Kazakhstan - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Cold winter deserts of Turan

"Deserts are a main and very divers formation of the global biosphere. Most of them are distributed in tropical-subtropical zones with arid climate. But deserts also occur in temperate zones with arid, cold winter climate. There are three regions under quite different biogeographical conditions: Western North America (Great Basin, Sonora), Patagonia in South America, and Central Asia (in wider sense).

The cold winter deserts of Central Asia can be subdivided according to one of the most accepted concepts by Petrov (1965) as in Walter (1968) and Schroeder (1998), namely into four subregions: Irano-Turanian deserts (I), Kazakh-Dzungarian semi-deserts and deserts (II), Central Asian deserts of Mongolia and North-China (III) as well as the high-altitude deserts in Tibet (IV).

Source: UNESCO WHS Tentative List

Kazakhstan - Turkic sanctuary of Merke

The material and spiritual culture of the Turks is expressed and embodied in the burial and ritual complexes of their sanctuaries. They can be found all over the steppe zones of Eurasia, signing the ways of diffusion and the stages of formation of the Turkic ethnos. At the present most of them are severely damaged by the impact of natural and anthropogenic destructive forces. Only the sanctuary of Merke, located at 3000 m. above the sea level, because of its difficult accessibility, is well preserved. It is represented by small "temples" consisting of barrows, empty funeral fences and anthropomorphic steles (balbal): totally more than 170 monuments have been found until now, distributed on an area of 250 sq km of mountain plateaux, defining a space for burials, worship and ritual ceremonies. About 70 of them have steles, single or in group up to four, set in situ mainly on the tombs, sometimes outside the funeral fences, and only in one case 'buried' inside a fence. The fences define a sacred space and the steles probably represent idolised ancestors.

Kazakhstan - State National Natural Park "Altyn-Emel"

The object of nomination is located on the southern macroslope Dzhungar Alatau at a height of 1000-1200 ? above the sea level, almost from different directions is surrounded with mountains. Relief. The mountain relief is obliged by the origin to vault – cloded nontectonic movement ( Didenko - Kislitsina, 1981). The region is various and includes all kinds of landscapes from plains up to mountain areas. The basic part is represented by(with) mountain files reaching 1200-2500 ? in height. A relief from flat slopes up to the rocks, in many cases are observed deeply cut slopes (mountain Chulak, Koktay, Aktay, Matay, Degeres). The foothills are submitted by various types of steppe. On flat sites are observed knobby and khobby – ridge sand combined with extensive between ridge meadow downturn and takur plains. Ground. On the territory of the object all patrimonial spectrum of mountain groud is submitted.

