KARA-KIRGHIZ

KARA-KIRGHIZ, called by the Russians Dikokameni Kirghiz ('Wild rock Kirghiz'), a nomadic people living mostly in the mountains between the Issik-kul and the Kuen-Lun, and extending from the eastern frontier of Ferghana to the Muzart, are the oldest Turkish nomads of historical record. They are divided into Ong and Sol (right and left wings), and into the subdivisions of Sult, Saribagish, and Sajak. Their total number amounts to 324,000 souls, and their cattle is estimated at upwards of 700,000 head. The dialect of the Kara-Kirghiz has retained more of the ancient character than that of the Kirghiz-Kazaks, and their epic poetry is particularly interesting. See M. N. Grodekow's finely-illustrated Russian work on the Kirghiz and Kara-Kirghiz of the Province of the Syr-Daria (Tashkend, 1889 et seq.).