Orkhon-Yenisei Turkic Monuments
These runic inscriptions were mainly found in the territory of Yenisei, Mongolia, and the Talas Valley. They contain very valuable information about the Turkic peoples, including the Kyrgyz. The Orkhon-Yenisei runic alphabet was used by many Turkic peoples of Central Asia from the 6th to the 11th centuries. There are various opinions regarding the ownership of this writing system. It is not by chance that prominent Turkologists attribute them to the Yenisei Kyrgyz. In this regard, S. E. Malov wrote that he agrees with the opinion of Academician V. V. Radlov and Professor V. Thomsen regarding the attribution of the Yenisei runic monuments to the Kyrgyz. The statements of these prominent Turkologists cannot be ignored. In any case, the Yenisei Kyrgyz, like other Turkic peoples of Central Asia, used runic writing.
S. E. Malov. Monuments of Ancient Turkic Writing. M.-L., 1951.
Monument in Honor of Kültigin. This monument was discovered in 1889 by the Russian researcher N. M. Yadrintsev in the Khosho-Tsaydam Valley, on the banks of the Orkhon River, a tributary of the Selenga. Prince Kültigin (died in 731) was the brother of the kagan of the Eastern Turkic Kaganate Bilge (Mogilyan).
Text: (then) they passed away(1). As weeping and moaning (i.e., to express condolences) (came) from the front, from (the land of) the rising sun, the people of the Bekli Steppe(2), (as well as) the Tabgach(3), Tibetans, Avars(4), and Rome, Kyrgyz, Uč-kurykans(5), Otuz-tatars(6), Kitan, and Tatabiyps(7), so many peoples came, moaning and crying: they were such famous kagans.
To the right (i.e., in the south) the Tabgach people were (his) enemies(8), to the left (i.e., in the north) the Tokuz-Oguz people (under the command of) Baza kagan were (his) enemies, Kyrgyz, Kurykans, "thirty Tatars"(9), Kitan, and Tatabiy all were (his) enemies. ...there was Bars-beg(10), at that time (or: under those circumstances) we granted (him) the title of kagan and gave (him in marriage) my younger sister-princess. (But) he himself was at fault, (and therefore) the kagan died (i.e., he himself was killed), and his people became slaves and servants. Saying: "Let the land of Kögmen not remain without a master,"— we established order among the few (i.e., the people who had then fallen into decline) Kyrgyz. We came, fought, and again gave (the land to be governed by a Kyrgyz?). (In honor of my uncle the kagan) I placed at the head (of the row of gravestones) a "balbal" of the Kyrgyz kagan(12).
When Kültigin was (twenty-six?) years old, we undertook a campaign against the Kyrgyz. Paving the road through snow deep as a spear and climbing to the Kögmen blackness(13), we defeated the Kyrgyz people while they were sleeping; we fought their kagan in the blackness of Sunga. Kültigin mounted a white stallion from Bayyrku, charged into battle, struck one man (i.e., warrior) with an arrow, and stabbed two men (with a spear) one after another. In this attack, he ruined the white stallion from Bayyrku, breaking its thigh. We killed the Kyrgyz kagan and took his tribal alliance(14). In that (same) year we went against the Turgish, climbing into the Altun blackness(15) and crossing the Irtysh River.
Monument in Honor of Tonuyukuk.
This monument was found in 1897 by D. and E. Klementsev on the banks of the Selenga River near the postal station of Nalaih. It was erected in honor of Tonuyukuk, a commander and advisor to three kagans of the Eastern Turkic Kaganate— Kutlučura (Ilteresa, died in 693), Kapagan (Močžo, died in 716), and Bilge (Mogilyan, died in 734).
Text: The kagan of the Tabgach people was our enemy. The kagan (of the) "ten arrows"(16) was our enemy. But most of all, the strong kagan of the Kyrgyz was our enemy. These three kagans(17), reasoning, said: let us go (on a campaign) to the Altun blackness. Thus they reasoned and said: let us set out on a campaign to the east against the Turkic kagan. If we do not go against him, no matter what, he will (defeat) us... Then I thought... we will fight (against the Kyrgyz?)... I said. When I heard that there was only one road to Kögmen and it was blocked (with snow), I said: it is not suitable to go this way... I sought a knowledgeable person of that area and found a man from the steppe Az(18). "My native land Az... (There) is one stop, if you go along (the river) Any(19), then to the night stop there (remains) the distance of one horse,"— he said. I said: if we go that way, then (it) is possible. I pondered and I asked my kagan. I commanded the army to move; I said, mount the horses! After crossing Ak-Termel, I ordered to stop (the rear) camp. After ordering to mount the horses, I broke a path through the snow, I ascended (with others) upwards (the mountain), leading the horse by the bridle, on foot, holding on with wooden poles (on skis?). The front men trampled (the snow), and we crossed over the peak with plants. With great difficulty we descended, and in ten nights we passed to the slope (of the mountain), bypassing (the mountain, snowy) blockage. The local guide, having lost his way, was killed. When hardships were experienced, the kagan said: "Try to set out quickly! Let us set out along the river Any." We went downstream along this river. To count (our army), we ordered to stop, and tied the horses to trees. Both at night and during the day we rode quickly. We attacked the Kyrgyz while (they were) sleeping... we paved the way with spears. Their khan and their army gathered. We fought and won. We killed their khan. The Kyrgyz people submitted to the kagan and obeyed (him). We returned, we came back, bypassing the Kögmen blackness. We returned from the Kyrgyz. A spy came from the Turgish kagan.
[/center]Comments and Notes
1 Here it refers to the founder of the First Turkic Kaganate Bumyn-kagan (died in 552) and his brother Istemi-kagan.
2 The name of a steppe or a people.
3 China, Chinese, Chinese person.
4 In 552, the Altai Turks defeated the states of the Jujans in Central Asia, part of which fled beyond the Volga, where they became known as Avars.
5 The name of a group of northeastern Turkic tribes.
6 Otuz-tatars are the Shivei tribes.
7 Tataby are a Tungus people.
8 Unification of Turkic tribes.
9 Unification of Mongolian tribes.
10 Bars-beg is a Kyrgyz khan, first mentioned in the monument in honor of Kültigin. For more details about him, see below.
11 Apparently, instead of the killed Bars-beg, a new appointed ruler of the Eastern Turkic Kaganate was designated.
12 In 716, at the burial structure in honor of the deceased Eastern Turkic Kapagan-kagan (the victor over Bars-beg), at the head of the row of stones depicting his fallen enemies, a "balbal" was placed symbolizing the "main opponent" — the Kyrgyz khan.
13 The Kögmen blackness refers to the Sayan Mountains.
14 The campaign of the Eastern Turks against the Kyrgyz took place in the winter of 710-711.
15 Apparently, Altun blackness refers to the Mongolian Altai.
16 In the 7th century, the western Turkic people was divided into ten tribes. Five tribes of the confederation called Dulu lived to the east of the Chu River, while five Nushibi tribes lived to the west of it.
17 From the content of the monument in honor of Tonuyukuk, it follows that the organizer of the coalition of three peoples against the Eastern Turkic Kaganate was the Kyrgyz khan Bars-beg.
18 Az is one of the Turkic peoples of Central Asia. V. V. Bartold allowed the possibility of identifying them with the Azians, a generation of the Turgish.
19 The Any River is located in the northern part of the Sayan Mountains.