16 Great Turkic Empires

Concept in Turkish ethnic nationalism November 2025 thumb|upright|Erdoğan and Mahmoud Abbas with actors representing the 16 Great Turkic Empires (2015)https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/12/abbas-erdogan-16-warriors-turkish-presidential-palace Abbas welcomed at Turkish presidential palace by Erdoğan – and 16 warriors Agence France-Presse 2015-01-12 The Guardian 2019-12-12 en-GB 0261-3077|alt= thumb|267x267px|Flags of the 16 Great Turkish Empires displayed in the Istanbul Military Museum The 16 Great Turkic Empires (tr 16 Büyük Türk Devleti, Sixteen Great Turkic States) is a concept in Turkish nationalism introduced in 1969 by map officerH. Feridun Demokan, Contemporary Turkey: Geography, History, Economy, Art, Tourism, Demokan, 1978, p. 4. Necdet Evliyagil, Sami Güner, Basın-Yayın Genel Müdürlüğü, Ajans-Türk, Türkiye: Cumhuriyetin 50. Yıl Kitabı tr, Ajans-Türk Matbaacılık Sanayii, 1973. Akib Özbek Q137124091 1 sup and widely invoked by Turkish authorities during the 1980s, under the government of Kenan Evren.X. Türk Tarih Kongresi tr, Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, 1994, p. 2947. The list The "16 Great Turkic Empires" are the following (according to the Turkish Presidency):https://www.tccb.gov.tr/cumhurbaskanligi/resmi-simgeler/fors/ Fors T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı tr Flag(attributed by Özbek) Name Turkish name Founder Dates (Gregorian)(as listed on the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey's Website) 220px "Great Hunnic Empire" tr Büyük Hun İmparatorluğu Modu Chanyu 220 BCE–216 CE 220px "Western Hunnic Empire" tr Batı Hun İmparatorluğu Panu 48–216 220px "Europe Hunnic Empire" tr Avrupa Hun İmparatorluğu Attila 375–469 220px "White Hunnic Empire" tr Ak Hun İmparatorluğu Aksunvar 420–552 220px "Göktürk Empire" tr Göktürk İmparatorluğu Bumin Qaghan 552–745 220px "Avar Empire" tr Avar İmparatorluğu Bayan Qaghan 565–835 220px "Khazar Empire" tr Hazar İmparatorluğu Irbis 651–983 220px "Uyghur State" tr Uygur Devleti Kutlug I Bilge Khagan 745–1368 220px Karakhanids tr Karahanlılar Bilge Kul Qadir Khan 840–1212 GhaznavidFlag attributed.svg|220px "Ghaznavid Empire" tr Gazneliler Sabuktigin 962–1183 220px "Seljuk Empire" tr Büyük Selçuklu İmparatorluğu Tughril 1040–1157 220px "Khwarazmian Empire" tr Harzemşahlar Muhammad II of Khwarezm 1097–1231 220px "Golden Horde State" tr Altınordu Devleti Batu Khan 1236–1502 220px "Great Timurid Empire" tr Büyük Timur İmparatorluğu Timur 1368–1501 220px "Mughal Empire" tr Babür İmparatorluğu Babur 1526–1858 219x219px "Ottoman Empire" tr Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Osman I 1299–1922 Reception alt=|thumb|150x150px|16 stars in the Presidential Seal of Turkey represents each empire.Although this view was first time proposed in 1969https://www.tccb.gov.tr/cumhurbaskanligi/resmi-simgeler/fors/ Fors tr Presidency of Türkiye Turkish nationalist writer, novelist, poet and philosopher, Hüseyin Nihâl Atsız, supporter of the pan-Turkist or Turanism ideology, had noted that while some states with questionable Turkic identity were included in the list (like the Hephthalite Empire), some ostensibly Turkic states (such as Aq Qoyunlu) were left out, and labeled the list a "fabrication."Nihal Atsız, On line history newspaper tr https://web.archive.org/web/20160321225542/http://tarihgazetesi.net/index.php/yazilar/makaleler/1592-16-tuerk-devleti-ve-nihal-ats-z 2016-03-21 July 2022 In spite of Atsız' criticism, the concept was made a mainstream topos in Turkish national symbolism in the wake of the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, under the presidency of Kenan Evren. The Turkish Postal administration issued a series of stamps dedicated to the 16 Empires in 1984, showing portraits of their respective founders as well as attributed flags.Ivan Sache, Presentation of the Sixteen Great Turkish Empires and their alleged flags, Flags of the World, 4 July 2004; cf. jpeg of the 1984 stamp series. The flags were designed