('Queteqin Monument') , image = Kultigin Monument of Orkhon Inscriptions.jpeg , alt = Kultigin Monument of Orkhon Inscriptions – Orkhun Museum, Kharkhorin, Mongolia , image_caption = The Kul Tigin stele. Orkhon Museum,

Kharkhorin Kharkhorin () is a town and sum (district) center in Övörkhangai Province in Mongolia. The sum population was 13,828 (1994), 13,964 (2000), and 14,765 (2017). The population of Kharkhorin town itself was 14,765 in 2017 and covered an area of ...

, Mongolia , type = Memorial , height = , width = , weight = , long = , writing =

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese language, Chinese recorded in the ''Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expande ...

;

Old Turkic Old Siberian Turkic, generally known as East Old Turkic and often shortened to Old Turkic, was a Siberian Turkic language spoken around East Turkistan and Mongolia. It was first discovered in inscriptions originating from the Second Turkic Kh ...

, written in

Old Turkic alphabet The Old Turkic script (also known variously as Göktürk script, Orkhon script, Orkhon-Yenisey script, Turkic runes) was the alphabet used by the Göktürks and other early Turkic khanates from the 8th to 10th centuries to record the Old Turki ...

, symbols = , created = 8th century , discovered_place =

Orkhon Valley The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape sprawls along the banks of the Orkhon River in Central Mongolia, some 320 km west from the capital Ulaanbaatar. It was inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List as representing the development of ...

, Mongolia , discovered_coords = , discovered_date = , discovered_by = Nikolay Yadrintsev , location = Bilge Khan and General Kul Tigin Complex , classification = , culture = , id = The Orkhon inscriptions are bilingual texts in

and

, the latter written in the

, carved into two memorial

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

s erected in the early 8th century by the

Göktürks The Göktürks (; ), also known as Türks, Celestial Turks or Blue Turks, were a Turkic people in medieval Inner Asia. The Göktürks, under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his sons, succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the main powe ...

in the

in what is modern-day

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. They were created in honor of two Turkic princes, Kul Tigin and his brother

Bilge Khagan Bilge Qaghan (; ; 683 – 25 November 734) was the fourth khagan, Qaghan of the Second Turkic Khaganate. His accomplishments were described in the Orkhon inscriptions. Names As was the custom, his personal name and the name after assuming the t ...

. The inscriptions relate in both languages the legendary origins of the Turks, the golden age of their history, their subjugation by the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, and their liberation by Ilterish Qaghan. According to one source, the inscriptions contain "rhythmic and parallelistic passages" which resemble that of epics.

Name

Orhon can also be transcribed as Orhun, and the inscriptions are also known as the Khöshöö Tsaidam monuments (also spelled ''Khoshoo Tsaidam'', ''Koshu-Tsaidam'' or ''Höshöö Caidam''), or Kul Tigin steles. The Khoshoo Tsaidam archaeological site (more images

here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

) in the

region is where the inscriptions were found. Kul Tigin (684–731; zh, t=闕特勤碑, s=阙特勤碑, p=Què tèqín bēi) is one of the two brothers to whom the monument was dedicated.

Discovery and translation

The inscriptions were discovered by Nikolay Yadrintsev's expedition in 1889, published by

Vasily Radlov Vasily Vasilievich Radlov or Friedrich Wilhelm Radloff (; in Berlin – 12 May 1918 in Petrograd) was a German-Russian linguist, ethnographer, and archaeologist, often considered to be the founder of Turkology, the scientific study of Turki ...

. The original text was written in the

and was deciphered by the Danish philologist

Vilhelm Thomsen Vilhelm Ludwig Peter Thomsen (25 January 1842 – 12 May 1927) was a Denmark, Danish linguistics, linguist and Turkologist. He successfully deciphered the Turkic Orkhon inscriptions which were discovered during the expedition of Nikolai Yadrintse ...

in 1893. Thomsen first published the translation in French in 1899, and then a more complete interpretation in Danish in 1922.

Region

is a region on the western

Orkhon River The Orkhon River ( ) is the longest river in Mongolia. It rises in the Khangai Mountains in the Tsenkher, Tsenkher sum of Arkhangai Province, Arkhangai Provinces of Mongolia, aimag at the foot of the Suvraga Khairkhan mountain. From there, it ...

in modern-day

, near

Ögii Lake Ögii Lake ( ) is a freshwater lake in Ögii nuur, Arkhangai Province, Mongolia. The lake, designated as a Ramsar Site of International Importance, is known for its fish and for birdlife. It is a stopover point for migrating waterbirds of the ...

. More specifically, they stand about fifty miles north of the Erdene Zuu Monastery, and approximately twenty-five miles northwest of the Ordu-Baliq.

Importance

Before the Orkhon Inscriptions were deciphered by

, very little was known about Turkic script. The scripts are the oldest form of a Turkic language to be preserved. When the Orkhon inscriptions were first discovered, it was obvious that they were a

runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see '' futhark'' vs ''runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were primarily used to represent a sound value (a ...

type of script that had been discovered at other sites, but these versions also had a clear form, similar to an

alphabet An alphabet is a standard set of letter (alphabet), letters written to represent particular sounds in a spoken language. Specifically, letters largely correspond to phonemes as the smallest sound segments that can distinguish one word from a ...

. When Vilhelm Thomsen deciphered the inscriptions it was a huge stepping stone in understanding Old Turkic script, providing much of the foundation for translating other Turkic writings. The script follows an alphabetical form, but also appears to have strong influences of rune carvings. The inscriptions are a great example of early signs of nomadic society's transitions from use of runes to a uniform alphabet, and the Orkhon alphabet is thought to have been derived from or inspired by a non-cursive version of the Sogdian script.

