A Mysterious Discovery: The Karakol Inscription

T. К. Abdiev

Located in Khakassia, on the right bank of the Ak-Jus river, at no great distance from Toksas village, is the cave named Togyz-As (or Toksas, Tahzas) (Plate IV-1). According to those who explored the cave, it is reasonably large, its entrance measuring 12 meters in height, 15 meters in width, and 60 meters in length. This was where S. B. Proskurjakov, a researcher from Krasnoyarsk, discovered a runic inscription executed in black mineral paint on the red rock of the cave in 1885 (or 1888, according to another source). This monument subsequently became known as the petroglyph inscription of Ak-Jus (Е-38), and it was copied and investigated by such scientists as V. V. Radlov, H. N. Orhun, S. E. Malov, S. V. Kiselev,I. A. Batmanov, and D. D. Vasilyev. Unfortunately, the original inscription has not survived.

S. E. Malov, in his scientific paper title “Yenisei inscriptions of the Turks”, read and transcribed the given text, referring to V. V. Radlov, as follows:

(1) Altu-shanta kelip,

(2) Alim kan?m ters butu (n) (?)

(3) Bu ulug er at?m ?g(dem) ?n alp (ili Inal p)

(4) bag?m kelip esen enip (inip) anqlan?p...

His Russian translation is as follows:

(1) Придя из (или в) Алту-шан

(2) Мое государство, мой хан…

(3) Это великое и геройское имя мое: герой Огдэм Ынал...

(4) Мой род пришел, благополучно спустившись (с гор) и узнав [Malov 1952: 67-68].

English translation is as follows:

(1) Coming from (or to) Altu-shan

(2) My state, my khan...

(3) This is my great and heroic name: the hero Ogdem Ynal...

(4) My clan came, safely descending (from the mountains) and learning

I. A. Batmanov’s reading is almost identical to that of S. E. Malov [Batmanov 1959: 162-163]. However, the given text was quite differently deciphered and transcribed by D. D.Vasilyev[Vasilyev 1983: 66]:

altu??nta: kelip

В (его) шесть пришли:

elim: qan?m: Tersin ban ata /?/

народ мой, отец Терсин /?/

ur?m

сын мой

Burtam: ügde ba? ?nal es?

мать Буртам /?/ ...

The translation of the text by N. Useev, a young Kyrgyz scholar of runic inscriptions, is also different [Useev 2011: 618]:

1. altu(n) shonqa kelip,

2. elim-kan?m t?rüsin bunta

3. ur(t)?m.

4. bu er at?m ?gdem al?k ?nal p...

5. bag kelip, esin inip, anglan?p...

A new runic inscription was recently discovered. In April 2012, a teacher at Issyk-Kul University, Akyl Ismaev discovered a small stone, measuring about 35 centimeters in length and 25 centimeters in width, bearing a runic inscription, in Karakol gorge located outside Karakol in the Issyk-Kul area of Kyrgyzstan, and he handed it over to a historical museum in Karakol. In Ismaev’s opinion, the place where the object was found was very convenient for cattle breeding and had also been used for a long time as a sheep shelter. The inhabitants of Karakol city had collected manure from that place over recent years and when that resource was depleted, they had begun to take black soil from the site. The inscription was found in one of the holes dug by those collecting soil. Later, the stone was carefully cleaned by employees of the museum, but traces of salt remained, proving to experts the vast age of the inscription and dispelling doubts regarding its authenticity.

As the photograph (Plate IV-2) demonstrates, the runic letters are written accurately and are well preserved, probably because the inscription remained underground for a long time. Even the lines of the inscription are highlighted and the majority of words and word combinations are separated from each other by a special sign — a colon. As is known, not all runic inscriptions have such features and they are typical only of classical examples of Turkic runic. This feature and its content distinguish this inscription from other runic inscriptions which have been found in the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan (for example, the Talas,Kochkor, and Issyk-Kul inscriptions). Thus, we can assume that the given inscription was executed by a professional who was familiar with other monuments of Turkic runic.

