Dehistan: An ancient turkish city as recorded in mehmed emin efendi's travel book [Mehmed emin efendi'nin seyahatnamesi'ne göre eski bir türk şehri: Dehistan]

Although they may sometimes include subjective views of their authors, travel books are often very valuable sources since they are written upon observation and reflect the social, cultural and economic conditions of their era. It is owing to travelers' writings that information can be obtained on the traditions and customs of societies where written culture is not well-established. In this sense, Mehmed Emin Efendi's work, "Asya-yi{dotless} Vusta'ya Seyahat", is a very important travel book providing information on the condition of the Turkish tribes living in Central Asia during that period. This article focuses on the data found in Mehmed Emin Efendi's work to make judgments and analyses concerning Dehistan, a historical Turkish city, and Turkmen folklore. © Ahmet Yesevi University Board of Trustees.