The stele was erected by Bayanchur Khan of the Uyghur Khaganate in the middle of the eighth century (between 753 and 760 CE seems to be the best estimate).
But it took 47 years to discover and unearth the stele; finally being found by Mongolian archeologist T. Dorjsuren in 1956.
However, in 848 CE they were defeated by the Kyrgyz and were forced to move west to the Gansu and Xinjiang regions of modern-day China.
According to inscriptions appearing on the east side of the slab, during the interregnum following the death of his father, Bayanchor fought against the tribes supporting his elder brother Tay Bilge Tutuk.
This may mean that the power shift from the Second Turkic Khaganate to the (linguistically indistinguishable) Uighur Khanate was considered merely as a coup d'état.