In pre-
Islamic
Turkic empires, particularly those of the
Göktürks and the
Khazars, a 'tudun' was a governor resident in a town or other settlement. The tudun was the personal representative of the imperial government and could function both as an administrator and a diplomat. At times a tudun would be appointed for a town nominally under another power's control but ''de facto'' within the sphere of influence of the tudun's
khagan.