Abakan

Abakan is an ancient and multi-layered toponym in Southern Siberia, the name of the city, which is currently the capital of the Republic of Khakassia of the Russian Federation, and is also directly related to the name of the Abakan River.

The origin of the name belongs to the Turkic-Yenisei (Khakas, Old Turkic) linguistic layer. Scientists explain the name Abakan in several ways, but all of them are related to the local Turkic languages.

According to the most widespread scientific explanation, the name Abakan is formed from the components "aba" and "kan / kan" in the Old Turkic language.

– "Aba" is in some sources associated with the meanings of "large", "wide", "main", "father";

– "Kan / kan" is a hydronymic element in the Old Turkic and Altaic languages, meaning "river", "water", "channel" (the ancient forms of Yenisei, Kan, Irtysh, etc.).

Accordingly, Abakan means "large river", "main watercourse", "wide valley river". This name fully corresponds to the natural and geographical situation, since the Abakan River is one of the largest rivers in Khakassia, an important tributary of the Yenisei. In another version, the name is associated with the Khakass word "aba" - "bear", and the interpretation is "Bear River". In the mythology of the Khakass, the bear was considered a sacred animal, therefore this version is also ethnoculturally logical, however, in scientific circles, the first hydronymic version is more accepted. Historically, the Abakan region has long been an area inhabited by Yenisei Kyrgyz, and later Khakass tribes. The name of the city was originally formed as the name of a river, and later became the name of a settlement based on that hydronym. This is a widespread phenomenon characteristic of Turkic toponymy. The name Abakan is given to one of the streets of the Zhetysu district of Almaty. The street begins on Sh. Yesenov Street, south of Bayanaul Street. The length of the street is 720 meters.