Ok, so she made a mistake with the century thing. How do you say century in Turkish? Huh?
But the Turkish tribes wandering the central asian steppes were for the most part pagans, similar to the native American tribes. Also similar to what the Europeans were with their druids back in the day.
So by saying that the Turks were byzantines, you screwed the pooch much worse, since it's your native tongue you're using.. Pity.
Prior to the tenth century, almost all of what is now Turkey was part of the Byzantine Empire. Unless, I misread several different maps.