AN EVALUATION ON THE SOURCES OF TURK HISTORY OF THE MEDIEVAL EAST BLACK SEA

In the light of historical sources, it is possible to take the historical foundations of the Türk presence in the Eastern Black Sea Region much deeper. In the Middle Ages, the information about the Türk presence in the eastern Black Sea comes to light with the Seljuks reaching Anatolia. With the contact of the Seljuks to the Caucasus and Eastern Anatolia, Georgian and Armenian sources in the region begin to talk about the Seljuks. Likewise, the Byzantines, who ruled Anatolia, and the Arabs and Assyrians, who were closely interested in the region, kept important records about the Türk activities in the region. When the sources of Medieval History are examined, there are important records about the activities of the Seljuks in the Çoruh tribes of the Eastern Black Sea Region and around Kelkit. However, the information about the Türks who reached the eastern Black Sea coasts was initially in the dark. In the following period, important information can be obtained about the Türks in the Eastern Black Sea valleys and coasts with the help of historical sources. These sources, on the other hand, are mostly about the struggles of the Türk political organizations in the Kelkit Basin and the Türk beys, who made the north of the Eastern Black Sea mountains their home, with the Empire of Trabzon.