by Özbek in 1969. They are mostly imaginary, with the exception of the 1844 Ottoman flag, and arguably the wolf's head and the bow-and-arrow used as emblems for the Göktürk and the Seljuk states, respectively. Ekrem Buğra Ekinci, 16 TÜRK DEVLETİ Cumhurbaşkanlığı forsundaki 16 yıldız neyi ifade ediyor? tr, 2 February 2015. In 1985, Özbek's 16 Empires were invoked as a retrospective explanation of the 16 stars in the presidential seal of Turkey (introduced in 1936).Central Eurasian Studies Review, Vol. 3, Central Eurasian Studies Society, 2004, p. 23. Several municipal buildings and public parks in Turkey have collections of busts or statues of the founders of the "16 Empires" alongside a statue of Kemal Atatürk, including the municipal buildings of Keçiören (Ankara), Mamak, Ankara, Etimesgut, Niğde, Nevşehir and Pınarbaşı, Kayseri.Keçiören 39 58 41 N 32 52 3 E. Etimesgut Belediyesi kent meydanı için hazırlanan 16 Türk Büyüğü heykelleri. Niğde’nin simgesi Türk Büyükleri heykelleri kaldırılıyor mu? Türk devlet büyükleri Mamak'ta tr https://web.archive.org/web/20160805231205/http://www.cayyolu.com.tr/haber/turk-devlet-buyukleri-mamakta-43213.html 2016-08-05 Türk Büyükleri Anıtları Yenilendi (Nevşehir). tr "Pınarbaşı Turkishness Monument" (Pınarbaşı Türklük Anıtı, opened in 2000). In 2000, Türk Telekom produced a series of smart cards dedicated to the topic.Büyük Türk Devletleri tr. In January 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the Turkish Presidential Palace with a guard of 16 "warriors", actors wearing loosely historical armour and costume, intended to symbolise the 16 empires.Spear-carriers and chainmail warriors: Erdogan's new palace welcome https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/spear-carriers-and-chainmail-warriors-erdogans-new-palace-welcome 2025-06-18 Middle East Eye en The costumes were ridiculed in Turkish media outlets, and one of the costumes in particular was mocked as a "bathrobe", becoming a trend on social media under the name of Duşakabinoğulları (lit. "sons of the shower cabin").http://www.diken.com.tr/dusakabinogullari-istifa-getirdi-o-kiyafete-bornoz-diyen-dekan-gorevinden-ayrildi/ 'Duşakabinoğulları' istifa getirdi: O kıyafete 'bornoz' diyen dekan görevinden ayrıldı 17 January 2015 Diken tr 29 May 2016 http://www.sozcu.com.tr/2015/gundem/dusakabinogullari-3-ay-surmus-712029/ Duşakabinoğulları 3 ay sürmüş! 16 January 2015 Sözcü tr 29 May 2016 http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/dusakabinogullarini-dolmabahce-sarayi-na-getirdi-113348.html Duşakabinoğullarını Dolmabahçe Sarayı'na getirdi Birgün tr 29 May 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160527032843/http://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/dusakabinogullarini-dolmabahce-sarayi-na-getirdi-113348.html 2016-05-27 dead The Takvim daily newspaper omitted a label for this particular costume (Western Hunnic Empire) by mistake; diken.com.tr. In December 2025, when Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani in the People's Palace, different flags were presented symbolizing different civilizations and Islamic states which have existed on Syrian ground.https://m.star.com.tr/dunya/suriyede-ortak-kultur-insasi-gecmis-medeniyetlerin-bayraklari-sergilendi-haber-1985391/ Suriye'de ortak kültür inşası... Geçmiş medeniyetlerin bayrakları sergilendi tr 2025-12-22 2026-01-28 Starhttps://www.ensonhaber.com/dunya/suriyede-medeniyetleri-temsil-eden-bayraklar-ilk-kez-sergilendi Suriye'de medeniyetleri temsil eden bayraklar ilk kez sergilendi tr 2025-12-22 2026-01-28 Ensonhaber tr Anadolu Agency See also 30em Division of the Mongol Empire List of Mongol states Neo-Ottomanism Organization of Turkic States Pan-Turkism Tartary Turanism Turco-Mongol tradition Turco-Persian tradition Turkic history Turkic peoples Turkification Turkish nationalism Notes Explanatory footnotes Citation footnotes Category:National symbols of Turkey Category:Turkish nationalism Category:Pan-Turkism Category:Turanism Category:Historiography of Turkey