Petroglyphs of Kaskabulak

A detachment of the Chimkent Regional Council of the Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, together with the Otrar Archaeological Museum-Reserve, began the study of rock carvings in the Kaskabulak tract at the foot of the Talas Alatau (Aksu-Dzhabagly Reserve, Tyulkubas district, Chimkent region). Here, at an altitude of 3000 - 3200 m above sea level, on smooth black porphyrites over an area of ​​about 1 sq. km around the new six locations of petroglyphs. In total, 800 engravings were taken into account, photographed, and partially scanned.

The petroglyphs are embossed or scratched with stone and metal tools. The technique of continuous knockout dominates (60%), the contour or grooved thread disappears. Most of the drawings are embossed profoundly and securely. Their plots are varied, but images of animals predominate - goats, argali, camels, horses, dogs, deer. Images of a snake and a snow leopard are rare. Many drawings meet people: archers hunting goats; riders; scenes of fights of beams among themselves; cult scenes.

The Eneolithic and the Bronze Age include hunting archers for argali, images of goats with steeply curved horns, and solar signs in circles with wide straight lines.

In the Scythian-Siberian style, strings of argali, goats, marals with a characteristic ornamental stylization are made. Most of the petroglyphs date back to the Turkic period.