Talas Stones

Monument in honor of the "Kyrgyz Son" in Suji. It was found by G. I. Ramstedt in 1900 on the elevation of Sujin-davan south of Mongolia.

Text: I, Yaglakhar-khan-ata(1), was a newcomer in the Uyghur land. I am Kyrgyz. I am Boila(2), the high judge. I am Ogya-buyuruk (the appointed) of the happy Baga-Tarkhan. Rumors and inquiries about me reached from sunrise to sunset. I was wealthy. I had ten enclosures for livestock. I had countless livestock. I had seven younger brothers, three sons, and three daughters. I endowed my sons with households (i.e., married them). I gave my daughters away (in marriage) without a bride price. To my mentor, I gave (him) one hundred men and a residence. I saw my nephews and grandchildren. Now I have died. My son! In valor (?) be like my teacher! Serve the khan! Be strong! My eldest son went on a (campaign?) I have not seen. Son...

The second Talass monument.

The second stone with runic inscriptions was discovered in 1898 in the Altabay area near Dmitrievsky. It contains the ethnic name otuz oglan (thirty youths), which, according to historical and ethnographic data, is associated with the formation of the Kyrgyz people.

Text: Defenders (loyal friends) of thirty oglan youths(3). In the year of the monkey on the sixteenth day (it happened). My heroic name is "Black Chur"(4). The honorable name "Darkness will not pass." (From) six clans, the mother is one, then the younger sister, ynal died. Black Chur... My horse is piebald... "Darkness will not pass." Black Chur separated from you, from your relatives. His father's name is Tughan, his son's name is Black Chur. The son of a hero, the cavalry stream... His name is Ogom, Sha...

The fourth Talass monument.

This stone with runic writing was found in 1898 by V. A. Kallaur in the Ayyrtash-Oy area of the Atyn district. It also contains the ethnic name otuz oglan.

Text: His name is Chur. From you, thirty oglan, from the yygod and blessings (of peace) he separated (i.e., died). To you, trusted men, Oglan-Chur, inheriting, remained. His wife remained a widow.

Comments and notes

1 At one time, M. Auezov and A. Bernshtam identified Yaglakhar-khan in this inscription with the hero Manas. A. Bernshtam was criticized for this. Later researchers established that yaglakhar was a ruling aristocratic clan of the Uyghur khanate. However, the content of the text from Suji does not provide grounds to deny that Yaglakhar-khan-ata was the deputy of the ruler of the Yenisei Kyrgyz in Uyghur land. Furthermore, it is now established that at the end of the 9th century, the throne of the Uyghur khanate was seized by the leaders of the Ediz tribe.
2 Boila — title.
3 The term "otuz oglan" (thirty youths) appears on four Talass stones. The 15th-century work "Shadzhara al-atrak" ("Genealogy of the Turks") tells of the origin of the Kyrgyz from forty Mongolian girls, and Otuz ogul (thirty sons) from thirty of their sons. According to Seyf ad-Din Akhsikendi (15th-16th centuries), Otuz ogul had sons Adine (Adigine), Mungush, Kara Bagysh, and Tagai, and from the six sons of the last came the tribes of yadgar (zhediger), bugu, sarybagysh, solto, boston, and sayak. It should not be forgotten that the tribal group otuz uul, according to historical and ethnographic data, is associated with the formation of the Kyrgyz people, uniting its left and right wings. Moreover, it is hardly coincidental that a significant part of the Kyrgyz, who considered themselves of left-wing origin from the otuz uul group, was concentrated in the Talas valley. Taken together, these facts indicate the spread of Yenisei Kyrgyz in the 840s to the Talas valley. It is quite possible that otuz oglan were their clan or tribe led by Kara Churov, mentioned in the Talass and Orkhon-Yenisei monuments.
4 The term "kara" in Turkic languages means people, mass. Chur is a proper name and title.