#orkhon

GÖKTÜRK STONE INSCRIPTIONS

You'll hear it often claimed that nomadic peoples left no writing behind of any sorts, and that we only hear the accounts of their enemies. However, this (as with so many claims about steppe societies!) is not true. A number of steppe empires (particularly in Mongolia) erected stone inscriptions in multiple languages and scripts to mark important occasions; establishing cities or honouring Khagans. They often contain important information on political events, military campaigns and the make-up of these empires.

While the Orkhon inscriptions of the 8th century are the most famous (written in Old Turkic, in Old Turk Runes), they are not the earliest and far from isolated. Some of the earliest identified include the Bugut inscription (c.580s) and Khüis Tolgoi inscription (c.early 600s), which may be Mongolic languages written in the Brāhmī script and Sogdian alphabet late in the Rouran period and early in the first Türkic Khaganate. The first Uyghur inscription, the mid-8th century Moghon Shine-Usu inscription, marks the Uyghur Khagan's establishment of the city of Bay-Baliq along the Selenge River. The construction of the city was, according on the translation, being done by, or for, the Khagan's Chinese and Sogdian subjects in Northern Mongolia— another important production and urban centre of the states, as I have been detailing in my latest video series.

Flag of the Orkhon province of Mongolia

Orkun Uçarsuyu (Şelalesi)

Orkhun Waterfall

"Büyük bir dağ yükselir, on iki gök katından Dağda bir kayın vardı, yaprakları altından,

Kayının altındaysa, küçük bir çukur vardı, Bir karış bile değil, o kadar yüzlek dardı.

Bu çukur hep doluydu, kutsal hayat suyuyla, İçen ölmez olurdu, ebedi bir duyuyla,

Altın bir kâse vardı, bu suyun tam başında, Bir de bekçi konmuştu, kim bilir kaç yaşında,

Ak-sakal Tata denir, bu bekçinin adına, Tanrıca konmuş idi, bu kayının altına."

-Bir Altay Efsanesi-

Du 1er au 6 août 2017 - 3ème partie

En passant par le centre de la Mongolie.

6 jours entre le Désert de Gobi, l'ancienne capitale Karakorum et les montagnes.