The spread of buddhism to Central Asia and its effect on Turkish culture

The introduction of Buddhist culture to Central Asia, where is the main homeland of the Turkish nation, has influenced many cultures. Central Asia has been home to Indian, Iranian, Chinese, Turkish and many other cultures on its territory and it has been considered one of the most important centers of Buddhism until the tenth century AC. Evaluating the effects of this belief, which is also accepted by the Turks, on Turkish-Islamic culture and revealing the Buddhist traces in our tradition have been the main purpose of this thesis. Our study consist of three main parts. Our In the introduction, we briefly mentioned the purpose, importance and sources of our study. In the first chapter, after dealing with the environment where Buddha was born, the basic teachings and rules of Buddhism, the arrival of Buddhism in Central Asia through King Ashoka and Kushans and the spread processes in this region were examined. In the second part, the important centers of Buddhism in Central Asia, which came to Central Asia and reached great power here, the geography of Central Asia and the services of its people to this religion are explained in detail. In the third chapter, the process of being influenced by this religion and their support for Buddhism of the Turks, who accept the Central Asian geography as their homeland, are explained, and the effects of this tradition on Turkish-Islamic culture are tried to be evaluated. In the conclusion section, after briefly summarizing our thesis, which we consider as a result of our study "Can we mention an ecole under the name Turkish Buddhism" and "Has Buddhism been influenced by Turkish Culture?" such problems are examined. Keywords: Buddhism, Central Asia, Turkish Culture