Jenghiz Empire
Turkish States Established in the Middle East and
Kipchak Steppe lands in the Century VIII.
Turkish-Mongolian Issue
The northeastern regions of Asia that included today's Mongolia and Manchuria that had been known as a part of the homeland of Turks from of old were the activity fields of various Turkish tribes since the periods of Hums and the other Altay tribes such as Mongolian and Manchus, etc. Huns that were considered as the ancestors of Turks who lived in a continuous struggle with China had expanded from these regions towards the west and south. Moreover, these regions were the centres of Gok-Turk Empire that played an important role in the Asian history since the 6th-8th centuries in respect of policy and culture. However, this region was far away from the seas and had a strong continental climate and it necessitated living in a state of war with China continuously. Therefore, Turks had considered these regions as an obscure place for the destiny and they started to leave these regions since the century IX. They moved their centres towards the west and the southwest. Orhon and Yenisey Inscriptions that had been known as the oldest linguistic and cultural monuments of Turks had been created in these regions and their original works are still kept and maintained in these regions. However, these regions are known as "Mongolia" today and the relation with Turks bears only a historical quality.
Although the political and administrative centre had been moved towards the west and southwest, some of the Turkish tribes had continued to live together with the Mongolians or in neighbourhood of the Mongolians. While some of the Mongolians became Turks, some of the Turkish tribes "became Mongolians". The reciprocal contacts and assimilations similar to these events between the Turkish tribes and Mongolians in Altay continued until the century XX and they still go on. Therefore, Turkish names can be observed among the Mongolians and Mongolian tribal names can be observed among Turks. Sometimes, the same tribal name had been observed to be used in both Turkish and Mongolian communities in the same period. However, some of these tribes have been considered from "Turkish" origin and some others were considered from "Mongolian" origin according to the situations.
Before their appearance in the stage of the history in the century XII, the tribes that we have mentioned below pertaining to the community of the Mongolians had some regional political and social activities such as the establishment of states, etc. The events that we have observed such as the establishment of a world empire in the centuries XII and XIII have been the most considerable events of the world history. They remind of the periods of Huns, Avars, Gokturks, etc. that had established great states before and they are considered as a repetition of these states.
Jenghiz (Genghiz) had been the guide of this last great empire that had been founded in the Asian steppe lands. He had united the Mongolian tribes that he was a member of, and then, he established dominion over the Turkish tribes. He provided their common activities and movements together with the Mongolians. In fact, these steppe tribes that had a historical fate from of old were familiar to each other in respect of organisation and economy and in respect of culture. Particularly, the relations and contacts between these two nations were much frequent within the environs of the borders. They had been under the influence of one another in respect of ethnical characteristics. The steppe conditions, the lifestyles resulting from these conditions and the political unions established upon these factors had mixed and kneaded some of these groups within their common history that lasted for long years. Therefore, the racial differences between these tribes had been nearly eliminated and some of they had been assimilated in one another. Several Mongolian tribes had been represented by Turks in the ancient periods; and it is possible to find Turkish groups that are represented by Mongolians today. We can still observe these effects and traces in the regions where Turkish groups live near to the Mongolians.
Mongolians that appeared under the guidance of Jenghiz could establish a strong organisation within a short period. This success can be explained through the immediate annexation of some of the Turkish tribes to the Mongolians as a result of the close relationship arranged by their common historical destiny rather than the forces and power of the Mongolians. As a result of the collaboration with the Mongolians, these Turkish groups could gather the neighbouring Turkish cultural centres within that organisation. Therefore, it had been an important factor in the fate of the development of Turkish history. The establishment of the Mongolian State organisation based on the ancient Turkish traditions can be proved through the exact adoption of the technical terms that we have observed in Turks from of old. The other proofs for this situation are the dissemination of the religion of this culture that was dominant in the eastern regions of the Turkish countries among the Mongolians and the usage of Uighur alphabet among Mongolians until nowadays.