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Sons of the Conquerors: The Rise of the Turkic World
A detailed portrait of the Turkic people explores events since World War I that have rendered the nation a vital NATO ally and the site of a secular Islamic democracy, tracing centuries of citizen ancestry to offer insight into how Turkish culture has significantly impacted history. By the co-author of Turkey Unveiled. 20,000 first printing.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2005
15 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Pope
52 books10 followersHugh Pope is since 2007 the Turkey/Cyprus Project Director for International Crisis Group, the conflict-prevention organization. Based in Istanbul, he writes reports on EU-Turkey relations, Cyprus and Turkey's ties with its neighbours. Pope was previously a foreign correspondent for 25 years, most recently spending a decade as a Turkey, Middle East and Central Asia Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Pope received a B.A. in Oriental Studies (Persian and Arabic) from Oxford University.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 5, 2017
A fine introduction to the Turkic world, informed by Pope's adventures through it across many years. The book is nonetheless a fairly surface level introduction to the Turkic peoples. Would-be readers who know who Ataturk is, where Uygurs live, and the difference between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan would be better served by another book.
February 1, 2013
I wrote a whole review, the idiots at goodreads deleted it with their backwards website programming. Learn to code better, morons.
February 22, 2021
This was an interesting and meandering, in the best of ways, look at the Turkic republics around the late 1990s. Pope prose style is so engaging that he manages to keep the reader’s attention through this massive volume. Chronicling his journeys through the Turkey and some of the new Central Asian republics (mainly Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) of the late 1990s, as well as the Uyghur-populated Xinjian region of China. He explores the common links of history and culture that these far-flung regions share, as well as the steps they are all taking after either centuries of foreign domination or current repression. He avoids writing chronologically or bringing more history that is necessary and focuses rather on the changes that dominate the entire region in a post-Soviet world and the tentative steps they are all taking towards finding greater strength in a Turkic union. He similarly follows the increasing international role of Turkey as the de facto leader of the Turkic world and the role played by its emigrants to America and Europe. It was really an interesting way to get to know a whole group of countries and the aims they have for the 21st century.
September 2, 2015
This is a "big idea" book, but I'm not really sure what the big idea is. While I didn't find a compelling argument here, and was often annoyed by some of the psycho-social Friedmanesque analysis, there's some great reporting. Consequently, I would recommend approaching this as a piece of travel-writing, rather than as a work of political or other hifalutin theory.
August 16, 2021
Turkic history emphasized the military’s role. It is the military that pervades and shapes daily life and politics. Turks have a violent past which they have trouble apologizing for. Victims of Turkic conquerors in history, are victimizing their Turkic contemporaries. In some regions, Turkic people are a majority and discriminate against others. In regions where the Turkic people are a minority, are discriminated against. Some regions support the diversity that Turkic people represent. Turkic people have strong familial and personal ties with each other that even override contractual obligations. Even though their values support an entrepreneurial culture, rampant corruption restricts economic development.
There is not much to distinguish between civilian and military. Although ironically the civilians and military occupy different spaces which creates an almost separate economy. Military officers rarely socialize with their civilian counterparts. Elite warriors of Ottoman Empire called janissaries made or broke governments. In the late 20th century, the military still had major claim to policy making. Staging coups which determined who became took leadership. The military considers itself main guarantor of Turks’ independence and sovereignty, which many Turks in agreement.
Conscription is universal, while objectors are jailed. The universal conscription is meant to homogenize the people, teach skills, travel around the country, and learn Turkish. Ruled through fear. Few people publicly doubt the military’s motives. Internal division or problems are handled secretly. When the civilian government takes charge of basic administration, they tend to not perform well and the military retakes control. The influence of the military prevents civilian politicians from taking responsibility of their actions, and learning how to manage affairs appropriately without military supervision. Public service used to be an honorable profession but has become demoralized with lagging salaries.
Turkey itself is a EU candidate member, but both see problems with each other. Holding vastly different political cultures and value sets. Resenting the demand of civilian control, and rejecting minority rights. Turkish people recognize the lack of commitment on territorial integrity of states as Western intervention had devastating impacts on certain regions.
