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The Orkhon inscriptions

Bilge KağanKül TiginTonyukukVilhelm Thomsen

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For everyone

The Kül Tigin (732) and Bilge Khagan (735) memorial stones erected in the Orkhon Valley in Mongolia are among the oldest datable long texts in the Turkic language. Written in the Old Turkic script, they contain counsel on state, people and rule in Bilge Khagan's voice. The script was deciphered in 1893 by the Danish linguist Vilhelm Thomsen.

For specialists

The Old Turkic runic script is written right to left and uses separate signs for most consonants depending on back or front vowels, reflecting vowel harmony in writing. The Tonyukuk inscription (c. 720) is slightly older. The origin of the script is debated: views include derivation from Sogdian/Aramaic and from tamgas (clan marks).

Claims

Evidence

Supporting

Historical record

The Chinese face of the Kül Tigin inscription states that the monument was erected in 732.[1]

Challenging

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Positions

Vilhelm Thomsen
The decipherment began with the recognition of the words "Tengri", "Türk" and "Kül Tigin".[2]

Connections

Parent

Linguistics

Related

The invention of writingThe Altaic (Transeurasian) language family debateTurkic mythology and the Tengri belief

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Sources

  1. BookTekin, T. (1968). A Grammar of Orkhon Turkic. Indiana University Publications, Uralic and Altaic Series 69, Bloomington
  2. ArticleThomsen, V. (1893). Déchiffrement des inscriptions de l'Orkhon et de l'Iénisséi. Notice préliminaire. Bulletin de l'Académie Royale des Sciences et des Lettres de Danemark, 285–299

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APA

Athena contributors. (2026). The Orkhon inscriptions. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/orhun/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_orhun,
  title        = {The Orkhon inscriptions},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/orhun/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history

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