A mysterious stone of Timur

Karsakpay near the mine in Central Kazakhstan, in the mountains of Altyn-Clack, was found a stone with a carved inscription on it.

The inscription is bilingual. At the top of the stone there are three lines of Arabic script, they are in such a corrupt form, it is read only: “In the name of Allah, the merciful and gracious…” the lower inscription, consisting of eight lines, written in Uighur script in Chagatai (old Uzbek) language.

After A. I. Ponomarev, “amendments to the reading of the inscription of Timur” the main content of the inscription is now clear. It says that in the summer seven hundred and ninety-third, i.e. in 1391, Timur went to campaign against Tokhtamysh Khan, which confirms the written sources. Interestingly, Nizam ad-DIN Shami gives a more exact date, he not only brings the year but the month and day 23 of the month, Jumada I, i.e. 28 April 1391, Timur calls itself in inscriptions of the Sultan of Turan, which clearly indicates the existence of this name in the political terminology of the XIV century.

Here is a transcription of the text of a bilingual inscription of Timur, written on 6 April of 1391 in his campaign against Tokhtamysh:

Tariq yettı yuz yıl toqsan üçintä qoy yaznıŋ ara ay

Turannıŋ sultānı Timurbäg üç yuz miŋ çärig bilä

Islām üçün Toqtamışqan bulɤar qanıqa yurıdı

Bu yergä yetip bälgü bolzun tep bu obanı qopardı

Täŋri nısbat bergäy inşalla

Täŋri ul kişikä rahmat qılğay bizni duā bıla yād qılğay

Arranged on the modern Uzbek:

Tarix yettı yuz toqson üçinçi qoy yıli yozi oyi

Turonnıng sultanı Temurbek uch yuz ming cherig bilan

Islom uchun Toxtamishxon bulg”or xoniga yurdi.

Bu yerga belgi yetib Bo lsin bu deb obani o rnatdi

Tangri nisbat bergay inshalla

Tanri ul kishiga rahmat qilgay bizni duo bilan yod qilgay.

Russian translation of the bilingual inscription of Timur:

“Summer seven hundred and ninety-three, in the middle spring month of the year of the sheep, Sultan of Turan Timur-Bey went up with three hundred thousand troops for Islam on the Bulgarian Khan Toktamysh Khan. Reaching the area, he built this mound to have been a memorial. God willing, the Lord would execute justice! The Lord will have mercy to the people of the country! Yes, they will remember us with prayer!”.

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