THE SPIRITUAL CULTURE OF THE CITIZENS IN THE ANCIENT TURKIC KHAGANATE (ETIQUETTE TRADITIONS)
A.A. NURZHANOV — Тhe leading researcher, doctor in history
The Institute of Archaeology named after A.H. Margulan Ministry of Education and Science RK
The materials on etiquette consisting of rules of behavior and related to them regulations and submissions, as well as the canonized responsibilities and moral values should be transferred to the cultural heritage of the citizens. It is known that the norms of behavior, as well as rituals differ by its greatest conservatism in comparison with the other components of culture. Even those innovations that have been caused by penetration of foreign religious traditions or civilized novelties, sometimes only changed the appearance of their displays. The traditional table etiquette of the Sogdian society is known. For example, in case if the landlord wanted to show his special favor to the guest, he took the most dainty morsel with his hand, and sent it into mouth of his guest. This tradition prevails among the peoples of the Central Asia. After finishing the meal a prayer is enounced, and then the guests bespeaking to the God: «We have reduced (edible food on the table — NA), You do multiply it. The tradition of exchanging gifts between the host and guest of the house is accepted in Iranian society. [1, p. 155]. Such kind of practice of table etiquette is typical for the traditional culture of the peoples of the Central Asia.
Terracotta art (paintings in buildings especially of Sogdiana) gives an idea not only about the image of the citizens, but also about some traditions. For example, about the tradition of a beard wearing. Special attention was paid to it, because the absence of a beard was a disgrace for a man. The luxuriant beard was a kind of indicator of respectability, and the tradition of painting a beard and hands with henna demonstrated piety. However, the excessive use of perfumes dispraised men in traditional society, giving priority in this to women. Saadi says: «A beautiful image, brocade dressing, perfume, aloe, blush, perfume and lust, all of these are considered to be the jewelry for women …». Periodic removal of hair on the body by special consistency and means committed in the baths were almost ubiquitously distributed among the Iranians. [2, p. 152-153].
Also the various regulations on religious, civil and criminal cases, are contained in the Koran; together with this in order to justify ceremonies and various regulations and proscriptions of behavior in different situations in life the Sunnah is of a great value which represents by itself a set of traditions and rules of conduct of an ancient community, and turns to be the theory and practice of Muslim belief. Hadith which are the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad obtained the special importance with the spread of Islam, and collectors of Hadith «modernized them in accordance with the needs of that period of time, and also the establishments of customary law included in the compilation of the stories …» [3, p.167].
In Carahanid Khaganate, certainly Muslim customs and traditions of etiquette are dominated, though, as it was evidenced by archaeological data, the Sogdian and Turkic remnants were still obviously strong. Thus, ossuarian-hum rite has been preserved in some of the citizens up to the Mongol conquests, although the vessels for charnel were not set up in naoussa, but in the ruins of residential buildings. The decorations have been fixed in most of buried in the necropolis. Earrings, bracelets, hair jewelry, pendants, necklaces, charms, pins, broach and embroidered belt plaques, decorative buttons, belt buckles the list of jewelry, which is a normal attire for women and some of this part which is necessary for men. In particular, the wearing of rings can be observed in both as in men and so in women. On the men’s skeletons in the form of a smooth finger ring sometimes with the inserts of turquoise, carnelian on the little finger of his left hand, in comparison to the female burials, where the set of jewelry is very ambiguous: for example the rings on many fingers, and in the thumbs as well is identified by ethnographers as the custom of nomadic Iranians [4, p. 153]. Wearing of rings on the left hand is explained by ethnographers as the fact that during the work they do not interfere and do not wear out like those ones as on the right hand, but the folk etymology of this tradition is different it says: the «right hand embellished the truth, the left one needs in jewelry.» This sentence reflects the archaic representations of the culture of everyday life. In some burials of men the earring (in the form of a ring) in the left ear are fixed . This is due to an ancient Iranian tradition where as a sign of special love for his son his mother put her earring on his ear as a talisman. Polovtsian tradition, which was borrowed from Russian warriors, binds the custom of wearing earrings with specific sign: in the death on the battlefield it helps easily find the body (or a severed head) of a warrior son. Earrings tend to have a special mark (a sign tamga) or a kind of precious stone which showed the belonging to this or that tribe.
