Karluk
/ˈkɑːr.lʊk/noun
A historical Turkic tribal confederation that played a major role in Central Asian history.
Did you know?The Karluks became one of the principal ancestral populations associated with the Karakhanid state, the first major Muslim Turkic dynasty in Central Asia.
Etymological Timeline
Early Medieval Period
Old Turkic
Qarluq / Qarluγ
“The ethnonym used for a powerful Turkic tribal confederation; its original literal meaning remains uncertain.”
8th Century
Chinese records
葛邏祿 (Geluolu)
“A Chinese transcription identifying the Karluk tribes in Central Asian historical records.”
8th–9th Century
Arabic and Persian
Qarluq / Kharlukh
“Forms used by Muslim-era historians for the Turkic confederation inhabiting regions east and west of the Tian Shan.”
10th–12th Century
Turkic and Persian
Qarluq
“The name associated with groups that contributed to the formation of the Karakhanid realm.”
Modern English
English
Karluk
“The standard English form for the historical Turkic confederation; the spelling is also used for related place-names and ethnographic references.”
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