Old Turkic is the earliest known form of the Turkic languages, which are a family of languages spoken across Central Asia, Siberia, and parts of Eastern Europe. It was used primarily from the 8th to the 13th centuries and is best known from inscriptions found in Mongolia and the Altai Mountains. The most famous of these inscriptions is the Orkhon inscriptions, which provide valuable insights into the culture and history of the early Turkic peoples. The Old Turkic script, also known as the Orkhon script, is an alphabetic writing system that consists of 38 characters. This script was used to write the Old Turkic language and is significant for understanding the linguistic and cultural development of the Turkic peoples. Today, Old Turkic is studied by linguists and historians to trace the evolution of Turkic languages and their influence on neighboring cultures.