Description and Etymology of Turks
The "Turks" make their first appearance in the Chinese sixth-century writings. Turk is also known in Chinese as "Tujue" (Chinese Wade–Giles pronunciation: T'u-chüe). Allusions have been made to the existence of ancient Turks, such as Togarma Turukku and others. Still, the information gap is so significant that any link between these ancient people and modern Turks is impossible. Anatolian peasants were initially referred to as "Türks" by the term in the nineteenth century.

The Ottoman Empire's ruling class preferred the term "Ottomans" to the more common "Turks." Turkey became a more positive term due to the Ottoman upper classes' adoption of European nationalism in the late nineteenth century. During Ottoman times, the millet system created religiously based groups, and today, some Turks believe that only those who practice Sunni Islam are genuinely Turkish.
The Seljuk Empire
During the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks, who were heavily influenced by Persian civilization, grew in power and conquered the eastern province of the Abbasid Empire. When Baghdad was captured in 1055, the Seljuks had already spread across the Anatolian peninsula. They gained access to Anatolia after defeating the Byzantine Empire in 1071 at the Battle of Manzikert. Despite being of Turkish descent, the Seljuk Turks embraced and disseminated Persian culture.

Turkish language Islam was introduced and steadily expanded across the region, gradually replacing the predominantly Christian Greek-speaking Anatolia that existed before with a predominantly Muslim and Turkish-speaking Anatolia. The First Crusade was triggered by the Byzantine Empire's need for help, and the Seljuk Turks established the Sultanate of Rum from their new capital, Konya, in 1097. "Turchia" or "Turkey," or even "Turkish Land" began to be used by Europeans in the 12th century to describe the Anatolian region. Turkey's three social classes in Anatolia were rural, nomadic, and urban. The Turkoman (Turkmen) peoples who arrived in Anatolia around the same time as the Seljuks did not abandon their nomadic ways. Unlike the Seljuks, these people rejected the nomadic lifestyle in favor of an Islam that was infused with animism and shamanism from the steppes of Central Asia, which was then combined with new Christian influences. Because of the mystical and revolutionary aspects of this popular and syncretist Islam, the Turkish-speaking Muslim population in Anatolia increased through intermarriage between Turks and locals and conversions.