The Orkhon Inscriptions // Göktürk Primary Source // Bilgä Qaghan (683 - 734)

After the Huns, before the Mongols, the Second Turkic Qhaganate ruled the Steppe.
Here we have an extract from an ancient memorial stone found in the very centre of Mongolia, The Orkon Valley. The entire inscription speaks of the legendary origins of the Turks, and gives us the first recorded example of Turkic script in history.
How do we actually know about history? Voices of the Past is a channel dedicated to recreating the original accounts from the people who lived through events, or who lived far closer to them than we do today. We do this word for word, with an accompanying soundtrack of rousing music and images.
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Thanks to:
PV KS
Xuan Che
By He-ba-mue, CC BY-SA 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

[@baybarshan2500]

Words of the wise Kaan : "Be yourself and you will rule, get seduced by others and you will be divided and you will perish ! "

[@MistressQueenBee]

One just can't seem to click the off button once these videos start. They just draw you right into that day of each of these missives! Great stentorian voice Master Kelly!

[@KhansDen]

Very well done. Would it be possible to use parts of this reading in a video of ours? Our channel is focused on telling the history of the Göktürks from the Rise of the Turkic Khaganate to its downfall, and Bilge Khagan's quotes would be especially adequate regarding the Göktürk Civil War, which our next video will be a bout.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Yes, go for it. Just if you could link back to the channel. Fascinating topic.

[@KhansDen]

@@VoicesofthePast Here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJCxq6Cnm7Obrck Your narration has been put into the very beginning of the Episode. I've both credit you in the video itself and linked back to your channel in the video description. Thank you so much.

[@anti-popfpv4638]

I can hear the hoof beats of 10,000 horses racing across a content. The greatest empire ever.

[@dersu7417]

Fun fact: Bilgä Qaghan means "Wise King" in Turkish.

[@maverikmiller6746]

Wise "Emperor". Kagan is Emperor rank. Khan is equivalent to King.

[@maverikmiller6746]

@osuruk No. In persian king is "Shah". For emperor they use "Shah-en-shah" (king of kings) Both Khan and Kagan is from older Turkic. There are also some theories that Khan might be from Yeniseian languages. But it is a theory.

[@B13.B13]

@osuruk aynı seçtiğin nick gibi bir soru sormuşsun.. neden kökeni iran olsun öz türkçe kelimelerin??

[@B13.B13]

@osurukbenden daha çok öff çünkü her beğendiğim videonun altında mal mal yorumlar..ve bu yorumların Türklerden gelmesi.. ağlanacak hale güleyim mi??

[@fuzzer]

How are you enjoying your nice new rifle Dersu?

[@JesusRocksTryPrayin]

these videos are so nice. word of mouth history meets chill cinematics

[@jacksonquinn6008]

New sub here. Love your narrations sir and any or all collabs that contribute to this incredible content i say thankyou! This is supremely better than fiction

[@berkerakt1814]

Thanks, It is better to use the term "Türk" because there is no word like "Turkish" or "Turkic" in the 7th and 8th century

[@viraloracle5151]

the turks are called "Turuk" in this inscription.

[@berkerakt1814]

NewsOracle "Türük" and "Türk" yeah

[@SwordCunt]

@@berkerakt1814 well, for writing in Turkish, German or any other language that uses umlauts on their Us that's a fair point, but for writing in English, which doesn't use umlauts, then just writing "Turk" is as close as it can get

[@ahmetkaraaslan8429]

@@viraloracle5151 pronunciation is the same. Even today lots of Turkic people pronounce Türk just like Türük. By the way there are more "TÜRK" than "TÜRÜK" in inscriptions. Otherwise probably we would call ourselves "Türük". some linguists say that Türük is the old version and in time it became Türk

[@ahmetkaraaslan8429]

@علئ ياسر You cannot even write in English you ar*p shit!

[@maisiecarruthers695]

Never barely heard of these I'm pleased you were on my recommended for you to watch list on something I watched recently

[@SamAronow]

Good job, Göktürks!

