People or land · The Kangli and Qipchaq of the steppe · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Kangli of the Aral

The Kangli nearest Khwarazm: they winter by the Syr Darya below Jand, on the Aral shore and in the delta thickets, and go north in summer into the Aral Karakum sands and the steppe toward the Irgiz (beyond the sheet).

Clans of them serve in Tekish's army and some have settled in Khwarazm. The northern and western Kyzyl Kum, between the Amu Darya delta and the Syr Darya, is grazed by them and by Turkmen.

Who holds it

Title
no chief named for 1200
Since
not applicable
Born
not applicable
Family
Kangli (Qangli) clans; Terken Khatun's people are counted among them by some accounts
Confidence
low

No source checked names a chief for 1199-1200.

Overlord

The Khwarazmshah, who recruits them and rules the river strip at Jand through them; no tribute record survives.

How things stand that morning

Under Khwarazmian influence on 1 January 1200; no raids recorded that winter. The Jand river strip (khwarazm) runs through their range.

Wealth

Herds, fish from the Aral and the river, reeds and salt; horses and slaves sold at Jand and Gurganj.

Military

Mounted archers in clan war-bands; no numbers.

Customs

Clan khans and elders; marriages and service with the Khwarazmian house; winter quarters on the river.

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: No chief or dated event for 1199-1200; the range follows the Muslim geographers' placing of the Kangli near the Aral.

On the map: A reconstructed range, not a border.

Primary sources for Kangli and Qipchaq

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. Encyclopaedia Iranica: Jand (C. E. Bosworth)
  2. TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi: Tekis, Alaeddin
  3. Wikipedia: Terken Khatun (wife of Ala ad-Din Tekish)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.