ance ▁of ▁the ▁neighbor ing ▁D zung ar ▁Mong ol ▁tribe . ▁They ▁reached ▁the ▁lower ▁Vol ga ▁region ▁in ▁or ▁about ▁ 1 6 3 0 . ▁That ▁land , ▁however , ▁was ▁not ▁un cont ested ▁past ures , ▁but ▁rather ▁the ▁hom eland ▁of ▁the ▁N og ai ▁Hor de , ▁a ▁conf eder ation ▁of ▁Turk ic - spe aking ▁nom adic ▁tribes . ▁The ▁Kal my ks ▁exp elled ▁the ▁N og ais ▁who ▁fled ▁to ▁the ▁C au cas ian ▁pla ins ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁Crime an ▁Khan ate , ▁areas ▁under ▁the ▁control ▁of ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire . ▁Some ▁N og ai ▁groups ▁sought ▁the ▁protection ▁of ▁the ▁Russian ▁g arrison ▁at ▁A stra k han . ▁The ▁remaining ▁nom adic ▁Mong ol ▁O ir ats ▁tribes ▁became ▁v ass als ▁of ▁Kal my k ▁Khan . ▁ ▁The ▁Kal my ks ▁settled ▁in ▁the ▁wide ▁open ▁ste pp es ▁from ▁Sar at ov ▁in ▁the ▁north ▁to ▁A stra k han ▁on ▁the ▁Vol ga ▁delta ▁in ▁the ▁south ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁T erek ▁River ▁in ▁the ▁south west . ▁They ▁also ▁enc amp ed ▁on ▁both ▁sides ▁of ▁the ▁Vol ga ▁River , ▁from ▁the ▁Don ▁River ▁in ▁the ▁west ▁to ▁the ▁U ral ▁River ▁in ▁the ▁east . ▁Although ▁these ▁territ ories ▁had ▁been ▁recently ▁an nex ed ▁by ▁Russia , ▁it ▁was ▁in ▁no ▁position ▁to ▁sett le ▁the ▁area ▁with ▁Russian ▁colon ists . ▁This ▁area ▁under ▁Kal my k