Work / monument · text

Orkhon inscriptions

732–735 CE · 8th century · Also known as Orkhon script

The Orkhon inscriptions are monumental stone texts erected in the Orkhon valley of Mongolia between 732 and 735 CE by the Second Turkic Khaganate. Written in the Old Turkic runic script, they commemorate rulers and statesmen and reflect on the fate of the Turkic people. They are the earliest substantial written records in any Turkic language and a key legacy of the Gokturk Empire.

Orkhon inscriptions
Image: Vezirtonyukuk · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Gokturk EmpireGovernance, ImpactOld TurkicLiterature, Legacy, Summary

See also

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