Astrakhan , the Russian name of the Golden Horde city of Ḥājjī Tarkhān, is a city in the Volga delta, near the Caspian Sea. It was the capital of a khānate of the same name, circa 1502-56. The original name was derived from the words ḥājjī and tarkhān (the latter term was used in the ulus (realm) of Jūchī (or Joçi, Jöchi, Dzhuchi, or various other spellings), one of the sons of Genghis Khan (Çinggis Khān), and in Mongol states for a man exempt from taxes). Other historical forms include