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Researching Turkish and Persian Names
Ursula Georges
Three Language Families
Arabic
• Semitic language family
• Nouns are grammatically masculine or feminine
• Definite article is al-
• Verbs are formed using a three-consonant root: kātib means “writer”, kataba means “he
wrote”, etc.
Persian
• Indo-European language family
• No grammatical gender
• No definite article
Turkic
• Multiple languages in Turkic family: modern Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Uighur, Khazar,
Bulgar, Cuman/Kipchak, etc.
• No grammatical gender
• No definite article
• Vowel harmony: all vowels in a word must “match”
• Agglutination
Note on Transliteration
• Multiple ways to represent same Persian, Turkish, or Arabic spelling in Latin alphabet
• May use English or modern Turkish spelling rules
• I follow my sources’ transliteration methods
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Persia and its Invaders
Iran and its neighbors, 2009 map
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, UT Austin
Sasanian Empire
• 224-651 AD
• The state religion was Zoroastrianism. The empire also had significant numbers of
Christians, Jews, Gnostics, Mandaeans, and Manichaeans.
• Wars and trade with Roman/Byzantine empire
• Powerful bureaucracy
• Middle Persian language (often written in Pahlavi, an Aramaic script)
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Sasanian Empire
Islamic Conquests
Islamic Expansion through 750 AD
• 570 AD: The Prophet Muhammad is born in the Arabian city of Mecca
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• 602-628: Sasanians and Byzantines fight war; Sasanians initially successful but
eventually defeated, leading to political chaos
• 622 AD: Muhammad and his followers leave Mecca for Medina. This migration (Arabic
Hijra) marks Year 1 of the Islamic calendar (AH)
• 632: Muhammad dies
• 637: Arab forces take Ctesiphon, capital of the Sasanian empire (about 20 miles southeast
of modern Baghdad)
• 649-50: Arabs take Persepolis in Fars, a Zoroastrian center
• 762: Baghdad founded by the `Abbasid caliph al-Mansur
Conversion and Change
• Initially, Arabs lived in garrison towns, and converts to Islam (mawālī) were affiliated
with particular tribes.
• Muslims and non-Muslims cooperated in administration and tax collection
• About 8% of Iran’s city dwellers were Muslim in 750, when the `Abbasid dynasty gained
power
• About 50% were Muslim by 850
• About 80% were Muslim by the end of the tenth century
• Persian Muslims begin to use Arabic script for the Persian language
Samanids, Buyids, Ghaznavids, etc.
Beginning in the ninth century, the `Abbasid provinces became effectively independent states.
• Samanid dynasty, 874-999: Sunni dynasty centered in Khurasan and Transoxania
• Buyid or Buwaihid dynasty
o Tenth- and eleventh-century
o Founded by three Shi`i brothers
o Capital at Shiraz
• Ghaznavid dynasty
o Founded in late tenth century
o Ethnically Turkic
o Descended from Samanid slave soldiers
o Capital in Ghazni, Afghanistan
o Ruled parts of Persia, Transoxania, and northern India
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Seljuks
• Turkic nomads led by Seljuk family
• Empire founded in 1037 by Toghril-Beg
• Persian vezir Nizam al-Mulk expands administration
• Seljuks fight Byzantines, conquer Anatolia
• Conflicts with Crusaders
• Provincial rulers become more independent
Mongol Invasion and the Ilkhanids
• Genghis Khan begins destructive invasion of Persia in 1219
• Grandson Hülegü expands Mongol control, founds Ilkhanid dynasty
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Campaigns of Genghis Khan
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Timurids
• Timur (in English, Tamerlane)
o Born 1336
o Muslim
o Member of Turko-Mongol Barlas tribe
o Initially allied with Chaghatay Khans
o Conquered Transoxania, Persia
o Wars in Anatolia and northern India
• Dynasty sponsors Persian and Chaghatay Turkic literature
• Descendants found Mughal dynasty in India
Safavids
• Dynasty founded by Shah Isma’il
o Reigns as Shah beginning in 1502
o Traced descent from Sufi leader Safī al-Dīn Abu al-Fath Ishaq Ardabilī (1252–
1334)
• Qizilbash
o Shi`i soldiers
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o Predominantly Turkic
o Named for their red hats
• Wars with Ottomans
Safavid and Ottoman Empires
Mamluks and Ottomans
Mamluks
• Group of slaves belonging to an elite Egyptian military corps
• 1259 AD: Mamluks seize control of Egypt and Syria
• 1260: Mamluks turn back Mongol invasion
• The Mamluks maintained their dominance by importing new slaves to join their military
elite. After reaching a certain rank, these slaves would be freed to take their place in the
Mamluk government.
