Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
76
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
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2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
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12
Pages:
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-82
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ABSTRACT
This article is based on an analysis of information provided in written and archeological sources on the toponym Chach,
and it analyses issues related to the etymology and toponymy of the oasis name.
The article is based on information from various sources including Greek, Chinese, Persian, Arabic and other ones, as
well as the toponymic location of the oasis and the socio-economic life of the population is analyzed.
KEYWORDS
Chach, sak, Avesto, Sughd, Yaksart, Shak, Persipol, species, Bexustun, Chayechasta, Chachanapch, Kultobe, stater,
chach, chash, feruza, Bey-shu, Suy-shu, Chje-shi, Chje-chje, se, Tashkent.
INTRODUCTION
We know from the history that every region has its own
history. The study and research of this history is one of
the most important issues of our time. In the regard,
the research on the history of the oasis can be assessed
as a scientific result. Because the historical processes
related to the past of the oasis, especially its
etymology, are still one of the most pressing issues
awaiting resolution.
When it comes to the ancient names of the Tashkent
oasis, we find that in the sources it is mentioned under
various names at different times. In particular, some
researchers have noted that the name Chach is
Research Article
THE ANALYSIS OF CHACH TOPONYM IN WRITTEN AND ARCHEOLOGIC
SOURCES
Submission Date:
December 11, 2022,
Accepted Date:
December 16, 2022,
Published Date:
December 21, 2022
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume02Issue12-12
Yoqubjon Q. Mukhamedov
Phd, Lecturer, National University Of Uzbekistan Named After Mirzo Ulugbek, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
77
American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
–
2771-2141)
VOLUME
02
I
SSUE
12
Pages:
76
-82
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.
993
)
(2022:
6.
015
)
OCLC
–
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IF
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associated with the name of the sacred lake
–
“Chayechasta”, mentioned in the hymns “Avesto”(1),
and some scholars point out that the Saks, who lived
north of the Syrdarya River, were called “Saka
haomavarka” in ancient Persian inscriptions, and that
they wer
e referred to as “Saks behind Sughd”(2). In
Persepol palace inscriptions they are mentioned as
saks who live behind Yaksart. Based on similar data, a
number of researchers associate the ancient ancestors
of the chachs with them(3). That is, according to
ancient Persian and Greek sources, the Chach oasis was
an area in the Yaksart (Syrdarya) River basin in ancient
times, especially in the last quarter of the last
millennium BC, where part of the Scythians (saks) lived.
THE MAIN RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The autho
rs of the ancient period Herodotus’s History,
and the works of Hellenic and other autors also called
the Sak haomvarge as the Amirgy Saks(4). According
to Pliny, the tribes living close to the Persians were
called Saks(5). Ancient Iranian sources also use the
ethnic name Shak (sak)(6). According to the Iranian
scholar Abayev, the Saks are the species mentioned in
the Yasht section of the Avesto, which are referrer to
as “The Central Asian Saks” and “fast riding horse
species”(7). And according to ancient au
thors, Yaksart-
Danay-Syrdarya was the boundary between nomadic
and peasant communities. But the lifestyle and culture
of the Sak tribes were much closer to those of the
settled peoples of Central Asia
–
the Sogdians, the
Bactrians and the Khorezmians. Even
in Behistun’s rock
paintings we can see that they are designed to
resemble each other. I.Gershevich, on the other hand
compares the above
–
mentioned authors of the
ancient period and the information in the Avesto, and
argues that the great species were the peoples
(nomadic sak who lived around sacred lake
Chayechasta in Avesto) who made sacred drinks
(hauma). The researcher acknowledges that the
location of the sacred lake is connected with the Aral
Sea on the one hand and the Chach and Tashkent oasis
in the Syrdaryas basin on the other (8). However, the
above
–
mentioned data and assumptions have not
found a sufficient geographical scientific basis and are
still one of the issues awaiting resolution.c
Written information about Chach mainly dates back to
the periodof separation of the Qang state and its
independent states. In particular, the term “Shoch”
first appears in the Sogdian inscriptions on baked
bricks found in the Kultobe monument near Shymkent
in the 2-3rd century BC and occurs in the inscription
“Kabayi Zoraoster” by the Sassanid king Shopur I of
262 (9). It is known from these monuments that the
territory of Chach included the lands up to Sogd
“Mountains of Chachistan” (Mountains in the
northeastern part of the Chach oasis).