[@kummbara1]

@@MrNecryptic easy buddy

[@chunguskhan912]

@@MrNecryptic What did they do to you ?

[@atahan2661]

MrNecryptic chill guys, he is just chinese. typical butthurt

[@ardakilic8929]

@@weaner556 you would'nt understand. Only Turks will.

[@avgvstvs7]

Khazar Türk Sam Aronçuq

[@AG26498]

Why does nobody make a game about the ancient turkic poeple.

[@gokcancakmak4894]

Abdurrahman Goren well... check out, uruz: return of the er kishi. its an indie pixelart game with ancient turkish history

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Well it would be a bit boring. Ride. Surround kill defeat, run surround, kill defeat.

[@AG26498]

@@subutaynoyan5372 if you put it that way than the wild west would be boring too. But look at Red dead redempion.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

@@AG26498 Red Dead Redemption portrays a time that is more colourful and dramatic. 6th century Turkish tribes are not that well researched and their time is less dimensional in comparison

[@AG26498]

@@subutaynoyan5372 good point, but that is what I mean you have a lot of freedom to create great stories with that time period.

[@outofthemud.7477]

These words of ancient Turkish Khan contains true wisdom so insightful that still valid in our age. He described exactly how his noble primitive Turkish people got suduced and suffered by temptation and corruption from cowardice yet wicked empire, just like how Egypt trapped isrealite and seduced Caesar and Antony. Anyone want to learn East Asian history or morden situations should heed the words of this wisdom khan.

[@islammehmeov2334]

TURKIC NOT TURKISH OK

[@kadircanyldran1849]

@@islammehmeov2334 people understands anatolian whgen sayed turkish its stupid we all turkish from gagavuz to anatolia to north tacik to sibiria thats western fault in orhon its only written Türk not Turkic..

[@orka6848]

@@islammehmeov2334 What do you mean? 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 is 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 ! It comes from Türe 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰀 which means literally exist. I'm a 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 if you don't want to be a 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 then don't be. If you want to be a 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 you can't... Don't try to oppress your so called labels on me. I'm 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 or Türk or Turk. That's it. Since I'm living in Türkiye I'm also Turkish. And since I'm also relative to the ones in Sakha Turks or Libyan Turks or Gagauz Turks or Ashkenazi Khazar Turks I'm also Turkic... You guys can be Turk-ish. Turk-ish. Turk like. I'm the 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚!

[@islammehmeov2334]

@@orka6848 🆗 but what I wes training to say that the right pronouncing like TURKIC not TURKIS 😉

[@eroktartonga4032]

Türk'tür. Turkish-Turkic yok.

[@Mohazz88]

Epic, loved it.

[@abaikospen9178]

Bir Ulus Bir Ordu! Bütün Türkler Bir Ordu!

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Should also note that Tokhuz means ''nine'' in Turkish. When he says Tokhuz Oğuz it means one of the most dominant Turkic groups the Oghuzes. Modern day Turks, Turkmeni, Azerbaijani and Gagauz are all Oghuz Turks

[@Trk294]

Tokuz oghuz are the modern uighurs of today

[@subutaynoyan5372]

@@Trk294 Uighurs are also of Oğuz, yes. However, Kipchaks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks are not. Hence the linguical differences and intelligibility shifts massively between Uighurs and Turks and Uzbek for example

[@mirceadacialorantbrescia4340]

@@subutaynoyan5372 UYGHURS ARE SAME BRANCH OF TUIRKIC UZBEKS WHICH IS KARLUK TURKS

[@Willxdiana]

Tokhuz Is 9 oghuz. Tiele tribes originally. They added up to 15 including Tuva

[@Willxdiana]

@Ευαγγελος Αγγελος huihe uighur are 9

[@muratyucel9011]

This translation is as perfect as can be.. Thank you…

[@SumDumGai5]

Fascinating.

[@12345678900987659101]

Reminds me of the opening cinematic in Napoleon: Total War.

