Bactrian Documents Found in Northern Afghanis- tan as A Historıcal Source

This article analyzes the role and significance of the Bactrian documents found in Northern Afghanistan as a historical source for the study of the history of Turan in the early medieval period. The article also examines the history of the discovery and study of these documents. From a critical point of view, it analyzes the erroneous approach in national historiography, which consists in the incorrect generalization of these documents under the name "Rabatake Archive" and their attribution exclusively to the Kushan period. Furthermore, based on an analysis of the external (duplicate copies, seals) and internal (introduction, main part, conclusion) structure of the documents, the article substantiates the existence of a developed legal system in the region. Through the analysis of information contained in the documents regarding purchase and sale, debt obligations, rent, taxes, slavery, and family relations, the socio-economic picture of Turan in the 4th–8th centuries is illuminated. The significant scholarly novelty of the article lies in the fact that, based on an analysis of Turkic titles (“kagan”, “yabgu”, “tarkhan”, “tudun”) and ethnonyms (“Abdalo”) found in the documents, the role and influence of the Turkic peoples in the statehood of Turan during the early medieval era are proven with direct evidence.