Some aspects of the social structure and authority of the Ancient Turks in written sources of the 8th-11th centuries

Abstract

The ancient Turkic script, which became the foundation for the writing systems of the Turkic-speaking peoples of the Eurasian steppes and Transcaucasia, was developed in the 6th-7th centuries. Written documents from the ancient Turks have been preserved in the form of stone stelae, brief inscriptions, and personal notification. The analysis of these texts provides insights into the political, economic, and social history of the ancient Turkic era. This article examines aspects of the state structure of the Turkic peoples from the 6th to the 15th centuries as indicated by written monuments displayed at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The sources for this article include copies of the stelae of Kul Tigin, Tonyukuk, El Etmish Bilge Khagan, as well as monuments from the ancient Uighur period, specifically the Doloodoyn monuments. Additionally, translations of Mahmud al Kashgari’s “Diwan-i Lughat al-turk” and Yusuf Balasaguni’s “Kutadgu Bilig” are considered to discuss the political structure of the Turkic states. These sources are available in the Ancient Turkic Civilization exhibition halls and the Hall of the History of Kazakhstan from the 13th to the 20th centuries at the National Museum of Kazakhstan.

Keywords

• runic writing, ancient Turkic written monuments, Orkhon inscriptions, state structure, Kul Tigin, “Kutadgu Bilig”, Turkic state, museum exhibits.