This figure is shrouded in mystery, and local legends often associate him with the descendants of Genghis Khan.
Firstly, "Tura Khan" is not a personal name of a specific individual, but rather a title. It derives from the Turkic-Mongolian word "töre," which means "law, order, power, or structure." In the Mongol Empire, the Golden Horde, and the Kazakh Khanate, this term designated the elite – descendants of Genghis Khan, known as tore-Chingizids: sultans, oglans, beks, and ak suyek. These individuals had a legitimate claim to the Khan's throne. Evidence is found in historical sources, such as the 1428 letter from Khan Ulu Muhammad to Ottoman Sultan Murad II, which mentions the terms "khan agalarymyz" and "törelerymiz" in reference to the descendants of Urus Khan and Tokhtamysh. Furthermore, in the book "Tazkira-yi Azizan" by Muhamedsadyk, the term "töre khan" appears three times as a designation for a ruler. These findings are supported by the works of historians I. Erofeeva, dedicated to Khan Abulkhair, and T.I. Sultanov.
Secondly, mausoleums like the keshene of Tura Khan are portal-domed tent structures that were built exclusively for tore-Chingizids as symbols of their high status. Their architecture evolved from Khorezmian structures of the 12th-13th centuries to later complexes, such as Kok-Kesene in Sygnak of the 15th-16th centuries. Direct analogies are found in Kazakhstan: the mausoleums of Abat-Baitak, Kok-Kesene, Babaji-Khatun, and Il-Arslan. Kazakh scholar M. Zh. Abdirov emphasizes that such tombs were intended only for members of the Khan's lineage, highlighting their elitism.
Thirdly, in the 13th-16th centuries, the Southern Urals were a remote periphery of the Ulus of Jochi – too cold for the year-round nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols. Mongol Khans did not seek to fully control these lands, so the Bashkirs paid yasak and supplied fully equipped warriors for wars, but retained their patrimonial rights, the sovereign power of the biys, and an independent internal way of life. This was made possible through diplomacy, including negotiations by Maiky-biy and Muyten-biy, and the conclusion of a treaty with the western Bashkirs in the first third of the 13th century. The Mongols limited themselves to controlling legal functions and external relations, delegating this to viceroys – Chingizid-töre. These viceroys acted as intermediaries, gaining the trust of both the Khans and the local clans.
Fourth, interesting echoes of this story have been preserved in Kazakh folklore, particularly in the epic "Tyurakhan." Two manuscript versions exist: one recorded by the akyn Nurpeis Baiganin, and the other by the folklorist Bisen Sarimanov. The main hero, Torekhan, is the son of Temirkhan, a descendant of Khan Nuradin, and the grandson of the legendary Orak-Mamai.
Thus, the mausoleum of Tura-khan is the burial place of a Mongol governor from the lineage of Genghis Khan. In the 14th century, this individual was responsible for collecting yasak (tribute), maintaining law and order, and diplomatic relations in the Southern Urals.
Source: I. Bulyakov, A. Salikhov, G. Bulyakova. Who are you, Tura-khan? // "Vatandash" magazine, No. 12, December 2022.