TAR351

School of Humanities \ History

3

6

Elective

Turkish

-

History department; all departments

The Turks and Islam course deals with how this religion, which led to one of the most important and greatest revolutions in history when the Turks accepted Islam, entered and spread among the Turks. Secondly, it deals with the changes that Islam brought about in their political, social and cultural lives. Thirdly, it deals with the effects and changes that Muslim Turks brought about in the Islamic world that they were included in.

Foltz, Richard C, Religions of the Silk Road. Golden, PB, Introduction to History of Turkish Peoples. Günay, Ünver-Güngör, Harun, History of Religion of Turks. Köprülü, First Sufis in Turkish Literature. ___, Turkish History-i Religion. ___, Islam in Anatolia. Lewis, Bernard, Middle East. Roux, Jean-Paul, Old Religion of Turks and Mongols. Turan, Osman, History of Seljuks and Turkish Islamic Civilization. ___, History of the Ideal of Turkish World Supremacy ___, Seljuks and Islam. Related articles in İA and TDVİA.

To understand the Turks' conversion to Islam and its reasons. To know the environmental and religious figures that affected the Turks' understanding of Islam. To learn the Turks' perception of Islam. To be able to evaluate the relations between the state, society and Islam among the Turks.

1. To see the Turks' understanding of Islam and its applications on the state and society.
2. To understand the reasons why the Turks' understanding of Islam differs from other Muslim societies.

Week 1: "Introduction and introduction to the course. What is Islam? (Brief historical overview) Islam in today's Turkey: Problems, debates, ideological approaches"
Week 2: Religions before Islam in the Turks: Belief in Sky God, Shamanism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Christianity, Judaism.
Week 3: "Getting to know Islam: Political, social and cultural process Sogdian merchants, Iranian Sufis, scholars and madrasahs"
Week 4: "Volga-Itil Bulgars and Islam. Ibn Fadlan's travel book Karakhanids and Islam. Satuk Buğra Khan's legend and history"
Week 5: Turks and Sufi Islam: Ahmed-i Yesevi and Yesevilik (problems, new approaches)
Week 6: "Islam in Central Asia: Sunni Islam and its rise: Maturidiyya, Hanafism. Islamic sciences and their development, important figures. Presentations"
Week 7: "Oghuzs' entrance to Islam: Great Seljuks and Islam. Sunni Islam-Shiite Islam. Struggle with Batinism, Nizamiye madrasahs. (Shiite problem in Central Asia, Iran and Anatolia). Presentations"
Week 8: MIDTERM EXAM
Week 9: "Anatolian Seljuks, Ottomans and Islam. Madrasahs and ulema, Dervish lodges, Sufism and religious orders. Leading figures. Ottomans, Iran and Kizilbash movements. Presentations"
Week 10: "Perception of Turks and Islam: Is there a Turkish Islam, what does it mean? Sunni-Alevi understanding of Islam. Discussions, theses, anti-theses. Presentations"
Week 11: "State, madrasah, dervish lodge, people and Islam in Turks: Sources, mentalities, policies, theses, anti-theses, results. Presentations"
Week 12: General evaluation: Discussion (question-answer)

• Participation 15 %
• Presentation 20 %
• Midterm Exam 25 %
• Final 40 %