The Legends of TAMGALY

Section 2 Team #3

Contents

Introduction Brief history of Tamgaly Petroglyphs Legends of Tamgaly Tamgaly Tas Burials and Sacrifices Cultural and Historical Value of

petroglyphs

Description

Tamgaly is one of the most magical places in Kazakhstan. This site replete with petroglyphs, burial sites, altars and ancient settlements

Located in the Anyrakay Mountains 170 kilometers from Almaty in the South Eastern section of the Shu-Ile range

Brief history of Tamgaly

In 1957 group of archeological expedition of Kazakhstani Academy of sciences under the direction of Anna Maximova were finishing their scout route trough western slopes of Chu-Ili Mountains. This region was poorly explored at those times.

Brief history of Tamgaly

In September 19, 1957 photographer A. Popov occasionally found carvings on rocks when he was wandering around while other members were studying Karakuduk burial. This is date when Tamgaly petroglyphs were discovered.

Petroglyphs

Definition Photos World petroglyphs Tamgaly petroglyphs

Petroglyphs: What is Petroglyph?

Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often (but not always) associated with prehistoric peoples.

The word comes from the Greek words: petros meaning "stone" and glyphein meaning "to carve" (it was originally coined in French as pétroglyphe).

Petroglyphs: What is Petroglyph?

The oldest petroglyphs are dated to approximately the Neolithic and late Upper Paleolithic boundary, about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, if not earlier

Petroglyphs: World petroglyphs

South of Moab, south eastern Utah, USA

Petroglyphs: World petroglyphs

Häljesta, Västmanland in Sweden

Petroglyphs: World petroglyphs

Mesak Settafet region of Libya.

Petroglyphs: Tamgaly Petroglyphs

Most of the petroglyphs show animals and hunting and ritual scenes, such as people dressed as animals or animals standing like people, images of chariots, warriors, couples, dancing around bonfires and sacrifices.

Petroglyphs: Tamgaly Petroglyphs

There are entire rocks and adjacent gorges covered with rock drawings in Tamgaly. A canyon containing about 4,000 petroglyphs drawn by early nomads of the Bronze Age ant the Turkic period is located in the center of the site. These enigmatic ancient artists placed the drawings in such a way to make them clearly visible.

Legends of Tamgaly

Sacred Tamgaly & Tales Chariot and Centaurus petroglyphs Acoustics of Tamgaly

Burial Grounds of Tamgaly

Burial places in the gorge of Tamgaly are divided on two groups – northern, southern foothill and the internal part of the valley. Excavations have been carried out only on four burial grounds. This excavation was done by archeologists Mariyashev and Rogozhinsky. In the course of work 62 burials have been opened and processed, and 12 years were spent for it.

However as a result of this work we see samples of culture of the tribes living in Tamgaly 2500 years ago. We see, how these burial places were made, their ceremonial party, the way of a burial place becomes clear. Life subjects, pots, tools, ornaments were kept within a tomb together with a body .

Burial Grounds of Tamgaly

Group of “sun-headed” deities

In Tamgaly there are more than twenty images of “sun-headed” deities. All of them are anthromorphous. Only 26 pictures are kept till today's time. The most ancient of them are about 40-75 centimeters tall, in static poses, with “nimbuses” over their heads, which are comprised of different combinations of circles, circumferences, rays and points.

“The temple of the Sun”

The special place belongs to the Temple of the Sun under the open blue sky. There is an "altar" with the pictures of the “sun-headed” deities and ritual ceremonies, with the area on the slope of the mountain to serve, a place for the participants in the beautiful small valley surrounded by low mountains slopes with a compositions of stone figures.

Tamgaly Tas

Tamgaly Tas

Tamgaly Tas

Tamgaly Tas

Cultural Value of Tamgaly

“Petroglyphs of the archaeological landscape Tamgaly” has been included into the List of World Heritage of UNESCO in 2004, during the Committee XXVIII session in the Chinese city of Suzhu.

See the site of World Heritage Center of UNESCO

whc.unesco.org/en/list/1145

Thank you for listening

Questions are welcomed!

Sources

Музей археологии ИА МОН РК

Б.Б.Резванцев, Б.З.Резванцев. Солнцеголовые великаны Тамгалы. Вокруг Света, № 8 (2647), август 1994. http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/publishing/vs/archives/?item_id=1424

Максимова А.Г., Ермолаева А.С., Марьяшев А.Н. Наскальные изображения урочища Тамгалы. Алма-Ата, 1985; 1996.

Рогожинский А.Е. "Изобразительный ряд петроглифов эпохи бронзы святилища Тамгалы". В сборнике "История и археология Семиречья". Вып.2. Алматы, 2001.

В.Р.Крогиус, Н.В.Максаковский. Петроглифы археологического ландшафта Тамгалы. ЮНЕСКО. http://heritage.unesco.ru/index.php?id=1138&L=9

Максимова А.Г., Ермолаева А.С., Марьяшев А.Н. Наскальные изображения урочища Тамгалы. Алма-Ата, 1985; 1996.

Trip to Tamgaly