[@okanisiert]

Hey cool video man. Can you make a Video about Ibn-Fadlan and the Oghuz Turks?

[@ahmetkaraaslan8429]

Translation has some mistakes like Throne, Turks didn't use a Throne, we are nomads :D after he had said that he came/was from God, he said "bu ödge oturdum" (öd is time in old turkic and the same in Sumer language, as Anatolian Turks we still use "bu" as this and "oturdum" as I sat) "I sat on this time" which means "I RULEd THİS TİME", or "I'm the ruler of the time" This text is very poetic and there is still controversial sentences or words. We should find more text, to understand the history of Turkic language

[@JM-nm3bg]

Lots of languages have the word East = sunrise and West = sunset, but in Hungarian (and Turkish I guess) North = night and South = noon. That’s a Northern perspective.

[@Alejandro-in5gt]

John Molnar it’s actually true in Turkish too, I just looked it up and nort=kuzey means the shady place and south=güney means the sunny place

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Doğu(Birthside - In Turkish, the sun borns each they, doesn't rise), Batı(Sinkside - The sun sinks, doesn't set) Kuzey(Shadowed side), Güney(Dayside - Probably means lightside too)

[@skullsforerlikkhansthrone9306]

Doğu = birthside (east) Batı = sinkside(west) Kuzey = shadeside(north) Güney =day/lightside(south) Definitely originating from second half of northern hemisphere...

[@subutaynoyan5372]

In these inscriptions, there's a part that reads ''Time is for its god to cherish, us humans are all born to die in a short part of it''

[@TurkTorumtay]

Öd tengri aysar, kişi oğlu kop ölgeli törümüş

[@highplainsdrifter5367]

Very wise words

[@onnoede7515]

Very nice

[@kennyhagan5781]

I do love a nice archaic bit of prose. This fells could have been a fine poet.

[@cmbaz1140]

Where can i find the writings in translated form ?!?!

[@cmbaz1140]

atahan Helal olsun...sağol.

[@atahan2661]

c@mbaz rica kardes

[@ebuuuu2833]

You could translate to "tokuz" . Tokuz means nine

[@subutaynoyan5372]

It's common to use original word if it is used as a name or title

[@ronjayrose9706]

Oh the baby in your pfp is sooo cute

[@ebuuuu2833]

@@ronjayrose9706 A Yakutian baby :) And yes very cute :)

[@fuku-tech2725]

Though Tokuz Oghuz is a special name. Old Uyghurs called themselves Tokuz Oghuz. It has nothing to do with the Oghuz people.

[@ebuuuu2833]

@@fuku-tech2725 Oghuz means big clan. Tokuz oghuz means nine clan.You are right. Not about to Oghuz/Turkmen confederation.

[@mtebid5658]

Orkhon monuments tell how dangerous China is

[@changcheng4954]

Actually, the inscription carved by Tang masons, which was written in both Chinese and Turkic. It's in fact betrayed the double face of bilge Han. He took Tang emperor (30 years younger than him)as his godfather but he resented it. Therefore, the Chinese and Turkic version have total opposite meaning.

[@Willxdiana]

Tiele were the dangerous one they destroy gokturks. Gokturks attack China at 714. we repel them snd Tiele ambush the khan and ended gokturks

[@bodhialvasao8897]

Tang (China) overthrew both the East and West Turkic Khaganate, for sure it was dnagerous

[@tharealmikezee3165]

everyone's just bragging about how awesome they are. I guess they wanted everyone to kno how badass they were! For all time! "I'm a badass" carved in stone

[@mitchmercan]

It’s more than your “I’m a bad ass”depiction shows your slim to f/all knowledge of things a time & place of showing a video that has no meaning to you,i get your ignorance.But if one was to place themselves in this environment,it isn’t about bragging,it’s much more for us ,they are our ancestors & shall be respected up until now & evermore.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

It was very important for the political reasons of that era. Turks were struggling to be united, so after being free of Tang rule, Bilge Kağan just wanted to give a lasting lesson.

[@gaslitworldf.melissab2897]

Notice. None drank water as they crossed (among the horses).

