The territory of modern Turkey in the Middle Ages became a real melting pot for dozens of nomadic peoples. In addition, Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians and even Jews got here by chance. How did the Turks come from all this? According to an old legend, the Turks (nomadic tribes, whose self-name can be translated as "strong") did not come to the gates of Byzantium themselves - they were brought by gray wolves, bozkurt. However, modern science sees the formation of a nation in a slightly different way. So who are the modern inhabitants of Turkey anyway?
Seljuks
The Byzantine rulers tried to resettle the Bulgars to the territory of Asia Minor, while the Arabs tried to attract Turkic-speaking Muslims here. The Armenian kings tried to attract the Avars to protect the Asian outskirts, but all these tribes were assimilated by the local population. Only the Seljuks became the ancestors of the modern Turks - these are several nomadic peoples that formed around the Oguz tribe.
Empire development
Over time, the Turkmens, krynki, Avars, kayy, pockets and others merged into one people. The Seljuks strengthened significantly in Central Asia, conquered Khorezm, and then Iran. The capture of Baghdad in 1055 turned the Seljuks into a formidable force.
Promotional video:
Fall of Central Asia
Under pressure from the Seljuk empire, the states of Central Asia collapsed one after another. Armenia and Georgia, Syria and Palestine - even Byzantium could not resist. However, around the middle of the 13th century, the Mongols split the once great empire into several smaller countries. And in 1227 the former territory of the Seljuks was captured by the Kayy tribe, ruled by Ertorgrul. Already his son, Osman, founded the great Ottoman Empire.
Sedentary life
And at the end of the XII century, having wandered around the steppes to their best, the Turks began to gradually move to a sedentary lifestyle. This led to the Islamization of the population, which at the same time was diluted by the influx of migration of Pechenegs, Romanians and even Eastern Slavs.
Nationality formation
In 1327, many areas of modern Turkey began to speak Turkic. The Persian language gradually receded into the past and by the end of the century the Turkish people were fully formed. Scientists believe that 70% of the population of modern Turkey are descendants of the Seljuk Turks, and only 30% are the indigenous population of this area.
Genetic analysis
About the same is confirmed by genetic analysis. According to recent studies, a quarter of the population of Anatolian Turks belongs to autochthonous peoples, another quarter belongs to Caucasian tribes, 11% are distant descendants of Greeks, and 4% still have East Slavic roots.