The old Kimek confederation of the Irtysh lost its lead to the Kipchaks in the eleventh century.
By 1200 the Yemek are one clan-group among the Kipchak and Kangli: the Persia map has 'the old Yemek clans' among the Qipchaq who range from the Emba to the Irtysh, and the Khwarazmshah Tekish's wife Terken Khatun is of the Bayawut clan of the Yemek. On this sheet's ground, the upper Irtysh above Ust-Kamenogorsk and the Altai foothills between Zyryanovsk and the Bukhtarma, no source names a people in 1200; Kimek and Kipchak herders are the likeliest, with the Naiman to the south-east and the Qara Khitai's claim at Emil to the south-west. They winter in the Irtysh and Bukhtarma river valleys.
Who holds it
- Title
- Elders and clan heads; no chief named
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
See the evidence note.
Overlord
Perhaps the Naiman or the Qara Khitai: not pinned.
What it holds
- Herds on the Irtysh valley pastures
- Winter camps in the Irtysh and Bukhtarma valleys
- Hunting in the Altai foothills
How it was acquired
Inherited ranges.
Allies and rivals
See the summary.
How things stand that morning
No raid or war recorded in the winter of 1199-1200. Whether they pay tribute to the Naiman, the Qara Khitai or no one is not pinned.
Wealth
Herds, hunting and furs.
Military
Hunters and herders; no castles.
Threats
- Dzud (winter of ice), a hard year for the herds
Places of note
- Winter camps in the Bukhtarma and Irtysh valleys (guess): River valleys at the Altai foot. No camp is named.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Persia map record Kangli and Qipchaq for the Yemek among the Qipchaq; nothing dated for this stretch of the Irtysh.
On the map: Thin: a placeholder for people who must be there.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.