• Many Mamluks were ethnic Turks
• Used Turkic given names to emphasize difference from subjects
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Mamluk Empire c. 1400
Ottoman Empire
• Osman I declares independence from Seljuks in 1299
• Ottomans conquer Constantinople in 1453
• Wars with Safavids
• Defeat Mamluks
• Ottoman Turkish is administrative and literary language
o uses Perso-Arabic script (see p. 19 for an example)
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Expansion of the Ottoman Empire
Language, Research, and Modern Politics
Turkey
• After World War I, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk leads effort to make Turkey secular Western
state
• Script reform replaces Arabic-based script with a version of the Latin alphabet
o The modern Turkish letter C sounds like English J
• Language reform replaces Arabic and Persian loanwords with new words that have
Turkic roots
• 1934 law requires everyone to use a hereditary surname
Iran
• Iranian revolution begins in 1978
• Western influences banned
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Afghanistan
• Soviet invasion, civil war, and U.S. invasion
Tajikistan
• Former Soviet republic
• Tajik Persian is written in Cyrillic
Islamic Naming Patterns from Arabic
Some Popular Islamic Names with Historical Significance
Men’s Names
`Alī (Muḥammad’s cousin and son-in-law)
Ḥasan (grandson of Muḥammad)
Ḥusayn (grandson of Muḥammad)
Ibrāhīm (Abraham)
Muḥammad, Maḥmud, Mehmed (the Prophet)
Sulaymān, Suleiman (Solomon)
Women’s Names
`A’isha (one of Muḥammad’s favorite wives)
Fāṭimah (a daughter of Muḥammad)
Khadijah, Khadija (Muḥammad’s first wife)
Maryam (Mary mother of Jesus)
Zaynab (the name of two wives, a daughter, and a
granddaughter of Muḥammad)
Patronymics
• One of the most common styles of Arabic byname
• Identifies a person by his or her father.
• Maryam daughter of Ibrāhīm is Maryam bint Ibrāhīm.
• Sulaymān son of Ibrāhīm is either Sulaymān ibn Ibrāhīm or Sulaymān bin
Ibrāhīm.
• ibn and bin are two possible pronunciations of the same Arabic word
• The abbreviation b. is often used for both ibn and bint.
Locatives
• Common type of byname in Arabic
• Adjective which identifies where someone is from
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• If Maryam and Sulaymān were both from Andalusia, then they might have been
called Maryam al-Andalusiyya and Sulaymān al-Andalusi.
Honorific Names
Many important figures in our period used Arabic phrases in their names indicating
importance to Islam or the realm.
Name Element Meaning Example Gloss
al-Dīn Of the religion Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Righteousness of the
religion
al-Dawla Of the dynasty Sayf al-Dawla Sword of the
dynasty
al-Mulk Of the kingdom Nizam al-Mulk Good order of the
kingdom
Analyzing Persian and Turkish Names
What is the Language?
• What languages are available?
• What language is the source text?
• Are words or patterns borrowed from a different language?
