Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire following World War I and the subsequent founding of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk, Turkey has played a prominent, albeit dependent, role in international affairs, as a vital ally to NATO and as a secular Islamic democracy. In this major new work, Hugh Pope provides a vivid picture of the Turkish people, who today encompass a region much larger than the political boundaries of the nation of Turkey - from China, to Iran, Iraq, the Netherlands, Germany, and all the way to the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. Pope has travelled the world to encounter and assimilate the many facets of this extraordinarily complex and fascinating ethnic group. Rich with stories and legends stretching back centuries, "Sons of the Conquerors" is an account of a profoundly neglected subject that brings readers into closer contact with a culture that has shaped history.