Sart Kalmyk

The Sart Kalmyk are a distinct group of people with a unique history and cultural identity. They are a subgroup of the Kalmyk people, who are of Mongol origin and primarily reside in Kalmykiya, a republic in southwestern Russia.1

The Sart Kalmyk, specifically, live in Kyrgyzstan, near the Chinese border. Unlike the majority of Kalmyk who are Tibetan Buddhists, the Sart Kalmyk are Muslims. The term "Sart" itself refers to a trading and town-dwelling people found in central and southwestern Asia. Historically, the Kalmyk people migrated to the Caspian region in the 17th century from Central Asia and were traditionally nomadic cattle breeders.123