand) between the years 820-821 that was cited in the work titled as Al-Taberi.
On the basis of these events, the members of the "Oguz union" must have immigrated to the region of Talas before immigration to Orhun region in crowded groups.
Considering that the Turkish language spoken by Seyhun Oguz people in the 11th century was different from the language spoken by the eastern Turks in respect of wolds and pronunciation, it has been alleged that this migration must have taken place before the 9th century.
Oguz Lands
In the first half of the 10th century, Oguz people were observed in the steppe lands of Seyhun and within the environs of the cities of Karacuk (Farab) and Sayram (isticab). According to the Islamic geographers and (Al-Balhi, İstahri, İbn Havkal) and the work titled as Hududü'l-Alem, the region of Oguz people had expanded within the lands extending from the Caspian Sea in the west (therefore, the peninsula located in the east of this sea was named as Mankışlak in Turkish), the city of Gürgenç in the south and the town of Cit in the south-west of this city, the town of Baratekin (in the south of the Lake Aral), and the south of Bokhara in Transoxania towards the city of Savran located in the skirts of Karacuk Mountains. The semidesert that extended from the Karacuk Mountains towards the Caspian Sea was called as "Oguz Steppe Lands" (Mafazü'l-Guziya).
Oguz Yabgu State
In the first half of the 10th century, Oguz people had founded a state with the winter centre of Yeni-kent. Their leader was entitled as Yabgu. A chief leader entitled with the title of Kül Erkin would be his regent and the army was commanded by Police Superintendent. There is some evidence showing that the Yabgu State did not have friendly relation with the Pecenek and Khazar people that were their neighbours.
According to Ibn-i Fadlan (the first quarter of the 10th century) and El-Mes'udi, there was always a state of war between them. The Afrigi family that was the native dynasty of Harezm was under the pressure of Oguz people. It has been understood from the death of Oguz Yabgu (prince) in one of the wars that Oguz people was involved in a struggle with Karluk people that were their neighbours in the east. On the other hand, Kaşgarli Mahmud dealt with the deep-rooted hostility between the Oguz people and Cigil people. Either friendly or hostile relations with Kimek people in the north were continued in the same manner. These Oguz people would bear the name of "Turkmen" as a political identity name apart from the general name of "Turk". After their entrance into the Muslim countries, they were also cited with this name within the Islamic resources.
There is not any clear information about the history of Oguz Yabgu State. Reşidü'd-din (the first quarter of the 14th century) dealt with a person named as Ali Han who was the last Oguz Yabgu and he stated that Ali Han's son was Shah-melik, the famous Cend "sovereign" that caused trouble for Tugrul and Cagri Beys as a mortal enemy in the first periods of the Seljuk State. This information that he had provided is considered as having an "epic" character.
Collapse of Oguz Yabgu State and the Following Periods
In the period of the Yabgu State, the Oguz people were organised in two sections such as Üç-oklar (Three arrows) and Boz-ok (Grey Arrow). There are two lists about these Oguz tribes. One of them was given within DLT, the work of Kasgarli Mahmud titled as Divan-ı Lügat-it Turk (3rd quarter of the 11th century) and the other was given within the work of Reşid-üd-din titled as Cami-üt-tevarih (the first quarter of the 14th century). 22 tribes were shown within the work of DLT, Divan-ı Lügat-it Turk together with separate seals. Reşi-üd-din has increased the number of tribes to 24 and he had classified the Oguz people in two groups such as Boz-ok and Üç-ok. He had also identifed the "ongon" (totem) of each tribe in addition to the separate seals: The Oguz tribes included the Bok-ok tribes: Kayı, Bayat, Alka-evli (Alka Bölük), Kara-evli (Kar-bölük), Yazır, Döğer, Dodurga, Yaparlı, (not included within DLT), Afşar, Kızır (not included within DLT), Beğdili, Karkın (not included within DLT. Çaruklu is included in its place). Üç-Ok tribes: Bayındır, Peçene, Çavuldur, Çepni, Salur, Eymür, Alayuntlu, Yüreğir, İğdir, Büğdüz, Yıva (Iva), Kınık.
Towards the year of 1000, the Oguz Yabgu State collapsed. It is considered that the state collapsed as a result of the disintegration of Seljuk family together with the crowded groups subject to them in addition to the pressure of Kipchak (Kuman) people, a branch of Kimek people that came into existence as a power in the 9th century.
According to Kasgarli's map (in addition to the DLT), Kipchak people had invaded "Oguz steppe lands" and the lower section of the Seyhun River in the middle of the 11th century.
Upon the collapse of the Yabgu State, a crowded group of Oguz people emigrated from the north of the Black Sea towards the west (Uz people). Another groups was oriented towards Cend region and then, to Khorasan (Seljuk people). It has been observed that the Oguz people who stayed in their lands resided in the region of Karacuk Mountains, in Mankışlak and in the towns located on the banks of Seyhun. It has also been observed that there were "Turks" in Cend and Karakum in the period of the Mongolian invasion.