Although the Hungarians, who invaded and then settled the arpathian Basin, occupied the geographical middle of Europe and have since been part of Western or European civilisation, over the course of the last millennium they have mostly been relegated to the margins of that civilisation. This frontier situation and experience profoundly influenced both the history of Hungary and the mentality of its inhabitants and manifested itself in a sense of “aloneness”. But while the Hungarians have never forgotten the oriental components of their identity, in all decisive situations and at all major turning points, they opted for the West, whatever the costs (this is what happened at the time of the Mongol and Ottoman invasions). Yet, from the period of the Ottoman domination of the country onward, the “orientalness” – which can best be described with the notion of “Turkish legacy” based on the intense Turkish contacts of the Hungarians – gradually gained ground in the Hungarian mind. This resulted in considerable ambiguity, identity troubles and rival political programmes during the nineteenth century. While the memory of the century-long fight against the Ottomans became a cornerstone of Hungarian national consciousness, the Hungarian patriots turned with great enthusiasm toward the contemporary Turkish world where they were intent on finding their origins, the ancient forms of the Hungarian character and soul. The present Hungarian government’s policy of “opening for the East” can only be a surprise for those who do not consider the role of the ambiguous “Turkish legacy” in the last millennial history of the Hungarians.