The Religion of the Turks before Islam: Tengri, Kamlar, and the Sacred Forces of Nature

Long before the Turkic peoples adopted Islam, they already carried within them a deep and orderly spiritual world. This world was not a jumble of superstition, but a clear structure of a single creator, respect for nature, reverence for ancestors, and people who could mediate between worlds. Those who know this ancient order also better understand why many blessings, water rituals, and protective customs in Anatolia are still so alive today.

1. Belief in Gök Tanrı – Tengrism

Tengrism was the actual and most widespread belief system of the ancient Turks. The great states of the Huns, the Göktürks, and the Uighurs were spiritually founded upon it.

The one God: The creator of the universe and the highest being was Tengri, the Gök Tanrı, the Sky God. He was considered abstract, infinite, and the only power. He had no image, no statue, no temple – he was the sky itself above all people.

The Kut: It was believed that rulers received their authority to govern and their political power directly from Tengri. This gift was called Kut. A ruler without Kut had no right to the throne.

Belief in the afterlife: There was a strong belief in life after death. Paradise was called Ucmag (Uçmak), hell was Tamu.

Yug ceremonies and Kurgans: Funerals for the deceased were held, called Yug. The dead were buried with their belongings in burial mounds called Kurgan. At the graves, stone figures called Balbal were erected – as many as the deceased had defeated enemies in their lifetime.

2. Shamanism – Kamlik

Shamanism was less an independent religion than a mystical tradition based on connection with spirits, healing arts, and prophecy. The Turks called this Kamlik, and the gifted people who practiced it were called Kam – later, shaman.

The world of spirits and harmony with nature: The Kamlar (men) and the Udaganlar (women) entered trance and connected with the sky, where good spirits dwelled, and with the underworld, where evil spirits resided.

Foreknowledge and healing: Their tasks were healing illnesses, driving away evil spirits, prophesying, and guiding souls to the other world.

3. Belief in the Forces of Nature – İduk Yer-Sub

Among the Turks, certain natural beings were regarded as sacred. However, they were not worshipped as gods, but it was believed that a sacred spirit, an Iye, resided within them.

Sacred beings: Mountains, lakes, rivers, iron, fire, and trees were considered sacred; they were called Yer-Sub (Yer-Su, meaning earth and water).

The ancestral souls: It was believed that the souls of deceased ancestors protected their family and lineage. Their graves were visited and offerings were made.

4. Other paths of belief adopted over time

As the Turkic tribes spread across various countries, they also adopted the religions of the cultures they came into contact with:

• Manichaeism and Buddhism: the Uighurs, who adopted these paths during the time of Bögü Kagan with the transition to a settled lifestyle.
• Christianity: the Avars, Pechenegs, Cumans and Kipchaks, Volga Bulgars, and today's Gagauz.
• Judaism: the Khazars, especially the upper class of the Khazar Khaganate and part of the people.

Summary

Before the adoption of Islam, the Turks predominantly adhered to the belief in Gök Tanrı. The idea of one God, belief in the afterlife, sacrifice, as well as the principles of purity and morality in Tengrism are among the most important reasons why the Turks were able to embrace Islam in large numbers from the 10th century onwards.

What still lives on today

Anyone who grew up in Anatolia knows much of this without being able to name it: reverence for flowing water, silence at an old tree, prayer at the graves of ancestors, concern about the evil eye. These threads reach unbroken into our own time.

In the work of medium and master of magic EL-Rashid, this ancient reverence for water and the spiritual protection of people meet. The midnight water ritual, the removal of Nazar and imposed bindings, the work for peace in the family, and the consecrated protective items all stand in the same long tradition: the pure is strengthened, the impure is dissolved. Anyone who wants to learn more about this can find the individual works under /leistungen, the consecrated protective items under /produkt, and the way to a personal conversation under /kontakt.