Turkestan (Persian: ترکستان; also spelle Turkistan or Türkistan in Turkish, which literally means "Land of the Turks" in Persian) is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. It has been referenced in many Turkic and Persian sagas and is an integral part of Turan (though Turan dwarfs Turkestan in area). Oghuz Turks (also known as Turkmens), Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Khazars, Kyrgyz and Uygurs are some of the Turkic inhabitants of the region who, as history progressed, have spread further into Eurasia forming such Turkic nations as Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russian Tatarstan. Tajiks and Russians form sizable non-Turkic minorities.