Turks are natural entrepreneurs for their values of risk and personal control. Willing to establish factories and invest internationally. Turkish families tend to act as an investing unit and willing to support abroad family members. Personal ties are critical for investments, as contracts mean little. Any deal is permanently open for renegotiation, no matter how frank and trustworthy Turks are. Turkish trade is not a favorable profession as it was held with contempt by the Turkish-Muslin ruling class, as it has been by the 18th century English, or even the Byzantine aristocracy. Culturally containing rampant corruption as the expectation is not the work the job offers, but the bribes that can be made.
Turkic institutions are changing as they seek external sources of ideas that can be applied to make their societies better. A willingness to engage with the international community to build better relations, and engage with internal community to provide more stability.
A problem with the book is that the history of the Ottoman Empire is sporadic and superficial, making difficult to engage the continuity of the Turkic peoples. As the book focus on a very short timeframe, and few examples from various countries, it makes it difficult to generalize the experience for the various communities. The examples do highlight various experiences of the Turkic people, but understanding is difficult without the depth of diverse informational sources.
There is not much to distinguish between civilian and military. Although ironically the civilians and military occupy different spaces which creates an almost separate economy. Military officers rarely socialize with their civilian counterparts. Elite warriors of Ottoman Empire called janissaries made or broke governments. In the late 20th century, the military still had major claim to policy making. Staging coups which determined who became took leadership. The military considers itself main guarantor of Turks’ independence and sovereignty, which many Turks in agreement.
Conscription is universal, while objectors are jailed. The universal conscription is meant to homogenize the people, teach skills, travel around the country, and learn Turkish. Ruled through fear. Few people publicly doubt the military’s motives. Internal division or problems are handled secretly. When the civilian government takes charge of basic administration, they tend to not perform well and the military retakes control. The influence of the military prevents civilian politicians from taking responsibility of their actions, and learning how to manage affairs appropriately without military supervision. Public service used to be an honorable profession but has become demoralized with lagging salaries.
Turkey itself is a EU candidate member, but both see problems with each other. Holding vastly different political cultures and value sets. Resenting the demand of civilian control, and rejecting minority rights. Turkish people recognize the lack of commitment on territorial integrity of states as Western intervention had devastating impacts on certain regions.
Turks are natural entrepreneurs for their values of risk and personal control. Willing to establish factories and invest internationally. Turkish families tend to act as an investing unit and willing to support abroad family members. Personal ties are critical for investments, as contracts mean little. Any deal is permanently open for renegotiation, no matter how frank and trustworthy Turks are. Turkish trade is not a favorable profession as it was held with contempt by the Turkish-Muslin ruling class, as it has been by the 18th century English, or even the Byzantine aristocracy. Culturally containing rampant corruption as the expectation is not the work the job offers, but the bribes that can be made.
Turkic institutions are changing as they seek external sources of ideas that can be applied to make their societies better. A willingness to engage with the international community to build better relations, and engage with internal community to provide more stability.
A problem with the book is that the history of the Ottoman Empire is sporadic and superficial, making difficult to engage the continuity of the Turkic peoples. As the book focus on a very short timeframe, and few examples from various countries, it makes it difficult to generalize the experience for the various communities. The examples do highlight various experiences of the Turkic people, but understanding is difficult without the depth of diverse informational sources.
May 20, 2025
3.5 Stars I really wish there was a more updated version of this book. The author explores the history of the Turkic people, mostly in the post-Soviet world. Unfortunately, the most recent information in the book is from around 2005, so it is woefully out of date. But the author does a good job showing the struggles and triumphs as each country or area with a Turkic population navigated their freedom from the Soviet influence, sometimes immediately trading it for American or Chinese influence. It did help me learn about Central Asia.
August 16, 2014
A Magnificent Effort to Cover a Complex Cultural Topic,This is a racehorse of a book that I enjoyed immensely and rate highly because of its unique content. Buy and read it as you will be sure to learn cultural histories you cannot pick up anywhere else in English. Then decide for yourself if my next comments seem fair.
This racehorse called 'Sons of the Conquerors' covers crucial material at such breakneck speed that some readers simply won't be able to stay the course.
