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This is the story of the old Turkic steppe empires, told from the ancient sources. Who the Göktürks were, where the house of Ashina came from, how a people of smiths in the Altai built an empire from Manchuria to the Volga within a single generation, and who ruled the steppe before and after them. Every episode follows one chapter of that history in three acts. The sources speak for themselves: Chinese annals in the original Chinese, Old Turkic inscriptions in their own words, each in its own voice, with the English translation over them. Nothing is invented: no dialogue, no number, no name that a source does not give. And every episode ends with Set in Stone, where we look at what holds, what is reconstructed, and where the historians still disagree. KHAN’s DEN Podcast is produced by Emre-E. Yavuz. It is the official podcast of his Turkic Atlas, an encyclopedia of the old Turkic steppe empires from the Xiongnu to the Kirghiz of the Yenisei, with the source behind every statement, maps of the empires as they rose and fell, and a chronology year by year. In English, Turkish, German, Spanish and Japanese.

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Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History episodes

Tengrism: Exploring the Ancient Turkic Religion

October 9, 2026•24 minutes

In 711 at Bolchu, the wise Göktürk general Tonyukuk called upon Tengri as his horsemen charged the Türgesh army. But who was this Tengri, mentioned on Göktürk stones? Was Tengri a distant sky or a deity who elevated khans, granted empires, and reclaimed them? This episode delves into the faith of ancient Turks through their inscriptions and neighbor accounts—from Tengri and Umay to sacred spirits of earth and water, Erlik, Uçmag, and the World Tree. Known today as Tengrism, it was the original faith of all Turkic peoples.

Highlights:

► The Battle of Bolchu and Tonyukuk's prayer to Tengri

► The heavens in Göktürk inscriptions and Chinese annals

► Kut, Umay, and the elevation of khans

► The Yer-Su, holy forest of Ötüken, and other sacred elements

► Rites under the sky, including purification by fire and ancestral offerings

► Discussions on temples and cities

► Uçmag, Erlik, and the World Tree: death and purification

► Tengri in various texts and among different Turkic groups

Chapters:

0:00 The Battle of Bolchu

2:27 The God of the Turks

5:45 Kut and Umay

8:49 The Sacred Earth

11:40 Rites under the Open Sky

15:08 Whose Sky Is It Anyway?

18:50 Uçmag, Erlik and the World Tree

21:31 The Mountains of God

Sources: Inscriptions of Tonyukuk, Kül Tegin, Bilge Khan, and others. Quotations follow Old Turkic texts. Neighboring state maps after Cliopatria, CC BY 4.0. Artwork by Vikki93, Mervearte, Alper Anayurdu, and Bartu İmamtorunu. Ötüken illustration by Emre-E Yavuz.

#Tengrism, #Göktürks, #Tonyukuk, #Tengri, #Turkic religion, #Umay, #Erlik, #World Tree, #Göktürk inscriptions, #ancient Turks

Timeline

00:00:The Battle of Bolchu

02:27:The God of the Turks

05:45:Kut and Umay

08:49:The Sacred Earth

11:40:Rites under the Open Sky

15:08:Whose Sky Is It Anyway?

18:50:Uçmag, Erlik and the World Tree

21:31:The Mountains of God

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Tengrism: Exploring the Ancient Turkic Religion

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