A Newly Discovered Turkic Inscription in the Tian Shan Region: The CHIYIN TASH Rock Inscription

This paper presents a study of a newly found Turkic runic inscription nearby Ak-Olong village, Yssykkol Province of Kyrgyzstan. The inscription carved on the rock is the 35th inscription of Early Medieval Turks discovered in the Tian Shan Region. The authors give a description of the monument and supply it with transliteration, transcription and translation What makes this inscription important is that it is closer to the inscriptions of the Yenisey region rather than the other inscriptions of the region both with regards to its palaeographical and contextual features. This is particularly prominent in the orthographical characteristics of the signs for G1, T2 ve Ẅ. The parallel usage of tenride(ki) yerde(ki) in the Yenisey Inscriptions also support this view. Due to its palaeographical features it can be said that this inscription belongs to the earlier period of Turkic runic writing than any other found in the Tian Shan region.