Author(s): Turgay SEBZECÄ°OÄLUâ Sibel EKDÄ°ââ Hilfe AKCAN
Irg Bitig is a doctrinal book written in the Gokturk alphabet in the 9th century, a period of Uighur Turkish. Conveying its intended message in a rather entertaining and thought-provoking way, this doctrinal book also manifests itself as a literary text. Yet, much as the book seems to be integrated into the Manichean ans Shamanistic doctrines, it reflects the the principles of trans-religious virtues and the relatively earlier Turkish traditions. The fact that neither the conveyed messages nor the type of the book could be wellunderstood resulted in superficial translation, either due to misinterpretations or overlooking the scope. The most apparent example of this is the translation of the 38th Irk in Irg Bitig. The fact that the word tenri, which possesses multiple meanings, was translated taking only one meaning into account in the 38th ?rk has narrowed the scope of the translation of this ?rk or rendered the text meaningless. It has been understood that, via context-oriented interpretation and consistent reasoning, this ?rk was centered around the traits that should be owned by the wife of the Khan. In this study, these qualities have been analyzed and appraised in a thorough sense in terms of the Turkish folklore. Irg Bitig is a book that will expose its cultural and linguistic diversity only if it is reviewed employing an indepth interdisciplinary outlook. This study aims to take a step towards the goal of reinterpreting Irg Bitig and creating a more profound approach in defining the type and the scope of the book.
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