Glossary · Term

Old Turkic

Old Turkic is the earliest recorded Turkic language, written in a runic script from the 8th century. Its best-known texts are the Orkhon inscriptions of Bilge Qaghan and Kul Tegin of the Second Turkic Khaganate, while the Yenisei Kyrgyz left many inscribed stelae along the Yenisei. The texts also name neighbouring peoples such as the Tatars.

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Second Turkic KhaganateYenisei Kyrgyz KhaganateTatar confederation

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Old Turkic. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/old-turkic
MLA
“Old Turkic.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/old-turkic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Old Turkic.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/old-turkic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Old Turkic’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/old-turkic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