Abū al-Khayr Khān Qazāq b. Āyrash b. Āchah (1104–1161/1693–1748), chief of one of the Qazaq tribes who, by becoming a subject of the Russians, paved the way for the Russian penetration of Turkestan. In the course of the 17th century, the unity of the Qazaqs disintegrated and according to their hierarchy, the tribal branches divided into three ‘camps’ (urdūs): Ūlūgh (Great), Ūrtā (Medium), and Kīchī (Small), the last of which, despite its name, was numerically larger than the other two. Abū al-Khayr Khān was the leader of this particular urdū which occupied the regions between the Ar…