Tamgaly-Tas Canyons, Kazakhstan
Series of canyons featuring around 5,000 petroglyphs from the Bronze Age through the Medieval era.
Tamgaly Tas, translated as “ written rocks, stones with signs”, is located in Kazakhstan, 170 kilometers to the north -west from Almaty, on the right bank of the Ili River, which is 20 km north-west from the Kapchagay dam. The natural boundary consists of huge cliffs (up to 60 m).
These picturesque rocks attract many tourists! It was place, where incredibly beautiful images of Buddha and Burhans (Bodhisattvas) were found. The cave drawings are accompanied by exquisite Tibetan inscriptions. The unique style of the images is achieved by fine art of stone carving and fine contour lines. The drawings date back to the XIV-XVI centuries. In total, there are 18 rocks with signs, including three Buddha images on one rock and two images – on the others. As a whole, the images in the Tamgaly-Tas represent a Buddhist sanctuary in the open air.
Epic Kazakhstan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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