38. The Turks Become Muslim
Early in the eighth century, with the Gokturk Empire collapsing, a faction of western Turks known as the Oghuz, guided by a legendary grey wolf, established their rule over western Central Asia. That was around the same time that another nomadic people, the Arabs of the Islamic Caliphate, were sweeping eastward and northward from Arabia to conquer the Persian Empire. When the two rising powers clashed, the Turks were crushed.
However, trade and cultural links were established, and from the ninth century onward, the Turks began to renounce their pagan beliefs and embrace Islam. Although the Turks were initially defeated and subordinated to the Arabs, they would not stay down for long. Proving the adage that none are more zealous than recent converts, the newly converted Turks eventually became Islam’s most zealous proselytizers. Bouncing back from their defeat and subordination to the Arabs, the Turks would eventually gain the upper hand and come to dominate the Arab world and the Islamic Middle East.
