Mehmetali KASIM

Turks have had a very influential history in World politics and military for thousands of years, and they were also very successful in terms of civilization and science. Nonetheless, these evaluations cannot be equally true for all Turks. Although the Turks with steppe succeeded in establishing vast empires, they could not achieved success like civilized Turks in terms of cultural, scientific and technological developments. These two different lifestyles and civilizations have existed in parallel, and the struggle between them has continued for thousands of years. The main determining factor in the rise and fall of Turkish civilization is not the external factors which are common in the literature, but the ongoing struggles between the two different civilizations within the Turks. Great civilizations and scientific advances in Turkish history have generally occurred when the civilized Turks, gained upper hand. It is understood that the last collapse of Turkish civilization in Turkistan began in the early 16th century, when the steppes gained dominance in these geographies long before they were exposed to foreign exploitation. In this study, firstly, the characteristics of the two different civilizations and their effects on the social life of Turks were evaluated. Then, cultural developments among the civilized Turkish world, great achievements in the field of art, science and technology, and strategic steps to achieve them were deliberated. Lastly, how the political and military success of the Steppes over the civilization led to the decline and collapse of the Turkish civilizations were examined.

Key Words: Turkistan, Turkish Civilization, Developments, Internal Struggles, Decline.