Ancient History of Sabar People            

      
        The ancient periods of Sabar people are not known well. If they had separated from a main group in accordance with the meaning of their names, they must have been one of the communities subject to the Great Hun Empire that lived in the region of the west of Tien Shan Mountains- Ili River that was their homeland. The first definite information about Sabar people was provided by the Byzantien historian Priskos (5th century) on the occasion of the great movement among the Western Siberian tribes between the years of 461-465 and the large-scaled events of migrations. Against the Avar pressure that came from the east, the Sabar people abandoned their lands and oriented towards the west. They drove the Ogur-Turk tribes that lived in the plain lands between Altay-Ural Mountains (the southern region of today's Kyrgyzstan steppe lands) from their homeland. Then, they settled within the environs of Tobol and İçim Rivers.

 

        Sabar people had had profound influences in this region through their culture that was superior to the cultures of the native people that lasted for centuries: The names of places and castles such as Sabar, Saber (Tapar), Soper, Savri, Sabrei, Sıbır (Sı-vır), etc. are much widespread within the environs of Tobolsk and on the banks of Ob, Tura and Irtish. The personal names such as Ay-sabar, Kün-sabar, etc. have also been encountered. The people of Tobolsk have called the ancient inhabitants of this region as Sybyr, Syvyr.

 

        Furthermore, Sabar people have an important place in the folk tales and heroic short stories of the people in this region. Apart from Ostiyak people that considered Sabar people as their celebrities, the Vogul people have also called the Russians with the name of "Sa-per" that they were subject to. All these events indicate the superior characteristics of the ancient Sabar people in the public opinion. The capital city of the Sibir Khanate that was founded in the same region (16th century) had the name of Sibir.

 

        This word identified a wide geographical area in the course of time (Siberia)… The Russians had captured the city of Sibir (Isker) and then called the region with this name. Then, this name indicated much wider regions upon the advance of the Russian movement. Therefore, the keepsake of the Sabar Turks has survived until nowadays.