Turkic

Turkic
Name	Turkic
Region	Eurasia
Familycolor	Altaic
Fam1	Proposed Altaic
Fam2	Turkic
Child1	Oghuz
Child2	Kipchak
Child3	Karluk
Child4	Siberian

Turkic is a collection of interrelated peoples and languages originating in Eurasia with historical states, empires, and nomadic confederations that shaped steppe, Central Asian, Anatolian, Caucasian, and Siberian histories. Major historical actors include the Göktürks, Uyghur Khaganate, Seljuk Empire, and Ottoman Empire, while modern nation-states such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan host large Turkic-speaking populations. Scholarship spans archaeology, historical linguistics, genetics, and comparative anthropology involving institutions like British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and universities such as Harvard University and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Etymology and Terminology

The ethnonym traces to early medieval sources including the Orkhon inscriptions erected by the Göktürks, and to Chinese historiography in the Tang dynasty court records referencing the Ashina clan and titles recorded in the Old Book of Tang and New Book of Tang. Medieval Islamic chroniclers such as Al-Masudi and Ibn Khaldun used terms that later appeared in Rashid al-Din's compendia and in Ottoman administrative registers like the Kanunname. Modern linguistic labels evolved in European scholarship via authors like Johann Gottfried Herder and Vilhelm Thomsen, while nationalist movements in the 19th and 20th centuries—represented by figures such as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Józef Bem's contemporaries—shaped modern self-identification.

History and Origins

Early steppe polities include the Xiongnu confederation, the Rouran Khaganate, and successor states such as the Göktürk Khaganate and the Second Turkic Khaganate. The migration and expansion phases involved interactions with empires like the Sassanian Empire, Byzantine Empire, and Tang dynasty China, and with nomadic groups such as the Huns and Magyars. Later medieval polities encompassed the Karakhanids, Kipchaks, Khazars, Volga Bulgars, Seljuks, and the Timurid Empire, culminating in the rise of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of khanates in post‑Mongol Central Asia including Khanate of Bukhara and Kokand Khanate. Colonial and imperial encounters involved the Russian Empire, Qing dynasty, and European powers during the Great Game.

Languages and Linguistic Features

The language family branches include Oghuz (e.g., Azerbaijani language, Turkish language, Turkmen language), Kipchak (e.g., Kazakh language, Kyrgyz language, Tatar language), Karluk (e.g., Uzbek language, Uyghur language), and Siberian groups (e.g., Yakut language, Khakas language). Characteristic features are vowel harmony attested in Old Turkic inscriptions, agglutination seen in grammatical descriptions by André Martinet and Johann Christoph Adelung, and evidences of syntactic typology studied at institutions like Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. Writing systems have included the Old Turkic script, Arabic script, Cyrillic script, and Latin script reforms promoted by reformers linked to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Akhmet Baitursynov; comparative reconstructions appear in works by Gerard Clauson and Talat Tekin.

Ethnogenesis and Peoples

Ethnogenesis narratives combine archaeological cultures—Yenisei Kyrgyz archaeological culture, Ordos culture—and historical records of clans such as the Ashina and lineages documented in the Secret History of the Mongols. Peoples with Turkic identities include the Turks (modern people), Azeris, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz people, Turkmens, Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvash people, Yakuts, Uyghurs, and smaller groups like the Gagauz people and Karachays. Diaspora communities appear in Germany, France, United States, Russia, and Iran; migration waves relate to events such as the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, the Soviet deportations, and Ottoman-era population movements.

Culture and Society

Material culture encompasses artifacts from the Orkhon inscriptions, horse tack found in Pazyryk burials, and decorative arts visible in collections at the Hermitage Museum and Topkapı Palace. Nomadic pastoralism traditions intersect with urban literatures represented by poets like Yunus Emre, Alisher Navoi, Fuzûlî, and historiographers such as Ibn Fadlan. Musical and performative traditions include the kobyz and dombra instruments, epic narratives like the Book of Dede Korkut and Manas Epic, and seasonal festivals such as Nauruz celebrated across Central Asia and Anatolia. Social institutions historically featured tribal confederations exemplified by the Oghuz Yabgu State and legal traditions recorded in codes like the Oghuzname and customary practices examined by anthropologists at SOAS University of London.

Religion and Belief Systems

Pre-Islamic spiritualities included shamanism documented by travelers like Ibn Fadlan and material traces in Pazyryk mounds and Orkhon inscriptions referencing Tengri reverence. Conversion waves brought Sunni Islam as dominant in Anatolia, Central Asia, and Azerbaijan, shaped by scholars like Alisher Navoi and institutions such as the Madrasah of Bukhara. Other religious affiliations include Alevism and Bektashi Order in Anatolia, Tengrism revival movements studied by scholars at Columbia University, Russian Orthodox Church presence among Tatars and Bashkirs, and Buddhist influences in early Uyghur Khaganate periods visible in artifacts at the British Museum.

Modern Distribution and Politics

Contemporary nation-states with Turkic-speaking majorities include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, while significant minorities reside in Russia, China, Iran, and Iraq. International organizations and initiatives comprise the Turkic Council, the Organization of Turkic States, and cultural projects supported by bodies like the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency and academic networks at Bilkent University and L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Political issues involve relations between NATO member Turkey and partners in Central Asia, human rights concerns in Xinjiang involving Uyghur communities, and transnational energy diplomacy linking Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan pipelines to European markets mediated by forums such as the European Union.

Category:Ethnic groups