Esegels (aka Izgil (Old Turkic: đ°đ°đ° ), ĂsĂ€gel, Askel, Askil, Ishkil, Izgil) were an OghurTurkic dynastic tribe in the Middle Ages who joined and would be assimilated into the Volga Bulgars.
Numerous records about Esegels in sources and works of many languages across the span of the Eurasia left numerous variations of their name.[1] M. RĂ€sĂ€nen suggested Uralo-Altai etymology of this word: Es-kil, Es-gil "Old city",[2]Gumilyov initially linked the Izgils to the Sijie (æç») of the Toquz Oghuz;[3][4] only to later re-identify Izgils with Xijie (ć„ç”), another Tiele tribe.[5][6] However, Zuev (2002) distinguished Izgil (> Ch. *a-siÉk-kiet éżæç” > Axijie, a Western Tujue tribe according to Chinese sources[7][8][a]) from Igil (> Ch. *ÉŁiei-kiet ć„ç” > Xijie, a Tiele tribe[10]) though Zuev controversially links the Igils ć„ç” to the Bulgarian clan Uokil and the Indo-European-speakingAugaloi[11] in Transoxania.[12]
"the same month (July 563) ambassadors of Askil/Askel, the king of Hermihions (Greek ÎÏΌηÏÎčÎżÎœÎčÎżÎœÏÎœ; Lat. Ermechionorum), a tribe living among barbarians near the ocean, came to Constantinople".[17]
Zuev (2004)[18] summarized scholarly opinions on the link between Izgils and Turkic-speaking tribes mentioned by sources in Chinese:
Cen Zhongmian (1958) identified Izgils with the Axijie éżæç” (a Tiele tribe according to Naito) of the Western Turks, as did Harmatta (1962:140-142) and Klyashtorny (2001:50-51);
Cen additionally identified Izgil with the name Xiezhilue é ĄèłȘç„ of a BayĂŻrqu ruler;
Ăgel (1945) and TasaÄil (1991:57) linked Izgil and Sekel to the Sijie æç” of the Tiele and later Toquz Oghuz;
Ăgel further links the Sijie, Axijie, and Izgil to the Chigils; however, Zuev noted that the Chigils (whom he elsewhere identified with the Chuyue (èæ) in Chinese sources[19]) did not belong to the "Ten Arrows" union[20] while Axijie did.[21]
Arab ambassador Ibn Fadlan, who visited Itil (Volga) banks in the 921â922, mentioned in his journal the Bulgarian tribe Askel, besides the Bulgars proper, the Suvars (Savan), the Bersula, and the Barandzhar.[24][25] Persian ethnographer Ahmad ibn Rustah listed three branches of the Volga Bulghars: "the first branch was called Bersula, the second Esegel, and the third Oghuz".[26] The ancient ruins of the city belonging to the Askel tribe are located in AĆlı[27]
^Gumilyov, L. (2009) Searches for an Imaginary Kingdom: The Legend of the Kingdom of Prester John. p. 340 (in English; translated by R.E.F. Smith). Russian original; quote: "ĐзгОлО (ĐșĐžŃ. ĐĄĐžŃĐ·Đ” [= pinyin Xijie])"
^BlaĆŸek, V. & Schwartz, M. "Tocharians: Who they were, where they came from, and where they lived" in Tocharian Studies: Works 1 (2011), p. 119
^Wang Pu, "Summary review of Tang dynasty, 618â907 (Tang Huiyao)", Shanghai, 1958, ch. 72, p. 1307, in Yu. Zuev, "Early TĂŒrks: Sketches of history and ideology" (2002), p. 45
^RĂłna-Tas, AndrĂĄs "Bayan and Asparuh. Nine Notes on Turks and Iranians in East Europe", Turcologia 105, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden (2016). pp. 65-78
^Zuev Yu.A. "The Strongest Tribe". Historical And Cultural Relations Between Iran And Dasht-i Kipchak in the 13-18th c.c. Materials of International Round Table, Almaty, 2004 ISBN9965-699-14-3. p. 33 (in Russian)
^Ouyang Xiu, "Xin Tang shu (History of Tang dynasty", 618â907, New Edition)], Peking, Bo-na, 1958, Ch. 215b, p. 1506, f. 56
^Kovalevsky A.P. "Ahmed ibn Fadlan's book on travel to Volga in 921â922", Kharkiv, 1956, p. 139 (Translation)
^Rorlich, A zade-AyĆe (1986). "2. The Bulgar State". The Volga Tatars: A Profile in National Resilience. Hoover Institution Press Publication (Book 339). Hoover Institution Press; 1st edition.
^RĂłna-Tas, AndrĂĄs. "Bayan and Asparuh. Nine Notes on Turks and Iranians in East Europe", Turcologia 105, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden (2016). pp. 65-78
1 Central Asian (i.e. Turkmeni, Afghani and Iranian) Turkmens, distinct from Levantine (i.e. Iraqi and Syrian) Turkmen/Turkoman minorities, who mostly adhere to an Ottoman-Turkish heritage and identity.
2 In traditional areas of Turkish settlement (i.e. former Ottoman territories).