different voices of the soul have been built upon this unity. The unity and togetherness inside becomes the pillars that keeps the nation together.

No other nation in the world was divided into so many tribes as the Türkmens. The real unity of Türkmen is blood and language unity.

Unity provides the nation with the means to construct its future. Without unity, it is not possible to understand the Türkmens’ past. Türkmenistan is one of these nations which has the richest history. There have been so many books written on different periods of Türkmen history, but a surprising situation emerges when one considers the huge number of books: it is not possible to find Türkmens alone in these books. It is also surprising that in the works of historians, and other intellectuals, the bits and pieces of Türkmen history are very different and sometimes controversial. If you believe in one of these, Türkmens are nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples and according to another they are a pastoral people and deal with farming. According to another, they are urban people and live in castles and established some major civilizations. Yet another says from a political view point hardworking, another says humble, even lazy.

Where does this controversy and confusion come from? No one was able to see the Türkmen nation as a whole since it is a very great nation. This historical confusion reminds us of a short story by our great poet Jalaleddin Rumi: A group of blind men wonder how an elephant is. Those who feel the elephant’s legs decide that it is a hard column, those who feel its trunk think that it is a weak tree. Likewise each writer saw Türkmen according to his own view and perceptions. From such a perspective, it is not possible to see the reality; only semi-