Kazakhstan - Silk Road

Silk Road on theterritory of Kazakhstan is divided into several main sections (parts). Represented and marked by monuments of history and culture these sections (roads) are original and have distinct features distinguishing them one from each other. Most probably, it was the natural environment and adaptation of human to existence in definite climatic conditions that has shaped the originality of a definite section. It can be affirmed with full confidence that the Silk Road is a phenomenon of unification of diversity of regions with the help of universal system of exchange of human values which was created, developed and maintained by people of different ethnical, linguistic, religious belonging during more than two thousand of years of existence of theSilk Road. Four main sections (roads) on the territory of Kazakhstan are being offered for consideration: Semirechye, Syrdarya, Saryarka and Mangyshlak (Uralo-Prikaspiyskiy). Each of these parts is characterized by its natural- geographical conditions and historical development, including urban with clear influence on process of formation, development and stagnation of historical and cultural monuments, situated in these regions of Silk Road route. These complicated processes of indissoluble connections of culture, natural, historical process, influence with communications show not only means of human adaptation to different kind of climate conditions, but also ways of mutual enrichment by exchange of human values and cultural traditions, which reflected in preserved cultural monuments which in present mark the important human communications. Silk Road Semirechye part first of all is marked by historical and geographical region known as Zhetysu (Semirechye). Diversity of climate zones of the region became a key indicator of geographical landscapes and conditions of agriculture. Diversity of zones, among which are: wormwood-steppe, cereal-steppe, motely grass-steppe, forest or meadow and high-altitude indicates location of directions of the Silk Road, situated on these sections of the monuments, its morphological peculiarities. General route of the following of this artery was as following: from Shasha (Tashkent) road which lead to Turbat, then to Ispidzhab (Sairam, Saryam, “White city” or “Al-medinat al-Baida”), then the road lead to the east direction – to Taraz, then to Dzhamukat, then the road went to Kulan (for Chinese Tszjuj-lan’), then to the East and the cities Mirki and Aspara after which it lead to Issukkul kettle. From Issykkul kettle through Santash pass and Karkary river valley the road run through Ili valley and right bank of Ili river, through Usek and Khorgos, lead to Almalyk. It was possible to reach Ili valley by another way – it stretched out from Kulan, Aspara to the towns of middle and lower reaches of the Chu river, from where the road lead to north slope of Chuili mountains and went down to the north Pribalkhashye; or went through Chu, down and lead to the towns on the north slopes of Karatau. On the territory of Ili valley the Silk road line went though small towns, located on the place of present Kastek, Kaskelen and Almaty and reached Talkhiza (Talgar) town. In Talkhiza the Silk Road forked to south and north. Through Issyk, Turgen, Chilik, the south road lead to Ili pass – through Khorgos to Almalyk. North road from Talkhiza went along Talgar river to Ili pass, which located in Kapchagay water reservoir. After Ili the road lead to Chingeldy, then through Altyn-Emel pass it went down to Koksu valley and reached Iki-Oguz (Equius), located at the place of present Kirovskoye village. From Iki-Oguz the road lead to Kayalyk (Koylak) – capital of Karluk dzhabgu. Further the road went to Tentek valley, and passing Alakol lake, went through Dzhungar gates and came to Shikho valley. Ili valley connected to the Central Kazakhstan by the road, which went along the north slopes of the Chuili mountains, then along Chu in its lower reaches and then – to the banks of Sarysu. One more important path was from the north Ili line in Chingildy region and through Koktal and Boyauly passes – in Pribalkhashye, then – along Ortasu channel (Ili river), where there are residues of Karamergen, Aktam and Agashayak towns, to Balkhash shore, then on Uzun-Aral peninsula, which almost connect south and north shores of the lake, leaving strait in width more than 8 km. Here in the cape, there were found rests of the town, the biggest part of which was floud. Probably the caravans passed wade the strait and went to outfall of Tokrau river and then along its banks went to Ulutau foothills. Syrdarya part is marked by well preserved rests of cultural landscapes of oasises and towns saved in conditions of present steppe, desert an semi-desert area and adjusted to big water arteries (Chu, Syrdarya, Arys, Bugun). In western direction from Ispidzhab caravan road lead to Arsubaniket on Arys river, to Otrar (Farab), and then down Syrdarya- in Priaralye. On Syrdarya part the biggest towns were Otrar (Farab) and