The Nāṣirī Generations 271.4
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 271.4
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271.4.1
Gaubil says he was buried "in the cave of Ki-nyen, in a mountain to the north of the sandy desert, and that his posterity were also buried there. Several Mughal lords of his posterity, whom he met at Pekin, he says, informed him that the Chingiz Khan was buried on the mountain of Han, in Lat. 47° 54', Long. 9° 3' W. of Pekin. Another writer, not named, says the place of his burial was called Sali-chwen, and that the Chinese word chwen denotes "the Sali to have been a place full of fountains [springs ?], lakes, and hills." The statement of Erdmann, p. 444, agrees nearest with the Oriental writers, but D'Ohsson's, vol. i, p. 381, seems purely mythical.
271.4.2
But why need I mention all this ? Has not Professor Forbes himself discovered not only the place of burial, but even the tomb in which the corpse was enclosed? I wonder he did not discover Tuli’s tomb also, for he was buried there too. In a paper read before the British Association in September, 1876, he asserts [but what are the proofs ?] that it lies "almost a day’s journey from Urga, viz. from twenty to twenty-five miles," and that "the tomb consists of a stone structure which is now level with the ground ; there is a circle of stone ten feet thick, and one hundred yards in diameter, and in the centre of this there is a circle which has once been a covered building, some fifteen yards in diameter," etc., etc. Did not he "discover" an inscription too ? If it is a Mughal tomb, look below ground, not above, seeing what our author and others say with regard to Mughal modes of sepulture. I must say a few words respecting the wives and children of the Chingiz Khan before closing the notice of him, as European writers have rendered the names of them even more unintelligible than those of his four famous sons. He is said to have had 500 Khatuns [wives] and concubines, every one of whom was taken from some tribe or other after he had reduced or conquered it. Some were married to him according to the Mughal rites and customs. and Amirs, saying: "The Chingiz Khan is come. On
271.4.3
but most of them were such as had been carried off, and were kept in his haram. Those who were held in the highest respect and esteem were the following five:— 1. Burtah Kuchin—She was neither called Burte Judshin nor Burte Fudshin and consequently, whether Fudshin or Fougin was the title given by the Chinese Emperors to those of their wives who ranked “immediately after the Empress,” or whether not, these names and titles do not appertain to Burtah Kuchin, who was the Chingiz Khan’s chief. She was the daughter of the Nu-yin, Dae, the Badshah, as he is styled, of the Kungkur-at Mughals, which was one of the most numerous, and distinguished for valour, as well as one of the proudest of the whole of the Nairun tribes, one reason for which is stated to have been that, in issuing from Irganah-Kun, they led the way, and such was their celerity in doing so, that they burnt their feet on the ironstone not yet become cool.
271.4.4
They are Nairun Mughals beyond the shadow of a doubt, and yet the author of the 'Mongols Proper' informs us, at p. 703, 'I have small doubt that they were Turks, for although small clans still survive among the Mongols who are called Khongkiras (i.e. Kunkurat), by Ssanang Setzen, there is no tribe among them which bears the name, while we find that one of the four main divisions of the Uzbegs is called Kiat Kungrat,” etc., etc. The author has made a very delightful muddle here. The Kungkur-ats are truly Turks of the Mughal i-mak, but Nairun Mughals, of which Kaiat is one of the two great divisions, and perhaps he is not aware that the Uzbaks are Mughals, whence the term Kaiat-Kungkur-at. There are Kungkur-ats, Ilan-julis, and many other tribes mentioned in these notes, still to be found in Turkistan and Mughalistan. Mir ’Abd-ul-Karim, Bukhari, who wrote in 1222 H. — 1807 A.D. — continually refers to them in his work; and some of the Kashghar Mission actually met a “Kirghiz who was a Nayman,” and “Yulduz Kalmyk who are Turgut and Koshot!”
271.4.5
When the Chingiz Khan was defeated by the Makrits, his Kungkur-at wife was taken captive, and made over by them to the Awang Khan, their sovereign. She is said to have been pregnant of Juji at the time; and the Awang Khan, out of his former friendship for the husband, treated her with respect, and sent her back when the Chingiz Khan demanded her. Juji was born on the way home; and his appearance on the scene appears to have been unexpected, for his name, given in consequence, signifies 'the unexpected guest.' I may have to refer to this circumstance again, farther on. Burtah Kuchin subsequently bore three other sons—Chaghatae, Uktae, and Tuli, and five daughters, who were, in due time, married to different Mughal and other chiefs, who, with a single exception, are styled Gurgan, signifying, in the Turki language—not the “Chinese,” I believe—son-in-law. One of these sons-in-law, a son of the chief of the Kungkur-at, had previously borne the title of Gurgan, but I have not space for much detail.
