Kyzyl-Kabak II (A-80)

Description

A part of a stele with a Runic inscription was found on the right bank of the river Bar-Burgazy near the rock Kyzyl-Kabak, in 1,5–2km to the Eyst of the inscriptions Bar-BurgazyI, II. The Stele was found in 2001 by V.D. Kubarev in 130cm to the South of the main stele. The stele was then put together. It is made of slate. It is 88 х 25 х 9cm. On one of its sides there is a runic inscription, made in big characters. The inscription has 2 lines, that are very badly preserved. The first line is 13cm long, the second 16cmм, there are 6 signs in the first line, ans appr. 6–7 signs in the second one. The height of teh signs varies from 3,5 to 7cm. the participants of the expedition L.N. Tybykova, I.A. Nevskaya and M. Erdal (2006) put the fragments together in order to restore the text and make a copy of the inscription.

Publications: none

Previous readings: none

Reading of L.N. Tybykova, I.A. Nevskaya and M. Erdal

Runic transliteration:

Transliteration:

1) š¹ : s²/y¹ n² I/A : k² Ü z A I/l¹ m z ? ŋ²

2) ? ? A : ? ? Ü d¹ r² l² ? ?

Transcription:

1) (a)š(a)y(ï)n –a : (ö)küz – a (a)l(ï)m(ï)z // köz alm(a)z ...

2) …………… (a)dr(ï)l[t………]

Translation:

1. Let me traverse/I will traverse (i.e. I will die)! Let us take an ox! …// not to be captured by an eye / not to capture by an eye (this is the country he is departing to)

2. …………….(I) parted ……

Comments

1. Weh ad to do the transliteration on the basis of the photographs.

2. The phrase körä al- ‘see, capture by eyes, lit.: take, seeing’ is described in UW 90a, § 21–22. The expression köz alm(a)z ‘huge, not to be captured by eyes, lit.: the eye will not take’ is widely used also in modern Turkic.

3. The verb (a)š- ‘traverse (a mountain), descend’ is also known in the meaning ‘die’, i.e. (a)š(a)y(ï)n ‘I am going to die, I will die’.

Consequently, the second interpretation of the first line is more logical and preferable. As the epoc of Turkic peoples shows, in the traditional culture, death is conceived as a journey to a faraway unknown country, which cannot be seen to the eyes. In order to get there, it is necessary to traverse many mountains and cross many rivers.