An atlas of Earth’s mysterious places — megaliths, pyramids, lost and sunken cities — with the evidence shown plainly: what is verified, what is contested, and what is still unknown.

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CountriesKZ

Kazakhstan

90 places in the atlas, 8 of them inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Kinds found here

Tumuli59
Kurgans54
Archaeological wonders46
Earthworks16
Rock art sites16
Petroglyphs11
Burial mounds6
Ancient cities4
Geoglyphs3
Sakas3
Ancient villages2
Buried cities2

How well established

Verified85
Accepted5

Top regions

Steppe5
Almaty Region, Zhambyl District, Chu-Ili mountains, Anrakay2
Akmola Region, Arshaly District, Akbeit ridge 55 km S of Astana1
Akmola Region, Ereymentau District1
Aktobe Region, Aktobe Province, Uil District, Kyzyl-Bulak spring south terrace (Aktobe south)1

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Verified85 Widely accepted5 Contested0

Aktobe Region, Alga District, Kyrykoba upland, Ilek–Kobda interfluve

Aktobe Region, Alga–Novorossiysk steppe ridge NE of Aktobe1

Aktobe Region, Batpak steppe line along upper Ilek River terrace1

Aktobe Region, Karagash steppe north apex near Emba River north bend1

Aktobe Region, Khromtau District, Syntas Ridge West1

Aktobe Region, Kobda District, Kumsay ridge sandstone crest (Uil–Khobda interfluve)1

Aktobe Region, Kobda District, Tortoba funerary complex east satellite (10 km east of Tortoba core)1

Hypothetical0

Unverified0

Pseudoarchaeology0

Heritage

UNESCO World Heritage only

Excavation

Partially excavated63 Excavated22 Excavation ongoing3 Unexcavated2

85 places · page 3 of 4

Verified

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Karaoba Extended Kurgan Field (Karaoba Ridge West Chain)

Middle to Late Sarmatian · Late Sarmatian

Karaoba west: 7 chalk-marl kurgans extending field N-S 1.8 km toward Caspian lowland.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Aktobe Besoba Terrace Kurgan (Karaganda Steppe Pyramid)

Early Saka Tasmola (6th–5th c. BCE) · Tasmola culture

Besoba terrace satellite: 32-m Tasmola kurgan 340 m south of steppe pyramid mausoleum, Karaganda.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Temple complex

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

Timurid 1389–1405 over Yasawi 12th c. · Timurid / Sufi Sunni

Colossal Timurid shrine (1389–1405) over 12th-c. Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi's grave, commissioned by Timur to draw Islam to steppe, largest brick dome in Central Asia (44 m high, 22 m span) and…

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Besshatyr Shylbyr Gorge South Mound (Gorge Mouth South Sentinel)

Saka (550–400 BCE) · Saka Tigrakhauda / Semirechye Saka

Outlier mound 1.2 km south of Besshatyr core at Shylbyr Gorge mouth (670 m), south sentinel of Besshatyr necropolis.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Taldy-2 Satellite Kurgan (Tasmola South Annex)

Tasmola Early Saka (5th c. BCE) · Tasmola

Taldy-2 satellite: 24-m Tasmola maiden kurgan 800 m south of royal Arystan, Karaganda steppe.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art

Tamgaly II Central Gorge Petroglyphs

Late Bronze Age to Early Medieval · Andronovo, Saka, Wusun, Turkic

Central tributary gorge of the Tamgaly (Tanbaly) UNESCO landscape 170 km NW Almaty, comprising 4.5 km of northwest-facing Chu-Ili schist panels with ~800 engravings.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Syntas West Kurgan Field (Aktobe Sarmatian Ridge West)

Early Sarmatian (Sauromatian) · Sauromatian–Early Sarmatian

Syntas west: 9 Sarmatian kurgans on Aktobe ridge crest with deer-stone stelae.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Tumulus

Boralday North Boralday River Terrace Kurgans (River Boralday Terrace North Bank)

Saka (520–280 BCE) · Saka Tigrakhauda

North bank terrace of Boralday River (Boraldy) 2.1 km north of park (770 m) with 5 mounds 24–52 m diam on 8-m river terrace scarp.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Tumulus

Boralday East Ili Piedmont Outlier Kurgans (Ili Piedmont East Satellite)

Saka (500–250 BCE) · Saka Tigrakhauda

Eastern outliers 8 km east of Boralday Archaeological Park (790 m) on Ili piedmont steppe toward Ili River branch. Six mounds 28–62 m diam, 3–7 m high with ditch rings (22–48 m) visible on satellite.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Ancient city

Taraz Ancient City Site

Western Turkic Khaganate to Karakhanid–Qara Khitai · Sogdian / Turkic / Karakhanid

Core Silk Road city at Talas River on northern branch, flourishing 6th–12th c. as capital of Turkic Kaganate and later Karakhanid.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art

Tamgaly-Tas II Upper Cliff Petroglyphs

Late Bronze to Dzungar · Wusun, Turkic, Mongol-Oirat, Tibetan Buddhist

Upper limestone cliff 35 m above the Ili left bank at Tamgaly-Tas (Kapchagai), 800 m upstream from the famous 17th-century Tibetan Buddhist panels.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Korgantas East Kurgan (Korgantas Ridge East Satellite)

Tasmola to Sarmatian Transition · Tasmola → Sarmatian

Korgantas east: 28-m Tasmola–Sarmatian transitional kurgan 3 km east of type site, Karaganda.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Aktobe Batpak Kurgan Field (Batpak Steppe Line)

Sauromatian to Early Sarmatian (700–400 BCE) · Sauromatian

Linear alignment of 15 kurgans over 2.8 km on Ilek River upper terrace Batpak steppe (190 m) with diameters 16–38 m, heights 1.2–3.5 m, spaced 120–220 m (Sauromatian ‘street’ necropolis).