[@heavenknowsimmiserablenow14]

Can you tell me where that map is from?

[@sessiztepe3350]

Old turks 😭 where are u 😭 wolf king i miss u 😭😭😭😭 TOR KHAN 😭

[@abevaris7746]

Canım Türk Halkım)

[@abevaris7746]

Esenlikler From Turkic dude

[@giuseppelogiurato5718]

😬... This one could've used some fancy graphic ”glosses" (You know, those words that pop up on the screen that explain the unfamiliar terms, as in all the Japanese/Chinese videos)... I've struggled to understand his thick English accent before, but these lists of Turkish words (read in such an accent) are damn near incomprehensible to me... The closed-captioning doesn't help much either, but it is good for a laugh... The CC can't even render his English properly, (it reads "word welling" for "were dwelling”) let alone his "Turkish"... you can see for yourselves that it does not help much with clarifying his attempts at pronouncing Türkic words.

[@armchairwarrior963]

Fun Fact the Second Tang Emperor was also the Khan of the Turks, He was part Turkic. The story is about how they are the real Turks and they didn't settle down in China and assimilated etc..

[@OwnTrick]

The tang emperor claimed to be khan of the steppes (first non steppe origin to claim it) He wasnt turkic or mongol, he simply conquered it and claimed the title.

[@armchairwarrior963]

@@OwnTrick You are wrong, he is part Turkic, his whole family was.

[@OwnTrick]

@@armchairwarrior963 Source? Why am i not surprised by someone claiming the greatest tang emperor as turkic

[@xanshen9011]

@@OwnTrick Actually he was part mongolic. His mother was xianbei if im not mistaken.

[@Willxdiana]

he was part xianbei mongol but sworn brother was turkic and his son tried to be turkic

[@sedatkayalar2689]

Why dont you talk about Furthard

[@BrettonFerguson]

SPOILER ALERT: The Turks didn't stay in the mountain forest in central Asia.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Yeah Bilga Kağan probably said ''Did you even hear a single word I said?''

[@murselpatpat4270]

Only oghuz turks were migrated to first iran and then anatolia

[@murselpatpat4270]

Other turkic tribes (kazaks, kırghız, uyghur, yakut, etc.) are still in central asia and siberia

[@murselpatpat4270]

Other turkic tribes (kazaks, kırghız, uyghur, yakut, etc.) are still in central asia and siberia

[@berkay5233]

Those migrated Turks are Western Turks. Oghuzes, Cumans, Pechenegs etc

[@chrisa7736]

"I am my sister's son" What did he mean by this?

[@muwatallis]

Hey. The Inscriptions were arranged by Yolluq Tekin, who was Bilge Khagan's sister's son/nephew. Hence he mentioned of his credit in the very end.

[@muratlokmanoglu]

𐰋𐰃𐰼 𐱃𐰣𐰼𐰢 𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰜𐰏 𐰚𐰇𐰔𐰓 𐰘𐰏𐰓 𐰽𐰯𐰦𐰀 𐰋𐰇𐰼𐰚𐱅 𐰲𐰼𐰓𐰀 𐰚𐰜𐰋𐰇𐰼𐰇 𐰉𐰆𐰞

[@SimonSozzi7258]

🤯

[@alecmisra4964]

I like that, the chinese pay for a tablet that tells them never to go into China! Smart move.

[@NoahKaneisme]

@hadi gari That's false. You can't see the wall from space. You can see freeways, however.

[@NoahKaneisme]

hadi gari that's what taking a picture from space does you absolute mongoloid

[@shikanosuke8898]

@@NoahKaneisme i guess you think cameras and eyes work exactly the same and never heard of zoom, must be amish

[@LostArchivist]

@@shikanosuke8898 Cameras are a myth, and they steal your soul when they capture your image. I have proof of both in these photographs of them faking the construction of the world's first camera.