This is a terrible pity as undertstanding the dense complexities of the Turkic peoples (and the pattern of minorities within their many national borders) is an urgent global requirement, as the author's self-evident passion makes clear. But the problem appears to be one of under-funding; this book is a labour of love that simply cannot (in its detached US journalistic format) deliver its message, rather in the sense that you cannot satisfactorily send a 'kiss by messenger'.
The author,Hugh Pope, is the Istanbul bureau chief for 'The Wall Street Journal'. His book cover over 15 years of his reports in many remote and harsh regions of the Turkic-speaking world. He is no doubt a charming reporter with a tenacious capacity to amble or (if required, and possibilities allow) push to the center of the action and paint an informative and vivid portrait.
But his agent and his publisher have done him a great disservice in supposing that a patchwork quilt of short pieces roughly stitched together (however succinct each section's bold subheading) will amount to an accessible or popular book. The problem is this is a road book without a sustaining theme or coherent personal storyline. You often don't know who you're with or where you are going, and thus few readers will be able navigate such plotlessness easily. In the parlance of webdesign, 'Sons of yhe Conquerors' suffers from woefully poor 'usability'
The book's major structural error is the publisher's shamefully cheapjack map which infuriatingly undermines even the determined reader's progress over Mr Pope's narrative territory. Over 40 pages about detailed events in Armenia and Azerbaijan, for example, simply cannot be followed in a miserly cartological area of less than one square centimetre.
Another problem too is the US journalistic mindset that has conditioned Mr Pope's prose. In this (perhaps more in his early days) he is far too earnestly wedded, despite apparently being an Oxford-educated South African or Brit, to a sustained belief that the major human relevancies are Teutonic units of economical and political reality. He is a much better writer than someone has allowed him to be, and can well afford to cut loose from too many such ritual factual constraints and let his heart soar. Chapter 25, when he descibes how he and two friends swim the Bosphorous in the face of official discontent, is so breath-catchingly lyrical that one forgives him anything. So is another section when he breaks down with his driver in the middle of nowehere and has to wait uncertainly in the desert dark with the car while a missing part is obtained. There are snatches of his ability and humour everywhere in this book but not enough to give it the lightnes of touch that would render his journey a unified whole. As the Persian poet Sa'adi wrote hundreds of years ago in his 'Gulistan':
'I fear you will not reach Mecca,
O traveller,
For you are on the road to Turkestan'
I wish some publisher had given (or would give, if he retains the stamina to try again) Hugh Pope enough sustained financial backing to cover this territory at a more leisurely pace, making it his personal story of discovery. Depite his very rare fluency (for a Western writer) in Turkish,Persian and Arabic he has not been allowed to fulfill his undoubted potential. My instinct too is that he possibly needs to reread works by Freya Stark (especially 'The Lycian Shore'), Fitzroy Maclean, Jeremy Seal and even George Borrow to rediscover the validity of quirky English 'road books' that avoid the wretched fetters of American journalistic conventionality -- and yet manage to relate a cracking story. Your Djinn is in there, HP: let it out! We want more of your stuff!
This racehorse called 'Sons of the Conquerors' covers crucial material at such breakneck speed that some readers simply won't be able to stay the course.
This is a terrible pity as undertstanding the dense complexities of the Turkic peoples (and the pattern of minorities within their many national borders) is an urgent global requirement, as the author's self-evident passion makes clear. But the problem appears to be one of under-funding; this book is a labour of love that simply cannot (in its detached US journalistic format) deliver its message, rather in the sense that you cannot satisfactorily send a 'kiss by messenger'.
The author,Hugh Pope, is the Istanbul bureau chief for 'The Wall Street Journal'. His book cover over 15 years of his reports in many remote and harsh regions of the Turkic-speaking world. He is no doubt a charming reporter with a tenacious capacity to amble or (if required, and possibilities allow) push to the center of the action and paint an informative and vivid portrait.
