“Turkistan, not Central Asia”: The region's name is changed in Turkey's textbooks

In Turkey’s new curriculum, history textbooks have replaced the term "Central Asia" with "Turkistan." This change was reported by TRT Haber, citing the Ministry of National Education of Turkey.

The Ministry has unveiled the "Turkey Century Education Model," a new educational framework set to be implemented in the 2024-2025 academic year across preschool, elementary, middle, and high school levels, including 9th grade. The Ministry highlighted the use of revised terms and concepts under the banner of significant changes in the "History" curriculum.

It was noted that outdated and scientifically inaccurate terms have been removed from the curriculum. In this context, terms like "Turkistan" have replaced "Central Asia," and "Relocation and Resettlement Law" has replaced "Deportation Law."

"Each concept carries its own significance, especially in fostering national consciousness and patriotic feelings in future generations. It's crucial for shaping historical awareness with a Turkish perspective," said historian Associate Professor Ramin Sadiq.

Another historian, Professor Ahmed Tasagil, explained that the name "Turkistan" was first used by the ancient Iranians and later adopted by the Arabs to describe the regions inhabited by Turks in Central Asia. In 15th-century works about Timur's campaigns, "Turkistan" referred to the lands where Turks lived beyond Movarounnahr. Additionally, regions north of the Caspian Sea were called "Turkistan" in Ibn Fadlan's Travel as "Bilodu't-Turk," and similarly by Ahmad Tusi and other Persian writers. Some Western sources from the 580s also referred to Central Asia as "Turkey."