Ilchikdai Ulus in the Empire of Amir Timur

Introduction. The history of the empire of Amir Timur and domains ruled by his descendants has been subject to many studies dealing with political history, administrative-military system, tribes and clans, social structure and other aspects. However, the history of Ilchikdai Ulus — a largest military-nomadic domain of the empire which served a stronghold in the shaping of Amir Timur’s state and his empire — has remained beyond the scope of researchers’ interests. Goals. The paper attempts an analytical insight into a variety of sources to trace the formation processes of Ilchikdai Ulus in the empire of Amir Timur and examine its history. Materials. The study employs a number of sources relating both to the history of Amir Timur’s empire and that of the tribes to have been part of the domain under consideration — the Durbat, Nukus, Kipchak, and Naiman. The sources include as follows: The Book of Victories by Sharaf ad-Din Ali Yazdi, Mu’izz al-ansab, Shams al-husn by Khoja Taj ad-Din Salmani, Muntahab at-tawarikh-i Mu‛ini by Mu‛in ad-din Natanzi, Zubdat al-Tavarikh by Hafiz-i Abru, History of Yuan (Yuán Shǐ), Bahr al-asrar fi manakib al-akhyar by Mahmud ibn Vali, The Secret History of the Mongols (Yuáncháo Mìshǐ), The Compendium of Chronicles by Rashid al-Din, Habib-us-siyar by Ghiyath al-Din Khvandamir, Zayn al-akhbar by Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd-al-Ḥayy ibn Żaḥḥāk ibn Maḥmūd Gardīzī and others. The principle of historicism proves instrumental in depicting ethnocultural processes within Amir Timur’s empire and Ilchikdai Ulus throughout the specified period. Component analysis tools have been used to reveal key ethnogenetic problems in the study of clan and tribal relations. Results. Ilchikdai Ulus had been formed through the resettlement of the nomadic tribes of Durbats, Nukuzes, Kipchaks, and Naimans from the Irtysh deep into Chagatai Ulus by Khan Eljigidey (Ilchigidai) in the early fourteenth century. Conclusions. The shaping of the empire of Amir Timur — along with his native Barlas tribe — was most significantly contributed to by representatives of Ilchikdai Ulus who inter alia would serve as military and political elites — and enter the circle of his closest associates. Natives of Ilchikdai Ulus would form mighty clans that held highest positions in the empire.

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