Division of General Turkish History
The Division of General Turkish History was established as a sub-department of the History Department at Karadeniz Technical University. Its core principles include training students aspiring to work in this field, organizing courses and activities for their academic development, and contributing to the field of General Turkish History through academic studies.
As a separate discipline, the first General Turkish History department in Türkiye was established in 1927 within the Faculty of Letters at Istanbul University under the name "Umumi Türk Tarihi" following Atatürk's directives. Distinguished Prof. Dr. Zeki Velidi Togan, appointed as the head of the department, divided General Turkish History into two periods: from ancient times to the 16th century and from the 16th century to the present day. In 1946, the department was relocated to Ankara University Faculty of Language, History, and Geography under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Şinasi Altundağ and adopted the name General Turkish History through language simplification efforts initiated in 1945. The extensive study of General Turkish History, along with culture, was furthered by the works of Hüseyin Nihal Atsız and Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kafesoğlu. The legacy of General Turkish History studies established by Togan was developed through the academic efforts of esteemed scholars such as Prof. Dr. Bahaeddin Ögel, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kafesoğlu, Prof. Dr. Akdes Nimet Kurat, Distinguished Prof. Dr. Reşit Rahmeti Arat, Prof. Dr. Abdulkadir İnan, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Namık Orkun, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kafalı, and Prof. Dr. Gülçin Çandarlıoğlu. The tradition, which originated from Istanbul University and Ankara University Faculty of Language, History, and Geography, is now represented by academics who graduated from the Department of General Turkish History at Karadeniz Technical University. The preservation of this tradition at Karadeniz Technical University is facilitated by the Prof. Dr. Osman Turan History Research Library located in the Central Library of our university. The library houses valuable primary sources and research works on General Turkish History, especially focusing on the Middle Ages.
The General Turkish History examines the homeland of the Turks and their areas of expansion since the early periods when the Turks emerged on the historical scene in Inner Asia. It focuses on the political entities established by the Turks, their literary and cultural characteristics, and their socio-economic development eras. Geographically, it covers a vast region from Manchuria in the east to the northern plains of Hungary along the north of the Black Sea, encompassing the northern forests of South Siberia to the north of China and India in the south.
The topics covered in the courses offered by the department of General Turkish History include the Asian Hun Empire, European Hun Empire, Ak-Hun Empire, Tabgaç State, Göktürk Empire, Uyghur Empire, Türgish State, Kyrgyz State, Karluk State, Oghuz-Yabgu State, Avar Empire, Khazar Empire, Uz State, Sabar State, Kuman/Kipchak State, Turkic Bulgarian States, Mongol Empire, Mongol Khanates, Timurids, Khanates in the North of the Black Sea and Turkestan, Delhi Turkish Sultanate, Mughals, Contemporary Turkish Republics, and Autonomous Republics. The courses examine their history, geography, political and military organizations, socio-economic and socio-cultural structures, and evaluations of their relationships with each other and their neighbors.
Given the extensive scope in terms of history and geography, General Turkish History studies in our department is an interdisciplinary unit, involving contributions from other disciplines such as archaeology, linguistics, anthropology, and geography. In this context, the goals of the division include providing students with information about the characteristics of ancient Turkish culture, the contributions of Turks to world civilization, and Turkish states established in various geographies. It aims to guide and encourage students regarding the source languages necessary for their studies.
The Division is currently run by 2 Associate Professors, 1 Assistant Professor, and 1 Research Assistant.