Copper Coins with Sogdian Inscriptions and various
seals dating back to the 3rd-4th centuries AD have
been found to prove the existence of a unique writing
Volume 02 Issue 12-2022
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culture within the Qang Dynasty. A clay plague dating
back to these centuries was found at the Kultobe
monument and it was found in it that the Sogdian
inscription contained the sentences that “the chachs
built the city and tied the nomads to the tribute”(10).
According to researchers, this plague was mounted on
the roof of the city gate so that the inhabitants of the
city and the settlers could read these sentences and
take an example from them. This indicates that the
political and administrative management of Chach was
highly developed. Also, in a 3-4th century pottery
found in the village of Karchevo in the Urals there is an
inscription in Sogdian “From the belongings of the
Chach people”. Besides this, there are items belonging
to the Chach ruler. In particular, the term
“Chachannapch” (chach people) occurs in silver
drachmas dating back to the 6th year (584-585) of the
reign of the Sassanid ruler Hormuzd 4. V. A. Lishvis
reads one of the inscriptions on this type of silverware
as MY’R s’’w c’c’nn’pc 3+3+320+10 strk |xuv(u) Saw
cacannafc sisnu sterak| RulerShav, the leader of Chach
people. (Salmon)
–
39 starter.(11). Also, the term
“chach” occurs in Chach coins depicting the Sogdian
inscriptions of the rulers of the oasis, which study the
history of the period of the Turkish Khanate in the 6th
–
8th centuries and a Turkish runic inscriptions on a
pottery found in the ruins of the city of Qanqa.(12).
V. Lukonin who was directly involved in the history of
the Sassanid period geographically analyzed the
history of the oasis as follows. He considers Kash to be
one with Kashgar and Choch to be one with Shosh. (13).
Among the areas put forward by the researcher, Kash
may also be this medival Kesh. He admits that Shosh
may have received this name only in the time of the
Arabs. (14). There is also a lot of information about the
person born or living in Chach in the Moni texts (15) and
in the inscription written in a silver vessel dating back
to the 4th century that its owner was “Shav from
Chach” (16), and these terms have been the basis of
scientific research by many European scientists.
The peculiarity of the Chach oasis is also evident in its
name. Interestingly, the word “chach” also meant
“turquoise” in ancient Turkic language. This is
confirmed by the occurrence of the word “chach”,
“chash” meaning “turquoise, precious stone” in early
medieval Turkish written monuments. (17). Our
archeologists have confirmed that there were
turquoise deposists in the mountains of the Tashkent
oasis in ancient times. (18). Later, by the first centuries
AD, the Chinese recorded the oasis as Chje-shi, Chje-
chje, clise to the name Chach, without translating it
into their own language. (19). Finally, by the 5th
century AD, they began to refer to Tashkent as Shi
“Stone” or Shi
-
go “Country of the Stone State”. (20).
Since the 11th century AD, the oasis has been called
“Tashkent –
Stone City” in Turkish.
This name first
appears in the works of our ancestors Abu Rayhan
Beruni and Mahmud Qashqari and its content is
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interpreted in the same sense. (21). So, all of these
names are integrated in the word “tosh”. How can it
be explained, why the oasis was called
“Tashkent –
Stone City”?
According to some experts, just as in a few ancient
countries of Europe and the East, in our region there
was a custom of naming cities by their proportions,
their peculiar qualities. Bukhoroi Sharif as “honorable
Bukhara”, Kashi
dilkash
–
as Cache close to the heart”,
Huqandi latif as graceful Kokand”, the Tashkent oasis
was also known as “Chach”, “shash” as a country
where brave, couragerous and strong people live.
It is no coincidence that Chinese and Arab sources
provide information about the population of the oasis
in the form of ‘courageous”, “brave and warlike”. (22).
