Usuni in Prissykul

Usuns

This text will discuss the people of the Usuns. Few Central Asian-Kazakh ethnonyms have such a long history.

Emerging on the historical stage in the 2nd century BC, the Usuns retained their self-designation in sources from the 10th to 12th centuries. Finally, under the tribal name "Uysun," "Uyshun," their descendants entered the composition of the Kyrgyz and Kazakh peoples in the 16th century.

According to Chinese chronicles, the Usuns originally inhabited somewhere in the East, and in the 2nd century BC, they subdued the Saka and settled in Semirechye, Dzhungaria, and Central Tian Shan. Here they created one of the oldest states on the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan, referred to in sources as "Usun-go" ("Usun state"), "Sin-go" ("nomadic state"), and rarely "Bu-tsu" ("tribe, tribal union"). At the head of the Usun state was a ruler with the title of kunbag (gunmo, gun'er) who had the right to hereditary power. The capital— the residence of the kunbag, located in Pre-Issyk-Kul, was called Chyguche (City of the Red Valley). The ruler was surrounded by nobility—relatives, high officials, tribal aristocracy, and vassal princes. According to the history of "Hanpu," the total number of Usuns was over 630 thousand. To repel enemies, they could supposedly field an army of 188,800 warriors. This means that practically every third resident of the country was a man aged 15-16 to 40-45 years. It is clear that the number of warriors is clearly exaggerated. It is possible that the armed forces of the Usun state also included military contingents from the peoples dependent on the Usuns, namely: parts of the Saka and Tocharians tribes, as well as Husan, Guandu, Ush, and others.

Secrets of Issyk-Kul Lake