Bars Bek (Old Turkic: 𐰉𐰺𐰽:𐰋𐰏; Chinese: 巴爾斯別克; 637–711), also known as Inanch Alp Bilge (Chinese: 亦難赤阿爾普毗伽), was the first khagan of the Kyrgyz Khaganate, reigning from 693 to 711.
Background and Early Life
Bars Bek was born in 637 and was a member of the royal Are clan, which claimed descent from the Han dynasty general Li Ling. Very little is known about his early reign, with only minor information fragments preserved in the Orkhon and Yenisei inscriptions.
Reign (693–711)
Initially, Bars Bek was believed to be hostile to the Göktürks (the Second Turkic Khaganate). This changed when he married one of the daughters of Ilterish Qaghan and was subsequently appointed as a lesser khagan ruling over the Az and Kyrgyz tribes, making him a brother-in-law of Bilge Qaghan.
In the late 7th century, according to scholar Takeshi Osawa, Bars Bek mediated talks between Suoge and Emperor Zhongzong of Tang. According to Sergei Klyashtorny, he also sent an ambassador named Eren Ulug to the Tibetan Empire in an attempt to form an alliance, though this effort was unsuccessful. He allied with the Chinese Tang Empire, the Turgesh Khaganate, and neighboring friendly tribes to counter the Second Turkic Khaganate.
Title
According to Sergei Klyashtorny, Bars Bek's anointed name was Inanch Alp Bilge, as mentioned in Yenisei inscriptions. Turkish historian Saadeddin Gömeç has argued against this interpretation.
Death
After news of the triple alliance against the Göktürks reached the Göktürk statesman Tonyukuk, he decided to eliminate the Kyrgyz first. Roads to Kyrgyz lands were blocked by heavy snow, forcing the Göktürk forces to find a guide. They first crossed Ak Termel (modern Ona, a tributary of the Abakan). After ten nights of searching, their guide became lost and was executed on the orders of Qapaghan. The forces eventually reached the Kyrgyz headquarters and launched a night attack, killing Bars Bek in battle near the Son River in modern-day Khakassia in 711. A memorial stele was erected after his death on the left side of the Abakan River.
He was succeeded by his son, who was also a nephew of Bilge Qaghan.
Legacy
- A commemorative coin honoring Bars Bek was issued by the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2010.
- In 2017, a monument to Bars Bek was erected in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
