UZBAK or Uzbek, a Turanian race found on the Oxus, in Balkh, Kunduz IChost, Inderab, Talikhan, Huzrut - Imam, Anakhu, Shibbargan, and Bokhara. In all these districts the Uzbak are mixed with Tajak, the latter being the older inhabitants. The Uzbak are the resident civilised inhabitants of Central Asia. Their phys ical form has become considerably changed from being intermixed with ancient Ira,nians, and with many slaves from Persian Inn. The typical Uzbak in IChiva has a broad. full face, low flat forehead, largo mouth ; while those of Bolchara are less marked. In the neighbourhood of Kash gar and Aksu, the colour is from yellowish-brown to blackish ; in Khokand brown, and in Khiva white. Timur was an Uzbek Tartar, but Uzbak power rose on the ruin of the Timur dynasty. The Uzbak considers himself more orthodox than the Afghan. As an ocular demonstration of God's blessing upon their nationality, he points out the numerous tombs of saints scattered all over Turkestan. Ile invites the Afghan to show him, in his turn, the number of hie saints ; to enu merate, if he can, how 'natty men of his tribe have won the grace of God and become saints. He taunts the Afghans, who are Sunnis, with having no mints of their own, and being therefore obliged to go in pilgrimage to the Shiaite city, Mashed. They have 32 chief divisions, all known by names, many of them similar to those amongst the Kazstk, and from this Vamberv supposes the Uzbak to be a colonizing tribe. The Uzbak are Muhamtnadans. In Khiva and some parts of Chinese Tartary they are brave and warlike, and in this respect they are distinguished from all the other Central Asiatics. Although settled, they retain nomad° customs, building houses for stables and granaries, but preferring the raised tent to dwell in. Uzbak men have pretty thick, but never long, beards. The women long retain their white cotnplexion, and, with their large eyes, full face, and black hair, they are not displeasing. In Central Asia, they are highly renowned for their beauty. The Uzbak of Balkh are simple, honest, and humane. Uzbaks are fond of racing at festivals. The Uzbak horses and the horses in Bokham and Mayrnena possess more strength than speed. The bride retires to a screened part of the tent, and is followed by the groom.
Mouravief supnoses Uzbak to be derived from Uz, his or himself, and Bek, master, thus mean ing master of himself, or independent. Klaproth derives it from the people called Ouz or Gouz. By the Arab historians, these were the same as Uignr, a Turkish tribe which formerly inhabited the countries to the south of the Celestial Mountain, that is, Little Bokhara. At the com tneucement of the 16th century, the Uzbak passed the Sihon or Jaxartes, proceeding westward. Everywhere they spread terror and desolation. They are at present in Balkh, Kharazm or Khiva, Bokhara, Farg,ana, and some countries in the neighbourhood of Mount Beim. Tagh. The Uzbek tribes who inhabit Khiva. are the Uigur, Naiman, Kangli-lCapchak, Kiat-Konkrad, and Noikious mangood. Vambery says the term was in use among the ancient Hungarians as a titular term.
When Uzbak Khan MIS lord of Dasht-i-Kap chak, he introduced the religion of Islam into his dominions. On the death of Uzbak Khan in
1342, his son, and aftenvards his grandson, followed him ; but in 1360, Urus Khan, descended from a younger son of Jojy, became sovereign of Kapehak. The seventh in succession from Jojy was much revered by his subjecta, and from that time, according to Abul Gliazi Khan, who is partly supported by Khondemir, they called themselves Uzbak ; and eventually the Uzbak expelled the descendants of Timur from Mawur-un-nahar, and they still retain possession of Khiva, Bokhara, and Khokand.
Uzbak are the dominant tribe in Khiva. In the 16th century they came from tho east of Bokhara, and wrested Khiva from the Sart. They are settled as awiculturists, gardener& fishers, and fill the highest offices, own the little strongholda, and possess all the lands. The wealth of the Sart is in their houses ; the rich Uzbak buy arms. The Uzbak wealth is in land and slaves. Ile is a hard master, of a sullen and joyless disposition, prone to gross and brutal indulgence& His intellect is dull. They have 32 taif6 or tribes,—Akbet, chni, Atchmayli. Az, I3algali, Boikulak, Bugurlu, Dormen, Ichkili, Jagatai, Jelair, liandji-gaLay, Kanli, Karakursak, Keuegoz, Kettekeser, Khitaii Kiet, Kipeltak, Kulan, Kungrat, Manghit, Ming, Mitten, ayman, Nogai, Noks, Sayat, Taz, Tyrkyah, Uigur, Ushun.
Moumvief estimated their numbers at 30,000 families, E. Kuhlivein, together with the Sarta, at 400,000, and Abbott at 100,000. The Kataghan tribe of Uzbak inhabit the Kunduz province of Afghanistan, north and south of the Oxus. They number 42,000 families.—Collett, Khiva ; Vant bery, Bokhara, p. 244 ; Dr. Wolfs Bok.hara, p. 312 ; Klaproth, Note ; Mouravief, Bokhara, p. 395 ; Ferrier's Journey, pp. 89, 90 ; Markham, Enibassy, p. 35 ; MacGregor, p. 527.
V. In the English language this letter has only one sound, as in gave, give, love, dove ; but in the oriental tongues the initial v is often changed into b or w, and the final v into u. In Sanskrit, v has the same sound as in English ; but in Bengali and Uriya, the Sanskrit v is always changed into b, as bari for vari, barsha for varsha ; and the same change often occurs in Hindi, as baras for varsha, sambat for samvat ; in Bengali, also, which has no v, u is a usual substitute for v ; in. Gujerati this is reversed, and v is written for b, as vighu for bigha, vimo for bima. ALso, in all dialects, particularly amongst the illiterate, there is a. tendency to approximate the sound of v to that of w, or to substitute w for v. In Tamil, the change is not uncommon even in the written language, and varam is frequently written waram. The letter wau of the Persian is often pronounced vau ; and in the Urdu or Hindustani the pro nunciation of the wau is as often that of w as of v, as wakil, vakil ; Ivazir, vizir ; darwesh, darvesh ; and all IIindus frequently change the wau into a b, as walaiti, balati ; nawab, nabab, the nabob of the English. In .Mahrati there are both sounds for the saute letter, the one exactly like w, the other more like v.— Wilson.