Altaians

The Altaians are a Turkic people of the Altai Mountains, a region regarded as the ancestral homeland of the Turkic peoples: in the 6th century the Göktürk Khaganate rose from these lands. In the 2021 census the Telengits, Tubalars and Chelkans were also counted as Altaians.

Gorno-Altaysk is the capital of the Altai Republic. The Ak Jang (Burkhanist) faith, which emerged in the early 20th century, carries traces of the ancient Turkic belief in Tengri. Southern Altai is close to the Kyrgyz-Kipchak group, while the northern dialects are closer to the Siberian Turkic languages.