Tamgaly-Tas petroglyphs

For more than a century and a half, the mystery of Tamgaly-Tas (Kazakh: Таңбалы тас) has puzzled researchers. Who were the ancient artists who etched these enigmatic images on the rocks, and what purpose did they intend with this timeless mark? These questions remain unanswered, yet the allure of the mysterious petroglyphs only grows, drawing tourists from all over the world to the Tamgaly-Tas gorge, where they can witness firsthand the rock carvings of animals, humans, and Buddhist deities and feel the power of eternity in their presence.

It is worth noting that Tamgaly-Tas is often confused with another Kazakh historical site, Tanbaly, located in a different area of the Almaty region, which also features petroglyphs dating to the Bronze Age.

The Tamgaly Gorge, situated only 114 kilometers north of Almaty, offers visitors a journey from the modern metropolis to ancient times. Over 4,000 petroglyphs and inscriptions, carved in various historical periods, give a cultural cross-section of ages past. The name “Tamgaly” has Kyrgyz origins, translating as “rock with signs.” The gorge itself, composed of slate with steep vertical slopes, bears clear carvings of figures from multiple eras. The oldest images, from the early Bronze Age (3,500–2,500 BCE), depict animals such as camels, bulls, and deer. Later carvings show scenes of hunting and rituals, often with both male and female figures, offering scholars precious insights into the daily activities, beliefs, and lifestyles of ancient people.

amgaly-Tas also houses numerous Buddhist images and inscriptions written in Old Turkic runes, likely left by the Kipchak people in the late 8th or early 9th century. Among the most famous images are those of the Buddha, beneath which a sacred Sanskrit text reads, “Blessed be the one born of the lotus.”

On the central rock of the Tamgaly-Tas gorge is an image of Bodhisattva Arya Avalokitesvara, accompanied by one of the most famous Buddhist mantras, “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Beside it, an inscription translates to, “I bow to the holy Avalokitesvara.” To the right, on a rock four meters up, is Buddha Shakyamuni with an inscription nearby: “I bow to Buddha Shakyamuni.” On the left side, the image of Burkhan Mangla, the god of healing, is etched into the stone.

The Buddha images at Tamgaly-Tas are steeped in legend. One story holds that in the 10th century, a Buddhist mission on its way to Semirechye camped on the Ili River bank. An earthquake struck, causing a large piece of rock to fall, interpreted as a sign for the travelers to return to India. The travelers then carved three images of the Buddha on the fallen rock.

Another tale claims that a style introduced by the Buddhist monk Zaya Pandita Oktorgui in 1648, known as todoroi nomyn bichig (“clear literary script”), was used to create the petroglyphs. Yet another theory suggests that in the 1950s, during a Soviet documentary film project, images were carved at Tamgaly-Tas at the request of USSR State Radio and Television. However, this theory is unlikely, as historical records mention the petroglyphs long before the founding of Kazakhfilm Studios or the State Radio of the USSR, supported by various studies of the images.

The first recorded study of the Tamgaly-Tas petroglyphs was conducted in 1875 by Chokan Valikhanov. In 1897–1898, Mongolist Alexey Pozdneev published a detailed description of the inscriptions and drawings in the Russian Geographical Society’s bulletin. In 1947, Professor Marikovsky documented these majestic images, later including them in his book on Semirechye.