[@boshengjones1778]

@Çağlar Özgür It would do you a lot good, If you got time to read the chinese records of the events surrounding the tablet. This timeline is arguably the strongest of all chinese empires, as their emperor also had the title Tenguri Kagan. It would be very wrong to assume it was always the chinese who paid the tribute.

[@rob28803]

That's a lot of carving

[@Biverix]

Fuck it, the Chinese are paying for it.

[@cobbdouglas5240]

The Chinese inscriptions carved on the same steles are a totally different story. Hope you can make a vid of it someday :)

[@klyanadkmorr]

klyana130 Not much different than anytime, Chinese clever conceding conceitful words to deceive and manipulate only straight forward types of persons see/cut thru it, ie HongKong

[@tftfgubedgukm7911]

Epicanthic fold? Lmao. Go have a look at Bilge's bust. The Turks of those days look nothing like you. You are a Turk trapped in Roman/Arab body

[@CataciousAmogusevic]

@@tftfgubedgukm7911 cope

[@yaldabaoth9235]

@@CataciousAmogusevic yes you're coping

[@Willxdiana]

@@voidconsumer en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_in_the_Tang_military

[@snickle1980]

"Almost"

[@muskhuan7012]

the incripsions use more simple language not like kings language of europa meaning is deep but language is simple this is old turkish. it might be more meaningfull like this but anyway i loved it thanks for sharing. they added game of thorns and vikings arabic scenes instead of arabic i wish a old turkic kagan meeting vikings scene would be more interesting

[@subutaynoyan5372]

This is a more simple version of English, that's why they used it. Besides, this middle english sort of a vibe matches with complete Turkic vocabulary of the runes.

[@subutaynoyan5372]

Turkish rulers really stepped downnwith Islam. Ottomans used to call themselves as God's shadow on this earth but even that is no way as cool as "I am the godlike, heaven-bred Kaghan"

[@yaldabaoth9235]

İkisi de kut inancına dayanıyor

[@xedweq]

​@@yaldabaoth9235 Kut geri alınabilir. Peygamberlik, halifelik geri alınmıyor.

[@Kypshakyogi]

This is manual from ancestors how to deal with chinese. Look at uyghurs now. This manual seems like true

[@Willxdiana]

Yes Chinese mongol with songs like from haya. YUGUR and Tuvan and salar turks still have their culture but uighur will be sinicized into hui at least. Most of the Turkic tribes joined China. This isn’t China fault this was done by the decision of northern wei a xianbei mongol Chinese and Xiongnu elite civilization joining together. The nomads and Chinese join. Think German and Rome join

[@shinybald36]

Nothing new under the sun😜

[@maisiecarruthers695]

You could only dislike this for been to short 2 dislikes though

[@reddhong6665]

if you interpret the other side of this inscription which was carved by the Tang Chinese... you will only get positive energy.... lol... a lot of Ashina family members served for the Tang royal family loyally...

[@Mustafa1998]

those were puppet khagans. bilge kaghan tells they fought against the onoq khagans (western turks). if they were loyal, there wouldn't be different rebellions happened. search chebi qaghan, ashina nishufu, ashina funian, jiesheshuai, etc.

[@berkay5233]

Hello: Ashina Chiehsheshuai

[@Willxdiana]

@@Mustafa1998 then why did uighur, tiele, Karluks leave you guys and join the tang ? Its not just gorturk you know

[@KittyPurrsMistress]

The Chinese have always been as such.

[@Jejak_Pengangguran]

Never change

[@scambroselauntrellus3681]

If I were a literate person in ancient times, this is the kind of stuff I would write just to confuse future people.

[@Jejak_Pengangguran]

Plato already done that with his atlantis tale

[@eliad6543]

@@Jejak_Pengangguran Pretty sure it was more of an allegory, to (surprise, this is Greece we're talking about) hubris, in this case the Atlanteans becoming too comfy.

[@KeithR2002]

@@eliad6543 imagine inscriptions like this were just pranks made by some literate drunk man back then! And today all the historians think it true

[@btorun]

Atlantis has now been discovered 👍

[@yaralikatil]

🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷

[@robertnichols2283]

Why is this translated into “King James” English?