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Berel — Kurgan 11 Ancillary Timber Chamber (Kazakhstan)

Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) · Scythian / Saka

Berel — Kurgan 11 Ancillary Timber Chamber (Kazakhstan) in East Kazakhstan, Berel, Kazakhstan is a Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) kurgan attributed to S…

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Ancient city

Otrar Ancient Settlement

Kangju to Karakhanid to Mongol to Timurid · Sogdian / Turkic / Karakhanid / Mongol

Silk Road ghost city in Otrar Oasis at Syr Darya–Arys confluence, occupied 1st c. CE–18th c., apex 10th–12th c. as caravan metropolis of 10 ha citadel + 40 ha shakhristan.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Besshatyr Ili River Terrace North Mounds (Ili Delta North Terrace)

Saka (600–350 BCE) · Semirechye Saka

North terrace row 4.1 km from Ili River right bank delta (605 m) with 6 mounds 18–42 m diam, 2–5 m high linear along terrace scarp (920 m).

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Taksay — Kurgan 6 Gold Ornament Cache (West Kazakhstan)

Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) · Scythian / Saka

Taksay — Kurgan 6 Gold Ornament Cache (West Kazakhstan) in West Kazakhstan, Taksay, Kazakhstan is a Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) kurgan attributed to …

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Issyk — Golden Warrior Kurgan Ancillary Ditch

Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) · Scythian / Saka

Issyk — Golden Warrior Kurgan Ancillary Ditch in Almaty, Issyk, Kazakhstan is a Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) kurgan attributed to Scythian / Saka. Sys…

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Tagisken — Kurgan Field North Mound (Kyzylorda)

Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) · Scythian / Saka

Tagisken — Kurgan Field North Mound (Kyzylorda) in Kyzylorda, Tagisken, Kazakhstan is a Bronze to Iron Age (2500–300 BCE) kurgan attributed to Scythian / S…

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Aktobe Karagash North Cluster Kurgans (Karagash Steppe North Apex)

Late Sarmatian to Early Hunnic (100–400 CE) · Late Sarmatian–Alan / Early Hun

North apex cluster on Karagash steppe at Emba River northward bend (220 m) with 8 kurgans 22–44 m, 1.5–4 m high.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Kurgan

Besshatyr East Sholak Foothills Mounds (Sholak Foothill Promontory)

Saka (550–380 BCE) · Semirechye Saka

Promontory outliers on southwestern Sholak foothill piedmont (745 m) 5 km east of Besshatyr core (674 m Silkadv).

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art

Tamgaly III — Karatau Ridge Petroglyphs

Bronze Age to Turkic (1400 BCE – 900 CE) · Andronovo to Saka-Scythian to Turkic, Chu valley pastoralists

Karatau outlier with 120+ sun-head and deer panels on basalt knolls SW of main gorge.

✓Verified

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art

Tamgaly-Tas II Ili River Bend North Petroglyphs

Bronze Age to Oirat · Andronovo, Saka, Wusun, Oirat

North river-bend schist slabs at the Kurta confluence on the Ili, 1.2 km north of the main Tamgaly-Tas Buddha, comprising 90 panels on flood-scoured boulders and low cliff.

✓VerifiedUNESCO

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan · Rock art

Tamgaly Petroglyphs

Bronze Age to early nomadic (~2000 BCE – 1000 CE) · Andronovo, Karasuk, Saka and Turkic nomadic

Arid gorge in the Chu-Ili massif preserving five major groups with over 5,000 petroglyphs, famed for anthropomorphic sun-headed figures up to 80 cm tall with rayed haloes.

Kazakhstan

Kinds found here

How well established

Top regions

Category

Heritage

Excavation

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85 places · page 3 of 4

Karaoba Extended Kurgan Field (Karaoba Ridge West Chain)

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi

Besshatyr Shylbyr Gorge South Mound (Gorge Mouth South Sentinel)

Taldy-2 Satellite Kurgan (Tasmola South Annex)

Tamgaly II Central Gorge Petroglyphs

Syntas West Kurgan Field (Aktobe Sarmatian Ridge West)

Boralday North Boralday River Terrace Kurgans (River Boralday Terrace North Bank)

Boralday East Ili Piedmont Outlier Kurgans (Ili Piedmont East Satellite)

Taraz Ancient City Site

Tamgaly-Tas II Upper Cliff Petroglyphs

Korgantas East Kurgan (Korgantas Ridge East Satellite)

Aktobe Batpak Kurgan Field (Batpak Steppe Line)

Berel — Kurgan 11 Ancillary Timber Chamber (Kazakhstan)

Otrar Ancient Settlement

Besshatyr Ili River Terrace North Mounds (Ili Delta North Terrace)

Taksay — Kurgan 6 Gold Ornament Cache (West Kazakhstan)

Issyk — Golden Warrior Kurgan Ancillary Ditch

Tagisken — Kurgan Field North Mound (Kyzylorda)

Aktobe Karagash North Cluster Kurgans (Karagash Steppe North Apex)

Besshatyr East Sholak Foothills Mounds (Sholak Foothill Promontory)

Tamgaly III — Karatau Ridge Petroglyphs

Tamgaly-Tas II Ili River Bend North Petroglyphs

Tamgaly Petroglyphs