The 16 Great Turkic Empires (, ) is a concept in Turkish nationalism introduced in 1969 by map officerH. Feridun Demokan, Contemporary Turkey: Geography, History, Economy, Art, Tourism, Demokan, 1978, p. 4. Necdet Evliyagil, Sami Güner, Basın-Yayın Genel Müdürlüğü, Ajans-Türk, Türkiye: Cumhuriyetin 50. Yıl Kitabı , Ajans-Türk Matbaacılık Sanayii, 1973. and widely invoked by Turkish authorities during the 1980s, under the government of Kenan Evren.X. Türk Tarih Kongresi , Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, 1994, p. 2947.

The list The "16 Great Turkic Empires" are the following (according to the Turkish Presidency):

Flag(attributed by Özbek) Name Turkish name Founder Dates (Gregorian)(as listed on the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey's Website) "Great Hunnic Empire" Modu Chanyu 220 BCE–216 CE "Western Hunnic Empire" Panu 48–216 "Europe Hunnic Empire" Attila 375–469 "White Hunnic Empire" Aksunvar 420–552 "Göktürk Empire" Bumin Qaghan 552–745 "Avar Empire" Bayan Qaghan 565–835 "Khazar Empire" Irbis 651–983 "Uyghur State" Kutlug I Bilge Khagan 745–1368 Karakhanids Bilge Kul Qadir Khan 840–1212 "Ghaznavid Empire" Sabuktigin 962–1183 "Seljuk Empire" Tughril 1040–1157 "Khwarazmian Empire" Muhammad II of Khwarezm 1097–1231 "Golden Horde State" Batu Khan 1236–1502 "Great Timurid Empire" Timur 1368–1501 "Mughal Empire" Babur 1526–1858 "Ottoman Empire" Osman I 1299–1922

Reception

Turkish nationalist writer, novelist, poet and philosopher, Hüseyin Nihâl Atsız, supporter of the pan-Turkist or Turanism ideology, had noted that while some states with questionable Turkic identity were included in the list (like the Hephthalite Empire), some ostensibly Turkic states (such as Aq Qoyunlu) were left out, and labeled the list a "fabrication."Nihal Atsız, On line history newspaper

In spite of Atsız' criticism, the concept was made a mainstream topos in Turkish national symbolism in the wake of the 1980 Turkish coup d'état, under the presidency of Kenan Evren. The Turkish Postal administration issued a series of stamps dedicated to the 16 Empires in 1984, showing portraits of their respective founders as well as attributed flags.Ivan Sache, Presentation of the Sixteen Great Turkish Empires and their alleged flags, Flags of the World, 4 July 2004; cf. jpeg of the 1984 stamp series. The flags were designed by Özbek in 1969. They are mostly imaginary, with the exception of the 1844 Ottoman flag, and arguably the wolf's head and the bow-and-arrow used as emblems for the Göktürk and the Seljuk states, respectively. Ekrem Buğra Ekinci, 16 TÜRK DEVLETİ Cumhurbaşkanlığı forsundaki 16 yıldız neyi ifade ediyor? , 2 February 2015. In 1985, Özbek's 16 Empires were invoked as a retrospective explanation of the 16 stars in the presidential seal of Turkey (introduced in 1936).Central Eurasian Studies Review, Vol. 3, Central Eurasian Studies Society, 2004, p. 23.

Several municipal buildings and public parks in Turkey have collections of busts or statues of the founders of the "16 Empires" alongside a statue of Kemal Atatürk, including the municipal buildings of Keçiören (Ankara), Mamak, Ankara, Etimesgut, Niğde, Nevşehir and Pınarbaşı, Kayseri.Keçiören . Etimesgut Belediyesi kent meydanı için hazırlanan 16 Türk Büyüğü heykelleri. Niğde’nin simgesi Türk Büyükleri heykelleri kaldırılıyor mu? Türk devlet büyükleri Mamak'ta Türk Büyükleri Anıtları Yenilendi (Nevşehir). "Pınarbaşı Turkishness Monument" (Pınarbaşı Türklük Anıtı, opened in 2000).

In 2000, Türk Telekom produced a series of smart cards dedicated to the topic.Büyük Türk Devletleri .

In January 2015, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the Turkish Presidential Palace with a guard of 16 "warriors", actors wearing loosely historical armour and costume, intended to symbolise the 16 empires. The costumes were ridiculed in Turkish media outlets, and one of the costumes in particular was mocked as a "bathrobe", becoming a trend on social media under the name of Duşakabinoğulları (lit. "sons of the shower cabin"). The Takvim daily newspaper omitted a label for this particular costume (Western Hunnic Empire) by mistake; diken.com.tr.

In December 2025, when Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani in the People's Palace, different flags were presented symbolizing different civilizations and Islamic states which have existed on Syrian ground.

See also

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