“ALBAN TARİHİ” ADLI KAYNAKTAKİ BATI KÖKTÜRK YÖNETİCİLERİ: “KUZEY HÜKÜMDARI”, “CEBU HAKAN” VE “ŞAD” HAKKINDA DEĞERLENDİRMELER

Kalankatlı Musa tarafından kaleme alınmış olan Alban Tarihi isimli ortaçağ kaynağı, başta Albanlar olmak üzere Romalılar, Ermeniler, İranlılar, Araplar ve Türkler hakkında son derece kıymetli bilgiler barındırmaktadır. Erken ve orta dönem Türk tarihi açısından kıymetli olan bu kaynakta Barsil, Hun, Hazar ve Eftalit gibi pek çok Türk topluluğunun faaliyetlerinden söz edilmiştir. Bizans-İran-Türk ilişkilerinin oldukça yoğun olduğu bir dönemde, bölgedeki gelişmeleri aktaran Alban Tarihi, bazı Türk yönetici unvanları sunmaktadır. Bunlar arasında olan, “Kuzey Hükümdarı”, “Cebu Hakan” ve “Şad”, Batı Köktürklerinin Hazar ötesindeki faaliyetlerinde aktif bir rol üstlenmiş olarak gözükmektedir. Makalemizde, Alban Tarihindeki kayıtları değerlendirerek, Bizans ve Çin kaynakları ile mukayeseli bir biçimde, Kuzey Hükümdarı, Cebu ve Şadın kim oldukları sorusuna cevaplar aramaya çalışacağız.

The medieval source “History of Albania”, written by Moses from Kalankatuyk, contains very valuable information about the Romans, Armenians, Iranians, Arabs, Turks, and especially Albanians. The first two books of "History of Albania", which consisting mainly of three books, contain events from the ancient periods to 710, and the third book up to 999. The developments in Albania in the 12th and 13th centuries were written by Mhitar Koş in the form of an almanac and added to the end of the work. There is a consensus on the point that the author of the first two books of "History of Albania" is Moses from Kalankatuyk. This author is thought to have lived around the 7th century. In this source, which is valuable in terms of early and mid-term Turkish history, the activities of many Turkish communities such as Barsil, Hun, Khazar and Hephthalite are mentioned. “History of Albania”, which conveys the developments in the region in a period when Byzantine-Iranian-Turkish relations are quite intense, introduces some titles related to Turkish rulers. An important part of the executive titles in the source also appears in Kokturk inscriptions and other medieval travelers' works. Among these, the "Ruler of the North", "Jebu Qaghan" and "Shad" seem to have taken an active role in the activities of the Western Kokturks beyond the Caspian. In our article, we will try to look for answers to the question of who the “Ruler of the North”, “Jebu” and “Shad” are, in comparison with the Byzantine and Chinese sources, by evaluating the records in the "History of Albania". There are important details about the activities of Western Kokturks in Chinese annuals. Byzantine sources also mention the names of some Kokturk administrators operating in the region. There are other existing studies on the historical personalities of those who hold the titles we have discussed here; however, it is seen that there is no consensus among the suggestions of these works. In the majority of the studies so far, there is a general belief that this person may be T’ung Yabgu. In some studies written in recent years, other names from the Kokturk dynasty family were emphasized. It is observed that these persons who are at the center of the discussions occupy an important position in the last Kokturk presence in the Caucasus and in the foundation days of the new Khazar State. The Khazars, which emerged in the Caucasus after the collapse of Kokturk domination, are the continuation of the Kokturk State. Besides, we do not have detailed information about the first periods of the Khazar history. Neither do we have a source that clearly reports who the founder of the Khazar state is. However, it is certain that Kokturks played an important role in the foundation days of the state. Identifying the last Kokturk managers and activities in the Caucasus will shed light on the foundation days of the Khazar State.