A remarkable archaeological discovery in Uzbekistan has the potential to alter the early history of Turkic civilization

A bronze coin believed to date back to the late sixth or early seventh century has been uncovered near Tashkent, inscribed with the words "Turk-Kagan"

A remarkable archaeological finding in Uzbekistan could rewrite the early history of Turkic civilization. A bronze coin unearthed in Uzbekistan and believed to date back to the late sixth or early seventh century has been discovered with the phrase "Turk-Kagan" inscribed on it.

This coin, which may belong to the Western Gokturk Khaganate, is significant as it pushes back the known use of the term "Turk" by over a century. The finding was exclusively shared with Türkiye's national broadcaster TRT Haber by Professor Gaybulla Babayarov from the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences.

According to Professor Babayarov, the coin was found among the remains of an ancient settlement near modern-day Tashkent, in the historic region of Cach. The coin's inscriptions are in Sogdian, an Eastern Iranian language that was used in pre-Islamic Central Asia.

One of the coin's inscriptions reads "Kagan," a title used by rulers of the Western Gokturk Khaganate, while another reads "Turk," which is a direct translation of the Chinese term used in Chinese sources to denote the Gokturks.

“This discovery provides not only linguistic but also political and ethnic evidence of an early Turkic identity,” said Babayarov. “This is the first time the term ‘Turk-Kagan’ has appeared on coinage, and it likely marks the earliest surviving physical mention of the word ‘Turk’.”

This coin is a significant addition to the known types of Western Gokturk coins. More than 20 types of coins attributed to the Western Gokturk Khaganate have now been identified, with a few bearing titles such as Jabgu, Cabgu-Kagan, and Kagan.

However, two specific coins found in Tashkent include the uniquely significant term "Turk-Kagan," placing their origins in the second half of the sixth century A.D., around 580–610 A.D.

One of the most pressing questions around this discovery is who the coin belonged to. Professor Babayarov suggests it may have been minted under the authority of descendants of Istemi Kagan, one of the founding figures of the Western Gokturk Khaganate who governed parts of the Fergana Valley.

“The coin’s dating corresponds to the period just after the Gokturk state was established,” he explains. “It may well belong to a local branch of Istemi Kagan’s family, possibly one of his grandsons administering the Fergana region.”

The coin’s features—including its dimensions, metal content, and iconography—differentiate it from later Western Gokturk coins, marking it as a product of the earlier Yabgu period of governance before the Khaganate fully matured.

This finding is also noteworthy for pushing back the timeline of the word ‘Turk’ by 150 years. Until now, historians believed the earliest appearance of the term “Turk-Kagan” was in the Orkhon inscriptions erected in the early eighth century in Mongolia by Kultegin and Bilge Kagan.

“This coin offers the earliest tangible evidence of the ethnonym ‘Turk’,” Babayarov noted. “It may force us to reconsider the timeline of Turkic identity and its recorded use in political contexts.”

Previously, the Chinese had used phrases such as “Tu-jüe Ko-han” in their chronicles, which translates to “Turk-Kagan,” but this coin marks the earliest indigenous documentation.

Another lasting implication of this coin is its impact on the prevailing academic narrative that the Gokturks were purely nomadic and had little need for a coin-based economy.

“This discovery challenges the traditional image of the Gokturks as nomads. It shows they had urban settlements, a ruling elite, and even monetary circulation,” Babayarov explained.

The fact that similar coins have also been discovered recently in the Fergana Valley suggests a much wider regional influence of the Western Gokturk Khaganate and a more complex socio-economic structure than previously thought.

As more coins bearing similar inscriptions continue to surface in Central Asia, particularly around Tashkent and Fergana, the geographical spread and political organization of early Turkic states are being re-evaluated.