The course is organized in lectures and discussion sessions. During the lectures, issues, concepts, major developments, actors, and dynamics are introduced while major approaches in the literature are being given. In the discussion sessions, texts related to the subject of the week are discussed. Some guiding questions for reading and analysis of the texts will be given in advance.
This course has four goals:
- to present conversion of the Turks to Islam.
- to provide information about political, social, cultural and religious history of the Turkic-Moslem states established in Transoxiana and Iran to the end of the Mongol period.
- to examine the continuity and change in pre-Islamic traditions of the Turks after their adoption of Islam in terms of social, cultural and economic aspects.
- to examine Turkic-Moslem states’ relations with the surrounding states.
Upon successful completion of the course, the students will be able to:
- summarize the reasons for Turkic peoples’ conversion to Islam.
- recognize the continuity and change in pre-Islamic traditions of the Turks after their adoption of Islam.
- identify main concepts related to Turkic-Muslim states to the end of the Mongol period.
- determine the interaction of Turkic-Muslim states and surrounding states.
- evaluate the contribution of the Turks to Islamic culture in different aspects.