From the first attempt at reading it, it became clear that the text is almost similar to that of a rock painting of Ak-Jus (Е-38). Here again, we want to share some ideas concerning its reading and content. It is necessary to note that the texts of the inscriptions mentioned in the works of S. E. Malov and D. D. Vasilyev are different. For example, S. E. Malov’s version contains 52 letters (6 of them were probably added as they are in brackets), and there are 54 letters in D. D. Vasilev’s text. They also differ in the interpretation of the structure of letters(see figs. 1 and 2). The new Karakol inscription coincides with S. E. Malov’s version.

As one can see from the photograph, the only difference is that the last word in the text does not begin with the letter “?” (in Cyrillic rendering), as in the Ak-Juz monument, but with the letter “п”. Therefore, we read the word as “опланып”, i.e., meaning “not knowing restraint”. In other works [Malov 1952: 67-68; Batmanov 1959: 162-163], the word was read as “анланып”, i.e., “learning”, which is not quite suitable for this context. The word “опла”is included in the Old Turkic Dictionary and is translated as “rush to attack” [Drevnetyurkskiy slovar 1969: 368] and it is still used in the modern Kyrgyz language as well, viz. оптон-“behave outrageously, to toy” [Yudahin 1965: 576; Tekin 2003: 88].

There is a note in Malov’s paper which points out that he has not encountered the ethnonym “gers” (терс) in any other ancient Turkic inscriptions: “Каным написано тнм; терс написано крс. Здесь, кроме В. В. Радлова, у С. В. Киселева встречается народ тэрс”.See: Древняя история, стр. 335; Записки Хакасск. НИИЯЛИ, вып. 1, 1948, стр. 31 [Malov 1952: 68]. However, recently there has been an interesting theory regarding this point. V. Ya.Butanaev who is a well-known researcher of Khakassian history, wrote: “The word ‘терс’ is regarded as an ethnonym by V. V. Radlov. However, if we look at the historical and ethnographic vocabulary of the Turkic languages, we encounter a similar sounding word ‘терсе’ or ‘тарса’(тарча) denoting the Nestorian Christians. In the Khakassian language, the term ‘терсе’ was used to designate the Christian religion. Based on the current meaning of the word ‘терсе’(тарса) one can clarify what was previously regarded as an incomprehensible name of a people in the runic inscription on the wall of the Togzass cave. It is possible that the cave which is located in one of the most picturesque corners of Hongor served as an abode for Christian priests. In this case, the inscription can be understood to read: ‘Coming from Alto-shan, my tribe and my ruling Khan (are) of a Christian nation’” [Butanaev 2003: 15].

The words calling for interpretation are available in the modern Kyrgyz language as well. For example, in K. K.Yudakhin’s Kyrgyz-Russian Dictionary, this word is specified as an Iranian borrowing: “тарса 1. (by old scribals) to be Christian; 2. (in the epos) a people’s name”. Here is a fragment from folklore given by way of illustration: “кыргыз, тарса–кыйла эл, кызыл кан агып болду сел киргизы, тарса и многие народы–красная кровь лилась, образовался поток” [Yudakhin 1965: 708]. As noted above, this word can be read as каршы, meaning “conflicting”. In the Old Turkic Dictionary the following meanings of this word are specified: “1. hostility, contention, quarrel; 2. contrast; 3. opponent; 4. danger;5. hostile, conflicting” [Drevnetyurkskiy slovar 1969: 429]. It is quite interesting that, the above word “терс”, left without translation as an ethnonym, has a similar meaning: “терс,meaning opposite, reverse, unusable” [Malov 1951: 429].

As stated above, the word “tenym” is read as “kanym” and is explained by the fact, that“the first letters are written back to front, in the form of mirror images” [Batmanov 1959:162-163]. In the Old Turkic Dictionary the word “ten” is specified as an Iranian borrowing and is translated as “body”. It exists in the modern Kyrgyz language as well. Its Turkic analog is the word “boy” and it means “body” and “myself”. As noted in Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages: “Among the given values the oldest one should be “body”—apparently,the human body—known in the earliest and later texts, and also in languages on the eastern periphery of the Turkic linguistic space. This very meaning serves for such meanings dominating the modern languages as “height” and later meaning “myself” [Sevortyan 1978:176-177]. It is possible to assume that the semantic development of this borrowing followed the Turkic model and was used in the monumental inscriptions in the meaning of “myself”.But the linguistically illustrative materials of the word “ten” are quoted from literature of a later period, namely from M. Kashgari and Yu. Balasaguni’s works. For this reason, we are limited by reading it as “kanym”.

