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Ötüken
Ötüken or Otuken ( or , , 'land of Ötüken'; ; ) was the capital of the First Turkic Khaganate, the Second Turkic Khaganate and the Uyghur Khaganate. It has an important place in Turkic mythology and Tengrism. Ötüken is located within the borders of the Arkhangai Province and Övörkhangai Province of present-day Mongolia. Mountain The word was used to describe the sacred mountain of the Göktürks, ancient Turks. It was mentioned by Bilge Khagan in the Orkhon inscriptions as "the place from where the tribes can be controlled". A force called ''Kut (mythology), qut'' was believed to emanate from this mountain, granting the local potentate the divine right to rule all the Turkic tribes. Although never identified precisely, Ötüken probably stretched "from the Khangai Mountains, Khangai Range of Central Mongolia to the Sayan Mountains of Tuva, at the centre of which is the Orkhon Valley", which for centuries was regarded as the seat of the imperial power of the steppes. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orkhon Inscriptions
The Orkhon inscriptions are bilingual texts in Middle Chinese and Old Turkic, the latter written in the Old Turkic alphabet, carved into two memorial steles erected in the early 8th century by the Göktürks in the Orkhon Valley in what is modern-day Mongolia. They were created in honor of two Turkic princes, Kul Tigin and his brother Bilge Khagan. The inscriptions relate in both languages the legendary origins of the Turks, the golden age of their history, their subjugation by the Tang dynasty, and their liberation by Ilterish Qaghan. According to one source, the inscriptions contain "rhythmic and parallelistic passages" which resemble that of epics. Name Orhon can also be transcribed as Orhun, and the inscriptions are also known as the Khöshöö Tsaidam monuments (also spelled ''Khoshoo Tsaidam'', ''Koshu-Tsaidam'' or ''Höshöö Caidam''), or Kul Tigin steles. The Khoshoo Tsaidam archaeological site (more images :Commons:Khoshoo Tsaidam , here) in the Orkhon Valley region is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uyghur Khaganate
The Uyghur Khaganate (also Uyghur Empire or Uighur Khaganate, self defined as Toquz-Oghuz country; , Tang-era names, with modern Hanyu Pinyin: or ) was a Turkic empire that existed for about a century between the mid 8th and 9th centuries. It was a tribal confederation under the Orkhon Uyghur () nobility, referred to by the Chinese as the ''Jiu Xing'' ("Nine Clans"), a calque of the name '' Toquz Oghuz'' or ''Toquz Tughluq''. History Rise In the mid-5th century, Uyghurs constituted a tribe of the Tiele, which was also under the Turkic Khaganate.Chapter 195, Huihe. Sewikisource/ref> In 657, the Western Turkic Khaganate was defeated by the Tang dynasty, after which the Uyghurs defected to the Tang. Prior to this the Uyghurs had already shown an inclination towards alliances with the Tang when they fought with them against the Tibetan Empire and Turks in 627. In 742, the Uyghurs, Karluks, and Basmyls rebelled against the Second Turkic Khaganate. In 744, the Basmyls capt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karakorum
Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 15th centuries. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of modern-day Mongolia, near the present town of Kharkhorin and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu Monastery, which is likely the oldest surviving Buddhist monastery in Mongolia. They are located in the upper part of the World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley. History Founding The Orkhon valley was a center of the Xiongnu, Göktürks, Göktürk, and Uyghur Empire, Uyghur empires. To the Göktürks, the nearby Khangai Mountains had been the location of the Ötüken (the locus of power), and the Uyghur capital Karabalgasun was located close to where later Karakorum would be erected (downstream the Orkhon River 27 km north–west from Karakorum). This area is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orkhon Valley
The Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape sprawls along the banks of the Orkhon River in Central Mongolia, some 320 km west from the capital Ulaanbaatar. It was inscribed by UNESCO in the World Heritage List as representing the development of nomadic pastoral traditions spanning more than two millennia. Significance For many centuries, the Orkhon Valley was viewed as the seat of the imperial power of the steppes. The first evidence comes from a stone stele with Orkhon inscriptions, which was erected in the valley by Bilge Khan, an 8th-century ruler of the Göktürk Empire. Some 25 miles to the north of the stele, in the shadow of the sacred forest-mountain Ötüken, was his '' Ördü'', or nomadic capital. During the Khitan domination of the valley, the stele was reinscribed in three languages, so as to record the deeds of a Qidan potentate. Mountains were considered sacred in Tengriism as an '' axis mundi'', but Ötüken was especially sacred because the ancestor spir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Turkic Khaganate
The Second Turkic Khaganate was a khaganate in Central and Eastern Asia founded by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks that lasted between 682–744. It was preceded by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate (552–630) and the early Tang dynasty period (630–682). The Second Khaganate was centered on Ötüken in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River. It was succeeded by its subject Toquz Oghuz confederation, which became the Uyghur Khaganate. Outline A few decades after the fall of Eastern Turkic Khaganate (630), Ashina Nishufu was declared qaghan in 679 but soon revolted against the Tang dynasty.Sima Guang, ''Zizhi Tongjian'', Vol. 202 In 680, he was defeated by Pei Xingjian. Shortly afterwards, Nishufu was killed by his men. Following Nishufu's death, Ashina Funian, another scion of the royal clan, was made qaghan and the Eastern Turks once again rebelled against Tang rule. The early stages of the rebellion brought about some victories for Funian. However, they were eventually onc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Turkic Khaganate
