Naimans

The Naiman (; Karakalpak: Nayman; , ; Kyrgyz: Найман; ; Nogai: Найман; Uzbek: Nayman), meaning The Eight, was a medieval tribe originating in the territory of modern Western Mongolia (possibly during the time of the Uyghur Khaganate), and is one of the 92 tribes of Uzbeks, modern Mongols, in the middle juz of the Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyzs and Nogais.

== History == In The Secret History of the Mongols, the Naiman subtribe the "Güchügüd" are mentioned. According to Russian Turkologist Nikolai Aristov's view, the Naiman Khanate's western border reached the Irtysh River and its eastern border reached the Mongolian Tamir River. The Altai Mountains and southern Altai Republic were part of the Naiman Khanate. They had diplomatic relations with the Kara-Khitans, and were subservient to them until 1175. Western European and Asian scholars classified them as a Turkic people from Sekiz Oghuz (means "Eight Oghuz" in Turkic). Scholars like Paul Ratchnevsky, Wolfgang-Ekkehard Scharlipp, Hans Robert Roemer, Maria Czaplicka, Steven Runciman, John Man, Morris Rossabi, Frederick W. Mote, Li Tang, Joo-Yup Lee/Shuntu Kuang, Hans-Joachim Klimkeit, René Grousset classified them as Turkic people. UNESCO-published History of Civilizations of Central Asia classified them as Turkic people. In the Russian and Soviet historiography of Central Asia they were traditionally ranked among the Mongol-speaking tribes. For instance, such Russian orientalists as Vasily Bartold, Grigory Potanin, Boris Vladimirtsov, Ilya Petrushevsky, Nicholas Poppe, Lev Gumilyov, Vadim Trepavlov classified them as one of Mongol tribes. However, the term "Naiman" has Mongolian origin meaning "eight", but their titles are Turkic, and they are thought by some to be possibly Mongolized Turks. They have been described as Turkic-speaking, as well as Mongolian-speaking. Chinese historian Feng Chia-Sheng considered the Naimans to be the western branch of the Zubu; in his view, the eastern Zubu were the Jalairs and the Tatars, while the northern Zubu were the Keraites.