Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History

By Emre-E. Yavuz

Dive into the vast and rich chronology of Turkic and Steppe history with us. From the majestic nomadic empires like the Xiongnu and Huns that shaped Eurasian landscapes to the enduring cultural legaci... more

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How many episodes does Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History have?

The podcast currently has 142 episodes available.

Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History episodes:

July 19, 2025 Exploring Altai Mountains with Kazakh Shamanic Music
Experience the enchanting sounds of Kazakh shamanic music accompanied by the breathtaking vistas of the Altai Mountains.
Music by the exceptionally talented Chibetej.

Buy my Göktürk book: here
Visit my site: here

#AltaiMountains #KazakhShamanicMusic #Chibetej #Göktürk #Altai #Kazakhstan

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/687bdde19e50c67027d524a4

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9min
July 09, 2025 BUMIN's Destiny: The Göktürk Film Trailer
Explore the captivating world of BUMIN's journey in the new Göktürk movie. Immerse yourself in this epic saga that brings history to life.
Check out my music: Bandcamp
Buy my Göktürk book: Amazon
Visit my site: Website

#BUMIN #Göktürk #movie #trailer #epicsaga #history #film

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/686f2d6d44ad22953d0dbd0f

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7min
June 30, 2025 The Celestial Türk (Novel) Part 1
This novel, 11 years in the making, is all about Eren, a Turkish boy who is stuck between tradition and modernity in a world full of turmoil. While growing up in Early Medieval Central Asia, he must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for real freedom. It is not only the foreign powers that leech off the devastating Civil War, but his own kin that let it happen. Thankfully, Eren is not alone. With like-minded companions, he embarks on a journey full of adventure and excitement, and of treason and redemption alike.
Political scheming, cultural conflicts, drama, loss, but also courage,
vigilance, and hope – and the question of what makes a Türk, a true
Türk.

The Celestial Türk tackles all of these topics, and more. There
are even elements of Tengrism and Turkic Mythology hidden
here and there...
Part 1 explains the backstory of all important protagonists and antagonists and paves the path for Eren's quest to stardom. It was originally released in text-form for paid subscribers on the YavuzArts Substack page (yavuzarts.substack.com), but for Podcast listeners only I present the full narration of Part 1 free of charge!

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1h 9min
June 25, 2025 Göktürk Movie 'Bumin's Destiny' Showreel Part 3
The Eternal Tengri watches over you, Bumın of the Ashina Türks. But beware, your most dangerous enemies lurk, including the most powerful man on the steppe...

Check out my music on Bandcamp.

Buy my Göktürk book on Amazon.

Visit my website.

#GöktürkMovie #Bumin'sDestiny #AshinaTürks #EternalTengri #powerfulenemies

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/685cb868c52f299c36bed0bf

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5min
June 24, 2025 Oghuz Yabgu State: Origin of Turkish Dynasties and Empires
The 8th-century steppes crackle with upheaval: the Abbasids convulse to
the south, the Second Göktürk Empire lies in ruins to the east, and the
Khazars solidify their grip on the Caucasus. In this forty-minute deep
dive, we follow twenty-four restless Turkic tribes as they seize the Syr
Darya basin, forge the loose confederation known as the Oğuz Yabgu
State, and set the stage for empires that would command the Islamic
world for the next millennium. From their first etched mentions in the
Orkhon inscriptions to the legendary councils beneath the blue-topped
yurt of the Yabgu, we trace how a nomadic union born of military
necessity became the seedbed for the Seljuks, Karamanids, Ak Koyunlu,
and ultimately the Ottomans.
Along the way, discover how two dozen tribes—divided into the Gray and
Three-Arrow branches—navigated rival Khaganates and how five key
lineages (Kınık, Bayundur, Salur, Yıva, and Kayı) rose from tribal
confederacies to dynastic founders. We’ll unpack the myth and reality of
Oğuz Khan and Bayundur Khan, explore the Yabgu’s courtly titles and
military hierarchy, and follow the great westward migration that
reshaped Central Asia, Anatolia, and beyond. By episode’s end, you’ll
see why the Oğuz legacy endures in modern Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan,
Türkiye, and the Gagauz of Moldova—and how a frontier people’s martial
spirit left an unforgettable mark on Eurasian history.

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52min
June 21, 2025 Oghuz Yabgu State: Birth of Turkish Dynasties
The 8th-century steppes were filled with change: the Abbasids were stirring to the south, the Second Göktürk Empire lay in ruins to the east, and the Khazars solidified control over the Caucasus. This episode delves into the journey of twenty-four Turkic tribes as they seized the Syr Darya basin, forming the Oğuz Yabgu State, a precursor to empires that would dominate the Islamic world for a millennium. Starting from their first mention in the Orkhon inscriptions to the councils under the blue-topped yurt of the Yabgu, we explore how this nomadic coalition became the foundation for the Seljuks, Karamanids, Ak Koyunlu, and eventually the Ottomans.

Discover how these tribes—split into the Gray and Three-Arrow factions—navigated rival Khaganates and how five lineages (Kınık, Bayundur, Salur, Yıva, and Kayı) evolved from tribal groups to dynastic founders. We’ll examine the legends and facts of Oğuz Khan and Bayundur Khan, the roles within the Yabgu’s court, and the westward migration that transformed Central Asia, Anatolia, and beyond. By the end of the episode, you'll understand why the Oğuz legacy endures in modern Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the Gagauz of Moldova, as well as how their martial spirit left an indelible mark on Eurasian history.

