The Göktürk Inscription Discovered in the Nomgon Valley (Mongolia)
Since 2019, the Turkic Academy, in collaboration with the Institute of
Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, has been conducting
archaeological excavation work in the Nomgon Valley in the Arkhangai
region of Mongolia.
In 2022, excavations at the Nomgon-2 Monument Complex led to the
discovery of the upper part of an inscription featuring Göktürk and Sogdian
scripts, among other important historical artifacts. Upon reading this inscription, a 12-line text in Göktürk script ("Kutlug Khagan Turk... God’s son...") and a 6-line text in Sogdian ("Kutlug Khagan...") were identified. These findings provide scientific evidence that the monument complex was built in honor of a khagan.
In 2023, through joint efforts of the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the lower part of the inscription was also found. However, the Göktürk inscription on the lower part has been significantly damaged and is unreadable. Fortunately, the Chinese text on the reverse side of the inscription has been partially preserved and remains legible.
The presentation of the discovered inscription was made in 2024 by the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in Ulaanbaatar. For the decipherment of the Chinese text, experts from Inner Mongolia University, Prof. Borjigitai Muren, Dr. Chui Ning, and Dr. Sugar were invited. The Chinese text on the lower part of the inscription is written from top to bottom, with the lines arranged from right to left. The section from line 3 to line 8 has been partially deciphered. The lower part of the inscription contains a total of 15 lines, with approximately 24 hieroglyphs per line (around 290-300 hieroglyphs in total).
As of January 2025, experts from Inner Mongolia University have managed to read part of the Chinese text on the lower part of the inscription. Specifically, the word “Turk” and the title “Kutlug” (Chinese pronunciation: “Gu-du-lu”) were identified in line 4.
The Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences are pleased to confirm that the Nomgon-2 Monument Complex dates back to the Göktürk period and was most likely erected in honor of Ä°lteriÅŸ Kutlug Khagan (682-692), the founder of the Second Turkic Khaganate.
The joint archaeological excavations in the Nomgon Valley between the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences will continue.
Source: International Turkic Academy
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission Published a Statement on the Common Turkic Alphabet
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission announced that the
linguistic characteristics of Turkic languages were carefully considered in
the preparation of the Common Turkic Alphabet, with attention given to
representing different phonetic features within a single alphabet.
The Commission issued a statement regarding the Common Turkic
Alphabet, which was agreed upon during a meeting held in Baku,
Azerbaijan, from September 9 to 11.
The Turkic World Common Alphabet Commission reached an agreement
on the proposed Common Turkic Alphabet, consisting of 34 letters.
The statement highlighted that the Commission worked meticulously on
the Common Turkic Alphabet in line with the goals stated in the
Nakhchivan Agreement and the Turkic World 2040 Vision, which aim to
facilitate communication among Turkic peoples and ensure unity in
alphabet and terminology.
The statement mentioned that the Commission held extensive discussions on various aspects of the common alphabet initiative, recalling that the 34-letter Latin-based Common Turkic Alphabet project, proposed by scholars in 1991, which accommodates the phonetic diversity of Turkic languages and facilitates ease of learning and use, was reviewed.
The statement further emphasized that with a contemporary linguistic approach, the Commission focused both on the strengths of the 34-letter Common Turkic Alphabet project and areas that require improvement. It included the following statement: "We carefully addressed the unique linguistic features of the Turkic languages and, stressing the importance of inclusiveness, ensured that different phonetic features are represented within a single alphabet. Starting from the principle that each distinct phoneme should correspond to a single letter, we aimed to create an alphabet that maximizes intelligibility and makes learning and usage easier for all speakers."
The statement also mentioned that the Commission acknowledged the necessity of including special characters to accurately represent sounds not found in the basic Latin alphabet and reached a consensus on a standard approach for these marks.
The primary goal of the statement was to formalize the agreement reached by the Commission and confirm the acceptance of the Latin-based Common Turkic Alphabet.
The statement called on all relevant stakeholders to support the accepted Common Turkic Alphabet, and it was noted that the common alphabet would be distributed to the relevant institutions of each member country and observer of the Turkic Council.
Source: Anadolu Agency
