Turks have lived in different geographies throughout their history and interacted with various cultures. As a result of these interactions, they accepted various religions. Most of the religions accepted by the Turks starting from their first religious beliefs are monotheistic and have a celestial nature. In addition, tolerance and giving God’s right to God and man’s right to man have an important place in the religious life of Turkish societies.
These elements show that Turks have had an understanding of tolerance since the first periods of history. In the Göktürk inscriptions, it is seen that the khans gained power with the help of God and that the causes of disasters and failures are sometimes explained as the laxity and insensitivity of the society, and sometimes as the inadequacy of the khans. The statements on this subject in the inscriptions are quite clear and clear.
Belief in Heaven
The belief in Göktan is one of the oldest and most widespread belief systems of the Turks. The god of heaven is considered to be the supreme being that the Turks believe in. It is a belief system close to shamanism and reflects belief in nature and supernatural powers. According to the belief in God, the God of Heaven created the entire universe and life. The god controls people’s lives and destinies. Therefore, the Turks pray to the god and show respect to him.
Supernatural beings and spirits also play an important role in the belief in the god. Turks believe that natural disasters, diseases and other disasters are caused by spiritual forces. Therefore, clergy, such as Shamans, try to control supernatural forces and spirits and provide good for people. Although the belief in god lost its importance with the spread of Islam among the Turks, it still exists among some Turkish communities. In addition, it still has an important place in the history and culture of the Turks and appears frequently in Turkish mythology and literature.
Shamanism
The most well-known religion in the history of the Turks is Shamanism. This belief system was shared by most Turks and Mongols. Shamanism includes the worship of nature, natural forces, and spiritual beings. In shamanism, shamans are mediators and communicate between humans and supernatural beings. Shamanism is the most widespread religion in the history of the Turks and is still practiced in some parts of Turkey.
manicheism
Manichaeism is a belief system adopted by the Turks while living in Central Asia. Manichaeism was founded by Mani, an Iranian cleric. This belief system includes elements of religions such as Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Buddhism. Manichaeism became a widespread belief among the Turks in the 6th century.
Islamic Religion
Islam was recognized among the Turks in the 7th century. The first spread of Islam in Iran began with the conversion of Iranian Turks to Islam. However, the spread of Islam among the Turks took place with the rise of the Seljuk State. Islam became a widespread belief among the Turks and became an official religion during the Ottoman Empire. Most of the Turks have embraced Islam today.
Buddhism
Buddhism has an important place in the history of Turks. Buddhism began to spread among the Turks from the 1st century and became an official religion in the Turkish Khaganate in the 7th century. Buddhism played an important role among the Turkic states in Central Asia and its cultural influence continues even today.
Christianity
Christianity has existed among the Turks throughout history. In the 4th century, Christianity began to spread to the regions inhabited by the Turks. However, among the Turks, Christianity lost its importance with the spread of Islam.
Taoism
Taoism is a belief system originating from China and has spread among Turks due to the presence of Turks in China. Taoism is based on nature and the yin-yang principle. Among the Turks, Taoism was adopted mostly by the Turks living in China.
Judaism
Judaism has existed among the Turks throughout history. The Turks’ adoption of Judaism was generally due to their commercial relations with countries such as Iran and Israel. However, it can be said that Judaism is not common among Turks.
