When Father Tengri created the blue sky above us and Mother Umay created the earth below us, the human race was created in between. Two of her sons were my ancestors Bumin and Istemi. They became khagans, rulers. People from all four directions were hostile to them, but they fought against them. Henceforth, those peoples had to bow their heads and bend their knees. The Khagans were wise and fearless. They ruled over all the kingdoms of the Turk peoples. The Turk Nobility and the Turk People were united...
— Orkhon Inscriptions, Bilge Khagan stele
An in-depth look at the Gokturks
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This book is a summary of the history of the Gokturks, also know as the “Celestial Turks” of the East. The Turks of Ancient Asia were led to freedom by the Ashina Clan against the Rouran Khaganate. The Ashina leader Bumin then declared himself Khagan, supreme ruler of the steppe, and his descendents began a unprecedented expansion of Turkic influence over all of Eurasia. In the 580s, this Gokturk Khaganate had reached its height at nearly 7 Mio. km² of territorial control, from the border region to Korea to the Crimean peninsula, and from Siberia to the border of Persia. In their quest for domination, the Gokturks came into contact with many sedentary peoples, including the Persians, Koreans, Chinese and even Byzantine people. But while they made alliances with Byzantium and Korea, conflicts broke out against China and Persia. Thus, the Gokturks were involved into many wars in the transition to the 7th century. The third generation of Ashina princes then instigated a civil war which weakened the empire politically and militarliy. The Gokturks were able to withstand for a few decades but were ultimately conquered within the first half of the 7th century.
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This book may very well be a first on the English-speaking book market. It details not only the state of the Gokturks (Khagante), but also explains in detail the origins of the Turkic peoples, their lifestyle and religion of Tengrism. Furthermore, instead of simply lining up facts in a chronological order, the author brings in new theories about the actions - and in-actions - of certain important figures of the Khaganate.
Notwithstanding these speculations, the theories are always seperated from the actual facts. It is important for the author to include the sources that provide us with actual information about the Gokturks.
Accordingly, these facts are made of good use by including extras like self-made historical maps, a register of important persons in the book, a detailed listing of all relevant states and state-like political entities and a comprehensive timeline of events. -
For the time being, the book is available for purchase via Amazon. The author offers an eBook version for all Kindle devices and apps as well as a softcover and a hardcover copy.
Click here to go to its Amazon page.