During the study in Chach and in the neighboring
medieval numismatic materials found in neighboring
kingdoms, especially from Sught a lot of information
was given about the name of Chach. In particular, as a
result of the study of these coins, one can see the
inscription on them “Money of Khagan yagbu”.
According to these data, Chach is interpreted as semi
–
independent kingdom, as an important territory during
the Western Khanate.
Later, this property (Chach) played a key role in trade
and economic relations with money regions, especially
with China. (23).
The State of Chach is also mentioned a lot in Chinese
chronicles. In particular, the annals of the Great Han
Dynasty State that there was a property called Yuni on
the Iosha (Syrdrya) River, and that it was one of the five
small estates of the Kangyuy semi
–
nomadic tribal
alliance. (24). On the general description and
description of the relations and relations of the empire
with its western neighbors, it can be seen that the
name Chach is written in the form of Chjeche in the
history of the “Bey –
shu” i.e. northern dynasties. The
historical chronicle contains information about
ambassador with the ruler of the Usuns(25).
In 436, for example, the Usun ruler told Ambassador
Tuan Yuanyu that he wanted Polona (Fergana) and
Chjeche to be vassals of the Yuanwei dynasty, but
regretted not knowing ways. (26). The ambassador
then travels to the mentioned lands, and when he
returns in 437 he is accompanied by the ambassadors
of 16 estates, among whom the ambassador of Chjeche
is mentioned. (27). In the “Sui –
shu” yearbook,
“Choch” is also mentioned under the name Shi along
with Chje. The chronicle also states that its territory,
population composition, economy, material and
spiritual culture, as well as the special residence of the
Shi (Chach) ruler in Iosha, also interacted with China
and neighboring provinces. (28).
It is also noteworthy that detailed information about
the region of Chach is given in the annals of the Tan
dynasty (tan
–
shu). It is acknowledging in this
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chronicle that Shin’s (Chach) first capital was Yuni, and
later Chje. It contains information about the Iosha River
(Syrdarya) and later its name was also changed.
Importantly, there is interesting information about the
presence of a large mountain in the south
–
eastern
part of the property and the extraction of precious
turquise (Se
–
se in Chinese sources) from it. (29). In
Chinese sources, the interpretation of the name Chach
as an etymology with the change of the name of
management has in turn led to a further increase in
interest among scholars. Foreign researcher E.
Schwann admits that as a result of his analysis of the
sources cited as a result of his scientific research, he
gave the main emphasis in the hieroglyphic of the
name Chach to “stone”. Since it is given in Chinese
chronicles as the main successor of Chach Kang’s
policy, the researcher Pulleyblank compares the
“stone city” in the Hunley texts
with the ancient city of
Khangdez or Qanqa. In the Pahlavi (Persian) literature,
it is mentioned in the form of a castle whose walls are
made of stone. (30). Academician Y.F. Buryakov, who
has been conducting archeological research on this
issue for many years, notes that no stone walls, stone
walkways and structures were found during the
excavations in the ancient city and he interprets that
the name Chach means “precious stone” in the form of
a reference to the turquise mines. (31).
CONCLUSION
E. Schaefer, who conducted research on the
etymology of precious stones “se –
se” under the
name “property”, dealt with this problem and he
interprets “se –
se” as a glittering stone, a dark blue
stone that is not as clear as a lodge. (32). F. Hirt and E.
Shawan, on the other hand, claim that the turquise
stone is “se –
se”. In this regard, the mine was highly
valued in the ancient countries of the East as a “helper
of happiness and victory”, as well as “a tumor that
protects from the touch of eye, the wrath of evil spirits,
various poisonous insects and snakes”.(34). In China it
was highly valued and called the “Persian shining
stone”. This stone has a special symbolic meaning for
Chach and was mined in large quantities from the
south
–
east of the capital. And Chach played a key role
in transporting this precious stone to Central Eastern
Asia. Archeological excavations in the Chach oasis in
recent years have revealed a number of small deposits
of precious stones in the area of Ahangaran, south of
Chach, such as Oktepa, Gulduran, Feruzakon, and large
mines on the right bank of the Ungurlisay.(35). It can
be acknowledged that precious srones were exported
to different parts of Asia from these regions.
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