But his agent and his publisher have done him a great disservice in supposing that a patchwork quilt of short pieces roughly stitched together (however succinct each section's bold subheading) will amount to an accessible or popular book. The problem is this is a road book without a sustaining theme or coherent personal storyline. You often don't know who you're with or where you are going, and thus few readers will be able navigate such plotlessness easily. In the parlance of webdesign, 'Sons of yhe Conquerors' suffers from woefully poor 'usability'
The book's major structural error is the publisher's shamefully cheapjack map which infuriatingly undermines even the determined reader's progress over Mr Pope's narrative territory. Over 40 pages about detailed events in Armenia and Azerbaijan, for example, simply cannot be followed in a miserly cartological area of less than one square centimetre.
Another problem too is the US journalistic mindset that has conditioned Mr Pope's prose. In this (perhaps more in his early days) he is far too earnestly wedded, despite apparently being an Oxford-educated South African or Brit, to a sustained belief that the major human relevancies are Teutonic units of economical and political reality. He is a much better writer than someone has allowed him to be, and can well afford to cut loose from too many such ritual factual constraints and let his heart soar. Chapter 25, when he descibes how he and two friends swim the Bosphorous in the face of official discontent, is so breath-catchingly lyrical that one forgives him anything. So is another section when he breaks down with his driver in the middle of nowehere and has to wait uncertainly in the desert dark with the car while a missing part is obtained. There are snatches of his ability and humour everywhere in this book but not enough to give it the lightnes of touch that would render his journey a unified whole. As the Persian poet Sa'adi wrote hundreds of years ago in his 'Gulistan':
'I fear you will not reach Mecca,
O traveller,
For you are on the road to Turkestan'
I wish some publisher had given (or would give, if he retains the stamina to try again) Hugh Pope enough sustained financial backing to cover this territory at a more leisurely pace, making it his personal story of discovery. Depite his very rare fluency (for a Western writer) in Turkish,Persian and Arabic he has not been allowed to fulfill his undoubted potential. My instinct too is that he possibly needs to reread works by Freya Stark (especially 'The Lycian Shore'), Fitzroy Maclean, Jeremy Seal and even George Borrow to rediscover the validity of quirky English 'road books' that avoid the wretched fetters of American journalistic conventionality -- and yet manage to relate a cracking story. Your Djinn is in there, HP: let it out! We want more of your stuff!
April 5, 2014
This is an interesting book. The Turkic world is one that has been forcibly divided by centuries of politics. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, and the independence of Turkic republics other than Turkey itself, the situation has changed. This, combined with the new affluence and awareness of the wider world that the 20th and 21st centuries are bringing to Turkish peoples has brought a new consciousness of a broader Turkic identity. As this book ably shows, at this point Turkic unity is mostly just political rhetoric.
Nonetheless there are great commonalities that exist between Turkic communities, from Germany to China. Deeper economic ties, and some efforts at political imitation at least are making the world smaller. Businessmen from Turkey itself are fanning out through the post-soviet Turkic world, and many leaders there look to Turkey's founding leader, Ataturk, as an inspiration.
Pope has traveled to all of these regions, and his stories are amusing. I sometimes found the tone excessively journalistic, and too focused on his adventures, but it is hard to see how one could write a book on a topic this amorphous in any other way. Pope does an excellent job of conveying the incredible change that the countries in question are experiencing. The changes are so rapid, however, that just 9 years later the book feels a bit outdated. Egemen Bagis, now one of the more loathed figures in Turkish politics shows up as a Turkish-American businessman with bright prospects. It may be time for an updated version...
Nonetheless there are great commonalities that exist between Turkic communities, from Germany to China. Deeper economic ties, and some efforts at political imitation at least are making the world smaller. Businessmen from Turkey itself are fanning out through the post-soviet Turkic world, and many leaders there look to Turkey's founding leader, Ataturk, as an inspiration.
Pope has traveled to all of these regions, and his stories are amusing. I sometimes found the tone excessively journalistic, and too focused on his adventures, but it is hard to see how one could write a book on a topic this amorphous in any other way. Pope does an excellent job of conveying the incredible change that the countries in question are experiencing. The changes are so rapid, however, that just 9 years later the book feels a bit outdated. Egemen Bagis, now one of the more loathed figures in Turkish politics shows up as a Turkish-American businessman with bright prospects. It may be time for an updated version...
