Tarkhan (Old Turkic: 𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣, romanized: Tarqan,[1] Mongolian: ᠳᠠᠷᠬᠠᠨ Darqan or Darkhan;[2][3] Persian: ترخان; Chinese: 達干/達爾罕/答剌罕; Arabic: ترخان; Punjabi: ترکھاݨ; alternative spellings Tarkan, Tarkhaan, Tarqan, Tarchan, Turxan, Tarcan, Turgan, Tárkány, Tarján, Tarxan) is an ancient Central Asian title used by various Turkic, Hungarian, Mongolic, and Iranian peoples.
[9] L. Ligeti comes to the same conclusion, saying that "tarxan and tegin [prince] form the wholly un-Turkic plurals tarxat and tegit" and that the word was unknown to medieval western Turkic languages, such as Bulgar.
[14] They were given high honors such as entering the yurt of the khagan without any prior appointment and shown unusual ninefold pardon to the ninth generation from any crime they committed.
[15] Although the etymology of the word is unknown, it is attested under the Khitan people, whose Liao dynasty ruled most of Mongolia and North China from 916 to 1125.
Abaqa Khan (1234–82) made an Indian Darkhan after he had led his mother and her team all the way from Central Asia to Persia safely.
[20] After suppressing the rebellion of the right three tumens in Mongolia, Dayan Khan exempted his soldiers, who participated the battle of Dalan-Terqin, from imposts and made them Darkhan in 1513.
Even after the collapse of Northern Yuan dynasty with the death of Ligdan Khan in 1635, the title of darkhan continued to be bestowed on religious dignitaries, sometimes on persons of low birth.
All craftsmen held the status of darkhan and were immune to occasional requisitions levied incessantly by passing imperial envoys.
[23] People who served the Khagan's orda were granted the title of darkhan and their descendants are known as the darkhad in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia.