Oghuz branch
Turkmens
An Oghuz Turk people of the Karakum desert and its oases, renowned for their carpets, Akhal-Teke horses and the poetry of Magtymguly.
Türkmenler
The Turkmens descend largely from the medieval Oghuz, the same Turk tribal world from which the Seljuk dynasty arose in the 11th century. The oasis city of Merv, in today’s Turkmenistan, reached its height as the capital of the Seljuk sultan Sanjar in the 12th century. For most of their history the Turkmens were organised in tribes such as the Tekke, Yomut and Ersari rather than a single state.
Turkmen communities live on both sides of today’s borders: in Turkmenistan, whose capital is Ashgabat; in the Turkmen Sahra of north-eastern Iran, whose urban centre is Gonbad-e Kavus; and in northern Afghanistan. The 18th-century poet Magtymguly Pyragy, born in what is now Golestan province of Iran, is regarded as the father of Turkmen literature. Turkmen communities of Iraq and Syria share the name and Oghuz roots, and have their own profile.
Russian forces broke Turkmen resistance at Geok Tepe in 1881 and occupied Merv in 1884. In 1924 the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was created, and Turkmenistan declared independence on 27 October 1991.
- Language
- Turkmen, an Oghuz Turk language written in a Latin-based alphabet in Turkmenistan
- Branch
- Oghuz
- Homeland
- Turkmenistan and neighbouring north-eastern Iran (the Turkmen Sahra of Golestan) and northern Afghanistan
- Also living in
- Uzbekistan, Türkiye and wider diaspora
Key dates
1118–1157
Merv flourishes as the capital of the Seljuk sultan Sanjar.
18th century
Magtymguly Pyragy lays the foundations of modern Turkmen literature.
1881
Russian forces take the Turkmen fortress of Geok Tepe; Merv is occupied in 1884.
1924
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic is formed.
27 October 1991
Turkmenistan declares its independence.
Heritage
- Traditional turkmen carpet making art in Turkmenistan (UNESCO, 2019)
- Art of Akhal-Teke horse breeding and traditions of horses’ decoration (UNESCO, 2023), and the Epic art of Gorogly (UNESCO, 2015)
- The historic cities of Ancient Merv and Kunya-Urgench, both UNESCO World Heritage sites
Sources
- A. L. Edgar, Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan (Princeton University Press, 2004)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Turkmenistan”
- Encyclopaedia Iranica, “Gonbad-e Qābus”