Arpauzen, the petroglyphs.

Petroglyphs of the Bronze Age, early Iron Age, Middle Ages, as well as Kazakh drawings of the XVIII-XX centuries. Rock images of the Arpauzen tract are applied to the rocks along the shallow gorges of the Karatau Ridge at an altitude of 950 m above sea level and are located 30 km southwest of the village of Sholakkorgan (Sozak District, South Kazakhstan region). Petroglyphs reflect the religious and mythological ideas of the primitive population and later, are associated with pagan beliefs of the Bronze Age, as well as universal values.

Petroglyphs reflect some aspects of the ethnic history of Kazakhstan's Bronze Age tribes, as well as of Sak and Turkic tribes and medieval art.

The drawings were opened in 1973 by the Karatau detachment of the SKKAE (headed by M.K. Kadyrbayev, an employee A.N. Maryashev). The significance of the monument is also conditioned by the fact that the discovery of Arpauzen allowed to create the first scientifically grounded periodization of petroglyphs of Kazakhstan.

Arpauzen is one of the largest and oldest clusters of petroglyphs not only in Kazakhstan, but also in Central Asia. The object is located in the foothills of Karatau. The drawings are placed in several gorges with drying streams and stretch for 3-5 km. The total number of them is about 3,000. Petroglyphs are embossed on even slabs with black or brown patina. The drawings are various in terms of subjects and are of interest in terms of their informative value. The longest gorge has the most important plots and scenes, which left valuable information on the worldview and cults of the ancient population of this region. There are eight groups with drawings in the tract. Petroglyphs are multi-temporal. Most of them belong to the Bronze Age. This is evidenced by the images of chariots, bulls-tours and people with gender features, as well as spectacle-shaped signs.

Petroglyphs, which reflect the connection between the plots and cult scenes, are of the greatest value. Judging by the drawings, the Baktrian camels played a great role in the life of the ancient population of Karatau. In the lower part of the hill above the river there was a large figure of a camel (185 cm) with tangled legs, and next to them there were carved other images of smaller camels, under them there were carved images of people with their hands raised in the position of adoration. The camel cult is evidenced by the numerous scenes with caravans, which in the Bronze Age served as the main draught force. Other drawings are also associated with religious beliefs, such as the figures of people with sticks in their hands (images of priests). Subsequently, such sticks was an attribute of power.

Later are the drawings of the Saka time. In the tract there are several scenes with traces of palimpsest, where stylized drawings in animal style overlap the drawings of the Bronze Age. There are few medieval drawings, but petroglyphs from the end of the XIX century with figures of archers and wick rifles are easily distinguished.

In addition to petroglyphs, there are a large number of settlements and burial grounds in this area, which date from the Bronze Age to the new era. Arpauzen is one of the largest monuments of Kazakhstan.

The object of tourism.