Customary law among ancient Turks: İts emergence, diffusion and applications

As all the civilizations that had settled throughout in history on the Earth, the Ancient Turks had brought their own rules of law. The only fundamental element that constitutes and shapes the law is the regulations that are shaped by the cultural understanding of the society from which it comes, and which are designed to provide solutions to social problems. These arrangements are called törü, which means customary law in Ancient Turkish society. Törü is an oral law that is shaped by the nomadic life in the harsh geographic conditions of Eurasia, fermented by the identity and cultural perception of Ancient Turkish society. The customary laws also included conventions that settled criminal acts that solved the disputes which took place in the Turkish society and informed them of the punishment they had made. It has a criminal law feature in that it includes punishment against crimes such as fornication, theft, extortion, assassination of human life, defamation, treason, child abuse, etc. Since the sanctions are strict and punctual in order to provide social welfare, the crime rate in the Ancient Turkish society is very low. The laws in administrative matters were determined in the kurultaj and the related items were only changed within the scope of this parliament. The hierarchical structure, the determination of the system of the orun and the ülüş, the kagan institution and the war law were influential. Törü also prevented arbitrary management of the kagan. The kagan, who flee excessively and carried out an arbitrary administration, could be raided by the reason that they did not obey the customary laws. Törü, also covered issues of the social life: birth ceremonies were a family law with conventions such as taking names or nicknames, adoption procedures, marriage ceremonies, etiquette, guest admission, funeral ceremonies and heritage sharing.