Each happy owner of this surname (or name), no doubt, can be proud of this beautiful euphonious "nickname". What does the word "khan" mean? The original meaning is interpreted as "winner". In addition, if a Turkic man did not defeat anyone (even if he was from a noble clan), then, accordingly, he could no longer be called that. Historians give an example from the chronicle about Taian Khan. Some of his sons did not have such a "prefix", although they were eminent in their origin. However, according to some researchers of the issue, the very origin of the word "khan" has little to do with the Mongols and Turks: this is an Indo-Aryan term, and its ancient "pra-meaning" is lost in the darkness of millennia. But nevertheless, scientists still managed to slightly open this veil.
What does the word "Khan" mean?
So, in the Turkic and Mongolian traditions, "kann/kaan" means "monarch", "ruler". So the leader of the tribe was originally called. For quite a long time, the word served as a designation for the supreme title ofvarious Turkic, Mongolian tribes and peoples. Later, the meaning of the word "khan" corresponded to the princely one, for example, the ruler of the ulus was called that. Starting with Genghis Khan (literally - "Strong Khan"), this was the name of the head of the empire. In the states that were formed in the post-imperial space of Mongolia, this is the title of the king. In the Ottoman Empire - Sultan. What does the word "khan" mean? In Iran - the ruler of a certain area or - a military title among the nobility. There is an opinion that in some countries the title of khan could only be awarded to the direct descendants of the notorious Genghis Khan (moreover, in the male line).
Honorary "rank"
What does the word "khan" mean in the annals of the Middle Kingdom? For the first time there is a mention from the third century AD. Here "khan" and "kaga" are the highest ranks, which replaced the concept of "chanyu" among the Xiongnu. There are hundreds of rulers who actually existed in history who bore this honorary title. The most famous: Chingiz, Baty, Abylay, Timur (Tamerlane), Tauke, Abulkhair. And all of them - with the prefix "khan"!
Elections, elections…
What does the word "khan" mean in a pro-government context? It should be noted that this public office in many cases was elective. For example, in the Kazakh Khanate, news about upcoming events was sent to all families. And the men at the congress arrived in combat weapons - without it they had no right to vote! The women dressed up in their bestclothes.
The meeting opened with a prayer, then a respected aksakal delivered a speech. After that, the candidates spoke before all those gathered. They talked about their victories and merits, about the right to the highest rank. Then their supporters spoke. By the way, each of the people could speak and voice their opinion. The rest expressed their will by exclamations - approving or not accepting. After the procedure for determining the ruler, laudatory words were uttered. But along with the good sides and merits, it was supposed to mention the shortcomings. Then a special ritual called "raising the khan" began. A white cloth was laid out on top of the hill. Two aksakals seated the chosen ruler on a felt mat facing Mecca. Then four men lifted him over his head three times and put him on a sheet. Khan was declared elected. Congratulations followed and the re-raising of the king over his head by associates and aksakals.
Property and liability
They took off clothes from the chosen ones, cut them into pieces to take with them as relics. In return, the khan was dressed in a specially tailored dressing gown with a snow-white cap. The livestock of the ruler was divided by those present at the elections. This ritual symbolized: the khan should not have his own property, but should take care of the we alth and prosperity of his subjects. If he did not live up to expectations, oppressing the people, he could be deposed by a general decision. And the khan had no right to oppose popular opinion.
Proper name
The name is an integral part of the personality: it is important to understand what this or that nickname means, its historyorigin. In ancient times, people thought that any word was charged with energy and power, and the name of a person - with magical power. Probably, this was due to the fact that everyone hears it ten times a day, therefore, the meaning invested in this word also has a huge impact in the behavioral sense, mood and hobbies. Roughly speaking: “as the ship is called, so it will sail!”.
In the old days they believed: the name can affect the future, influencing fate. Therefore, parents gave their children “protective” names. For example, Khan - had a ritual meaning and was given to boys with the wishes of we alth and power. It is characteristic that it, as a rule, was given to the child as a second. Thus, it was part of a fairly wide range of male names, consisting of several words, of Muslim origin. It gave them a "prefix": "the best, first, main."
Scientists-linguists have noticed that over time, among many nationalities, different words that meant titles or titles become proper names, which are already given to representatives of different classes. Thus, the meaning of the word “khan” ceased to be, so to speak, “state”, but turned into “personal”. And today the name Khan is found among many peoples - Kazakhs and Tatars, Uzbeks and Tajiks, Azerbaijanis.
