Akademik Dersler - Tanıtım

Last Updated: 15/04/2026

Code - Course Title	Course Type	Laboratory + Practice	ECTS
TDE344 - Death Culture in Ancient Turks	VI. SEMESTER	2 +0	4.5

Language of Instruction	Türkçe
Course Type	Area Elective Courses
Course Instructor(s)	DOÇ. DR. HÜLYA YILDIZ
Mode of Delivery	Face to face
Place of Delivery
Used Educational Platforms
Prerequisites	There is no prerequisite or co-requisite for this course.
Courses Recomended	TDE 219 Göktürkçe; TDE 220 Eski Uygurca; TDE 332 Yenisey Yazıtları
Recommended Resources	Edward Tryjarski (2012), Türkler ve Ölüm, İstanbul: Pinhan Yayıncılık.Jean Paul Roux (1994), Türklerin ve Moğolların Eski Dini, İstanbul: İşaret Yayınları.Oktay Belli (2003), Kırgızistan’da Taş Balbal ve İnsan Biçimli Heykeller, İstanbul: Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayınları.Tuna, Osman Nedim (1957). “Kök Türk Yazıtlarında ‘Ölüm’ Kavramı ile İlgili Kelimeler ve ‘kergek bol-” Deyimi İzahı”. VIII. Türk Dil Kurultayının Okunan Bilimsel Bildiriler. 131-148.
Work Placement	Not applicable.
Aims of the Course

Weeks	Learning Outcomes	Topics	Teaching Methods
Week - 1		Anthropological and sociological definitions of death; The cycle of life and death in Turkic cosmology.
Week - 2		Death Culture and Kurgan Structure during the Hun Period; Artifacts within the Kurgan: The reflection of social status in the grave.
Week - 3		Funeral Rituals among the Göktürks: The 'yog' ceremony and archaic rituals such as hair-cutting and face-scratching during the mourning process.
Week - 4		The origin and function of the 'balbal' concept; the symbolic world of balbals and the cult of heroism.
Week - 5		The perception of death among Manichaean and Buddhist Uyghurs: Changing burial traditions with the transition to settled life and the belief in reincarnation.
Week - 6		Wills and inheritance law after death in non-religious (civil) Old Uyghur texts.
Week - 7		Funeral Rituals of the Ancient Kyrgyz: Kurgans, Sacrifices, and Offerings.
Week - 8		An analysis of the Yenisei Inscriptions through the themes of "separation and death".
Week - 9		Khazars, Pecheneks, and Cumans: The secret burial rituals of Khazar Khagans; The interaction of death culture in the western steppes with Europe.
Week - 10		Transition to Islam and Synthesis: The Origins of Turkic-Islamic Funerary Architecture; The Relationship Between Kümbet/Türbe and Kurgans; Traces of Ancient Traditions in Folk Islam.
Week - 11		The tradition of mummification among Turks and Anatolian mummies.
Week - 12		Women of the Steppe and Death: The role of women in burial ceremonies in Turkic society; ornaments and weapons in women's graves.
Week - 13		Deities of Death and Spirits in Turkic Mythology: The figure of Erlik Khan and the hierarchy of the underworld; Umay Ana’s protective role between birth and death.
Week - 14		General Review and Evaluation.

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Assessment Method and Passing Requirements
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