A tamga is the mark that belongs to a clan or a family. It is branded on the horse's flank, cut into rock, woven into a carpet, struck on a coin. It is not writing to be read but a shape to be recognised: it says at a glance whose this is.
The shapes are plain and geometric — a hook, a fork, a ring. Related clans use tamgas that resemble each other; when a new clan splits off it adds a stroke to the old mark. So the tamgas are also a family tree.
Some letters of the Old Turkic alphabet are thought to derive from tamgas.
In Balbal, Tamga is a suit of nine tiles and the best-known marks are there: the Grey Wolf, the Shield, the Double-Headed Eagle, the Ram's Head. Every symbol
See also: balbal · Eternal Stones