The 16 Great Turkic Empires (Turkish: {{italics correction|16 Büyük Türk Devleti,) is a concept in Turkish ethnic nationalism, introduced in 1969 by Akib Özbek, map officer[1] and widely invoked by Turkish authorities during the 1980s, under the government of Kenan Evren.[2]
The "16 Great Turkic Empires" are the following:
| Flag (attributed by Özbek) | Name | Turkish name | Leader | Dates (Gregorian)[3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xiongnu Empire | Büyük Hun İmparatorluğu | Modu Chanyu | 220 BC–46 BC | ||
| West Xiongnu Empire | Batı Hun İmparatorluğu | Panu | 48–216 | ||
| Hunnic Empire | Avrupa Hun İmparatorluğu | Attila | 370–469 | ||
| Hephthalite Empire | Akhun İmparatorluğu | Aksunvar | 390–577 | ||
| Turkic Khaganate | Göktürk İmparatorluğu | Bumin Qaghan | 551–744 | ||
| Avar Khaganate | Avar İmparatorluğu | Bayan Qaghan | 565–835 | ||
| Khazar Khaganate | Hazar İmparatorluğu | Tong Yabghu Qaghan | 651–983 | ||
| Uyghur Khaganate | Uygur Devleti | Kutlug I Bilge Kagan | 744–840 | ||
| Qarakhanid Empire | Karahanlılar | Bilge Kul Qadir Khan | 840–1212 | ||
| Ghaznavid Empire | Gazneliler | Sabuktigin | 977–1186 | ||
| Great Seljuq Empire | Büyük Selçuklu İmparatorluğu | Chagri Bey | 1037–1194 | ||
| Khwarazmian Empire | Harzemşahlar | Muhammad II of Khwarezm | 1077–1231 | ||
| Golden Horde | Altınordu Devleti | Batu Khan | 1240–1502 | ||
| Timurid Empire | Büyük Timur İmparatorluğu | Timur | 1370–1507 | ||
| Mughal Empire | Babür İmparatorluğu | Babur | 1526–1858 | ||
| Ottoman Empire | Osmanlı İmparatorluğu | Osman I | 1299–1923 |
Turkish nationalist writer, novelist, poet and philosopher, Hüseyin Nihâl Atsız, supporter of the pan-Turkist or Turanism ideology, had noted that while some states with questionable Turkic identity were included in the list (like the Hephthalite Empire), some ostensibly Turkic states (such as Aq Qoyunlu) were left out, and labeled the list a "fabrication."[4]
In spite of Atsız' criticism, the concept was made a mainstream topos in Turkish national symbolism in the wake of the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, under the presidency of Kenan Evren. The Turkish Postal administration issued a series of stamps dedicated to the 16 Empires in 1984, showing portraits of their respective founders as well as attributed flags.[5] In 1985, Özbek's 16 Empires were invoked as a retrospective explanation of the 16 stars in the presidential seal of Turkey (introduced in 1936).[6]
Several municipal buildings and public parks in Turkey have collections of busts or statues of the founders of the "16 Empires" alongside a statue of Kemal Atatürk, including the municipal buildings of Keçiören (Ankara), Mamak, Ankara, Etimesgut, Niğde, Nevşehir, Pınarbaşı, Kayseri, etc.[7]
In 2000, Türk Telekom produced a series of smart cards dedicated to the topic.[8]
In January 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the Turkish Presidential Palace with a guard of 16 "warriors", actors wearing loosely historical armour and costume, intended to symbolise the 16 empires.[9] The costumes were ridiculed in Turkish media outlets, and one of the costumes in particular was mocked as a "bathrobe", becoming a trend on social media under the name of Duşakabinoğulları (lit. "sons of the shower cabin", more idiomatically "Showercabinids").Dedicated to the principalities ending with the suffix -oğlu (English suffix -ids) in the Anatolian principalities[10]
