Abstract:

Epics are related to both history and literature. Turks have a rich epic tradition. Dede Korkut Epics; have an important place in Turkic epics; are a reflection of ancient Turkic life; contain important information about Turkic history, geography, language, literature, culture, art and many more. Many people are mentioned in Dede Korkut. One of the people mentioned in Dede Korkut is Kara Budak. Kara Budak’s name is mentioned in four epics in The Book of Dede Korkut. Although he is known as the son of Kara Gune, Kara Budak is actually the son of Bayındır Han. Kara Budak is married to the daughter of Salur Kazan and also plays an important role in the cooperation of Bayındır Han and Salur Kazan. Kara Budak is also included in the Turkmen variant of Dede Korkut and given a place in Dede Korkut’s newly discovered manuscript. There are several historical layers in Kara Budak. Kara Budak is in many ways a reflection of ancient Turkic history and an example of ancient Central Asian Turkic heroes. In this article, Kara Budak in Dede Korkut; his name, his family, his place in history and Dede Korkut were examined.