The country is the specific geographical region in which each independent state can execute its rights and obligations in an absolute manner and a nation cannot exist without a country. Therefore, it is obvious that there was a concept of a country within specific borders in the Turkish "State". The ancient Turks called the country as "yurt" (homeland) (the word of "ülke" (country) that was not cited within the Turkish documents is derived from the original word of "ölka" in the Mongolian language). The borders of the country were called as "yaka" (edges). Therefore, the country in the Turkish khanates was composed of the lands belonging to the State with some specific borders. This land was not the property of the ruler's dynasty; on the contrary, it was the public property of the entire nation.
When the Asian Hun Tan-hu Mo-tun received the demand of Mongolian Tung-hu people for lands (209 BC), he had stated in the state council that the lands constituted foundation for the state and he did not have the authority and right to abandon lands to anybody under any circumstances. As it can be understood, the country was not a piece of land that was possessed under the arbitrariness of the ruler as his personal property in the Steppe Turkish States. In fact, it was the keepsake of the ancestors that the ruler of the state was charged with the obligation to protect it. This situation shows that the governmental opinion of "dominion" was not dominant in the ancient Turkish states.
Instead, the governmental "imperial" opinion was dominant in these states that was only observed in the Roman Empire in the ancient prehistoric times. The state of affairs that the state properties are under the joint liability of the governors and the people is related with the fact that the ancient Turks were subject to the State rather than persons as it can be understood from the names of the Turkish communities. Taking these characteristics into consideration, it can be easily understood that it was possible to turn the country into a "homeland" with a rapid pace under these circumstances.
Actually, the people in the ancient Turkish communities were faithful to their "homeland" with a deep fidelity like the faith in the political independence of the state. As we have stated above, the first historical sign of this situation was observed in the Asian Hun people and this state of affairs were invigorated and maintained within Gok-Turk State (that Otuken was considered as a holy land and that it was required to live in Otuken in order to survive with the "Khanate" and the rule of law). This state of affairs was also symbolised in the legend of "Kutlu Dağ" (Holy Mountain) pertaining to the Uighur Turks.
This patriotism of the Turks was also determined by the Arabian author Al-Câhiz (died in 869) on the basis of his observations. However, the qualification of "country" and homeland among the Turks was considered to supplement the opinion of political independence as different from all the other tribes either nomads or villagers (settled).
The ancient Turks could only consider the lands on which they could lead a free and independent life as the country and homeland (The different homelands of various Turkish tribes and communities in the Turkish history result from this conception). However, they could easily abandon the lands that did not have the aforesaid qualifications (another reason for the Turkish migrations). In brief, the homeland in the Turkish culture is the place where Turkish crests and the red flags set waves.