Sources of Pre-Islamic Turkish History
This paper aims to review the literature of pre-Islamic Turkish history. The Turks, being mostly nomadic and mobile, had established many states in different geographies and they had, therefore, been in contact with many cultures, Chinese, Tibetans, Soghdians, Armenians, Russians, Romans and many others. Hence, the study of pre-Islamic Turkey necessitates a firm background in Chinese, Latin, Greek, Russian and Arabic sources. The sources from non-Turkish cultures offer new ways to envision this period. This paper gives a brief account on the beginning of Turkology studies both in Turkey and abroad. It also includes a bibliography on pre-Islamic Turkish history.
ALİ AHMETBEYOĞLU
