summoning_ifrit
Polovtsy
Kipchak steppe art.
Kipchaks were a confederation of pastoralists and warriors of Turkic origin, known in Russian and Ukrainian as Polovtsy, who lived in yurts (felt tents) and came from the region of the River Irtysh. Some tribes of the confederation probably originated near the Chinese borders and, after having moved into western Siberia by the 9th century, migrated further west into the Trans-Volga. They occupied a vast, sprawling territory in the Eurasian steppe, stretching from north of the Aral Sea westward to the region north of the Black Sea (now in Ukraine and southwestern Russia) and founded a nomadic state (Desht-i Qipchaq). They invaded the territory later known as Moldavia, Wallachia, and part of Transylvania in the 11th century. From there they continued their plundering of the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. In the late 11th and early 12th centuries, they became involved in various conflicts with the Byzantines, Kievan Rus, the Hungarians, and the Pechenegs, allying themselves with one or the other side at different times. In 1089, they were defeated by Ladislaus I of Hungary, again by Knyaz Vladimir Monomakh of the Rus in the 12th century. They sacked Kiev in 1203. They were finally crushed by the Mongols in 1241. During the Mongol empire, the Kipchaks constituted majority of the khanate comprising present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, called the Golden Horde, the westernmost division of the Mongol empire. After the fall of the Mongol Empire, the Golden Horde rulers continued to hold Saraj until 1502. The Kuman, or western Kipchak tribes, fled to Hungary, and some of their warriors became mercenaries for the Latin crusaders and the Byzantines. Members of the Bahri dynasty, the first dynasty of Mamluks in Egypt, were Kipchaks; one of the most prominent examples was Sultan Baybars, born in Solhat, Crimea. Some Kipchaks served in the Yuan dynasty and became the Kharchins. - enWikipedia
original photo taken by Petro Vlasenko
Polovtsy
Kipchak steppe art.
Kipchaks were a confederation of pastoralists and warriors of Turkic origin, known in Russian and Ukrainian as Polovtsy, who lived in yurts (felt tents) and came from the region of the River Irtysh. Some tribes of the confederation probably originated near the Chinese borders and, after having moved into western Siberia by the 9th century, migrated further west into the Trans-Volga. They occupied a vast, sprawling territory in the Eurasian steppe, stretching from north of the Aral Sea westward to the region north of the Black Sea (now in Ukraine and southwestern Russia) and founded a nomadic state (Desht-i Qipchaq). They invaded the territory later known as Moldavia, Wallachia, and part of Transylvania in the 11th century. From there they continued their plundering of the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. In the late 11th and early 12th centuries, they became involved in various conflicts with the Byzantines, Kievan Rus, the Hungarians, and the Pechenegs, allying themselves with one or the other side at different times. In 1089, they were defeated by Ladislaus I of Hungary, again by Knyaz Vladimir Monomakh of the Rus in the 12th century. They sacked Kiev in 1203. They were finally crushed by the Mongols in 1241. During the Mongol empire, the Kipchaks constituted majority of the khanate comprising present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, called the Golden Horde, the westernmost division of the Mongol empire. After the fall of the Mongol Empire, the Golden Horde rulers continued to hold Saraj until 1502. The Kuman, or western Kipchak tribes, fled to Hungary, and some of their warriors became mercenaries for the Latin crusaders and the Byzantines. Members of the Bahri dynasty, the first dynasty of Mamluks in Egypt, were Kipchaks; one of the most prominent examples was Sultan Baybars, born in Solhat, Crimea. Some Kipchaks served in the Yuan dynasty and became the Kharchins. - enWikipedia
original photo taken by Petro Vlasenko