Abstract:

When discussing the existence or non-existence of the state in ancient Central Asia, or whether it had the character of an empire, it should be kept in mind that the administrative systems of the Turkic nomadic peoples were too complex and multifaceted to be explained by simple definitions. Since the known features of the political organization among the nomadic empires of Central Asia do not fully meet the accepted criteria of state power (developed legal and judicial system, specialized bureaucracy in the central and provincial administrative apparatus, financial system, etc.), Western researchers have made vague and ambiguous interpretations of the political organization of these communities. The imperial character of the Turkic peoples living in the steppe was in fact a structural crisis that emerged within the nomadic community. In order to overcome this crisis, the steppe Turkic communities became militarized by establishing a military-hierarchical structure. This study aims to draw attention to the multicomponent power structure of nomadic empires and to draw attention to the fact that institutions at different levels in political formations may have been adapted to and interacted with clan and tribal structures, supra-tribal confederations, imperial and/or early state hierarchies to varying degrees in different historical periods. It will also address how the internal differentiation in the administrative activities of the Turkic nomadic empires in Central Asia was reflected in the components of political culture and how a balance of power was established.

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