Kül | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bust of Kul Tigin found at theKhoshoo Tsaidam burial site, inKhashaat,Arkhangai Province,Orkhon River valley. Located in theNational Museum of Mongolia. | |
| Native name | |
| Born | 684 |
| Died | February 27, 731(731-02-27) (aged 46–47) |
| Allegiance | Second Turkic Khaganate |
| Rank | Tarkhan (posthumously) |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Bolchu Sogdian Campaign Battle of Iduk Bash Battle of Ming Sha Battle of Sayan Mountains Transoxiana Campaign Battle of Tashkent (713) |
| Memorials | Orkhon inscriptions |
| Relations | Ilterish Qaghan (father) El Bilga Khatun (mother) Bilge Khagan (brother) |
Kul Tigin (Old Turkic:𐰚𐰇𐰠𐱅𐰃𐰏𐰤,romanized: Kültegin[1]Chinese:闕特勤,[a]Pinyin: Quètèqín,Wade–Giles: chüeh-t'e-ch'in, 684–731) was a general and aprince of theSecond Turkic Khaganate.
Necip Asım (1921) initially gave his name asköl, based on the etymology ofMahmud al-Kashgari, meaning "lake, sea".Radloff rendered this word askül, andThomsen (1896), Malov (1951) and Tekin (1968) adopted this reading. Bazin (1956) and Hamilton (1962) rejected Radloff's reading and preferred the formköl. However, Chinese sources used the Chinese character 闕 (què). Therefore, this word should be read askül, notköl.[2]
Kul Tigin was the second son ofIlterish Qaghan, theSecond Turkic Khaganate's founder, and the younger brother ofBilge Qaghan (born Ashina Mojilian), the fourth qaghan. He was seven when his father died.
During the reign ofQapaghan Qaghan, Kul Tigin and his older brother earned reputation for their military prowess. They defeated theYenisei Kyrgyz,Türgesh, andKarluks, extending the kaganate territory to theIron Gate south ofSamarkand. They also subjugated all nine of theToquz Oghuz tribes.
In 705, Turkic forces commanded by Ashina Mojilian enteredLingwu, defeating Shazha Chongyi (沙吒忠义). Kul Tigin commanded a unit in battle, in which he lost three horses.[1]
In 711, he participated inBattle of Bolchu, which was disastrous for the Türgesh.[3]
In 713 he participated in subjugation ofKarluk tribes with his brother and uncle.[3]
Upon the death of Qapaghan Qaghan, his sonInel Qaghan attempted to illegally ascend to the throne, defying the traditionallateral succession, but Kül Tigin refused to recognize the takeover. He raised an army, attacked, and killed Inel,Ashina Duoxifu and his trusted followers. He placed Mojilian on the throne as Bilge Qaghan, and took the title ofshad, an equivalent of commander-in-chief of the army, for himself.
He died suddenly on 27 February 731. Astele in his memory, which included inscriptions in bothTurkic andChinese, was erected at his memorial complex ofKhoshoo Tsaidam, at the present site of theOrkhon inscriptions.[clarification needed][4] Kül-Tegin is also mentioned in the inscription erected in memory of his older brother Bilge Qaghan at the neighbouring site ofKhöshöö-Tsaidam-1.[clarification needed]
Heavenly Divine Türk Bilgä Qaghan, I reign at this time.
Hear out my words, all my brothers, my sons, and also you, my tribe, my people:
Šad Pït lords of the south;
Tarqan Buyruq lords of the north;
Otuz . . .;[5]
His burial ceremony took place in 1 November 731. He was posthumously renamedInanču Apa Yarğan Tarqan (Old Turkic:𐰃𐰤𐰨𐰆:𐰯𐰀:𐰖𐰺𐰍𐰣:𐱃𐰺𐰴𐰣) byBilge Qaghan.
The head of the Kül Tigin sculpture in the Khöshöö-Tsaidam enclave in (Orkhon, in northernMongolia) carries a bird with wings spread like an eagle, personifying araven.[6] The head was found by the Czech archeologist Lumir Jisl during his 1957–1958 expedition to Mongolia.
He was portrayed by Ham Suk Hun (함석훈) in Korean TV SeriesDae Jo-yeong.
{{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
