General information
Ancient Turkic burial sites and ritual complexes (6-9th centuries)
Today, there is a great deal of specific material evidence of traditions and customs of the Turkic peoples’ Empire.
The Old Turks had two kinds of monuments such as the burial sites and memorial complexes. While some studies have been conducted at the burial sites of the Turkic people, there are still no bodies found with specific features and symbolic signs belonging to officials such as the kaghans, aristocracy. And there are plenty of places where the dead are buried with their horse. There are also bones of people buried in rocky caves.
Moreover, there is written evidence that in the ancient Turkic era the body of the deceased was burned and the ashes were laid in a special place. Meanwhile, there is no clear evidence of customs that the ashes of dead were buried in the midst of the ritual complexes. However, there are different opinions of the researchers on the tradition of sending the deceased to Tengri.
Burial sites of the ancient Turkic era
Thousands of burial sites of Turkic people were found in the Eurasian space, namely, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Khakassia, Altai, Tuva Republic, Eastern Turkestan, Inner Mongolia, Chinese territiries, on the Volga, Don Riversides, and in some of them archaeological excavations were conducted. Among them there are a lot of burial sites of noble warriors buried together with their bow and arrows, a sword, crockery, clothes, horse and a carriage used in a lifetime.
Literature:
Ser-Odzhav, 1970 ; Khudyakov, 1985; Eurasian steppes in the Middle ages, 1981; Voitov, 1996; Tseveendordzh, Bayar, Tserendagva, Ochirkhuyag, 2008; Dosymbayeva, 2002 ; Kubarev, 2005 ; Khudyakov, Tabaldiyev, 2009, Ser-Odzhav, 1958, 1959, 1970, 1977, 2003; Bayar, 2008, 156-178.; Kubarev, 1984, Khudykov, 1985.