Examples:
From an Arabic inscription, 1041, Uzbekistan:
The most exalted prince, the wise and just lord, Mu`izz al-Dawla Arslân Tikîn
Abu'l Faḍl al-`Abbâs b. Mu'ayyad al-`Adl Ilik, son of the amir Naṣr b. `Alî Sa`îd
Khân, client of the Commander of the Faithful
Arabic inscription, 1053, Persepolis:
The illustrious amir, the chief amir `Amîd al-Dîn Shams al-Dawla Abî [sic] `Alî
Hazârasp b. Sayf al-Dawla Abi'l-Ḥasan Naṣr b. al-Ḥasan b. Fîrûzân, client of the
Commander of the Faithful
Islamic Patronymics for All
Patronymics in bint (for women) and bin (for men) appear in Persian- and Turkish-
language documents, often in abbreviated form.
Titles
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• Titles are very common in Persian and Turkish names
• Meanings of titles could shift over time
• Some people used titles as given names
• Some people used titles instead of given names
• Titles may fall before or after a given name, depending on language, gender, and
the specific title
Some Masculine Titles
Shah, Sultan, Shahzade, Khan, Beg/Bey, Pasha, Agha, Mir/Amir, Shaykh, Sayyid
Some Feminine Titles
Sultan, Shahzade, Khanum, Khatun, Hatun, Begum, Bibi
Locatives in Persian
Locative bynames are common in Persian-language sources. Masculine and feminine
bynames use the same adjective.
City Byname
Anjir Faghna, a town in Uzbekistan Anjîr Faghnawî
Jarkh, a town in Afghanistan Charkhî
Ghujdawan, a town in Uzbekistan Ghujdawânî
Hamadan, a city in Iran Hamadânî
Herat Heravî / Herātî
Isfahan Iṣfahânî
Kashgar, a city in western China Kâshgharî
Riwakar, a village in Uzbekistan Rîwgirawî
Samarkand Samarqandî
Sammas, a village in Uzbekistan near Bukhara Samâsiyî
Shiraz Shirâzî
Tabriz Tabrîzî
The given name and adjective are linked by a particle called ezafe. The ezafe is spelled
either –e or –i (depending on time and place); after a vowel, the ezafe takes the form –ye
or –yi. In written Persian, the ezafe is usually omitted, though it may be included in a
transliteration:
Yûsuf Hamadânî = Yûsuf-e Hamadânî
Nihânî Shirâzî = Nihânî-yi Shirâzî
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Ottoman Descriptive Bynames
• Usually come before a given name.
• May include locative bynames, such as Baghdadi ‘from Baghdad’, occupational
bynames, such as Saatçi ‘watch-maker, watch-seller’, or simple descriptions of
appearance, such as Küçük ‘small’.
• Kara ‘black’ is a comparatively common byname.
• Descriptive bynames are much rarer than titles/offices or patronymics.
Family Names
• Indicate lineage or tribe.
Examples
Timurid dynasty names:
Khânîke bt Muḥammad Ûghlân ChaghatâyChaghatâyChaghatâyChaghatây
Pâshâ Begum bt `Alî Shakar Beg BahârlûBahârlûBahârlûBahârlû
Safavid/ Qizilbash names:
Khan Agha bt. Hasan Agha ShukrShukrShukrShukr----OghluOghluOghluOghlu (1538)
Sayyidah Huri Khanum bt. Sayyid Qasim Mirza SafaviSafaviSafaviSafavi (1625)
Natijah Khanum bt. Zulfiqar Beg QaramanluQaramanluQaramanluQaramanlu (1628)
Sorting Out Pronunciations
• Some letters are pronounced differently in Persian and Turkish than in Arabic
• Pronunciation also varies depending on time and place
• Do not fear the International Phonetic Alphabet!
Wikipedia has useful charts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_transliteration
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_phonology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA_chart_for_English_dialects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_alphabet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_phonology
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Another helpful website is omniglot.com , which includes sound files.
Some Onomastic Books and Articles
The Medieval Names Archive:
http://s-gabriel.org/names/islamic.shtml
John Woods, The Timurid Dynasty. Bloomington: Indiana University, 1990.
