The oldest written evidence of the Turkish language is not in Istanbul, Ankara, or any known city of Central Asia—it stands on the Mongolian steppe, in a valley hundreds of kilometers southwest of Ulaanbaatar. And getting there is not as difficult as one might think: Turkish passport holders can enter Mongolia visa-free. In this article, we explain what the Orkhon Inscriptions are, which UNESCO site contains them, and how to plan your route.
Quick Answer: Visa-Free for 30 Days, The Site Has Been on the UNESCO List Since 2004
Turkish citizens can enter Mongolia visa-free for up to 30 days. The region containing the inscriptions is designated as the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.
The site's scale extends far beyond a single monument: a 121,967-hectare cultural landscape is involved. It encompasses the broad pastures on both banks of the Orkhon River and contains archaeological remains reaching back to the sixth century. In terms of location, it lies approximately 400 kilometers southwest of the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
The Orkhon Inscriptions: The First Written Evidence of the Turkish Language
The inscriptions are texts carved into two monumental stones erected in the early eighth century by the Göktürks. They were created in memory of two Turkish princes: Kül Tigin and his brother Bilge Khan.
The linguistic significance lies here: the inscriptions are bilingual—in Old Chinese and Old Turkic. The Old Turkic section is written in the Old Turkic alphabet and is considered the oldest written evidence of a Turkic language.
What Do They Tell?
The content is more a historical narrative than a gravestone inscription: the legendary origins of the Turks, the golden age of their history, their submission to the Tang dynasty, and their regaining of independence under the leadership of Ilterish Khan. In other words, the stones do not merely commemorate an individual; they represent a society's attempt to write its own history in its own language.
The person who wrote the Old Turkic texts is also known: Yollug Tigin, Bilge Khan's nephew.
The Stones Themselves
Both monuments consist of stone slabs erected on carved stone tortoises within walled enclosures. On the slab of Bilge Khan, two reliefs stand out: a mountain goat—the emblem of Göktürk khans—and a coiled dragon.
How Were They Discovered?
The inscriptions were introduced to the scientific world in 1889 by an expedition led by Nikolay Yadrintsev; the texts were published by Vasily Radlov. That is, these texts, today considered the starting point of Turkish language history, only became readable in the late nineteenth century.
Why Are They So Important?
The phrase "oldest written evidence of a language" may sound technical, but the consequence is concrete: before the Orkhon Inscriptions, what we know about Turkish derives from records in other languages—in other words, from what others wrote about the Turks. With the inscriptions, for the first time, a text emerges written in its own language, in its own alphabet, and from its own perspective.
The bilingual nature of the texts also carries separate information: the presence of a Chinese section on the same stone indicates the period's political relationships and who the intended audience was. The inscription is not merely a memorial but also a message.
Three Empires in the Same Valley
What makes the Orkhon Valley special is not a single period but superimposed layers. Among the remains encompassed by the UNESCO site are:
- Karakorum—the capital of the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
- Erdene Zuu—one of the monasteries where a form of Buddhism specific to Mongolia developed.
- Khar Balgas—the former capital of the Uyghur Empire.
That is, within the same valley, traces of the Göktürk, Uyghur, and Mongol periods stand side by side. UNESCO's designation of the site as a "cultural landscape" reflects this reason: what is placed under protection is not a single structure, but the relationship between nomadic pastoral culture and the administrative and religious centers produced by that culture.
How to Plan Your Route?
- Base: Ulaanbaatar. International flights arrive at the capital; access to the valley is planned from here.
- Do not underestimate the distance. Approximately 400 kilometers, depending on road conditions in the steppe, means a long day. A same-day trip is unrealistic.
- Accommodation is mostly in ger camps. The region has limited hotel infrastructure; adjust your comfort expectations accordingly.
- Arrange transportation in advance. Independent travel by public transit is difficult; a rented vehicle with driver or organized transportation is the common solution.
When to Go?
Mongolia has a harsh continental climate: winters are extremely cold, summers are brief. For this reason, visiting season is largely confined to summer months; late spring and early autumn are also possible, though weather changes rapidly. You can compare suitable destinations by month using our Which Month Where? tool, and check the current visa status with Turkish passports using our visa status tool.
Before You Go
- Passport validity. We have compiled the minimum required validity in our passport validity article.
- Health and insurance. Healthcare infrastructure on the steppe is sparse; medical evacuation coverage becomes important. We discuss what to look for in your policy in our healthcare abroad article.
- Carry cash. Card use outside cities is limited; we address this balance in our money management article.
Adding to a Central Asian Route
It is possible to think of Mongolia not in isolation but as part of a Central Asian itinerary. We cover Uzbekistan's Silk Road cities in our Samarkand and Bukhara guide, the Khoja Ahmed Yasawi Mausoleum in Kazakhstan in our Turkestan article—all three are visa-free for Turkish passport holders. We have compiled traces from different regions of the world in our Turkish Traces Around the World map; new UNESCO World Heritage sites added to the list in 2026 are compiled in our UNESCO 2026 article.
In Summary
Mongolia allows Turkish passport holders visa-free entry for up to 30 days and the Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2004. The 121,967-hectare area encompasses both banks of the Orkhon River and contains remains reaching back to the sixth century; the location is approximately 400 kilometers southwest of Ulaanbaatar. The Orkhon Inscriptions in the region were erected in the early eighth century by the Göktürks in honor of Kül Tigin and Bilge Khan; they are bilingual—in Old Chinese and Old Turkic—and are considered the oldest written evidence of a Turkic language. The texts were written by Yollug Tigin, the inscriptions were introduced to science in 1889. The same valley also contains the Mongol capital Karakorum, the Erdene Zuu monastery, and the former Uyghur capital Khar Balgas.
