Heritage Site · Second Göktürk Khaganate
Tonyukuk Inscriptions
Two steles raised by Tonyukuk, the counsellor of four Göktürk qaghans, recounting the revival of the Turks; among the oldest Turkic texts.
- Location
- Nalaikh district, Ulaanbaatar
- Period
- Second Göktürk Khaganate
- Date
- Erected around 716
History
Tonyukuk served four qaghans of the Second Göktürk Khaganate: Ilterish, Qapaghan, Inel and Bilge. Around 716 he raised two steles in the Tuul river valley that tell, in his own voice, how the Turks revolted against the Tang dynasty in 681 and rebuilt their state.
The inscriptions describe campaigns against the Oghuz, the Yenisei Kyrgyz and the Türgesh, and they are among the oldest written records of the Turkic language family. Tonyukuk is also remembered as the counsellor who persuaded Bilge Qaghan not to settle in walled cities.
What to See
- The two inscribed steles written vertically in the Old Turkic script
- The surrounding memorial site in the Tuul valley
Visiting
- In the Nalaikh district of Ulaanbaatar, roughly 50 km southeast of the city centre, making it the most accessible Göktürk monument from the capital.
- Reachable as a half-day trip by car; the last stretch is on unpaved tracks.
- Not to be confused with the Orkhon inscriptions at Khöshöö Tsaidam, about 360 km to the west.