Genealogy of the Timurid dynasty, including descendants, wives, and concubines.
Note that Fulan and Fulana mean “anonymous.” Available from the publisher or
Abebooks.com:
http://www.indiana.edu/~rifias/Publications.htm
Annemarie Schimmel, Islamic Names.
Mixes SCA-period and modern names; analysis is based on category of name
rather than language. Available in limited preview on Google Books:
http://books.google.com/books?id=qThvezos8LgC
Salahuddin Ahmed, A Dictionary of Muslim Names.
This is NOT a good source for choosing an SCA name, but may be useful in
identifying the etymology or Arabic spelling of names found in other sources.
Finding New Resources
• Inscriptions
• Waqf (also known as vakf): charitable endowments, often made by or benefiting
women
• Biographical dictionaries
• Histories
Sample Data
Safavid women’s names
In Fariba Zarinebaf-Shahr, "Economic Activities of Safavid Women in the Shrine-City of
Ardabil":
Name Information Date
Banafshah Khatun Sultan Haydar's wife second half of the
fifteenth century
Fakhr-i Jahan Khanum Shah Isma`il's sister 1528
Khatun Khan Zahidiyah Begum bt. Shaykh 1518
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`Arif Yusufshah
Bengi Sultan Qilichlu Qari bt. Hamzah Agha b.
Murad Agha Rumlu Qilichlu Qari means
'sworded woman' 1534
Sahib Sultan Khatun bt. Hasan Agha Shukr-
Oghlu 1538
Khan Agha bt. Hasan Agha Shukr-Oghlu 1538
`Ismat Khatun bt. Khwajah `Abd al-`Ali b. Hajji
Muhibb 'Ali 1619
Jahan Khanum bt. Khwajah `Abd al-`Ali b.
Hajji Muhibb 'Ali
1619
Mahi Khanum bt. Khwajah `Abd al-`Ali b. Hajji
Muhibb 'Ali
1619
Sayyidah Saltanat Khanum bt. Ghulamrizi
Safavi
1620
Mahi Khanum bt. Sayyid Mirza Safavi 1620
Bilqis Khanum bt. Mirza Ibrahim Beg 1625
Khadijah Khanum bt. Mirza Ibrahim Beg 1625
Paykar Khanum widow of Mirza
Ibrahim Beg 1625
Irhasan Khanum widow of Mirza
Ibrahim Beg 1625
Khadijah Banu daughter of Sayyid
Agha Yusuf Safavi 1625
Shah Zaman Khanum daughter of Sayyid
Khwajah Beg Mirza
Safavi
1625
Sayyidah Huri Khanum bt. Sayyid Qasim
Mirza Safavi
1625
Murassa' bt. Bahram Quli 1625
`Arab Khan bt. `Azizullah Rumlu 1625
Begi Khan Khanum bt. Muhammad Beg
Shamlu
Also listed as Bengi
Khan 1625
Begum Khan Khatun wife of Mulla Muhsin
Ardabili 1625
Huri Khanum bt. Khalifah Timur Khan Safavi 1628
Natijah Khanum bt. Zulfiqar Beg Qaramanlu 1628
Shah Mawjud Khanum bt. Haydar Quli Beg 1628
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Some names of Ottoman administrators in 1527
From a document translated in The Sultan’s Servants by I. Metin Kunt
Province of Rumeli
Kasım Paşa, Governor General of Rumeli
Hüsrev Bey, son of Ferhad Ağa
Mehmet Bey, son of Yahya Paşa
Pulak Mehmet Bey
Mehmet Bey of the Mihal family
the exalted Zeynel Paşa
Ahmet Bey, brother of Mustafa Bey
Hasan Bey
Mehmet Bey, head palace gatekeeper
Süleyman Bey
Pîrî Bey, son of Balta
Hüseyin Bey of the Evrenos family
Yahşi Bey of the Mihal family
Mehmet Bey
Hasan Bey, son of Ömer Bey
