The Origin of the Turks in Various Historical Versions
Abstract
Turkic–speaking peoples are among the most numerous peoples of the globe. A significant part of them have lived in Asia and Europe since ancient times. The Turks make up 90% of the inhabitants of modern Turkey, and in the territory of the former USSR there are about 50 million of them, which is the second largest group of the population after the Slavic peoples. The Turkic world is the birthplace of the very first and powerful cultures and civilizations, which subsequently had a significant impact on the entire course of world history, since throughout their history the Turks have been a connecting bridge between East and West. Many modern historians objectively note the role of the Turkic world in the history of human civilization as an important and positive factor in the development of progress and the preservation of peace.