Kagaly-Bastau petroglyphs

Kagaly-Bastau Gorge is located in the north-eastern part of Anyrachai Mountains, 16 km north- west of Karabastau Villge in Jambul District of Alamty Oblast. Kagaly-Bastau sanctuary is situated between two large clusters of petroglyphs in Tamgaly Gorge and Karakyr Mountains. Ancient drawings of Kagaly-Bastau are depicted on large stone slabs on the southern, south-western and western steep slopes of rocky hills.

Petroglyphs of the Sakae period - about 800 pictures - are prevailing, but not rare are isolated drawings of the bronze Age and Middle Age period.

Rock carvings of Kagaly-Bastau were picked on the slopes of four hills on the plain and in the gorge, stretched  in south-north direction. The drawings were found on both sides of dried up stream, in the upper parts of hills.

(Scheme 1)

Kagaly-Bastau Gorge. location of petroglyph clusters

Majority of Kagaly-Bastau petroglyphs is presented with the Early Iron Age drawings; among them are found scarce pictures of the Bronze Age period.

Kagaly-Bastau, the Bronze Age period

Kagaly-Bastau, the Early Iron Age

Of great interest are musical string instruments. One of them can be attributed as a kobyz. Close by the instrument and the bow there are two figures - a camel and a man (dead) in lying position. These images were fixed on a single rock and refer to the Early Iron Age.

Quite extraordinary for Jetysu region are different signs found among Kagaly-Bastau petroglyphs, usually attributed by the Bronze Age period.

As a whole, it is exactly in Kagaly-Bastau Gorge when we should trace back certain regularity in location of the Early Iron Age petroglyphs. There is a large scene with figures of different animals -argali, deer, horses and camels depicted on each hill slope. These scenes are surrounded with clear space. Multiple inexpressive figures of  smaller sized animals are picked on the upper parts of hills. It seems, that each hill was dedicated to a certain sacred animal. We shall point out that such regularity is specific for the hills stretched along the plain; this order is not fixed in the gorge.