The Historical Meanings of the Term Tatar: a Critical and Comprehensive Examination
Journal: Golden Horde Review
Year: 2025

This article is a critical and comprehensive examination of the historical mea­nings and uses of the term Tatar, drawing on a broad range of primary sources. It focuses on identifying to whom and by whom the term was applied across different historical periods. In the pre-Mongol period, Tatar denoted a nomadic people of eastern Mongolia, as recorded in Türk, Uyghur, and Qirghiz inscriptions, Chinese histories, and works like Maḥmūd al-Kāshgharī’s Dīwān Luġāt al-Turk. On the eve of the Mongol con