December 5, 2007
An excellent journey through the Turkic world, particularly providing good insight on the often-ignored former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Pope's background as a journalist makes his prose readable and engaging as he provides personal anecdotes within the larger explanation of the history and politics of the region. Although a journalist, Pope still provides good, detailed insight into the region, its politics and problems, and their historical roots, by virtue of his high level of education. As he frequently reminds the reader, he read Persian and Arabic at Oxford, which, combined with the Turkish he learned living in Istanbul, gives him a (probably exaggerated) ability to speak virtually any Central Asian language with fluency.
Overall very readable and highly informative book on the region.
Overall very readable and highly informative book on the region.
February 9, 2013
This book focuses on the history and contemporary situation of the Turkic peoples, mostly the people of Turkey, but also the Central Asian peoples. The author focuses on half a dozen characteristics of these peoples: strong militaries, strong political leaders, a unique version of Islam, conflict with neighboring countries, and natural resources. He focuses mainly on how the Turks exemplify these characteristics, and then compares them to other Turkic peoples. The book is well-researched and well-written, and the author has a strong analytical streak which makes the book more interesting.
September 19, 2009
Central Asia has always carried such mystery for me, so I was excited to learn more about it. These are the descendants of the Mongols. I learned that the ancient Silk Road is mostly mythical; then as today it is more efficient and safer to travel by sea. In the news lately we have read of the plight of the Uighurs, who are a Turkic people living in western China. This book gives us more insight into these people.
May 28, 2008
While the travelogue style lends to a broad view of the Turkic peoples, without the depth of a straight history, this focus proved to be the strength of the book. Pope provides an overview of modern day realities set into historical context. A good introduction to the peoples and regions covered.
April 10, 2011
Comprehensive survey of the Turkic world today from Central Asia to the Turkish diaspora in US/EU. Focus on politics (author is journalist). Keeping track of names was tough, and the story always seemed to be the same- exploitation from without, corruption from within, impoverished citizens hanging on and offering their best to the foreign journalist. Kind of depressing.
November 27, 2011
I read this after I returned from Turkey for the first time and loved it. Pope's genuine enthusiasm for the material makes it a lot of fun to read, but he's analytical enough to be skeptical of first glances and go deeper. This is one of a few things that made me want to begin looking East of Turkey.
June 1, 2012
Entertaining book on the Turkic people who inhabit areas from Berlin all the way to Xinjiang. You'll learn a lot about Turkic history and also the modern countries that the people inhabit. The writer manages to spin a very interesting narrative, however, so it never feels like a textbook. Highly recommended.
May 13, 2008
Pope writes well, and his 20+ years of living in the Turkic world do give him a depth of knowledge. The only problem (unavoidable) is that the book is becoming a bit dated. So much has happened in this part of the world since the book was published, even though it has only been a few years.
January 20, 2013
From the book: "picture 20: an uzbek prays to get out a while from his country's dictatorship and being poor." That is so common behaviour in Turkic world. As a Turkish man, I verify most of this book, thanks to author.
April 11, 2007
This guy tells some pretty great stories from everywhere from Turkey to western China.
made me want to get back into turkey.
made me want to get back into turkey.
Currently reading
February 11, 2009Geographic spread of Turkic peoples and how they all more or less identify themselves as Turkic; their struggles for recognition and independence
July 19, 2009
An intensely educational look into a fascinating and mysterious part of the world.
July 31, 2010
Part history, part travel log, you'll enjoy this book if you have spent any time in a Turkic country or if you want to learn more about the Turks experience in Europe.
July 19, 2025
From steppes to states, it’s a saga of empire, exile, and enough nationalist swagger to start a regional summit brawl.
April 2, 2011
First book I read in Turkey.
March 15, 2013
This is a fantastic book about Turkic peoples.
November 18, 2013
Fascinating window into modern day Turkey, its relationship with and influence on central Asia.
September 17, 2017
Wonderful telling of the Turkish story. Loved the way it was written, could not put it down. I would recommend it to anyone wishing to understand the reasons for so much strife in Eastern Europe and the Turkish borders. It made Ataturk come to life.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews