The ancient lands of Anatolia have been a geography where different communities have lived together for centuries, mingled and formed a common culture. Today, debates over identities often ignore this common past.
With the Battle of Malazgirt, the gates of Anatolia were opened to the Turks and these lands became the center of a new civilization. This process was not only a conquest, but also the beginning of the establishment of a common life by uniting different communities, and the beginning of the formation of different Turkish tribes.
Many Turkish tribes have lived in Anatolia throughout history. However, what is important is how these elements have lived together over time and how they have formed a common culture.
Traditional lifestyles in different regions of Anatolia reveal the deep ties between societies. Nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles, hair tents, animal husbandry, churned buttermilk, etc. show that there are great similarities between the Yoruk culture and the tribal culture in the East and Southeast.
Traces of this lifestyle can still be seen today in the districts of Eruh, Kurtalan, Pervari and Şirvan in Siirt. This shows that cultural commonality is not only a thing of the past, but is still very much alive.
Nowruz is an important tradition celebrated across a wide geography in Anatolia. Symbolizing the arrival of spring, this holiday represents feelings of unity, solidarity and renewal. The fact that different communities celebrate this day with the same rituals is a strong indicator of common cultural memory.
Throughout history, various calculations have been made over this geography and discourses have been put forward to weaken the ties between societies. However, such approaches do not always coincide with the reality on the ground.
Because the reality of Anatolia is a culture of living together, not separation. For centuries, people have shared the same table and struggled together against the same difficulties.
What the people living in these lands have in common is a shared history and culture. It is more important to understand and protect this commonality than to discriminate on the basis of identities.
The strength of Anatolia lies not in the conflict of differences, but in the will to exist in unity. And this will is the most solid foundation of this land from past to present.
There are different views on the origin of the Kurds and their historical relationship with the Turks. If we take the real approach, it is obvious that there have been cultural interactions and common life experiences between Kurds and Turks in the historical process, and therefore there is a strong social affinity. This affinity is similar to how Turkish tribes have always fought each other in the past and established empires that gained the upper hand.
There have been many Turkic tribes since time immemorial and the Kurds are one of these tribes.
When we look at the historical origins, we see that both Turks and Kurds have their roots in the Ural-Altai.
The fact that the relationship between Kurds and Turks is strictly defined as “one nation” reveals the truth.
The Israelite-minded seditionists who have had ambitions on our country for years; Turks and Kurds are one nation. Just as those who have great ambitions on Turkey over time have tried to divide our country by dominating the Alevi-Sunni, Right-Left games, one of these great games is that they discriminate between Turks and Kurds, who are brothers in essence.
He turned the country against each other by calling them rightists and leftists. Two brothers born from the same womb shot each other. But then we realized that we were in a big game, but it was too late.
On the other hand, brothers and sisters who are Muslims, who believe in the same God, the same book, the same religion, have been divided into Alevi and Sunni and have been caught in a big game.
It has become clear that these two approaches are seeds of sedition.
Here, the Israeli-oriented agencies are trying to play the same game on Kurds and Turks. In other words, they are trying to pit two brothers against each other. I say it clearly, Kurd and Turk are brothers. They are one and together.
Just as Azerbaijani Turks, Tatlar, Alevi Turks, Kipchaks, Tahtacı Turkmens, Yoruks, Kınıklar, Pechenegs, Sarıkeçili, Karakeçililer, Tekeli, Tekem Turks, Karesioğulları, Germiyanoğulları... Kurds are a branch of Turks. Kurds are part of the same culture as the Yoruks. Yoruks and Kurds are brothers. The mentality that tries to separate them and sow seeds of discord between them is the center of Israeli sedition.
The Israeli agencies that try to sow discord in the region by making the Kurds look like a different nation and attributing ideological meanings to them should know very well that the Kurds are a Turkish tribe; Turks and Kurds are of Ural-Altaic origin and are related to the Oghuz tribes. In this framework, Turks and Kurds are considered as one nation.
They entered Anatolia together at the Battle of Malazgirt. One of the issues we will clearly address here is that the Byzantine Empire lived in Anatolia before Malazgirt. Therefore, the communities that claim to have lived in Anatolia before are historically related to Byzantine (Christian) peoples, not Turks or Kurds.
Just as the Turks have tribes such as Sarıkeçili, Karakeçili, Tekeliler, etc., the Kurds have similar tribal structures.
Kurds and Turks, who have been living in Anatolia and its environs for centuries, are a strongly interacting Turkic community. The fact that they have lived in the same cities, on the same plateaus and within the same state structures throughout history is a sign of a natural cultural affinity between them.
Nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle, tribal order, livestock-based economy and similar social traditions are the most obvious traces of this common life. Hair tent culture, hospitality and similar melodies in folk music are the reflections of this interaction in daily life.
Whichever province or district of our Southeastern or Eastern Anatolia Regions you visit, you will definitely see hair tents. There are hair tents in the region. There are churned ayran. The same Mediterranean and Aegean Yoruk culture is also present there. Turkish culture is also dominant there.
On the other hand, Nowruz is a Turkish holiday. It is celebrated predominantly by Alevi Turkmens, Yoruks, Tahtaci and Kuts. This emphasizes that they are part of the same nation. It should also be noted that they celebrate it on the same day and in the same way.
Common Historical and Cultural Features between Kurds and Turks
- They have lived together for centuries in the same geography (Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Iranian plateau).
- The nomadic/semi-nomadic lifestyle was observed in both communities for a long time.
- Tribal (clan) and kinship-based social structure is common.
- Livestock and agriculture-based economies have been common throughout history.
- They lived together within Islamic culture and developed common religious traditions.
- They coexisted in state structures such as the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires.
- Co-option in military and administrative systems (sipahi, local administrators, etc.) was observed.
- There was cultural exchange (food, music, clothing) due to neighborhood and interaction.
- Similar folk traditions (weddings, hospitality, customs) have developed.
- Nowruz is celebrated in both communities with different interpretations but as a common cultural element.
In short, when we look at the situation from a bird's eye view, it is clear that the Kurds are a branch of the Turks and that they are two brotherly and sisterly nations.