Tamga

Tamga, also tamgha, is a term used to describe a clan or tribal emblem employed by Turkic, Mongolic, and other Central Asian nomadic groups. It functioned as a personal or family mark, a signature of affiliation, and a property or lineage indicator. Tamgas appear on a range of objects, including seals, weapons, horse gear, banners, coins, pottery, and inscriptions.

The word derives from the Turkic tamğa, meaning mark or stamp. In historical contexts, tamgas identified the bearer’s lineage or clan and served as a political and social sign within tribal confederations. The concept is attested in inscriptive evidence from the early Turkic world, including the Orkhon inscriptions, where tamğa denotes a clan emblem.

Tamgas are typically stylized signs that can be geometric or pictorial. They are usually a single emblem or a simple combination of signs and may be incised, carved, painted, or stamped onto objects. While they functioned in some respects like heraldic devices in later centuries, tamgas originate in native steppe culture as markers of identity and ownership rather than as a formal European-style coat of arms.

Historically widespread across Turkic and related peoples from antiquity through the medieval period, tamgas show regional variation in design and symbolism. In archaeology and art history, they help identify tribal affiliation on artifacts and inscriptions. In modern contexts, descendants of these traditions persist in clan symbols among Turkic-speaking populations such as Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, though tamga remains primarily a historical concept tied to ancient and medieval emblematic practices.