Mahmud Kashghari and the image of the Turk he created

2024-10-16

In the 11th century, the Turkic element began to emerge in the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural landscape of the Caucasus, the Armenian Highlands, Northern Iran, and Asia Minor. Turks appeared in these regions primarily as nomads and often participated in military conflicts as mercenaries. Earlier mentions of the Turks date back to the period of the Abbasid Caliphate, when they were integrated into the Arab military forces.

Mahmud Kashghari's Compendium of Turkic Dialects (Dîwân Lughât at-Turk) is one of the earliest pieces of evidence documenting the Turkic-speaking tribes. Kashghari, who lived and wrote in the 11th century, is regarded by historians as a "local," meaning a Turkic author. His extensive work, which contains around 7,500 words, provides invaluable insights into the Turkic world. In this text, Kashghari references a hadith (a saying of the Prophet Muhammad), quoting: "God said: 'I have an army, which I named Turk and settled in the East. When I am angry with a people, I send the Turks against them.'"

This hadith is a vivid example of how the image of the "conqueror, aggressor" has been embedded and legitimized historically in the Oguz-Turkic self-awareness.

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