On Cintan Igac 'Sandalwood' in Old Turkic Inscriptions

Creative Commons License

Aydın E.

BILIG, vol.56, no.56, pp.25-32, 2011 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 56 Issue: 56
  • Publication Date: 2011
  • Journal Name: BILIG
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.25-32
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: No

Abstract

It is not always easy to understand the meaning and function of some culture-related words in Old Turkic inscriptions. One such word, whose function seems particularly difficult to understand at first glance is cintan igac 'sandalwood'. Although it is generally agreed that the word cintan was borrowed from Skr. candana, it has not been specified for what purposes this tree or the products obtained from this tree were used in the steppe. This article first gives information about the origin as well as the usage of cintan and then focuses on the purposes sandalwood - sent as a present for Bilge Khagan's funeral might have been used for in the steppe.