The Reconstruction of The Name Yuezhi 月氏 / 月支

Öz

One of the most important problems of Central Asian history is undoubtedly the origin of the people referred to as Yuèzhī (月氏 / 月支) in Chinese sources. So far, historical or archaeological research could not convincingly explain the origins of the Yuezhi. The study attempts to present and critically evaluate various theories concerning the origin of the Yuezhi and their relationship to the Tocharians. To address this problem, it investigates Uyghur and Chinese place names and tries to list Yuezhi ethnotoponyms in Afghanistan and Xinjiang. At the end of the study, two maps based on Yuezhi ethnonyms are also given to illustrate the former geographical distribution of Yuezhi in Afghanistan and Xinjiang. Based on these toponyms and historical data, the study also makes an attempt to reconstruct the name Yuèzhī.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yuezhi,Tocharians,Tocharian question,Turkic-Tocharian relations

Yuezhi Adının Yeniden Yapılandırılması

Öz

Orta Asya tarihinin kuşkusuz en önemli problemlerinden biri Çin kaynaklarında Yuèzhī (月氏 / 月支) olarak geçen halkın kökenidir. Bugüne kadar tarihi veya arkeolojik araştırmalar Yüecilerin kökenini ikna edici bir biçimde açıklayamadılar. Bu çalışma, Yüecilerin kökenine ve Toharlarla ilişkilerine ilişkin çeşitli kuramları tanıtarak onları eleştirel bir yaklaşımla ele almaya çalışıyor. Bu sorunu çözebilmek için Uygur ve Çin yer adlarını inceleyerek Afganistan ve Doğu Türkistan’daki Yüeci boy adı kökenli yer adlarını tespit etmeye çalışıyor. Çalışmanın sonunda, Yüecilerin Afganistan ve Doğu Türkistan’daki eski coğrafi dağılımlarını göstermek için Yüeci boy adı kökenli yer adlarını gösteren iki de harita veriliyor. Boy adı kökenli bu yer adlarına ve tarihsel verilere dayanarak Yuèzhī adının asli biçiminin yeniden kurgulanması yönünde bir deneme de yapılıyor.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yuezhi,Toharlar,Tohar sorunu,Türkçe-Toharca ilişkileri

Kaynakça

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