AYDIN, ERHAN (2019). TONYUKUK, THE WISE ANCESTOR OF THE TURKS, ISTANBUL: KRONIK KITAP PUBLICATIONS, ISBN: 978-605-7635- 29-7, 218 PAGES

Tonyukuk inscription, which has a special significance among the old Turkish inscriptions with Turkish runic letters, consists of two stones, a total of eight facades and sixty two lines. This inscription is in a very important position in terms of writing by Tonyukuk himself, providing historical information about his period and reflecting the literary power of the Turkish language at the time. Bilge (Wise) Tonyukuk is one of the greatest statesmen of the Kokturk period. Among the various names and titles he received, the most mentioned in the sources is Bilge (Wise) Tonyukuk. The book “Tonyukuk the wise ancestor of the Turks”, by Prof. Dr. Erhan Aydın, known for his works on Turkish runic letter texts, is an important and remarkable work in that it combines linguistic and historical information about Tonyukuk's identity and the inscription in question. Aydın compared both the information in Chinese sources and the statements in the inscription and presented it to the reader by making a synthesis. In this context, the work is the product of a comprehensive study on Bilge (Wise) Tonyukuk. In this study, a review/introduction will be made on “Tonyukuk, the wise ancestor of the Turks.”