Editing Turkmens (section)

==History==
{{History of Turkmenistan}}
{{Main|History of Turkmenistan}}
{{stack|[[File:Teke Family.jpg|thumb|[[Teke (tribe)|Teke]] Turkmen family in traditional clothing near Bairam-Ali. Photo taken by [[Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky]]  between 1903 and 1916]]|}}

Turkmens belong to the [[Oghuz Turks|Oghuz tribes]], who originated on the periphery of [[Central Asia]] and founded gigantic empires beginning from the 3rd millennium BC. Subsequently, [[Turkmen tribes]] founded lasting dynasties in Central Asia, [[Middle East]], [[Persia]] and [[Anatolia]] that had a profound influence on the course of history of those regions.<ref>Stefano Carboni, Jean-François de Lapérouse, Historical overview - "Turkmen Jewelry: Silver Ornaments from the Marshall and Marilyn R. Wolf Collection", published by Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011</ref> The most prominent of those dynasties were [[Ghaznavids|the Ghaznavids]], [[Seljuks]], [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]], [[Afsharids]] and [[Qajars]]. Representatives of the Turkmen tribes of Ive and Bayandur were also the founders of the short-lived, but formidable states of [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Ak Koyunlu]] Turkmens respectively.<ref>Safa, Z. (1986). PERSIAN LITERATURE IN THE TIMURID AND TÜRKMEN PERIODS (782–907/1380–1501). In P. Jackson & L. Lockhart (Eds.), The Cambridge History of Iran (The Cambridge History of Iran, pp. 913-928). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref><ref>The Timurid and Turkmen Dynasties of Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia; in David J. Roxburgh, ed., The Turks: A Journey of Thousand Years, 600-1600. London, Royal Academy of Arts, 2005, pp. 192-200</ref>

Turkmens that stayed in Central Asia largely survived unaffected by the Mongol period due to their semi-nomadic lifestyle and became traders along the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]], which led to contacts with [[Eastern Europe]]. Following the decline of the Mongols, [[Tamerlane]] conquered the area and his [[Timurid Empire]] would rule, until it too fractured, as the [[Safavids]], [[Khanate of Bukhara]], and [[Khanate of Khiva]] all contested the area. The expanding [[Russian Empire]] took notice of [[Economy of Turkmenistan|Turkmenistan's extensive cotton industry]], during the reign of [[Peter the Great]], and invaded the area. Following the decisive [[Battle of Geok Tepe]] in January 1881, the bulk of Turkmen tribes found themselves under the rule of the [[Russian Emperor]], which was formalized in the [[Akhal Treaty]] between Russia and Persia. After the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] control was established by 1921, and in 1924 Turkmenistan became the [[Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic]]. [[Turkmenistan]] gained independence in 1991.