1. Origin of the Word Kaşkay Ther are miscellaneous data about the origin of Kaşgay people and the word of Kaşkay given within the historical resources and researches. Some of these views are as follows: Siphir, one of the historians of Iran in the century XIX stated that “When Halaç people came from the Greek lands to Iran, some of them got separated and immigrated to Persia. The groups that stayed and settled in the region of Halacistan within the Greek province called those who immigrated as “Kaçgar”. M.H. Fesaî, Mes’ud Keyhan, and the Russian researchers, M.S. İvanov, N.A. Kielyakov, etc. repeated the Siphir’s views in their works. Mes’ut keyhan indicated that this word was (Kaşkai) rooted from the word of “göçmek” (immigration). N. Field repeated similar views and opinions that resembled to those stated by Siphit and M. Keyhan. In some resources, the similarity between the words of “kaşkai” and “kaçkai” constituted the base and it was asserted that the word was derived from the verb of “kaç- (fleeing, running away)” in Tukish language. It was stated that this word (kaçmak-fleeing) was subject to the changes of pronounciation and transformed into “kaşkai” instead of “kaçkai”.

There are some people who utter that the name of Kaşkay is related with the city of “Kaşgar”. Since Kaşgay people had once dwelled within the environs of Kaşgar, they were called as “kaşkay” in due course. There are some views that expressed the word of “kaşkay” in respect of the geographical relation between Kaşgar City and the Kashka Darya (Kaşka-ı Derya) river in Uzbekistan. According to Balayan, the name of “kaşkay” is related with the name of Gaşgadağ Mountain that is located on the west of Savalan in the Northern Azerbaijan. There are also some people who alleged that Kaşkay people were called as “kaşkai” since they were a clan of the Yamut tribe that was called as “kaşkaşe”.

Based on the local resources, Morisden stated that the name of “kaşkai” was firstly taken from an influential person called as Cani Aga that was assigned in the administration of Shah Abbas. In the Encyclopedia of Muslim Nations, it has been stated that the word of “kaşkay” was used for the persons or group that had united for political reasons in the past and continued to share the same cultural characteristics.

There are also some people who asserted that the word of Kaşkay was derived from the word with the meaning of “kaşka or kaşga” (a horse or a saddle horse with a white brow) in various Turkish dialects and accent. Oberlingi stated that “It was believed that a horse with a white brow would bring good luck. Due to this superstition, the members of this tribe was known with the name of “kaşkay atlılar” (the cavalrymen with white-brow horses) in due course. In the course of time, this name was abbreviated as “kaşkaylu” (kaşkaylı>kaşkai was observed since the counterpart of the affix -lu is “î” in Farsi language)”. B. Behmenbegi, pointed out that the name of Kaşkay was derived from the word of “kaşka” and he called attention to Bartold and to those who supported this view. Additionally, he determined that “most of the nomadic groups or tribes had called their ancestors and identity with the names or colours of their animals”. In another rumour, it was told that “The Kaşkay people had had two grandfathers that tried to run away from the attacks of the enemies. In the course of this flight, the younger brother pointed out a big stone to his elder brother and used the expression of “Kaç kayaya” (Run to the stone). This expression gradually was on everybody’s tongue and it was given to the name of the tribe”.

2. Origin of Kaşkay People and Their Migration or Forced Migration to the Southern Provinces of Iran

There is not any definite information about the origin of Kaşkay people and it is not known wherefrom these people immigrated to the southern provinces of Iran. There are various opinions. Some of the opinions and views about this issue are as follows: Fesai had explained the Farsi history in chronological order beginning from the Arabian invasions until the end of the century XIX. He had supported the following views about the origin of Kaşkay people: “Kaşkay people were rooted from Halaç people that lived within the environs of Irak and Kum. Halaç people who left these places and immigrated to Persia were divided into two branches. Some of them settled in some regions and preserved the name of Halaç. The second branch that led a nomadic life lived in the region of Kaşkay Province. The authors that related the Kaşkay people to “kaşgar” considered that the Kaşkay people were rooted from Karahitay people. They admitted the opinion stating that they emigrate or they were forced to emigrate from the Middle East to Persia.

The Azerbaijani traveller, Zeynelabidin Şirvani stated that Kaşkay people were composed of Turk groups and they immigrated to Persia in the period of Cenghiz Khan. M. Keyhan and some of the historians stated that Kaşkay people emigrated from Anatolia to Iran, and some of them lived in Turan in the period of Cenghiz Khan and then, they were forced to immigrate to Iran upon the order of Nadir Shah”. İsmail Buşehri was convinced that “Kaşkay people” came in the period of Cenghiz and were forced to immigrate to Iran in the period of Nadir Shah. Melik Mansur Han has stated that Kaşkay people were the Turks that came to Iran in the period of crisis pursuant to Islam, and that they immigrated from Khorasan to Sistan and from Kirman to the Persian region. He stated that they came towards the north through emigrating from the south and then, they settled in Bahtiyari and the Persian Iraq that was located within its environs.

Furthermore, M.Mansur has stated within the information that he gave to M.T.Shooten in 1953 that: the immigration of Kaşkay people to Iran was related with the raids of Cenghiz in the century XII. The Kaşkay people had settled on the skirts of the Caucasus Mountains in the course of this raid, and then they stayed in the region of Erdebil for a long time. Then, they were forced to immigrate to Persia by Shah Ismail Safevi in the first half of the century XVI (1501-1524) to prevent the Portuguese penetration into the Persian provinces though the Gulf of Iran”. Said Nefisi has stated that they were forced to emigrate from the Caucasus to Iran in the course of the Ottoman-Iran War between the years of 1607-1618 since Kaşkay and Kaçar people had a close relation with Ottomans and they were forced to leave Azerbaijan thereof. However, Shah Abbas (H. 996) ascended the throne in the year of 1587 and he fought with the Ottoman Empire between the years of 1603-1612 These groups and tribes must have been forced to immigrate in those years.

to be continued