Yasa
Also called: Yasaq · Topic: Nomadic Empires: The Mongols · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
The yasa was known as "the legal code of Genghis Khan". At the 1206 quriltai the word appears as yasaq, meaning "law, decree, order". It then covered only rules about the hunt, the army and the postal system. By the mid-13th century the Mongols used yasa to mean their whole legal code. It was most likely a collection of old Mongol customs, later credited to Genghis Khan. This gave the Mongols, who were few in number but ruled many people, a lawgiver like Moses or Solomon. It helped them keep their identity and impose their law on the people they had conquered.
Example
In the late 16th century, 'Abdullah Khan, a Jochid descendant, said Muslim festival prayers at Bukhara. His chronicler Hafiz-i Tanish called this "according to the yasa of Genghis Khan".
Don't confuse with
- Quriltai: the assembly of chiefs that made decisions, such as proclaiming Genghis Khan in 1206. The yasa was the law, not the assembly.