The head was probably part of a seated figure, whose torso was found in the same building at the Complex of Kul Tigin in Khöshöö-Tsaidam, Mongolia.

The Czech archeologist Lumír Jisl who found the head, described the animal on the Bust of Kul Tigin's hat first as a heraldic eagle, later opting for a falcon, which the Turks associated with death.

The so-called Bust of Kul Tigin, found by the Czech archeologist Lumír Jisl is thought to have once belonged to one of the torsos.

This is suggested in the Old Book of Tang, and confirmed in the Orkhon inscriptions, where Bilgai Khan states that he asked for Chinese artisans to be sent to him, and ordered them to decorate the memorial to his brother.

[1] The eagle depicted on the hat is similar to the Golden Crown of Bilge Khan, likely produced by a local, Central Asian artisan.

Lumír Jisl described the animal on the Bust of Kul Tigin's hat first as a heraldic eagle, later opting for a falcon, a symbol of death.

[1] Stark reports that a wooden sculpture of Vaiśravaṇa from ancient Kyoto, said to have been brought from China in AD 800, has a similar hat with the depiction of a bird.