town of Otrar oasis, Yassy (Turkestan), Shavgar, Sauran, Sygnak, towns of Dzhetyasar oasis, Dzhent, Dzhankent, Khuvara. From Dzhankent the road went to north-eastern side, came to the banks of Beleuty river and lead to Kounrada, Karasakpay region. Saryarka part laid on the territory of the “Great Steppe” of the Central Kazakhstan – Desht-I Kypchak. Monuments of this region bent for many small rivers, Ulytau foothills, banks of Ishim, Nura, Sarysu, Irtysh. Sarysu path lead to the Central Kazakhstan: from Otrar through Shavgar and Turgay pass on Aksumbe, it went to the lower Sarysu and up along the river to Ulytau, and from there to Ishim along Irtysh. The shorter pathwent through Suzak to the Lower reaches of the Chu, and from there – through Betpak-Dala desert – to Dzhezkazgan region. One more road “Khanzhol” was used till present time: it was from Taraz down along Talas through Muyunkum and Betpak-Dala sands to the banks of Atasu river. According to the data of Tamim ibn Bakhra and al-Idrisi, there was a trade path to Kimaks in Irtysh from Taraz through Adakhkes and Dekh Nujikes towns. Ili valley connected with the Central Kazakhstan by the road which went along north slopes of Chu-Ilii mountains, then along Chu river in its lower reaches to the Sarysu banks, and also northern Ili route, described above. From northern Ili road, which lead to Djungar gates, there was a direction, rounded Alakol from western side and through Tarbagatay lead to Irtysh – to the land of kimaks state with the Bandzhar, Khanaush, Astur, Sisan and “capital” of khakan. On Ishim river these roads lead to Bozok town then lead to the north and west. Mangyshlak (Uralo-Prikaspiyskiy) part of the Silk Road, located along eastern bank of the Caspian sea, situated in essential natural landscape of deserts and semi-deserts, differentiated by wide diversity of its natural complex and extremal climatic and natural conditions. Population of these regions was a conglomerate of nomad and cattle-breeding tribes, who controlled trade roads, adjusted to the system of wells, springs, small rivers, what had influenced on material monuments of the cultureof the region. It was possible to reach lower Ural and Volga from Urgench, following the road of Ustyurt caravanserais. On this part of the road there was situated Kyzylkala town. Passing by the territories of Southern and Northern Priaralye the trade arteries lead to the towns on Ural (Zhaiyk) river: Saraichik and Zhaiyk towns. Then they lead the caravans to thewestern direction-to the Europe, Crimea and Caucasus, and also to the “Zhaiyk road” to the Esatern Priuralye, Ural and Povolzhye. Directions of the Silk Road were not static: during the centuries the biggest significancy received first one then another parts and nets; some of them died out totally, and towns and trade stations came to default. We can define period of intensive functioning of the parts of the Silk Road stated above. In VI-VIII the main line was Syria – Iran – Central Asia – Southern Kazakhstan – Talass valley – Chu valley – Issykkul kettle – Eastern Turkestan. Branch of this road lead to the mentioned above line from Byzantine through Derbent in Prikapispiyskiy steppe, and Mangyshlak, in Priaralye, in Southern Kazakhstan (in Sasanid Iran, after concluding trade-diplomatic union between Western-turk kaganat and Byzantine). In IX-XII this route was used with less intension, but in XIII-XVI it started to function again (in connection with the appearance of Mongol Empire). I. Semirechye sector of the Silk Road include the following objects on this nomination: 1. Antonovka ancient settlement - medieval Kayalyk (Kaylak); 2. Talgar ancient settlement; 3. Karamergen ancient settlement; 4. Aktobe Stepninskoye ancient settlement; 5. Akyrtas archeological complex; 6. Ornek encient settlement; 7. Kulan ancient settlement; 8.Kostobe ancient settlement. II. Syrdarya sector of the Silk Road include the following objects on this nomination: 9. Zhuan tobe ancient settlement; 10. Karaspan tobe ancient settlement; 11. Borizhary burial ground; 12. Kul tobe ancient settlement; 13. Monuments of Otrar oasis; 14Turkestanancient settlement; 15. Sidak ancient settlement; 16. Sauran ancient settlement (Sauran archeological complex); 17. Sygnak ancient settlement; 18. Monuments of Dzhetyasar oasis; 19. Zhankala (Dzhend) ancient settlement; 20. Zhankent ancient settlement; 21. Kuyuk-kesken kala ancient settlement; 22. Chirik-Rabat ancient settlement; 23. Babish-mulla ancient settlement; 24. Balandy settlement; III. Saryarka sector of theSilk Roadincluded the following objects on this nomination: 25. Bozok ancient settlement; IV.Mangyshlak or Uralo-prikaspiyskiy sector of the Silk Road include the following objects on this nomination: 26. Kyzylkala ancient settlement. 27. Zhayik ancient settlement; 28. Saraychik ancient settlement V. “Early Period ofSilk Roadformation (prehistory)” category on this nomination included the following objects: 29. Boralday necropolis; 30. Issyk necropolis; 31. Besshatyr necropolis.

