APersonIndependent states
Yusuf Balasaguni
11th-century Turkic poet and statesman, author of the Kutadgu Bilig, born in the Karakhanid capital Balasagun.
Yusuf Balasaguni was born in Balasagun, near today's Burana Tower in Kyrgyzstan's Chüy Valley; most of what we know about him comes from his own work.
Around 1069 in Kashgar he completed the poem Kutadgu Bilig ("Wisdom that brings happiness") and presented it to the Karakhanid khagan, who made him Khass Hajib, chamberlain of the court.
The poem, on government, justice, morality and wisdom, is the first great work written in Turkic. A monument to him stands in Bishkek, and the Kyrgyz National University bears his name.
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Updated: October 3, 2026