Archaeological works of the Exploration Detachment
The detachment of the Ural-Kazakhstan expedition of the Chelyabinsk University continued work to identify the monuments of Kostanay, Turgai, Dzhezkazgan, Kzyl-Orda regions. Steppe, semi-desert, and desert landscape zones are crossed from north to south. Most of the monuments were recorded in the steppe part, in the basins of the rivers Turgai, Kabyrga, Uly-Zhilanshik. 2 single large mounds, seven mound groups (up to 90 mounds in total), seven brick and adobe mausoleums, eight sites, ten settlements of the Stone and Bronze Ages have been identified and examined. Rescue excavations of a dune burial ground of developed bronze were carried out on the territory of the Nauruzum Reserve. On an area of 25 sq. m, a burial was cleared, from which a vessel, bronze bracelets and details of a headdress were removed.
Excavations continued at the Nauruzum burial ground, located 8 km north-north-west of the village of Novonaurzum, Kostanay Region. Five burial mounds dating back to the era of early nomads have been unearthed. In kurgan 3, two stone statues were found facing south on the northern edge of the grave pit. Excavations were carried out on the territory of a brick portal mausoleum located on a hill on the left bank of the Uly-Zhilanshik River, 11 km east of the village of Yuzhny, Turgai region. The mausoleum had a rectangular plan (7.5x6.4 m) oriented to the cardinal points. The remaining height of the walls is 0.8 m. At the bottom of the burial chamber, oriented along the west-east line, burial of the Golden Horde period with a fragment of a bronze mirror was found.