Qalam Global
Where did the Turkic languages come from? What did the ancient Türks speak,
and which modern language is closest to Old Turkic?
Today, more than 170 million people speak Turkic languages, from Turkish and Kazakh to Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Uyghur and Sakha. Despite centuries of migration, conquest and cultural exchange, these languages still share remarkable similarities.
But how far back do their common roots go?
In this interview for Qalam Global, historian Timur Kozyrev traces the origins and evolution of the Turkic language family,
from the mysterious Proto-Turkic language and the Orkhon inscriptions to the languages spoken across Eurasia today.