Tsagaan Salaa North Ridge Rock Art
Цагаан Салаа — Хойд нуруу · Tsagaan Salaa North · Baga Oigor North Ridge
Bronze Age to Early Medieval·Andronovo, Saka, Turkic·🇲🇳 Bayan-Ölgii Province, Ulaankhus Sum, Altai Tavan Bogd, Mongolia
About
About Tsagaan Salaa North Ridge Rock Art
North ridge of Tsagaan Salaa valley exposing 200+ Bronze Age horse-herd processions and Early Kalgutinsky ibex, part of 20 km Tsagaan Salaa–Baga Oigor complex dated Late Pleistocene–Turkic. Petroglyphic Complexes of Mongolian Altai UNESCO tentative.
Why it mattersKey petroglyph sequence for pastoral rock-art tradition.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Interpretation of anthropomorphs
- 02Chronology of overlays
Theories
- 01Solar cult
- 02Clan territory marker
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.2000 BCE–800 CE
- Period
- Bronze Age to Early Medieval
- Culture
- Andronovo, Saka, Turkic
- Builders
- Steppe pastoralists
- Purpose
- Open-air shrine and clan territorial marking in mountain corridor
- Abandoned
- c.800 CE
- Rediscovered
- 19th c. antiquarians; systematic 1946–1960
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.2000 BCE
Earliest peckings
c.800 BCE
Saka recarving
1950s
Systematic mapping
2004
Heritage listing
On the ground
Structures & features
49.3320° N · 88.2420° E · 2680 m · 2 mapped features
North Ridge — Horse Herd Panel (NR-9)
petroglyph panel12-m slab with 22 horses in procession, Bronze Age peck
49.3325° N · 88.2425° EKalgutinsky Ibex (NR-18)
petroglyph panelEarly style ibex with exaggerated horns, Late Pleistocene style
49.3315° N · 88.2415° E
Gallery