- History of the Turkic peoples
:"This article refers to the history of
Turkic peoples . For the history ofTurkish people , seeHistory of the Turkish people ."The
history of theTurkic peoples (Turkic speaking peoples).Origins
It is generally believed that the first Turkic people were native to a region extending from
Central Asia toSiberia . Some scholars contend that theHuns were one of the earlier Turkic tribes, while others support either aMongolic orFinno-Ugric origin for the Huns. [ [http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesEurope/BarbarianHuns.htm The Origins of the Huns] ] Otto Maenchen-Helfen'slinguistic studies also support a Turkic origin for the Huns. [Otto J. Maenchen-Helfen. The World of the Huns: Studies in Their History and Culture. University of California Press, 1973] [ [http://www.kroraina.com/huns/mh/mh_6.html Otto Maenchen-Helfen, Language of Huns] ]Expansion
The main migration of Turkic peoples occurred between the fifth and tenth centuries AD, when they spread across most of
Central Asia and intoEurope and theMiddle East .Carter V. Findley, The Turks in World History, (Oxford University Press, October 2004) ISBN 0-19-517726-6]The precise date of the initial expansion from the early homeland remains unknown. The first state known as "Turk", giving its name to the many states and peoples afterwards, was that of the
Göktürks ("gog" = "blue" or "celestial") in the6th century AD. The head of the "Asena " clan led his people from Liqian (in modernYongchang County , China) to theRouran seeking inclusion in their confederacy and protection fromChina . His tribe were famed metal smiths and were granted land near a mountain quarry which looked like a helmet from which they got their name 突厥(tūjué). A century later their power had increased such that they conquered the Rouran and set about establishing their "Gök Empire".Later Turkic peoples include the
Karluks (mainly 8th century), Uyghurs,Kyrgyz , Oghuz (or Ğuz) Turks, and Turkmens. As these peoples were founding states in the area betweenMongolia andTransoxiana , they came into contact with Muslims, and most gradually adoptedIslam . However, there were also (and still are) small groups of Turkic people belonging to other religions, including Christians,Jew s (seeKhazars ), Buddhists, and Zoroastrians.Middle Ages
Turkic soldiers in the army of the Abbasid caliphs emerged as the "de facto" rulers of most of the Muslim Middle East (apart from
Syria andEgypt ), particularly after the 10th century. The Oghuz and other tribes captured and dominated various countries under the leadership of the Seljuk dynasty, and eventually captured the territories of the Abbasid dynasty and theByzantine Empire .Meanwhile, the
Kyrgyz andUyghurs were struggling with one another and with the Chinese Empire. TheKyrgyz people ultimately settled in the region now referred to asKyrgyzstan . TheTatar peoples conquered theVolga Bulgars in what is todayTatarstan , following the westward sweep of theMongols underGenghis Khan in the 13th century. TheBulgars were thus mistakenly called "Tatars" by the Russians. Native Tatars live only in Asia; European "Tatars" are in fact Bulgars. Other Bulgars settled in Europe in the 7–8th centuries, exchanging their original Turkic tongue for what eventually became the SlavicBulgarian language . Everywhere, Turkic groups mixed with the local populations to varying degrees.As the
Seljuk Empire declined following the Mongol invasion, theOttoman Empire emerged as the new important Turkic state, that came to dominate not only the Middle East, but even southeastern Europe, parts of southwestern Russia, and northern Africa.The Ottoman Empire gradually grew weaker in the face of maladministration, repeated wars with Russia and
Austro-Hungary , and the emergence of nationalist movements in theBalkans , and it finally gave way afterWorld War I to the present-day republic ofTurkey .Mughal Empire
The
Mughal Empire (Turkish:Babür İmparatorluğu) was a Muslim dynasty that at its greatest territorial extent ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known asHindustan , and parts of what is nowAfghanistan andPakistan from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. The Mughal dynasty was founded by aChagatai Turkic prince namedBabur (reigned 1526–30), who was descended from the Turkic conquerorTimur (Tamerlane) on his father's side and from Chagatai, second son of theMongol rulerGenghis Khan , on his mother's side. The Mughal dynasty was notable for the ability of its rulers, who through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent, and for its administrative organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the Mughals to integrate Hindus and Muslims into a united Indian state. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054153 Encyclopædia Britannica] ] [ [http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/taj_mahal/tlevel_1/t1_mughal.html the Mughal dynasty] ] [ [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/mogul/ When the Moguls Ruled India...] ]ee also
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History of the Turks
*Turkic languages
*Turkic mythology
*List of Turkic states and empires References and notes
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