The word “el” in the above works is translated as “state” in spite of the fact that it also has the meaning of “people”. By the way, in the Old Turkic Dictionary the meanings of this word are given in the following sequence: “el 1.tribe union, tribe organization; 2. people;3. state, administrative unit” [Drevnetyurkskiy slovar 1969: 168-169]. In our opinion, the meaning “people” is more suitable for this context.

So, on the basis of the aforesaid, we suggest the following reading:

Transcription:

Altushanta kelip

Elim kan?m ters budun

Bu ulug er at?m Ogdemynalp

Bagym kelip shanlan?p oplan?p

Translation:

1) Coming from (or to) Altu-shan

2) My people (clan), my khan (represent) the Christian people

3) This is my great and heroic name: Ogdeminalp

4) My clan came, appearing majestic, without knowing restraint

Let us discuss the content of the given text. V. Ya. Butanaev writes: “The population of Sayan-Altai, according to scientists, became acquainted with Christian doctrine during the Old Turkic era, when the Yenisei Kyrgyzs, in fighting against the Uigur khaganate, entered into a military-political alliance with the Karlyks. The Karlyks, living in the territory of Semirechye(Argu, Taraz), became not only allies of the Kyrgyzs, but also mentors of a new belief-Christianity–specifically Nestorianism” [Butanaev 2003: 15]. Here the author refers to the opinion of the well-known Turkologist S. G. Klyashtorny who wrote: “... to the middle of the 9th century or a bit earlier among the Kyrgyz aristocracy, and later among other layers of the population, Nestorian Christianity emerged, which could not, however, force out local shaman cults. The Christianity of the Kyrgyz aristocracy was quite superficial; their perception was assisted not so much by ideological progress in the Old Kyrgyz society, but by many specific aspects of the political situation” [Klyashtorny 1959: 164]. Klyashtorny also mentions that on the Priyenisey rocks, Nestorian priests are designated as “mar” in the Old Kyrgyz inscriptions, and he concludes: “The close union with the Karlyks and the fight against the Uyghur-Manikheys were, thus, political factors which induced the Kyrgyz aristocracy to encourage missionary activity of their Nestorian mentors” [Klyashtorny 1959: 166].

In our opinion, the Karakol inscription confirms the opinions of the scientists cited above and it is possible to assume that it has some religious character and its author was referring to the above-mentioned Nestorian missionaries. Apparently, the clarity of this inscription in meeting all canons of Turkic runic inscriptions is also explained by this fact.

This is also confirmed by the fact that it was on such stones that Nestorian inscriptions were found in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. Here is what Ch. Jumagulov writes about these stones, the number of which exceeds seven hundred: “Normally, they are specially prepared for monuments or differently shaped flat stones found nearby” [Jumagulov 2013: 16]. The establishment of Christianity in Djeti-Suu in the 8th century and the presence of Christians among one of the nomad tribes, the Chigil, in Issyk-Kul were also documented by this work [Jumagulov 2013: 16].

It should be noted that it is not the first case of written monuments found recently in Kyrgyzstan having something in common with already known monuments of Southern Siberia. In particular, we must mention the similarities in the religious character of the Chiyin-Tash inscription, recently discovered by the renowned Kyrgyz archeologist Kubat Taabaldiev, and the Yabogan inscription found in Altai [Konkobaev, Useev 2011: 304].

This region, undoubtedly, is of great interest in the search for new written monuments,as here there are many stone sculptures and barrows, where soldiers are buried together with horses, and, according to experts, these sites are inevitably accompanied by Turkic runic inscriptions.

Bibliography

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