Abstract :
The title of yabghu is not a Turkic origin and possible is related one to the Sakas. In the Chinese sources some titles such as xihou, shehu and yehu used for non-Chinese persons in China and for the leaders of nomadic peoples, and also some words such as zaoou and hiaou on the Kushan coins are a kind of deformed ones of the name yabghu. The use of the title of xihou among the nomadic peoples is begining in nomadic titulature, together with conquering of Bactria by the Da Yuezhi and founding of the Five Xihous by them in Daxia.Among the Kangju, Wusun and the Hunas, the word yabghu is also seen as yavuha, iabgo, zaboho etc. in Greek or Brahmi script. Its re-using in the titulature of the members of the nomadic states is during the periods of the Hephthalites, Turkish Kaghanates, Khazars, Karluqs, Kimaks and the State of Oghuz Yabghus. The various sources relating to those periods give it as Jebu, Jibghu, Ziebel and Silziboulos but in various languages and scripts.Even Zhaowu in Chinese sources and Jamuk in Islamic sources are related directly to just yabghu term. In the Islamic period, the word yabghu continued to use in Turkish titulature as a title. In DLT by Mahmud of Kashghar it is seen as yafghu.As for its degree in the Turkish titulature, from the earlier periods before the foundation of a state on, it was a title of secondary one after the ruler, that is, kaghan or khagan, but a high title. There is not a general opinion about its meaning. Some scholars are opinion that it has a meaning as its Chinese equivalent xihou, ‚united, lord, marquis‛. The name of yabghu had an Iranic or Altaic origin according to some scholars.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Yabghu , xihou , Yuezhi , Kushans , Daxia , Bactria , Hunas , Hephthalites , Türks.
