Homeland. People. Nation. What meaning do these terms have in our present day?

In some countries, they seem like relics of ancient times. But in others, they are ubiquitous in politics and society. One of these countries is Turkey. The reason for this is rooted in its past. Like the history of any civilization, that of the early Turks began rather inconspicuously. They had to fight for independence before they even became visible on the world stage as a united ethnic group. But their origins lie deep in the heart of Asia, where a group of nomads entered the history books as the founders of Turkic identity.

It all started with the Ashina tribe. This clan consisted of people who had fled an invasion by Chinese armies and had to rebuild their home in the Altay Mountains of Central Asia. Soon the Ashina Turks mingled with the surrounding Turkic tribes. In the process, they learned metallurgy and the art of war, and planned their retaliation against their enemies. But they remained vassals of more powerful empires.

A century later, the brothers Bumin and Istemi took over the leadership of the tribe and launched a revolution against their Rouran liege. In doing so, they led their family to independence for the first time in generations. They also led women and men alike into battle, due to their Tengrist religion-influenced view of the balance of power. In a very short time, they also broke the chains of all other Turkic speakers and expanded in all directions as their new leaders. Within a few years, long before the Ottomans and Seljuks, the Ashina created a Turkic empire that stretched from the border region with Korea in Asia to the Crimean Peninsula in Europe. Their empire became even larger than that of the Ottomans a millennium later. They gave themselves the name "Turk." All other Turkic peoples adopted this term as a self-designation from then on.

But these new semi-nomadic lords of the steppe were different from the Huns before them and the Mongols after them. The Turks were both hospitable and tolerant of other cultures. Nevertheless, their rulers did not stop at the borders of the Eurasian Steppe. Byzantines, Persians, Koreans and Chinese had to deal with princes who used both military might and diplomatic skill. In union with the Sogdian people, the Ashina family created a unique steppe empire that deserves our attention.

This book is a summary of the history of these Gokturks, the "celestial Turks" of the East, and is also a first on the English-language book market. It not only tells their history on a political level, but also explains in detail the origins of the Turkic peoples, their way of life and the religion of Tengrism. Moreover, the author does not simply string together facts in chronological order but puts forward new theories about the actions - and ambitions - of certain important figures in the Khaganate. Notwithstanding these speculations, these theories are always distinguished from actual facts.

It is important of upmost importance for the author to include ancient and medieval primary sources as well as research papers that provide us with hard facts about the Gokturks. Accordingly, these facts are supplemented by extras such as historical maps created especially for the book, an index of relevant characters, a glossary of terms, a detailed listing of important states and political entities, and a comprehensive timeline of events.