ASTANA – Centuries before modern borders took shape across Eurasia, Kipchak nomads from the Kazakh steppe played a role in the rise of medieval Georgia, a little-known chapter of shared history explored by Kazakh writer Madi Raimov and historian Zhaksylyk Sabitov during a recent event organized by QazaqGeography.
The event coincided with Georgia’s Independence Day celebrations on May 26. The speakers explored key moments in Georgian history, including the alliance between the Kipchaks, a Kazakh tribe, and King David IV of Georgia, also known as David the Builder, who ruled from 1089 to 1125.
Raimov highlighted the role of Turkic peoples in supporting Georgian statehood throughout history, including during the Battle of Didgori in 1121 and through financial assistance provided to Georgia in the 1990s. From L to R: Kazakh writer Madi Raimov, guide and member of the Astana Guides Club Assel Shulenbayeva and historian Zhaksylyk Sabitov during May 26 event.
Photo credit: The Astana Times “Turkic nations played a key role in the salvation and establishment of Georgian statehood. That is why I believe Kazakh-Georgian ties are very close,” Raimov said. He noted that in 1118, around 40,000 Kipchak families crossed the North Caucasus mountains and settled in present-day Georgia under the leadership of Kipchak Artyk Khan.
According to Raimov, King David IV strengthened his alliance with the Kipchaks by marrying Gurandukht, the daughter of Artyk Khan. “Before asking the khan for military support, David asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Thus, Gurandukht became the wife of David IV, and it can be argued that Queen Tamar had Kipchak ancestry,” Raimov said.
Sabitov began by outlining the broader historical context. In the 11th century, he said, the Kipchak Khanate emerged as a major power across the Eurasian steppe, centered in present-day Kazakhstan. The state united nomadic warrior tribes that expanded southward and westward across the region.
“It is believed that the Kipchaks crossed the Volga River at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th centuries. They later reached the borders of Kyivan Rus and established the western frontier of Desht-i-Kipchak,” Sabitov said. The strength of the Kipchak Khanate enabled it to continue military campaigns across Eurasia, yet the state was undergoing fragmentation and gradual disintegration.
Geographically, almost the entire territory of modern Kazakhstan was the domain of the Kipchak possessions, which was called Desht-i Kipchak (Steppe of the Kipchaks). In different parts of Desht-i-Kipchak, local rulers were increasingly asserting authority over their assigned steppe territories.
These rulers established their own dynasties. “One of the most powerful dynasties before the Mongol invasion was founded by Khan Otrok, who took part in the Rus-Kipchak wars. Artyk Khan, also known in some sources as Atrak, belonged to this dynasty through his father, the powerful Sary Khan, or Sharukhan,” Sabitov said.