The Old Turkic runic monuments are inscriptions and manuscripts written in a special script, called “runic” (or Orkhon-Yenisei) because of its outward resemblance to Germanic runes. They are the oldest connected texts in a Turkic language, dating from the late 7th to the 10th c. Most are epitaphs on stone steles and rocks; there are also inscriptions on objects and a few manuscripts.
By find-spot several groups are distinguished. The Orkhon monuments in Mongolia are the great steles of rulers and dignitaries of the Second Eastern Türk Qaghanate (Kül Tegin, Bilge Qaghan, Tonyukuk) and of the Uyghur Qaghanate (Moyun Čor, Terkhin, Tes). The Yenisei monuments are over 140 inscriptions from Khakassia, Tuva and the Minusinsk basin, mostly short epitaphs. To these belong the Talas inscriptions (Kyrgyzstan), inscriptions from the Altai and Eastern Turkestan, and manuscripts in runic script, the best known being the book of omens Irk Bitig from Dunhuang.
The Yenisei inscriptions have been known since the early 18th c.; the Orkhon steles were discovered by N.M. Yadrintsev in 1889. The script was deciphered by the Danish linguist V. Thomsen (1893); the first full reading and translation of the Orkhon texts was published by W. Radloff. The main editions and studies are listed in the sections below and in the bibliography.
| Script | Turkic runic (Orkhon-Yenisei), about 38 signs, written right to left |
|---|---|
| Language | Old Turkic |
| Date | late 7th – 10th c. |
| Main groups | Orkhon (Mongolia), Yenisei (Khakassia, Tuva), Talas, Altai; manuscripts |
| Decipherment | V. Thomsen, 1893; first full reading by W. Radloff |
Compiled from the bibliographies of S.G. Kljaštornyj (2003), I.V. Kormušin (1997, 2008), A.N. Kononov (1980), D.D. Vasil’ev (1983), M. Erdal (2004), E. Aydın (2009) and the library catalogue of Monumenta Altaica, 2026-11.