Bâlî Bey the Younger
Ahmet Bey, son of Kasım Paşa
Hasan Bey, Sekbanbaşi (janissary officer)
Mehmet Bey, son of Ahmed Ağa
Sinan Bey, Kethüda-ı Rumeli
Kayıtbay, cavalier (cundi)
Ali Bey, ağa-yı gurebâ-yi yemin (commander of
one of the household cavalry regiments)
Hüseyin Bey of the Evrenos family
Mehmed Bey, son of Todor Mujak
Nebi Bey, superintendent of the royal stables
Ali Bey, son of Đskender Paşa
Đskender Bey, son of Çerni
Mehmed Bey, nişanî
Abdülcelil Bey of the Đsfendiyar family
Yaya (provincial infantry) Commands
Kasım, ser zağarcıyan (janissary officer)
Hüseyin head carriageman
Mustafa, ser sasoncıyan (janissary officer)
Mustafa, ağa-ı Istanbul (janissary officer)
Kasım, ser piyadegân (janissary officer)
Ali, ser turnacıyan (janissary officer)
Süleyman
Đlyas, ser turnacıyan (janissary officer)
Hüseyin, ser solak (palace official)
Yusuf
Yusuf, ser piyade (janissary officer)
Mehmed
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Medieval names found on funerary monuments in Siraf
A medieval port city in southern Iran. The names date to the tenth through fourteenth centuries.
Nicholas M. Lowick, Siraf XV: The Coins and Monumental Inscriptions.
`Abd al-Raḥîm b. Muh.ammad
`Abd al-Raḥmân b. Ayyûb
Abû Alî
(Abû) 'l-Faraj al-S.affâr
Abû'l-Ghanîmah b. `Abd al-Ṣamad b. `Abd al-
Raḥmân
Abû'l-Ḥasan . . .
Abû'l-Ma`âlî Kâmrû b. Hazârasp b. Kâmrû
Abû Mans.ûr b. al-Ḥasan b. Abî Manṣûr
Ah.mad b. Îrâmard (?) b. al-Ḥusayn
`Alî b. `Abd al-Rah.mân b. Muh.ammad b.
Juwânûyah
`Amr b. Muslim b. Mardshâd
Hârûn b. Mâ'il
al-Ḥusayn b. Ah.mad
Ibrâhîm b. `Alî
Ibrâhîm b. S . . .
Karânî (?) bint Irâmard (?) b. al-Ḥusayn
Mu`âwiyah b. Abî Naṣr b. al-Ḥasan
Muḥammad b. `Abd al-Rah.mân b.
Muḥammad b. Yûsuf b. ...
Muslim b. `Alî
Muslim b. Mardshâd
Sa`îdah ibnat `Ali b.
Tâjûyah bint `Azîzî b. Mândî (?)
Umm al-Faḍl bint `Imrân b. Mûsa
Yûsuf b. Abrûz
Other References
David Ayalon, “Names, Titles, and 'nisbas' of the Mamlūks” and “The Eunuchs in the Mamlūk
Sultanate” in The Mamlūk Military Society, London: Variorum Reprints, 1979.
Jamsheed K. Choksky, Conflict and Cooperation: Zoroastrian Subalterns and Muslim Elites in
Medieval Iranian Society, New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.
Marshall G.S. Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1974,
vol.I-II.
I. Metin Kunt, The sultan's servants: the transformation of Ottoman provincial government,
1550-1650, New York : Columbia University Press, 1983.
Nicholas M. Lowick, Siraf XV: The Coins and Monumental Inscriptions (London: The British
Institute of Persian Studies, 1985).
Leslie Peirce, The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, New York:
Oxford University Press, 1993.
Fariba Zarinebaf-Shahr, "Economic Activities of Safavid Women in the Shrine-City of Ardabil"
Iranian Studies, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Spring, 1998), pp. 247-261
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