[@0MVR_0]

To promote the idea that the original script uses antiquated verbiage.

[@RabidBogling]

Same reason the Quran's usually translated that way. Gravitas and antiquarianism.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Older translation

[@subutaynoyan5372]

I've read the transcriptions of it. Using modern English really wouldn't capture the nature of the scripts. It's really middle English sort of a vibe

[@svetlicam]

@@subutaynoyan5372 i agree you don't have to scratch much deep beneath modern civilisation to see ancient way of thinking. It's bit scary how this ancient spirit hunts us yet today through various history interpretation through movies and legends

[@cemilsaru]

Tanrı gibi gökte doğmuş Türk Bilge Kağan!

[@abevaris7746]

I'm Turkic dude. My Turkic ancestors - Kipchak Turks. Esenlikler to every Turkic in the world).

[@armchairwarrior963]

The stele was about not assimilating and settling down. That is what the Turks did in China.

[@RafaelAfshar]

𐱅𐰇𐰼𐰚 𐱅𐰀𐰣𐰼𐰃

[@johnvonshepard9373]

zzz

[@BeterBorker]

why do you talk so weirdly

[@gaya-shanickie1785]

Turks n mongols were the sumerian Annunaki. The chinese were the Australasian n adopted the runic writting system in which sacrad geometry.

[@Salo1378]

lol

[@tulparkultigintengrikut8440]

bruh wtf

[@galegocossia5506]

Turkey people?

[@Profanumx]

Turkey people are generally among what kagan enlisted. Oğuz ( Oghuz, and simetimes Ughuz ). And i believe he mentions cuman/kipchaks, too.

[@tyisen5125]

@@dickdragon6336 Karluk, Uyghur and Basmyl tribes take it down. Modern Anatolian Turks would live in Turgish Khaganate

[@tyisen5125]

@İstila-i Tatar No, Oghuz clans played little to no role in this occurrence. If you mean "Tokuz Oghuz", That's Uyghurs solely.

[@mongke7858]

@@tyisen5125 I don't think Tokuz-Oghuz are Uighurs considering they were contemporaries.

[@tyisen5125]

@@mongke7858 Uyghurs were close with them, to the point where Tokuz Oghuz was the name of the Uyghur Khaganate

[@yusufmambowitchnemesis]

SOME DEMON COPYCAT TOOK THİS NAME AND LEADİNG ASTRAY.

[@TurkTorumtay]

This may be the first written script in History which express the depression of an human. On kultigin scripts

[@TurkTorumtay]

Recheck the part that he express the feeling after big brother is gone to uçmağ (other world in Göktürk mythologie)

[@JoeSmith-sl9bq]

As a Balkan person I wish the Turks listened to this dude and stayed in their forest, far away

[@lel5464]

Climate change forced Turks to migrate, name Balkan comes from Turkish, remember that next time before stealing our food and words.

[@xanshen9011]

Name your country you coward fuck

[@orka6848]

If you are Balkan most likely you are Turkic in big part of your genetics. You know, Bulgarians, Huns, Pechenegs, Uz Turks, Ottomans, Turkiye Turks... Long time they fucked your ancestors..

[@dgrszkyp]

If the Turks had stayed where they were, the Arabs would most likely have invaded all of Europe. All of Europe would be Muslim, and the Turks would remain shamans. As a Turk, I agree with you, I wish we had stayed where we are.

[@eroktartonga4032]

Balkan people are from the same Eurasia-Central Asia.[Central Europe to Central Asia North and South of Blacksea, Whitesea, Hazar sea, Aral sea] (Mostly Turks and Slavs who lived, fought, traded and married eachother ) Ancient Balkan people are gone thousands years ago. European Germanic (Goths) and Gaelic nations are also from Central Asia, same as Türks and Slavs. All were part of Scythian and Hun federations. Europe is only a peninsula of Asia and was mass populated after a certain time period.

[@StygiaN-WeB]

proud people Turks are, they served Islam well