the ‘outside’ other 49
diff erent languages in the fi rst place) was explicitly stated by Yollig-
tegin who was asked by Bilgä khagan to organize the building up of
the Kül-tegin’s memorial temple. Yollig-tegin found it necessary—and
it was quite revealing—to point out on the stone stelae that the stone-
cutters who came from China “did not twist my words”.^118
It is hard to estimate what the attitude of the Bulgars was to signs
of the Christian otherness such as churches and monasteries that were
left on Bulgarian territory aft er the beginning of the ninth century.
Some examples from Durostorum/Drastar (present-day town of Silis-
tra, Bulgaria) can be used as a model of the attitude shown towards
the Christian ‘sacred places’.^119 However, it could be assumed that a
certain level of control was exercised on the foreign signs, especially
the ones present in important centers of the khaganates. Th e Kha-
zar khaganate in the ninth century was an exception since there were
mosques, churches and synagogues in its cities.^120
Although accepting the foreigner, the nomad held fi rmly to his/her
own. Nomadic specifi c hairstyles as well as the special eyebrow style
(depicted on the balbals) were also signs of the own. According to their
tradition, the Turks used to tie their hair in plaits at the back and this
hairstyle was a signifi cant and distinctive feature of a Turk of a noble
origin (and of the Avars as well). We fi nd information about it in the
writings of a number of authors; besides, it is evidenced as an own
sign both on the balbals always presenting this detail^121 and on the
Panjikand murals. Th e hairstyle in plaits at the back is mentioned also
by the Armenian chronicler Movses Daskhuranci, who describes it as
a typical feature of the Khazars in general. Sometimes Movses writes
about the leader (Jebu khagan) of the “animal-like people consisting
of plaits bearers” and sometimes about men with shaved heads and
men with hair who were subjects of the “king of the North”; writing
about the attack of the Khazar army at Derbend, Movses points out
the following: “... they rushed at the battle looking like women with
their hair loose”.^122
(^118) Stebleva 1965, 110.
(^119) Atanasov 2001–2002, 210–217; more details see in, Mutafchiev 1973, 19–103.
(^120) Zakhoder 1962, 150–167; Magomedov 1994, 122–139.
(^121) Stepi Evrazii 1981, 127, 264–265; also see a statuette from Sarkel (on the river
Don) in, Pletneva 1967, 177; Vainstein and Kriukov 1966, 179–181.
(^122) Magomedov 1994, 109.