The
Göktürks (
Old Turkic Celestial Turks[1] or "Sky Turks") were a powerful nomadic confederation of medieval Inner Asia. Known in
Chinese sources as
突厥 (
Tūjué), the Göktürks under the leadership of
Bumin Khan (
土門可汗,
Tǔmen Kěhàn) (d. 552) and his sons succeeded the
Rouran as the main power in the region and took hold of the lucrative
Silk Road trade.
The Göktürk rulers originated from the Ashina clan, a tribe of obscure origins who lived in the northern corner of Inner Asia. Under their leadership, the Göktürk Empire rapidly expanded to rule huge territories in Central Asia. The state's most famous personalities other than its founder Bumin were princes Kül Tigin (闕特勒, Quētèlè) and Bilge Khan (毗伽可汗, Píqié Kěhàn) and the chancellor Tonyukuk (暾欲谷, Tūnyùgǔ), whose life stories were recorded in the Orkhon inscriptions.
The name Tūjué (like that of Ashina) appeared in Chinese sources relatively late, the first record being dated 542 meaning "strong" or "powerful".[2] Göktürk is said to mean "Celestial Turks". This is consistent with "the cult of heavenly ordained rule" which was a pivotal element of the Altaic political culture before being imported to China.[3] Similarly, the name of the ruling Ashina clan probably derives from the Khotanese Sakā term for "deep blue", āššɪna.[4]. The name might also derive from a Tungusic tribe related to Aisin.[5]
According to the ancient East Asian cosmology outlined in the theory of the Five Elements (五行 Wǔ-xíng), to which the Turks have also ascribed since ancient times, the color blue is a symbol representing the eastern direction, and it is associated with good omens. The Guardian Deity of the Eastern Direction is the Azure Dragon. Thus, it would not be surprising if the Göktürks had chosen to call themselves "Blue Turks" in the primary sense of "East Turks", with all the associated connotations of "first," "rising," "dawning," "auspicious," and so forth. Göktürk is pronounced [ɟøcˈtyɾk].
