Inscription of Hüis Tolgoi

The Inscription of Hüis Tolgoi (HT) is a monolingual inscription found in Bulgan Province, Mongolia in 1975 by D. Navaan. The 11-line text is written in vertical Brahmi script running right to left with horizontal marks separating words. The language of the inscription was unknown until the joint expedition of Alexander Vovin, Étienne de la Vaissière, Dieter Maue and Mehmet Ölmez to Mongolia in 2014 for closer imaging of the stele. Due to certain morphological peculiarities the language of the inscription was hypothesized to be Para-Mongolic rather than Indo-European or Turkic. Dieter Maue, a specialist in Sanskrit and Brahmi, deciphered the Brahmi script of the inscription. It was subsequently analyzed by linguist Alexander Vovin who remarked on the similarity of the HT language to mainstream Mongolic (Middle Mongolian) as opposed to the more southern Khitan language. Mehmet Ölmez elaborated on the details of the expedition while Étienne de la Vaissière provided a historian's perspective and dated the inscription to shortly after the death of Niri Qaghan in 603.

Transliteration and tentative translation

Huis Tolgoi original: biti-nar kagan digin sinin bodi-satva torox kagan buda kaganu ukax ukaju xiri anakay -i tin jax bodi bigiy-nar bayi dolu jaju hugbu [] biti jilonar k(a)ranyagun tuwa puror cicire pugtig nelen [] kaganu [] kato-nar dugi-d niri kagan turug kagan uc d(o)ro tayaju xiri hergin bargol palxir []haci higbij tugju ukabar-nar kagan xani julaba tunu tugnya tuwa []xa[] tu[] to[go]gun pugtigci sinin bodisatva torox kagan []l[] [] []iyu uc bitihin [] [] gux tuwa kagan torox kaganun [] pada n(i)ri kagan turug kagan []ijin ubij jalobaj darkad jaya bi []run bitig sag pag [][] j[] [] darkan ba ... ti ba ka

English translation (tentative): of the inscriptions khagan and princes, new bodhisattva born khagan, buddha lord's knowledge knowing country anakay (title) promises the tribe officials stand seven times promises ...inscription stones saw tuwa ... to strike...joined ...khagan...queens and younger brothers niri khagan turk khagan reason dharma worshipped country erkin collect ... enough those who realized khagan regnal year shone that enough tuwa people...count... ... new bodhisattva born khagan of the inscription...tuwa persons being cut from the khagan who will be reborn as a khagan they followed niri khagan khagan of turks and ...directed ... free men were happy official ... wrote this inscription ...

This is Alexander Vovin's tentative translation.

bitig-ña ̤r kagan tigin šıñın bodı-satva töröx kagan bṳda ̤ kaganu ukax ukaǰuxırı ̣ añakay ...ı ̣1 tı ̣n ǰa ̤x bo ̤dı ̣ bigiy-ñär ba ̤yı ̣do ̤lṳ ǰa ̤ ǰṳ hügbü b[ı]̣ tı1̣ ǰı1̣o ̤na ̤r k(a)ranyaguñ tṳwa ̤ pṳro ̤rčıč ̣ıra ̤ pügtig ña ̤la ̤n k[a]ga[nu?] + kato-ñar dügid nırı ̣ kagantürǖg kagan uč d(o ̤ )ro ̤ ta ̤ya ̤ ǰṳ xırı ̣ härgin bargo[l] pa ̤xır [+]xa ̤ čı ̣ higbiǰ tügǰü ukabar-ñar kagan xa ̤nı ̣ ǰṳla ̤ ba ̤ tṳnṳ tügnyä tṳwa ̤ xa ̤ [] tṳ[] to[go?]gun pügtigči śıñım bodısatva töröx kagan ı ̣yṳ uč bitihiñ + + gux tṳwa ̤ -ña ̤r ka pa ̤da ̤ n<ı1̣ >rı ̣ kagan türüg [ka]ga[n] []ı1̣ ǰıubı1ǰ ǰa ̤ lo ̤ ba ̤ ǰ darkad ǰa ̤yabı [?]rṳn bitig + säg pag [ + + ] j[] [ ? ] darkan bitiba ̤ kagan töröx kaganun

This is Dieter Maue's transliteration.