The Turks' Discovery of Themselves

The stage of history has witnessed the birth, rise, and, unfortunately, the disappearance of many nations. Yet there are some nations that, despite changes in geography and passage through turbulent periods, manage to rise again from their ashes. The Turks are precisely the most vivid embodiment of this dynamic and resilient history.

How did this dynamic force emerging from the steppes come to transform into a lasting civilization that shaped the world for centuries? Let us embark on a brief but profound journey through the dusty pages of history.

The saga of the first Turkic states began with massive waves of migration extending from the steppes of southern Russia into the heart of Europe. While the famous Attila led the Hun Empire, countless other Turkic tribes stirred storms across the European stage. Whether on the eastern frontiers of China or the western lands of Europe, they demonstrated extraordinary military success in expanding borders and annexing territories.

Yet this dazzling military adventure, unfortunately, could not be crowned with a lasting cultural legacy. Many Turkic groups that settled in these lands gradually lost their national identities. Perhaps the absolute dominance they achieved in their fierce struggles against China bred complacency; perhaps the endless internal conflicts among themselves paved the way for this tragic end.

Today we know that:

• The Bulgarians, who eventually assimilated into Christianity in Europe, are originally of Turkic origin.
• Similarly, the Hungarians have a strong historical and genealogical connection to the Turks.
• In the East, the Uyghurs, as a result of intense political and commercial relations with China, were influenced by local philosophical currents and adopted religious beliefs close to those of the region, moving away from steppe culture.

It was precisely at this critical juncture that Islam entered the scene. Islam did not merely harness the Turks’ martial prowess and military genius; it enabled them to take deep and unshakable root culturally in the lands they entered.

Military power filtered through faith rapidly transformed into a vast civilization, elevating the Turks to a level of civilization that became a model for the world. The most concrete and magnificent example of this is undoubtedly the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman state was recognized not only as the most esteemed and respected Islamic state after the era of the Four Caliphs, but also surpassed many earlier Eastern states in science, architecture, and the arts.

After embracing Islam, the Turks never remained passive or isolated. On the contrary, they fused the immense spiritual motivation drawn from their faith with their deep-rooted martial strength and spread it across the four corners of the world. At this point, the historical positions of Iran (the Persians) and the Turks became sharply distinct. The Iranian plateau, especially since the Seljuks established absolute dominance in the region, was almost entirely governed by Turkic rulers and dynasties. The Turkic states did not stop there; they assumed the role of protector and patron of the Islamic world. It was precisely this struggle to seize leadership and patronage that inevitably led to the Iran-Ottoman wars throughout history.

There is a historical truth: ideologies have always served as tools for states to promote expansion and influence. Just as today the United States uses the slogan of “democracy” as a banner to reach every corner of the globe and establish global dominance, the Turks for centuries have imposed order on the world through the vision of just leadership of the Islamic world.

This glorious past continues to be preserved with deep respect in the memory of many nations today. For instance, despite being far more populous than Türkiye and possessing nuclear power, Pakistan still regards Türkiye as a “elder state”, honoring the spiritual bond forged by this historical legacy.

Our greatest duty today is to rekindle within our society the awareness of these historical truths and our deep-rooted heritage. Only through this institutional memory can our younger generations develop a morally strong and unshakably confident stance.

Let us never forget: just as a ship without a compass is doomed to be lost in open seas, nations that forget their past are swept away by the global winds of the future. For those who know their past can guide their future...