What is the origin of the Bulgars? Baktria ?

[RenaRyuguu]

My R1a-z93 appears to be from Bulgars

[Mingle]

ASPA with the ancient Iranian word for horse. Regarding the end, Rukh Abaev thinks that it corresponds to the Avestan word RAOCHA-ray, light, Greek LEUKOS-light, and the origin of the name must have been Scythian ... But what are the Scythians to whom Asparuh owes his name, where did they live , what are they known with?

Aspa also means "horse" in Pashto (modern Iranic language).

I don't have details on their relationship ATM, but they lived in overlapping territories and Iranics were the elite or had ties to the elite of many foreign groups in that region. The Xianbei (Chinese name for Sarbi) and Gokturk elite were also said to have been Iranic.

And Uralic borrowed from Iranic as well:
https://pies.ucla.edu/IEConference/I...nen_s_2016.pdf
https://courses.helsinki.fi/sites/de...%20contact.pdf

Proto-Slavs did as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-...ic_and_Iranian

If you know where the Old Bulgars lived, its not unexpected that they would have had contacts with Iranics and borrowed words from them (especially since Slavs and Uralics did as well):


So basically they borrowed some words from their more influential neighbors, nothing special.

Also, regarding the crackpot theory that the OP is talking about, its this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balkhara
He's basically mentioning a fringe theory not taken seriously by anyone and this fringe theory states that the Old Bulgars originate in a fictional kingdom called Balkhara which has 0 proof of ever existing.

[PAGANE]

Aspa also means "horse" in Pashto (modern Iranic language).

I don't have details on their relationship ATM, but they lived in overlapping territories and Iranics were the elite or had ties to the elite of many foreign groups in that region. The Xianbei (Chinese name for Sarbi) and Gokturk elite were also said to have been Iranic.

And Uralic borrowed from Iranic as well:
https://pies.ucla.edu/IEConference/I...nen_s_2016.pdf
https://courses.helsinki.fi/sites/de...%20contact.pdf

Proto-Slavs did as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proto-...ic_and_Iranian

If you know where the Old Bulgars lived, its not unexpected that they would have had contacts with Iranics and borrowed words from them (especially since Slavs and Uralics did as well):


So basically they borrowed some words from their more influential neighbors, nothing special.

Also, regarding the crackpot theory that the OP is talking about, its this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Balkhara
He's basically mentioning a fringe theory not taken seriously by anyone and this fringe theory states that the Old Bulgars originate in a fictional kingdom called Balkhara which has 0 proof of ever existing.

Personally, I am not an adherent of the Turkic theory of the origin of the old Bulgarians. It is neither archaeological nor genetic. I suppose genetically it was a mixed people with a predominantly Indo-Iranian component and a bit Turkic. Archaeologically closer to Scythian Sarmatians, and linguistically probably closer to the Ogur languages.