History of the Turks

To mark Murad Adzhi’s 80th birthday, in memory of the writer-scientist. Under this cover are two books published at different times. This is their fifth edition, supplemented and revised. The books tell about the Turkic peoples. Colorful descriptions and legends speak of lesser-known events of world history, about the life and everyday life of ancient Turks, their achievements, victories, and defeats. The first book is about the rise of the Turks as a people, their settlement across Eurasia, and the Great Migration of Peoples. It began in ancient Altai and by the 4th century reached Europe. First, India and Persia learned about the high culture of the Turks. Then— the Caucasus and the Urals, Byzantium and Rome… The author seems to open a window into the captivating past of Russia. The second book tells about the Middle Ages, about its “dark centuries.” Too many mysteries left that time behind! What kind of world emerged after the death of Attila? The split of the Church, the birth of Islam, the Crusades, the campaigns of Genghis Khan, the Inquisition—all of these are events closely connected to one another. In that sequence, the Turks were both heroes and victims.