KULTEGIN MONUMENT

About 20 kilometers northeast of Khar Balgas was an ancient capital, probably dating from the Turkish period in the 8th century. All that remains of this city is a three-meter high stele bearing a Chinese inscription and the seal of Kultegin, a Turkish prince and general in whose honor the site was founded. The other side of the stele bears a Turkish runic inscription as well as the date of August^1, 732, which makes it possible to date the site precisely. These runic inscriptions tell of the exploits of Kultegin, but also the legendary origins of the Turks. They are engraved all around the stone, so that one must turn around it to be able to read them. It is one of the oldest forms of Turkish writing ever preserved. The stele is thus a real treasure and has made it possible to translate other ancient Turkish writings. A copy is exhibited in the National Museum of History in Ulaanbaatar.

This stele was apparently part of a funerary complex composed of a tomb, a temple and a group of statues representing men and animals. A marble turtle carried on its shell the stele with the story of the construction of the site. This turtle is now decapitated and has been deprived of its stele. Excavations carried out on the site have brought to light several fragments of a statue that seems to represent Kultegin in person. Several balbal, these man-stones of Turkish origin, were also discovered on the site.