Tamgaly II — Kungei Gorge Petroglyphs
Таңбалы II жартастары · Tamgaly Second Gorge · Tanbaly II
Bronze Age to Turkic·Andronovo-Fedorovo, Saka, Turkic·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Zhambyl District, Chu-Ili mountains, Anrakay, Kazakhstan
About
About Tamgaly II — Kungei Gorge Petroglyphs
Secondary narrow defile 800 m north of the main Tamgaly gorge in the Chu-Ili arid spur, comprising 5 rock groups on varnished granodiorite with ~400 petroglyphs. Discovered during 1958 Almaty expedition but only fully recorded 2001 Rogozhinsky-Norwegian mission, the site extends the UNESCO World Heritage (2004, no.1145) landscape with a pristine Middle Bronze (c.1500–1200 BCE) sun-head deity gallery distinct from main Tamgaly Groups I–V. Panels show large-scale unique anthropomorphs (up to 1.8 m), wheeled chariots and Iron Age Saka deer, demonstrating the full 3500-year Semirechye sequence in a compact 0.6-km gorge with associated Saka kurgans and Turkic ogradki enclosures.
Why it mattersExtends Tamgaly UNESCO solar-head corpus with best-preserved 2-m anthropomorphs, key for Semirechye Bronze Age cosmography.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Identity of 26 sun-headed figures across five groups
- 02Relationship to BMAC solar imagery
Theories
- 01Initiation sanctuary of Andronovo warrior sodality
- 02Seasonal solstice aggregation site
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1500 BCE–800 CE (Middle Bronze to Turkic)
- Period
- Bronze Age to Turkic
- Culture
- Andronovo-Fedorovo, Saka, Turkic
- Builders
- Chu-Ili pastoralists and Saka chieftains
- Purpose
- Shamanic solar cult gallery and lineage burial marking along seasonal pass
- Abandoned
- c.800 CE
- Rediscovered
- 1958 Maximova; 1988 Rogozhinsky mapping; 2001 UNESCO buffer survey
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1400 BCE
Sun-head deity carving peak
800–400 BCE
Saka animal style overlay
2004
UNESCO World Heritage inscription of Tamgaly landscape (buffer)
On the ground
Structures & features
43.8025° N · 75.5365° E · 1080 m · 2 mapped features
Kungei Gorge — Sun-Head Deity Panel (Group IVb)
petroglyph panel2.1-m sun-headed shaman with club and surrounding bull frieze, Middle Bronze Age
43.8030° N · 75.5370° EKungei Gorge — Chariot and Horse Tamer Fries
petroglyph panelLate Bronze chariot with paired horses and rider taming stallion
43.8020° N · 75.5360° E