Turkic migration

The Turkic migrations were a massive movement of tribes and languages across Eurasia. This process occurred between the 4th and 11th centuries. It was not a single, unified march of one group. Instead, many different tribes moved at different times. Some moved as soldiers or traders. Others moved as townspeople or nomadic pastoralists. This movement spread Turkic culture across the vast Eurasian steppes.

Scholars still debate the exact location of the Turkic homeland, or Urheimat. Some researchers suggest the homeland was in Mongolia. Others point to the Transcaspian steppe or Manchuria. Genetic evidence suggests an "Inner Asian Homeland" near South Siberia and Mongolia. Linguists like Juha Janhunen also suggest Mongolia as the source of the early language. Some experts believe the people came from a wide region. This area stretched from South Siberia to the West Liao River Basin.

One major theory involves the Huns. Many historians associate the Huns with Turkic origins or the Xiongnu people. The Huns were documented as nomads in Central Asia and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries. They moved westward and incorporated other groups like the Alans, Slavs, and Goths. While the Huns left few written texts, some of their personal names appear Turkic. For example, names like Ultinčur and Alpilčur used suffixes found in Old Turkic.

The Göktürks were the first state to use the name "Turk." In the 6th century, the Ashina clan led a major expansion. Bumin, a leader of the Ashina, declared himself Khagan in 551. He and his sons, Issik and Muqan, defeated the Rouran Khaganate. This victory allowed the Göktürks to expand in all directions. By 568, their territory reached the edges of the Byzantine Empire. The name Göktürk means "blue" or "celestial," referring to the east.

The Göktürk era saw several distinct stages of political power. The empire eventually split into Eastern and Western factions due to civil war. The Eastern Khaganate fell to the Tang dynasty in 630. The Western Khaganate fell to the Tang in 657. Later, Ilterish Qaghan founded the Second Turkic Khaganate in 682. This second empire lasted until it was overtaken by the Uyghurs in 744.

After the Göktürks, many other Turkic groups rose to prominence. The Bulgars are a notable example of these migrating groups. In the 7th century, the Bulgars lived under Avar rule. A leader named Kubrat founded Old Great Bulgaria. After his death, his sons divided the territory. One son, Kotrag, founded Volga Bulgaria near the Volga River. Another son, Asparuh, founded the First Bulgarian Empire in the Balkans.

Other significant states included the Khazars, the Cumans, and the Kara-Khanid Khanate. Some Turkic groups eventually stopped being nomadic. They formed sedentary societies, such as the Qocho and Ganzhou Uyghurs. In the 11th century, the Seljuq dynasty began invading Anatolia. This movement led to permanent Turkic settlement in that region.

The impact of these migrations is visible in the modern world. Many modern nations have large Turkic populations. These include Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Turkic people also live in parts of Russia, such as Tatarstan and the Sakha Republic. They are also found in China, Mongolia, Iran, and Northern Cyprus. The migrations fundamentally changed the ethnic and linguistic map of Eurasia.