Tarkhan

Tarkhan (Old Turkic Tarqan;Mongolian: Darqan or Darkhan;Persian: ترخان‎‎; Chinese: 達干; Arabic: طرخان‎; alternative spellings Tarkan, Tarkhaan, Tarqan, Tarchan, Turxan, Tarcan or Turgan) is an ancient Central Asian title used by various Indo-Europeans (i.e. Iranian and Tokharian), Turkic peoples, and by the proto-Mongols and Mongols. Its use was common among the successors of the Mongol Empire.

Etymology

The origin of the word is not known. Various historians identify the word as either East Iranian (Sogdian, or Khotanese Saka),Turkic (incl. Hunnic and Xiongnu), or Mongolian.

Although Richard N. Frye reports that the word "was probably foreign to Sogdian", hence considered to be a loanword from Turkic, Gerhard Doerfer points out that even in Turkic languages, its plural is not Turkic (sing. tarxan --> plur. tarxat), suggesting a non-Turkic origin. L. Ligeti comes to the same conclusion, saying that "tarxan and tegin [prince] form the wholly un-Turkish plurals tarxat and tegit" and that the word was unknown to medieval western Turkic languages, such as Bulgar. Taking this into consideration, the word is most likely derived from medieval Mongolian darqat (plural suffix -at), itself perhaps derived from the earlier Sogdian word *tarxant ("free of taxes"). A. Alemany gives the additional elaboration that the related East Iranian Scythian (and Alanic) word *tarxan still survives in Ossetic tærxon ("argument, trial") and tærxon kænyn ("to judge").Harold Walter Bailey also proposes an Iranian (Khotanese Saka) root for the word, L. Rogers bears in mind that the word may have originated among the Xiongnu and Huns where it was associated with a title for nobility. Edwin G. Pulleyblank also suggests that both, Turkic tarqan and Mongolian darxan/daruyu, may preserve an original Hunnic word.

Tarkhan (Egypt)

Tarkhan is the modern name for an Ancient Egyptian cemetery, located about 50 km south of Cairo on the West bank of the Nile.

The cemetery was excavated in two seasons by Flinders Petrie. Tombs of almost all periods were found, but most importantly many belonging to the time of Egyptian state formation, around 3000 BC. Petrie found more than 2,000 tombs, most of them simple holes in the ground belonging to common people. However, there were also several mastabas of the First Dynasty, decorated with a palace facade.

The most important finds include a tomb with many seal impressions belonging to king Narmer and one of the oldest dresses found in Egypt. The cemeteries of the later periods are called Kafr Ammar, although lying side by side with the earlier tombs. From a Roman period tomb came a Fayum portrait.

Tomb 1060

Tomb 1060 is the biggest of the palace facade mastabas at Tarkhan. The mastaba was divided into several rooms, most likely used for storing burial goods, although little survived. In the middle was the underground burial chamber with four small side chambers not connected by doorways, but there were doors incised on the walls acting as symbolic chambers. The niches of the palace facade were painted red; only one niche, with a wooden floor, was unpainted. This might indicate a cult place for the deceased. Around the mastaba there was a wall.

Tarkhan (Punjab)

The Tarkhan is a kin-based group commonly found in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. They are traditionally carpenters by occupation.

The Hindu Tarkhans are generally identified as Khatis or Suthar, following the Vishwakarma community of India.

The Tarkhan Sikhs were said to be much more advanced than the Muslim and Hindu Tarkhans. They were known to have owned large areas of land and in some cases, villages. Tarkhan Sikhs are among those groups identified as Ramgarhias, after the Misl leader Jassa Singh Ramgarhia. Despite Sikhism generally rejecting the caste system, it does have its own hierarchy and in that the Ramgarhias, of which the Tarkhans are a part, rank second to the none in Punjab.

During the British rule in Africa a large number of Sikhs were taken to East Africa, for cheap labour, over 90 percent of whom were Ramgarhia Sikh, due to their skills in carpentry.

See also

References