The monument to Bilge Kagan is a large stone complex, a monument of the Turkic runic writing of the VIII century . Part of the cultural landscape of the Orkhon Valley .
It was erected in honor of the ruler of the second East Turkic Kaganate, Bilge Kagan (c. 685-734). Discovered by a Russian scientist N. M. Yadrintsev (1889) in the Kosho-Tsaidam valley, on the banks of the Orkhon River ( Mongolia ). Based on the decoding system of signs of the Danish scientist V. Thomsen (1893), the text of the monument was read by the famous Turkologist V.V. Radlov (1894). Investigated by A. Amanzholov , G. Aydarov and others. The complex is facing west, consists of an octagonal marble tombstone, a stone turtle (2.29x0.72x0.44 m), 8 stone sculptures, 4 sarcophagi, a sacrificial plate, 2 bas-reliefs of a lion, a mausoleum (13x13x8 m) and the walls of the mausoleum (80x70 m). On the eastern side of the monument, 41 lines of the ancient Türkic fused script are knocked out, above them is a symbol of the power of the kagan — two dragons in the battle, on the other sides 15 lines, on the sides 1 line, the total lines - 80 (over 3000 words, about 10 thousand signs). 70% of the letter has been preserved - part of the text has been erased by time. On the western side are Chinese characters with the words of sorrow of the Chinese emperor Ming Huang of the Tang state. The text contains a concise description of historical events, the exploits of the Khagans and warriors of Bumyn , Istemi , Bilge-Kutlug. The chronological sequence contains information on nomadic Turkic and other ethnic groups - Oguzes , Toguz-Oguzes , Kyrgyz , Otuz-Tatars , Uighurs , Uch-Kuruk , Karluks , Mongol-Manchu tribes, etc .; about conquered and passed lands (Bokli desert, Yellow Gate , Shantun, Yashyl River, Kogmen, Kadyrkan, Besbalyk, Selenga , Yertis , Yzzhenty , Magee, Korgan, Baiyrku , etc.); construction of fortifications in the Turkic Kaganate; about brother Bilga - commander Kultegin and adviser to Tonyukuk . The language of the monument to Bilge Kagan Kultegin (located 500 m from the Monument to Bilge Kagan) scientists (Radlov V.V.) belong to the northern group of ancient Turkic languages .
At the beginning of the XXI century, the stele was moved to the Orkhon Museum located near the monument for safety; in place of its original location, a concrete copy is installed. The conservation performed in the framework of the joint project of Mongolia and Turkey “Preservation, restoration and research of some ancient Turkic monuments in Mongolia” was unsuccessful: marble monuments lost their color that had been preserved for 1300 years [1] .
Notes
- ↑ Bazylkhan drank. Ancient Turkic written monuments in Mongolia: problems of scientific cataloging and museumification // Ural-Altai studies. No. 2 (3). 2010. ISSN 2079-1003
Literature
- Neikel A., Inscriptions de I 'Orkhon recueilles par l'expedition linnoise 1890 et puplies par la Societe Finno - Ougrienne, Helsingfors, 1892;
- Radlov V.V., Proceedings of the Orkhon expedition, Atlas of antiquities of Mongolia. issues 1-4. St. Petersburg, 1892-1899;
- Thomsen V., Inscription de I 'Orkhon, Helsingfors, 1896;
- Radlov V. B., Melioransky L. M., Ancient Turkic monuments in Kosho-Tsaidam // Proceedings of the Orkhon expedition, vol. 4, St. Petersburg, 1897;
- Orhun HN, Eski tfrk Yazitlari. cilt I-IV, Istanbul, 1936-1941;
- Malov S.E., Monuments of the ancient Turkic writing of Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan, M. - L., 1959;
- Sir-Odzhav N., Ertniy Tүregүүd (VI — VIII zuun), UB., 1970;
- Nasilov V. M., Grammar of the language of the Turkic runic monuments (VII — IX centuries), L., 1980;
- Yadrintsev N. M., Report of the expedition to Orkhon, completed in 1889 // Transactions of the Archaeological Congress in Moscow, vol. 4, M., 1990;
- Sanzhmyatav T., Arhaigay Aymgiyin Nutag Dah Ertniy Tuuh Soslyn Duregal, UB .. 1993;
- Amanzholov A.S., Turki philologists, Zhazhe Zhazu Tarihi, A., 1996.
- Bilge Kagan monument // Kazakhstan. National Encyclopedia . - Almaty: Kazakh encyclopedias , 2004. - T. I. - ISBN 9965-9389-9-7 .
When writing this article, material from the publication Kazakhstan. National Encyclopedia ”(1998-2007), provided by the editors of the“ Kazakh Encyclopedia ”under a Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0 Unported license .