Toquz Oghuz is a political alliance of nine Turkic tribes. Toquz Oghuz consolidated within the Turkic Kaganate

Göktürks

The Göktürks or Kök Türks, were a nomadic confederation of peoples in medieval Inner Asia. Known in Chinese sources as 突厥 , the Göktürks under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan The Göktürks or Kök Türks, (Old Turkic: Türük or Kök Türük or Türük; Celestial Turks) were a nomadic confederation of...

 (552-743), and after its fragmentation preserved their union. Etymology of their name comes from the Turkic word "Oghuz" = "Community", which developed into "Tokuz Oghuz" = "9 Oghuz (Communities)" for Uyghurs

Uyghur people

The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...

, and similarly "Uch-Oguzes" (Turkic: uch "three"). = "3 Oghuz (Communities)" for Karluks. The base for the generalized ethnical term "Oghuz" is the word "og" = "clan, tribe", which in turn descends from the ancient Turkic word "og" = "mother". Initially the word "oguz" could designate "tribes", "tribal union", and with time became a collective ethnic name, which in some cased gained an additional determinant as "Toquz-Oghuz" = "9 (different) Oghuz"", "Uch-Oghuz" = "3 (different) Oghuz". Toquz Oghuz were mentioned in the Orkhon inscriptions

Orkhon inscriptions

"Orkhon inscription" may refer to:*two monuments in the Orkhon valley, see Khöshöö Tsaidam Monuments*inscriptions in the Old Turkic "Orkhon alphabet" in general, see Old Turkic epigraphy...

written in the 730es AD.