Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History

About Khan's Den: Turkic and Steppe History

This is the story of the old Turkic steppe empires, told from the ancient sources. Who the Göktürks were, where the house of Ashina came from, how a people of smiths in the Altai built an empire from Manchuria to the Volga within a single generation, and who ruled the steppe before and after them. Every episode follows one chapter of that history in three acts. The sources speak for themselves: Chinese annals in the original Chinese, Old Turkic inscriptions in their own words, each in its own voice, with the English translation over them. Nothing is invented: no dialogue, no number, no name that a source does not give. And every episode ends with Set in Stone, where we look at what holds, what is reconstructed, and where the historians still disagree. KHAN’s DEN Podcast is produced by Emre-E. Yavuz. It is the official podcast of his Turkic Atlas, an encyclopedia of the old Turkic steppe empires from the Xiongnu to the Kirghiz of the Yenisei, with the source behind every statement, maps of the empires as they rose and fell, and a chronology year by year. In English, Turkish, German, Spanish and Japanese. https://turkicatlas.org

Publisher

Emre-E. Yavuz

Category

history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jan 2020

Latest episode

16 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

184 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Erlik, Ülgen and Turkic Mythology: An Exploration of Gods and Legends

   The Turkic peoples' myths and deities extend beyond the Göktürks' known entities, Tengri, Umay, and the Yer-Su. Explore the realms of Kayra Khan, Ak Ana, and Erlik, the underworld lord, and tales of a moon-eating monster, a liver-stealing woman, and a mountain of iron. Delve into the primeval sea, the night sky with Yelbeğen, and Ulukayın, the tree of life. Discover the spirits of hearth and lake, the forest's call, and the legend of Ergenekon. The episode answers key questions: Did the Göktürks know these gods? What does their cosmos look like? What were the consequences of defying their rules? Key Topics: The Primeval Sea: Kayra Khan, Ak Ana, and Erlik's origins The Night Sky: Yelbeğen, Altınkazık, and Ülker The Tree of Life: Ulukayın and Beyterek Birth in the Tent: Albastı, Aysit, and Umay Hearth and House: İye spirits and Şahmeran The Call in the Forest: Arçura and Bayanay The White Deer: Shemo and the sea god's daughter Two Heroes, Two Monsters: Oghuz Khan and Tepegöz Ergenekon: The iron mountain legend The Mountain of Fortune: The Uyghurs' lost realm Explore Turkic history from original sources on TurkicAtlas.org. A film by Emre-E Yavuz, featuring maps © Emre-E Yavuz 2026. 0:00: The Three Powers: Tengri, Umay and the Yer-Su1:46: The Primeval Sea: Kayra Khan and Ak Ana3:50: The Night Sky: Yelbeğen, Altınkazık and Ülker6:20: The Tree of Life: Ulukayın and Kübey8:41: Birth in the Tent: Albastı11:08: Hearth, House and Lake: the İye and Şahmeran14:57: The Call in the Forest: Arçura and Bayanay16:57: The White Deer: Shemo and the Sea God18:49: Two Heroes, Two Monsters: Oghuz Khan, Basat and Tepegöz23:13: The Valley with No Way Out: Ergenekon25:16: The Mountain of Fortune: Kut Tag27:55: Back to the Stones: Tengri and the Kut #TurkicMythology #Erlik #Ülgen #Göktürks #KayraKhan #AkAna #Ergenekon #Tengri #Umay #Yer-Su See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/6ad266cd294953c22e937ebc Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Ötüken: The Sacred Forest No Khan Should Leave

   In 732, Bilge Khan warned future Turks with the words carved on his brother Kül Tegin's stone: "Türk people, you will die!" This warning was for those leaving Ötüken to head south. But what is Ötüken, without walls or palaces, and why did every steppe ruler crave it? Episode 5 explores the sacred forest of the Göktürks through their own inscriptions and Chinese chronicles: from the Rouran's walled city and throne struggles at Mount Dujin, to Tonyukuk's return, Bilge's caution against China’s allure, and the empires following the Göktürks. Holding Ötüken meant ruling the steppe, leaving it meant losing an empire. This Episode Covers: The stone warning: Bilge Khan’s words to unborn Turks The sacred forest: Ötüken's location and its significance The wall versus the forest: Rouran's Anagui and Bumin's 552 victory Throne struggles post-Taspar: Ishbara's forest departure Half a century under the emperor: Xueyantuo's fall at Yudujun Returning to Ötüken: Ilterish, Tonyukuk, and a new empire Bilge's caution: Trade welcomed, but no migration and the Chinese artists aiding stone construction Post-Göktürks era: Uyghurs at Ordu-Baliq and Kyrgyz and Karakorum 0:00: The Warning0:55: The Sacred Forest3:03: The Wall or the Forest5:07: Who Sits at Dujin7:33: Silk and Sweet Words9:40: Back to the Forest11:22: The Warning on the Stone13:59: After the Göktürks #Ötüken #BilgeKhan #Göktürks #TurkicHistory #SteppeRulers #SacredForest #Rouran #MountDujin #Tonyukuk #ChineseChronicles See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/6ace72510921695c7bd9bce5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3. 

   11 Oct 2026

   Episode 1: Origins of the Türk Ashina: The Wolf’s Children

   Discover the intriguing origins of the Ashina, the ruling house of the Göktürks. Chinese histories suggest three fascinating tales: a boy nurtured by a she-wolf in a secluded valley near Turfan, the wolf-born siblings from Suo, north of the Xiongnu, and 500 families escaping the Northern Wei in 439 to become Rouran smiths in the Altai. Listen as these stories are narrated directly from the sources in their original Chinese versions and ponder their historical significance. Key Moments00:00 The golden wolf on the standard00:59 Introduction02:45 Act I: The She-Wolf06:28 Act II: The Brothers of Suo10:22 Act III: Five Hundred Families14:13 The smiths of the Altai16:44 Set in Stone19:39 The cave of the forebears20:43 The Turkic Atlas Sources Quoted:Zhou Shu (Book of the Zhou), chapter 50Sui Shu (Book of the Sui), chapter 84Bei Shi, chapter 99, and Tongdian, chapter 197Wei Shu (Book of the Wei), annals of Emperor Taiwu For further reading, explore Yang et al. (2023), “Ancient genome of Empress Ashina”. Begin with the Ashina in the Turkic Atlas: https://turkicatlas.org/lineages/ashina/ Narrated by Dan Akers. 00:00: The golden wolf on the standard00:59: Introduction02:45: Act I: The She-Wolf06:28: Act II: The Brothers of Suo10:22: Act III: Five Hundred Families14:13: The smiths of the Altai16:44: Set in Stone19:39: The cave of the forebears20:43: The Turkic Atlas #Ashina #Göktürks #Chinesehistories #Turfan #Xiongnu #NorthernWei #Rouran #TurkicAtlas #she-wolf See show notes: https://inlet.fm/khans-den/episodes/6acbcf4d0921695c7bbcc65a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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YouTube views

7,700,476

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

85

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

0

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