Pre-Islamic Turkish Society in terms of Gender Equality in the Light of Art Data

The pre-Islamic Turks distinguished themselves from many contemporary and subsequent societies with their progressive gender perceptions. Unlike societies where gender discrimination was prevalent, Turkish men and women often participated equally or alternately in various aspects of life. In Turkish society living a common life, such matters as using a sword, bow and arrow, riding a horse, appearing on battlefields, wrestling, ascending the throne of the kingdom alone or in pairs, accepting ambassadors, signing orders and treaties, printing money, acquiring property, obtaining inheritance and divorce rights, becoming a religious official, setting up a foundation, hunting, serving one's spouse are actions performed by both sexes. This perspective of society on gender is reflected not only in historical documents but also in works of art that are informed by the culture of the society. Within the scope of our study, examples from various branches of art (coins, wall paintings, rock paintings, clothing and fabrics, sculptures, ceramics, jugs, vases) selected from a large number of works reflecting the gender perception of the pre-Islamic Turkish society were examined and interpreted in terms of their descriptive features and styles by correlating them with information obtained from historical sources.