Sources:
Mahmud al-Kashgari, Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk; "The Book of Dede Korkut"; Rashid al-Din Hamadani, Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh; Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Risala; Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kāmil fi al-Tārīkh; Al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk; Ibn Hawqal, Kitāb Ṣūrat al-Arḍ; René Grousset, The Empire of the Steppes; Peter Golden, An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples; Carter Vaughn Findley, The Turks in World History; Encyclopaedia Iranica; Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia entries: "Oghuz Turks," "Kayı Tribe," "Bayat Tribe," "Afsharid Dynasty," "Ak Koyunlu."

00:00:00: Intro: Who are the Oghuz Turks?
00:03:40: Terminology: Oghuz or Oğuz?
00:04:53: The Oghuz in the Göktürk Empire
00:13:49: Why the Oghuz Migrated to the Aral Sea
00:19:03: The Bozok and Üçok Tribes
00:20:59: The Kınık: Founders of the Seljuk Empire
00:23:18: The Yıva: Kara Koyunlu Empire
00:24:36: The Bayundur: Ak Koyunlu Empire
00:28:40: The Salur: Karamanid Empire
00:31:39: The Kayı: Ottoman Empire
00:34:22: Oğuz Khan (Oghuz Khagan)
00:37:40: Bayundur Khan
00:39:27: Rulers, Generals and Officials of the Yabgu State
00:42:27: Legacy of the Oghuz Turks

#OğuzYabguState #Turkishdynasties #SyrDarya #Seljuks #Ottomans #OğuzKhan #BayundurKhan #Turkmenistan #Azerbaijan #Türkiye #Gagauz #Eurasianhistory

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/6857725c5780573616a92a0e

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53min
June 20, 2025 Soundtrack of Oğuz Kağan Tale
Experience the original soundtrack from the documentary "The Oghuz Yabgu: Origins of Turkish Empires" released on June 22, 2025.

#soundtrack #OğuzKağan #OghuzYabgu #TurkishEmpires

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/6855a25a82e2055274ef0093

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6min
June 18, 2025 The Göktürk Chronicles Episode 3: To be a Türk
Spring, 523 AD. The steppes burn with the fires of rebellion as Börü Khan of the Tölös federation raises the wolf banner against Rouran rule for the first time in a generation. Across the grasslands, the call echoes from clan to clan: the time has come to reclaim freedom, to remember what it means to be wolves rather than dogs.
But seventeen-year-old Bumin Ashina will not ride to join this glorious uprising. Instead, he will march east with Rouran armies, Türk warriors under imperial banners, sent to crush the very people whose blood runs in his veins. The boy who once learned of his divine heritage from his mother's stories must now discover what that heritage means when survival demands betraying everything it represents.
In the shadow of Anagui Khan's war banners, Bumin will witness the terrible mathematics of imperial power—how empires turn conquered peoples into the instruments of their own domination, how the strongest chains are forged not from iron but from necessity. He will see Türk warriors die for Türk freedom and Türk warriors kill them for Rouran gold, and learn that the question "what makes a Türk a Türk?" has no simple answers when asked on a battlefield littered with the bodies of his own people.
This is the crucible where boyhood dreams of heroic resistance meet the brutal realities of survival under imperial rule. Where the wolf pendant's weight becomes almost unbearable, and where a young man must choose between the comfortable lies that preserve life and the terrible truths that might cost everything — including the right to call himself Türk at all.

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47min
June 16, 2025 Episode 3: The Göktürk Chronicles: Defining the Türk Identity
In the spring of 523 AD, the steppes ignite with rebellion as Börü Khan of the Tölös federation raises the wolf banner, challenging Rouran dominance. The call for freedom resonates across the grasslands, urging clans to reclaim their heritage as wolves, not dogs.
However, seventeen-year-old Bumin Ashina finds himself marching east with Rouran armies, poised to combat his own people. His journey is a harsh lesson in imperial power, revealing how empires manipulate conquered peoples to enforce their rule.
In the shadow of Anagui Khan's banners, Bumin witnesses Türk warriors both defending and betraying their kin, learning that the essence of being Türk is complex and fraught with moral dilemmas.
This narrative explores the stark choice between nurturing dreams of resistance and confronting the harsh truths of survival under imperial authority, as Bumin grapples with his identity and the heavy burden of his heritage.

#Göktürk #BuminAshina #Rouran #rebellion #identity #imperialpower #heritage #wolfbanner #Tölösfederation

See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/68505c5541b5ab51ed2863a8

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49min
June 14, 2025 The Göktürk Chronicles Episode 2: Forging the Ashina Clan
Winter, 515 AD. The Rouran tribute collectors have taken their due and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the Ashina camp diminished and mourning. Around the dying embers of the evening fire, eight-year-old Bumin clutches the ancient wolf pendant his mother gave him and struggles with a burning question: if they are truly the children of Gök Börü, if their bloodline carries the blessing of the sacred wolf, how did they become servants paying tribute to foreign masters?
His mother Ay Hatun sees the confusion in her son's eyes, the need to understand not just what they are, but how they came to be. On this second night after the humiliation, she will tell him a different kind of story—not of divine wolves and mystical valleys, but of mortal men making impossible choices that would echo through generations.
From the descendants of the mighty Hun Empire to the founding of the first Türk confederation, from desperate alliances forged in winter valleys to the great councils where free peoples once decided their own fate, this is the story of how Ashina the Wolf-Born came down from the sacred mountain to build something that could challenge empires. A tale of diplomacy and warfare, of unity purchased with blood and sacrifice, of dreams that survived even when the dreamers did not.
This is how greatness is built... and how it falls. Not through cowardice or weakness, but through the terrible mathematics of survival, when choosing to bend the knee becomes an act of love for future generations. The story of why wolves sometimes must pretend to be dogs, and why that pretense carries within it the seeds of future Turkic revolution.

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55min

FAQs about Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History:

How many episodes does Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History have?

The podcast currently has 142 episodes available.