Historical and geographical research of the Turkic toponym «Otukan»

Abstract

The Otukan Mountain was a Mecca for the Turks serving as both geopolitical and spiritual center during their brief moment of unification from 552 to 840. Scholars have been discussing the exact location of the Otukan from 19th century on. We have collected 22 Orkhon Turkic records mentioning the Otukan. Through comparison, we found they are sufficient enough to testify a single knowledge that ancient Otukan was the whole Khangai Mountains. There are also more than eighty Chinese records mentioning the Otukan. Obviously, this important conclu-sion will play a significant role in discussing the history and society of the Orkhon Turks as well as the surrounding area. In fact, three centuries of Turkic period were only a ten percent period of this three thousand years old great Altaic capital. Khangai particularity its Orkhon Valley had been at least six times of the Rome for the Hun, Awar, Turk, Uyghur, Khitan and Mongols. Re-maining as is, other than expeditioners photographing some inscription, deer stone, balbal and sunken walls on the surface, the area has been largely forgotten by us and by archaeologists.