271.4.6
2. KULAN KHATUN, daughter of Ta’ir Asun, the chief of the Urhar Makrit tribe. Her father submitted to the sway of the Chingiz Khan, and brought his daughter, and presented her as an offering to him. Abu-l-Ghazi, Bahadur Khan, ignores her altogether, in his History, and substitutes Kor-Basu, the widow of the Tayanak Khan, who is mentioned as one of his wives of lesser degree farther on. Kulan Khatun had a son by the Chingiz Khan named Kulakan—Kulakan who was assigned rank, in several previous occasions we have fought with him and every way, equal to the other sons of the Chingiz Khan. He died early leaving several sons, and one of them, Kuchah, succeeded to his father’s rank and position, and the command of the 6000 men, which the Chingiz Khan had conferred upon him. 3. Yassukan, a Tattar lady, whose name, in some Histories, is written Tassukan, but it appears that the two points of the first letter — in this instance have been carelessly written with the points over instead of under She bore a son, who was named Ujar, but he died in his youth. 4. Konju Khatun, daughter of the Altan Khan of Khitae. She was by no means good-looking, but, as her father was the greatest sovereign of that age, she was treated with respect accordingly. She bore no children, and was still living, in her own urdu, in the time of Artu or Artuk Buka. 5. Yassulun, sister of Yassukan the third wife, but married to the Chingiz Khan after the death of her sister.
271.4.7
Besides these were other Khatuns, who, although not considered so high in rank or position, were nevertheless treated with great reverence, and sometimes would monopolize the company of their husband. One of these was Anikah Khatun, daughter of the Jakambu, also written Jankabu, the brother of the Awang Khan. His name is said to have been Badae. After the overthrow and death of his brother, he took shelter in Tingkut, where he obtained protection, and was treated with honour. The Badshah of that country gave him the title of Jakambu, equivalent to “Dsambu,” in Degum Dsambu,” and Mathi Dsambu,” etc., in Tibbati titles. Jakambu signifies Amir-i-Mu’azzam,” and ‘‘ Buzurg-i-Mamlakat.” The Chingiz Khan espoused her, and married one of her sisters, named Bihtumish Kuchin, to his son, Juji, and another, Siurghuktiti Bigi, to Tuli, and all four sons of Tuli Khan were by her. After the Chingiz Khan had married Anikah a few days only, in consequence of a dream which he had, he gave her in marriage to one of his Amirs, the Nu-yin, Gahti, also called Gati the Ura-ut [he is turned into “ a on the borders of China, » in the ‘‘ Mongols Proper !], who happened to be the Amir in waiting that night.
271.4.8
Another of the Chingiz Khan’s Khatuns was Kor-Basu, the widow and chief Khatun of the Tayanak Khan, Badshah of the Naemans. She was sometime after the Tayanak Khan’s death ; and, according to the Mughal custom, the Chingiz Khan entered into bonds of marriage with others, the daughters of Sultans [Mughal and Tattar Chiefs ?] and Amirs ; and he also had a son named Jurjin, by a lady of the Naeman tribe, who died before any other of his children : and another son named Jifan or Arjifan, who died in childhood. His mother was of the Tattar i-mak.
271.4.9
The Great Khan likewise adopted a boy of the Tingkut tribe, in his seventh year, brought him up ; and was wont to style him his fifth son. He was the Jifan, who had a great name for valour, and was the Personal Ming—in the Tajik language Hazarah— of the Chingiz Khan, which was limited to 1000 persons, and from it many of the chief officials and leaders were chosen. In Uktae Khan’s expedition into Khitae, Jifan adopted a son himself, a Tingkut, named Burah, taken captive as a child of three years, who was from the urdu of Burtah Kuchin, as were many other defeated him. Now he has returned, and his forces have become very numerous, and he is proceeding against the with these four tribes assigned to Chaghatae Khan — Chaghatae’s tribes. These writers have assumed that there was a great and distinct tribe called “Chagtae,” or “Chugtar,” as a recent author writes it, and a “Chagtae language” ! Some have even gone so far [see “The Turks in India,” by Henry George Keene, M.R.A.S., Judge of Agra, etc. : London : 1879] as to assert that Babar, who founded the Mughal empire in India, was not a Mughal, but a “Chugtae Turk.” He was a Barlas Mughal pure and simple, of the race of Kaiat. It is quite time such fallacies should be given to the winds.