I believe that Turkic peoples significantly evolved through interactions with Persian and Arab cultures, which can clearly be observed in the journey of the Oghuz Turks.
The Oghuz Turks originated from areas corresponding to modern-day Mongolia and southern Siberia, migrating westward into Central Asia by the 8th century AD. Over the subsequent centuries, these tribes continued expanding westward, eventually reaching regions as far as present-day Türkiye.
During their migrations, Oghuz tribes maintained a patrilineal social structure and practiced nomadic pastoralism, utilizing portable shelters known as yurts. This flexible lifestyle enabled their widespread dispersal across vast territories.
By the 10th century, Islam had become the dominant religion among the Oghuz Turks, profoundly influencing their social, cultural, and political structures. Around this period, the term “Turkmen” first emerged. Although its exact meaning remains debated, “Turkmen” typically translates as either “resembling a Turk” or “pure Turk.”
In the 11th century, the Oghuz tribes united to form the Seljuk Empire, which, while fundamentally Turkic, quickly adapted to the sophisticated Persian culture of their new territories. This fusion gave rise to the Turko-Persian tradition—a rich cultural synthesis blending Turkic and Iranian elements—that would later flourish under the Ottoman Empire.
Even today, the Turkmen and Turkish languages retain a remarkable degree of mutual intelligibility.
Aybars El Harezmi