Historical context

The steles were erected by the

in the early 8th century. They commemorate the brothers Bilge Khagan (683–734) and Kul-Tegin (684–731), one a politician and the other a military commander. Both were descendants of Ilterish Qaghan of the

Second Turkic Khaganate The Second Turkic Khaganate was a khaganate in Central and Eastern Asia founded by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks that lasted between 682–744. It was preceded by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (552–630) and the early Tang dynasty period ( ...

, which was a prominent Turkic nomadic society during the

. The Göktürks have left artifacts and installations all over their realm, from

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, but only in modern-day Mongolia have any memorials to kings and other aristocrats been found. The ones in Khöshöö Tsaidam consist of tablets with inscriptions in Chinese and

characters. Both monuments are stone slabs originally erected on carved stone turtles within walled enclosures. Bilge Khagan's stone shows a carved

ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

(the emblem of Göktürk kagans) and a twisted dragon. In both enclosings, evidence of altars and carved depictions of human couples were found, possibly depicting the respective honorary and his spouse. The

inscriptions on these monuments were written by Yollug Tigin, a nephew of Bilge Khagan. These inscriptions, together with the Tonyukuk inscription, are the oldest extant attestation of that language. The inscriptions clearly show the sacred importance of the region, as evidenced by the statement, "If you stay in the land of the Ötüken, and send caravans from there, you will have no trouble. If you stay at the Ötüken Mountains, you will live forever dominating the tribes!".

Content of the inscriptions

Gok turk Epigraph Copy in Gazi University Ankara

A full English translation of the inscriptions, titled ''The Orkhon Inscriptions: Being a Translation of Professor Vilhelm Thomsen's Final Danish Rendering'', may be found

. The two monuments themselves have engravings on all four sides. However, some of the script was not preserved. What follows is a summary of the most complete section of the inscriptions. One translation of the first and second monuments seems to indicate that the text continues from one side to the other. The first portion of the Turkic translations seems to be Bilge Khagan discussing the commemoration of the tablet, as well as mentioning the extent of the empire. One passage reads, The inscriptions also highlight Bilge Khagan's accomplishment of uniting his people. As one passage reads, The rest of the inscriptions are broken up and fragmentary, but seem to detail the conquests against the Kirghiz and the

Tangut people The Tangut people ( Tangut: , ''mjɨ nja̱'' or , ''mji dzjwo''; ; ; ) were a Sino-Tibetan people who founded and inhabited the Western Xia dynasty. The group initially lived under Tuyuhun authority, but later submitted to the Tang dynasty. A ...

s and also the death of Kul-Tegin in battle, and eventually the succession of Bilge Khagan by his son. Bilge Khagan's mother, El Bilga Khatun, was also mentioned in these inscriptions. The following is an excerpt from the last paragraph of the inscriptions (in Old Turkic and English languages):

Relations with the Chinese

The inscriptions seem to have mixed views on Tang Chinese influence. On the one hand, it seems to contain the view that the Turks despise the Chinese. It appears as though Bilge Khagan wanted to distinguish his people from the Chinese in order to remain a strong independent society. In the inscription Bilge Khagan reprimands those Turks who have been influenced by Chinese culture and have adopted a Chinese way of life. As one passage reads, The claimed enslavement of the Turks also did not help the reputation of the Chinese. Bilge Khagan seems to blame the Chinese for the disunion of his Turkic state. This Turkic view of the Chinese seems to be negative. Orkhon inscriptions indicate prisoners of war have often designated the status of slavery. Inscriptions found in the

First Turkic Khaganate The First Turkic Khaganate, also referred to as the First Turkic Empire, the Turkic Khaganate or the Göktürk Khaganate, was a Turkic khaganate established by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks in medieval Inner Asia under the leadership of Bu ...

also imply that terms denoting slavery or other forms of subordinate status, such as ''qul'' (male slave) and ''küng'' (female slave or handmaiden), are frequently applied to a population of defeated political entities.Golden, "Terminology," p. 29. However, the translation also reveals a degree of diplomacy with the neighboring Chinese, as evidenced by his statement, Bilge Khagan also references the hiring of Chinese artists when he claims, To further complicate the already muddled view of the Chinese, the inscriptions contain both Turkic and Chinese translations. Thus, the inscription contains evidence that Bilge Khagan had cultural interaction with the Tang dynasty.

Restoration and access

Both inscriptions are part of the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in Mongolia. TIKA ( Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency) showed interest in the site in the late 20th century and finalized their project to restore and protect all three inscriptions. Since 2000, over 70 archaeologists from around the world (specifically from Uighur,

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, Tataristan and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) have studied the area and performed excavations. The site is now protected by fences with buildings for research work and storage of artifacts. The total cost of the project is around 20 million dollars and eventually will include building a museum to house the inscriptions and other recently discovered artifacts.

References

Citations

Sources

* Report of the 28th Session of the

World Heritage Committee The World Heritage Committee is a committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Her ...

* Sören Stark ''Die Alttürkenzeit in Mittel- und Zentralasien. Archäologische und historische Studien'' (Nomaden und Seshafte, Band 6). Reichert: Wiesbanden 2008, pp. 76–78, plates 5-7.

External links

Orkhon Inscriptions Text

{{Authority control 1889 archaeological discoveries 8th-century inscriptions Archaeological sites in Mongolia Multilingual texts Chinese inscriptions Göktürk inscriptions Speeches by heads of state