Issue 118 · Summer 2026

Dear Readers,

This issue presents seven original studies that examine the Turkic world at the intersection of various disciplines, including history, culture, language, society, economics, and international relations. The studies in this issue offer a broad historical framework—ranging from the evaluation of human remains recovered from the Malazgirt/Afşin excavations from the perspective of conflict archaeology to an examination of the historical and legendary identity of the Karakhanid ruler Sultan Satuk Buğra Khan; and from the Turkestan national movement shaped by exile to the legitimacy and use of paper money during the reign of Kublai Khan. In addition, studies on the reasons why young people in Kyrgyz society prefer to use Russian in daily life, the processes by which Ahiska Turkish women participate in the labor market, and the diplomatic implications of economic and financial relations between the Turkic states and China offer unique contributions to the field by evaluating the Turkic world’s shared historical heritage, current issues, and changing social structure from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Scientific publishing is one of the key factors determining the visibility, impact, and sustainability of research activities today. Journals listed in international indexes such as Web of Science and Scopus not only facilitate the dissemination of scientific knowledge but also contribute to countries’ academic performance and science diplomacy. The functioning of indexing systems, open access policies, and journal performance metrics directly influence the quality and international visibility of academic output.

bilig, which has adopted as its core publication policy the goal of bringing high-quality and original research on the Turkic world to the international academic community, consistently upholds a publication philosophy grounded in scientific quality. As a result of this approach, our journal continues to strengthen its position in Web of Science and Scopus with each passing year.

bilig, one of the few journals in the social sciences in Türkiye indexed in SSCI, continues to increase its international visibility through its high-quality academic content and interdisciplinary approach. According to data from the 2025 Journal Citation Report published by Clarivate, bilig’s impact factor was reported as 0.4, and the journal has maintained its position in the Q3 category. According to Scopus data, bilig has risen to the Q2 level in the General Arts and Humanities category. Citations from journals published not only in Türkiye but also in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of Korea demonstrate that bilig and research on the Turkic world have gained increasing recognition in international academic circles.

By combining thirty years of publishing experience with international scientific standards, bilig continues to be one of the leading scholarly journals in Turkic world studies. This success has been made possible by the high-quality work of our authors, the meticulous reviews of our referees, the dedicated efforts of our editorial board, and the support of our readers. On this occasion, we would like to thank all researchers, reviewers, and editors who have contributed to our journal, and we hope that the studies featured in this issue will bring new perspectives to research on the Turkic world.

Prof. Dr. Fırat PURTAŞ

Editor-in-chief