Military estate of citizens, or in other words the landlords, or dehkans, and also they are called the «Knights of Central Asia and Iran,» according to the figurative definition by V.V. Barthold, fulfilled their service in compliance with a certain ceremony, eloquently described by Narshakhi at court of the ruler of Bukhara. Twice a day at the fortress gates arch she sat on a throne surrounded by courtiers and ghulams. «She set up a rule for the rural population that daily 200 young people from dehkans inheritors of royal tribes come on the service. They came with a golden girdle, swords, attached to a belt, and stood in the distance. The state issues have been discussed and the total meal was held in between, on the next day new representatives of the domains arrived to replace the previous ones [5, p. 15-16]. Paintings on the walls of the palaces of Sogdian nobility also give an idea of ceremonials adopted from Sogdians. It is unlikely that these traditions have been lost in the Zhetysy region. Under customary law of the Turks the rebellion, treason, murder, adultery, stealing tangled horses were regarded as the most audacious crimes. For wounding various penalties depending on severity of injury was paid. Those who have been captured for stealing must reimburse the cost of stolen things in ten-fold [6, II, p. 230]. During festivals, these people dressed in fancy dresses, sang a song, standing facing to each other. There were two different types of male and female outdoor games. In Sogda the nobility of Turgeshs learned how to play backgammon.
The initiative to the matchmaking belonged to a man. And a bride price for his wife was paid. It sometimes happened that the daughters were married off without redemption. The family of the ordinary nomads were patriarchal, although women’s role in it was relatively bigger. It was great. It was monogamous. Polygany was common only among the rich and famous people. The widow could marry the younger brother of her husband or his son from another woman. Kinship system was presented by the classification where a group of relatives are called by one term and strongly featured in the names of older and younger relatives (eg, elder and younger brothers and sister were called by different terms).
Some information about family relationships of Turgeshes contained in Talas runic records. Often in the same text the head of the family, the son who is considered to be his heir and his wife, left a widow are mentioned. In the record number 1 the three brothers are called, and in the record number 2 the six «breakaway» sons and a younger sister, which indicates family with many children are recorded. The following terms prove about the classification system of kinship inileri, which means the younger brothers and in general all younger relatives in the male line; apa, apke which mean mother, aunt, the older sister, sinli which means younger sister and other younger relatives. About fifteen men tribes, which often repeat epithets, being personalized nicknames are given in Talas texts. Most of the names are simple they are Agush, Kyyagan, Tugan, Udun, Kultug. There are also some complex names which are met in the records they are Kara-Bars-Bars Ogul, Kyuch-Oge. Just like other ancient Turkic tribes, Turgesh men had at least two names. The first name was received at birth, and the second one was given as «honorable,» «heroic» names at maturity [7, p. 325].
Manners and etiquette among the Turks colorfully have been described by Xuan Zang, as «he budun ok» when he was at a reception at Hagan and his headquarters in Suyab: «… came to the town of Sui-e, (suddenly), met with tutszyue (Turkic) Ehukehanem (Yabgu Kagan -N.A.) gone on hunting.
The horses of these foreigners are beautiful. Kehan (Hagan) was dressed in a robe of green silk, his head bare and wrapped in a silk bandage over a length of one chang, with hang down from the back ends. He was accompanied by more than two hundred Dagan, dressed in a robe of brocade, with braided hair in braids. The remaining soldiers, dressed in clothes, lined with fur, and soft hats, carried poleaxes, banners and bows. There were so many riding on camels and horses that was impossible to cover eyes. And when they met, Hagan extremely pleased and said: «For a while I go to one place and come back in two days or three, mentor, place until my rate!». He ordered Damochzhi-Dagan transmit him to his bet and place him with all amenities.
After three days, Hagan came back and asked his mentor to go to the yurt. But Hagan lives in a yurt, decorated with gold flowers, from the splendor of which dazzled the eyes. All Dagan (Tarkan), dressed in colorful silk robes, sat in front of him on both sides of the long dastarkhan, table with different type of food.
Bodyguards of Hagan stood behind him on guard. And though it was the master of the nomadic hordes, he also instilled in him the respect and good feelings.
When the mentor of faith went to the yurt for thirty paces, Hagan got out from yurt and with a bow welcomed him. After an exchange of courtesies, he brought him inside and seated.
Tutszyue serve to the fire and do not use wooden seats. They believe that the tree contains the fire, that is why they worship it, but in everyday life do not use it. For the rest they spread a thick mat on the ground. But for a mentor of faith they have put a wicker iron arm chair and, covered with a mattress, asked him to sit down.
Soon after, they asked the ambassadors of the Han (Chinese) and Gaochan who passed state papers and letters to enter. Kagan by himself ran them by his eyes, and being very glad, ordered the ambassadors to sit down.
