Yusuf Balasagun

Yusuf Khass Hajib (born c. 1019, Balasagun, Kara-Khanid Khanate – died 1077, Kashgar, Kara-Khanid Khanate) was an 11th-century Central Asian Turkic poet, statesman, vizier, Maturidi theologian and philosopher. He is renowned for authoring the "Kutadgu Bilig" ("The Science of Royal Conduct" or "Wisdom of Royal Glory"), a significant work of advisory nature for rulers and a masterpiece of Turkic literature. Most of what is known about Yusuf comes from his own writings within this epic poem. His birthplace, Balasagun, was the capital of the Kara-Khanid Khanate, located in modern-day Kyrgyzstan. Yusuf completed "Kutadgu Bilig" around the age of 54, writing in the Turkic language of the Kara-Khanid era. The work is considered one of the first literary masterpieces of the Muslim Turks. Although the exact date and place of his death are not definitively known, he is believed to have died in 1077 and possibly buried in Kashgar.