The life, works, and contributions of Özkan İzgi to Turkish historiography

This study focuses on the life, works, and historiography of Prof. Dr. Özkan İzgi, who has made significant contributions to the field of General Turkish History. He spent the majority of his academic career at Hacettepe University in Ankara. İzgi's research focused on the Uighurs. Through his research, which draws primarily on Chinese and other sources, he has contributed to filling significant gaps in the field of ancient Turkish history. Thanks to his interdisciplinary approach which integrates philological and archaeological methods with historical research he has successfully incorporated information from Chinese sources into Turkish historical literature. He has also provided important analyses of the political, social, cultural, and economic structures of Central Asian Turkic communities, with a particular focus on Uyghur history. This study examines the life and academic career of Ozkan Izgi, as well as his contributions to Turkish historiography. The primary objective of this study is to assess Izgi's research particularly his work on Uyghur history, Sino-Turkic connections, the trade activities of the Turfan Uyghurs along the Silk Road, and the history of Central Asian culture in order to establish his place within the field of Turkish historiography.