Today, on 4 July, a ceremonial inauguration of protective fencing for the Nomgon-1 and Nomgon-2 archaeological complexes was held in the Nomgon Valley, Mongolia, where the Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences have been conducting large-scale archaeological research for several years.
The ceremony was attended by the leadership of the Turkic Academy, representatives of scientific institutions of Mongolia, as well as archaeologists and researchers involved in the implementation of the joint project.
The establishment of protective infrastructure marks another stage in efforts to preserve the unique archaeological heritage of the Nomgon Valley, where joint research has been conducted since 2019, yielding new insights into the history of the Second Turkic Khaganate.
The international scientific project has already produced a number of significant discoveries. In 2022, the upper part of a stone stele bearing Old Turkic and Sogdian inscriptions was discovered at the Nomgon-2 site. The decipherment of these inscriptions made it possible to read fragments of the text mentioning Khagan Kutlug for the first time, providing a scientific basis for identifying the site as a kagan memorial complex.
Research continued in subsequent years led to the discovery of the lower part of the stele containing Old Turkic and Chinese inscriptions. Joint work by specialists from the Turkic Academy, the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and scholars from the University of Inner Mongolia made it possible to identify the title “Kutlug” and the ethnonym “Turk” in the Chinese inscription, further confirming that the complex dates back to the era of Elterish Kutlug Khagan, the founder of the Second Turkic Khaganate.
The opening of the protective fencing is intended to ensure the preservation of archaeological sites of exceptional importance for the study of the early medieval history of the Turkic peoples, as well as to create favorable conditions for further archaeological research and international scientific cooperation.
The Turkic Academy and the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences plan to continue their joint research in the Nomgon Valley, which retains strong potential for new discoveries that may significantly enrich contemporary knowledge of the history and civilization of the ancient Turks.