Kagan ordered to bring the wine and to start the music. After that, Hagan, and all of his subordinates and the envoys started drinking wine, but to mentor of the faith something else was found it was the grape juice. Then everybody began to treat each other, filling the cups and glasses and mutually share them. All the while foreign music sounded, and was followed by metal chimes. And although it was the music of barbarians, it was also mellifluous, rejoiced heart and thought.
After a short time food consisting of fresh boiled lamb and veal was offered, and put in abundance for the guests. But for a mentor of faith light food of rice bread, cheese cakes, and wild grapes and honeycomb was prepared and brought to. And when the meal was over, the grape juice was again brought and only then the mentor was asked to tell «about the canons of faith …» [8, p. 88-89].
It is difficult to overestimate information of Xuan Zang. Each phrase of a source contains valuable information of the palace etiquette, political culture, customs, clothing, food, spiritual life, and etc.
Also the emphasis is in the quoted source paid to wine and grapes in Suyab, which is considered to be the great delicacy for the Chinese, because, like other peoples of the world, from the time they began to cultivate cereals, along with bread they start to make beer (or «wine», which are commonly called beverages obtained by way of fermenting) of millet, rice, barley, and etc. Only the West’s grape wine were the exceptions, because they were very expensive strong drinks . Zhang Tsyan (II c. BC) brought vine of grapes from Ferghana to Han, where it was landed in the capital, but the fruits were grown in limited quantities only for food of the emperors. Grapes grew and in around Dunhuang, but the yield was low, and grape wine was an exotic drink. That is why, Xuan Zang was impressed by the abundance of grapes and wine on the table of Kagan. The old encyclopedia » Bo u chzhi,» containing many stories of III-IV c. about miracles, says, «In Western countries, there is wine, which does not deteriorate over the years. The popular belief of those places says that wine is suitable for drinking for ten years, but if you drink it the intoxication lasts a whole month and only then you can get rid of it «[9, p. 195-196].
Most of all, grape variety «mare’s teats» and wine «that is, eight colors varieties) of wine have been appreciated. Tang poets dedicated poems to them and one of them was a poet who was born in Suyab, even though , 72 years later of Syuan Tsang’s visit of these places.
Thus, much of the Turkic law was brought into the city, as the traditions and rituals live for centuries, regardless of lifestyle, they have only been transformed, adapted, but kept the main thing in them which is traditional for nomads, they are the representations about society, about social relations, of private and Kagan property and so on, which have been developed over centuries of nomadic life within Central Asia.
1 G.S. Asatryan, Gevorgan N.H. Some of the materials on the etiquette of the Persians / etiquette for the peoples of Asia. — Moscow: Nauka, 1989. p. 148-163.
2 G.S. Asatryan, Gevorgan N.H. Some of the materials on the etiquette of the Persians / / etiquette for the peoples of Asia. — Moscow: Nauka, 1989. p. 148-163.
3 B.R. Logasheva The influence of Islam on the etiquette of the Turkmen of Iran / / etiquette for the peoples of Asia Minor .- Moscow: Nauka, 1988. p. 164-179.
4 G.S. Asatryan, Gevorgan N.H. Some of the materials on the etiquette of the Persians / / etiquette for the peoples of Asia. — Moscow: Nauka, 1989. p. 148-163.
5 Mohammed Narshakhi. History of Bukhara / Trans. Lykoshina. Ed. VV Barthold. — Tashkent, 1897.
6 Bichurin N.Y. (Hyacinth). Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times / Ed. Text, introd. Articles, comments. A.N. Bernshtam and N. Kuner. T. I-III. M-L, 1950, p. 381.
7 Batmanov I.A. Language Yenisei monuments of ancient Turkic writing. Talas monuments of ancient Turkic writing .- Frunze, 1971. — 80.
8 Zuev Yu.A. Chinese news about Suyab / / Izv. AN Kaz SSR Ser. East. Archeologist. And etnogr. Alma-Ata, 1960. — p. 87-96.
9 E. Schaefer Golden Peaches of Samarkand: Book of alien curiosity and the Tang Empire — Moscow.:
Nauka, 1981. – p. 608.
Түйін
Түркі жəне иран мəдениетінің тұрақты белгілері бізге Орта Азия мен Қазақстан халықтарының қазіргі этнографиясының мəдени мұрасында рухани құндылығы, этникалық дəстүрі тұтас жүйе ретінде бекітіліп жетті.
Резюме
Устойчивые признаки Тюркской и иранской культур дошли до нас этнографической современности народов Средней Азии и Казахстана, закрепившись как этническая традиция, как целостная система духовных ценностей, в культурном наследии.