APersonIndependent states
Mahmud al-Kashgari
11th-century Turkic scholar, author of the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first dictionary of the Turkic languages; his father came from Barsgan on Issyk-Kul.
Mahmud al-Kashgari came from a family related to the Karakhanid dynasty. His father Husayn governed Barsgan on the south-eastern shore of Issyk-Kul — today's village of Barskoon.
After about 1057 he moved to Baghdad, where in 1072–1074 he wrote the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, explaining Turkic words in Arabic and recording proverbs, poems and the customs of the Turkic tribes.
Its world map, with Balasagun at the centre, is considered the first map of the Turkic world. His mausoleum is in Opal near Kashgar.
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Updated: October 3, 2026