The First Turkic Khaganate, also referred to as the First Turkic Empire, the Turkic Khaganate or the Göktürk Khaganate, was a Turkic khaganate established by the Ashina clan of the Göktürks in medieval Inner Asia under the leadership of Bumin Qaghan (d. 552) and his brother Istämi. The First Turkic Khaganate succeeded the Rouran Khaganate as the hegemonic power of the Mongolian Plateau and rapidly expanded their territories in Central Asia. The khaganate became the first Central Asian transcontinental empire from Manchuria to the Black Sea. Although the Göktürks spoke a Siberian Turkic language directly antecedent to the Orkhon Turkic of the Second Turkic Khaganate, the First Khaganate's early official texts and coins were written in Sogdian. It was the first Turkic state to use the name ''Türk'' politically. The Old Turkic script was invented at the first half of the sixth century. The Khaganate collapsed in 603, after a series of conflicts and civil wars which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Etugen Eke
Etügen Eke ("Mother Earth", also transliterated variously as Itügen or Etügen Ekhe) is an earth goddess in Tengrism and Turkic mythology. She was believed to be perpetually virginal. The word "etugen" associates with woman and daughter of Kayra. Also her name may have originated from Ötüken, the holy mountain of the earth and fertility goddess of the ancient Turks. Medieval sources sometimes pair Etugen with a male counterpart named Natigai or Nachigai (Natikai, Natıkay), although this is probably a mistake based on a mispronunciation of Etugen. In mythology Etugen is often represented as a young woman riding a grey bull. Etymology "Eke" means mother, while Etugen is also often referred to as "dayir" (meaning brown, derived from Old Turkic Old Siberian Turkic, generally known as East Old Turkic and often shortened to Old Turkic, was a Siberian Turkic language spoken around East Turkistan and Mongolia. It was first discovered in inscriptions originating from the Second ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 BC, founded the Xiongnu Empire. After overthrowing their previous overlords, the Yuezhi, the Xiongnu became the dominant power on the steppes of East Asia, centred on the Mongolian Plateau. The Xiongnu were also active in areas now part of Siberia, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang. Their relations with the Chinese dynasties to the south-east were complex—alternating between various periods of peace, war, and subjugation. Ultimately, the Xiongnu were defeated by the Han dynasty in a Han–Xiongnu Wars, centuries-long conflict, which led to the confederation splitting in two, and forcible resettlement of large numbers of Xiongnu within Han borders. During the Sixteen Kingdoms era, listed as one of the "Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turkic Mythology
Turkic mythology refers to myths and legends told by the Turkic people. It features Tengrism, Tengrist and Shamanism in Central Asia, Shamanist strata of belief along with many other social and cultural constructs related to the nomadic and warrior way of life of Turkic and Mongol peoples in Ancient history, ancient times. Turkic mythology shares numerous ideas and practices with Mongol mythology. Turkic mythology has also influenced other local Asian religions, Asiatic and Eurasian Steppe, Eurasian mythologies. For example, in Tatars, Tatar mythology elements of Finnic mythologies, Finnic and Proto-Indo-European mythology, Indo-European mythologies co-exist. Beings from Tatar mythology include Äbädä, Alara (fairy), Alara, Şüräle, Şekä, Pitsen, Tulpar, and Zilant. The ancient Turks apparently practised all the then-current major religions in Inner Asia, such as Tibetan Buddhism, Nestorianism, Nestorian Christianity, Judaism, and Manichaeism, before the majority's conver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacred Mountain
Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many religions have traditions centered on sacred mountains, which either are or were considered holy (such as Mount Olympus in Greek mythology) or are related to famous events (like Mount Sinai in Judaism and descendant religions or Mount Kailash, Mount Meru in Hinduism). In some cases, the sacred mountain is purely mythical, like the Hara Berezaiti in Zoroastrianism. Mount Kailash is believed to be the abode of the deities Shiva and Parvati, and is considered sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Bon, Buddhism, and Jainism. Volcanoes, such as Mount Etna in Italy, were also considered sacred, Mount Etna being believed to have been the home of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge. Themes of sacrality Edwin Bernbaum, a preeminent scholar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dīwān Lughāt Al-Turk
The ' (; translated to English as the ''Compendium of the languages of the Turks'') is the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled between 1072–74 by the Kara-Khanid scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari, who extensively documented the Turkic languages of his time.Kemal H. Karpat, ''Studies on Turkish Politics and Society:Selected Articles and Essays'', (Brill, 2004), 441. Importance Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk was intended for use by the Caliphs of Baghdad, who were controlled by the Seljuk Turks. It has a map that shows countries and regions from Japan (''Cabarka'' / ''Jabarka'') to Egypt. The book also included the first known map of the areas inhabited by Turkic peoples. The book was dedicated to Al-Muqtadi, Abu'l-Qasim Abdullah in Baghdad in 1077. The manuscript has 638 pages, and about 7500 Turkish words explained in the Arab language. The compendium documented evidence of Turkic migration and the expansion of the Turkic tribes and Turkic languages into Central Asi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xueyantuo
The Xueyantuo or Sir Tardush were an ancient Tiele people, Tiele tribe and khaganate in Northeast Asia who were at one point vassals of the Göktürks, later aligning with the Tang dynasty against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Eastern Göktürks. Names Xue ''Xue'' 薛 appeared earlier as ''Xinli'' 薪犁 in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, vol. 110 but were not referred to again until the 7th century. Peter B. Golden, Golden (2011) proposed that 薛 Xue's Old Turkic form ''Sir'' derived from Sanskrit ''Shri, Śrī'' "fortunate, auspicious" Yantuo The etymology of ''Yantuo'' 延陀 is much debated. It was first identified with ''Tarduš'', one of two divisions, besides ''Töliš'', of the short-lived Xueyantuo Qaghanate, by Western Orientalists (like Vilhelm Thomsen) who considered ''Töliš'' and ''Tarduš'' to be tribal names. The ethnonym is thus reconstructable as Syr-Tardush. However, Chinese scholars viewed ''Töliš'' and ''Tarduš'' as names of political o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
