Sart

Two Sart men and two Sart boys posed outside, in front of wall, in the early 20th century.

Sart is a name for a group of settled people in Central Asia The meaning of the word had changed often over the centuries. Sarts were sometimes called Ak-Sart in ancient times. They did not have any particular ethnic identification. Most, but not all. Sarts lived in town.

Origin

There are many theories about the origin of the word Sart. It may come from the Sanskrit sārthavāha "merchant, trader, caravan leader". The term was thought to have been used by nomads to describe town-dwellers, This origin of the name has been suggested by Vasily Bartold, Gerard Clauson, and most recently Richard Foltz.