Kazakhstan - Petroglyphs of Eshkiolmes

The Eshkiolmes mountain range, a 30 km long western spur of the Dzungar Alatau system on the north of the Koksu river, houses numerous archaeological objects from Late Bronze to Middle Ages. The main group is located in the middle part of the valley: settlements, burials and petroglyphs of Late Bronze and Early Iron epochs belonging to the same cultural complex. The petroglyphs are the most remarkable remains: more than 4000 well preserved engravings spanning from the very beginning of the nomadic society to the Middle Ages. The specificity of the petroglyphs of Eshkiolmes, if compared with other large petroglyphs' sites, is the big variety of techniques, topics and styles, and their analogy with other artistic performances of the nomadic cultures, as castings, applications, bones' engravings, etc. Remarkable is also their detailed attention in the representation of clothes, arms and tools, obtained by the use of graffito techniques, so that the comparison of their representations with other archaeological findings permitted the dating of petroglyphs' groups and the individuation of stages in their execution. Being that the most important part of them corresponds to the Early Iron epoch, the petroglyphs of Eshkiolmes represent an exceptional testimony of arts, culture and way of life of the early nomads of Semirechie, and of the imitative tradition that followed during the I° millennium BC.

Kazakhstan - Petroglyphs of Arpa-Uzen

Arpa-Uzen is a naturally circumscribed area, a gorge limited by the Karatau mountains in the South, and protected from the northern winds by hills. Because its favorable climate and landscape, the many suitable rock surfaces, and its position on a corridor of ancient migrations, it has been chosen by ancient inhabitants as a main place for petroglyphs. It houses more than 3500 images, the largest collection In S Kazakhstan. It constitutes the most important testimony of the culture and way of life of the people inhabiting and crossing the steppes and semi-deserts of the region during the Late Bronze and Early Iron epochs. Their stylistic analysis, compared with the one of other sites, gives information on the centers of formation and ways of diffusion of the pastoralist cultures of the steppes, and on their interchanges with the settled centers of the southern regions. Images of animals peculiar of steppe shepherds (domestication, harness and sacrifice of camels; horses with fringes analogous to the representations of the Seismino-Tubino bronze castings, etc.) can be detected, together with southern influences from Transoxiana, Zagros mountains and Mesopotamia. Furthermore, the fact that the petroglyphs of the Iron epoch have been engraved with organic attention on the same surfaces of the Bronze epoch ones, the Saka animal style covering the early styles in such a way to form an indivisible composition and palimpsest, that fact permits the study of the successive unbroken inheritance of the sanctuary, and gives information about the genesis and formation of the culture and arts of the Saka tribes as rooted in the early epochs.

Kazakhstan - Petroglyph Site of Sauyskandyk (XVIII BC – III AD)

Petroglyph Site of Sauyskandyk is situated on the lower reaches of the Syrdarya River on the territory of the Shielinskiy District of Kyzylorda Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The site is situated 50 km to the north from the village of Enbekshi and 3,5 km from the route between the villages of Shieli and Taykonyr on the western end of the Karatau Mountains. The site is situated on both sides of the little mountain river of Bala Sauyskankyk between Ulken Sauyskankyk and Bala Sauyskankyk. Karatau Mountains has multiple water sources. Due to this factor the region was always a favorable area for different communication roads between Margiana and Bactria, Northern Iran, Western and Central Kazakhstan, and Ural Region. These multiple contacts have left numerous traces on the material culture of the region.

Kazakhstan - Paleolithic sites and geomorphology of Karatau mountain range

The Karatau mountain range, situated north of the middle course of the Syrdaria river, is a tectonic uplift to 1500 m. that happened 1.5-1 million years ago. It shows today, on its top, fragments of former plains, on the slopes, evident layers of the phases of formation; on its feet fossil terraces and the world-wide unique phenomenon of griffons, resurgences of underground waters sedimenting carbonates. For these reasons, the area is an important polygon of geological studies. Besides its geological importance, the Karatau mountains assume an ever greater paleonthological importance for the presence of exclusive and extremely well preserved fossils belonging to the early pleistocenic fauna (Koskurganskaya fauna: equus mostbahensis, elasmarii sibiricum, strutio species, etc.), and for its Paleolithic sites where stone tools assemblages have been found that represent the all process of development of stone-ages cultures from the early stages of the Early Paleolithic (1 million BP) to the Neolithic period (6500 BP).

Kazakhstan - Northern Tyan-Shan (Ile-Alatau State National Park)

The natural object of nomination is located on the northern macrohillside of the ridge Trans-Ili Ala-Tau, which is the part of Northern Tyan Shan physical geographic province (Gvozdetskiy, Nikolaev, 1971). Relief. The ridge of Trans-Ili Ala-Tau is complex and by its topology relates to the northern spur of Tyan Shan. The territory is peculiar of vertical zonality or belt character of relief, that specified a wide variety of landscapes. The high-mountainous (upper) nival glacial chord encompassing paraxial part of the ridge, occupies altitudes of 3000 m above sea level. This band is of "alpine" character, with sharp tops, steep stony declines. Northern and southern slopes of the ridge abound of incuts of glacier kars, semicircular circuses, with a diameter of several hundred meters. It is the main place of formation of glaciers. Their tongues are penetrating into spur valleys of the head rivers. The largest glaciers have length of up to 6 kms and area of up to 18 sq. kms. At the whole northern macroslope of Trans-Ili Ala-Tau there are more than 300 glaciers, total area of which more than 300 sq. kms. The glaciers are frequently surrounded with a border of massive clumpy moraines, which are tending down the valleys down to the altitude of 2 750 m. Below chord of modern glaciation stages of connate kars, of slope valleys are seen, as well as "lenses" of a permafrost (basin of the river Turgen).

Kazakhstan - Megalithic mausolea of the Begazy-Dandybai culture

The archaeological sites of the Begazy-Dandybai culture (Xll-VIII century BC) are located in picturesque mountain valleys of Central Kazakhstan. They are represented by necropolis, menhirs, settlements, ancient mines and smelting places. The main monuments are megalithic mausolea by reason of their exclusive constructive and architectural character: about 18 of them have been found until now. They have square and oval plan, diameter up to 30 m. As a rule, they consist of two or three perimeter walls made by stone masonry or by vertical stone slabs weighting up to 3 tons: they fence a central room and, covered by slabs, make a gallery around it In some sites, an entrance chamber is also built. The central chamber has a roof also made by stones and supported by up to 14 square pillars: it contains a massive sarcophagus and an earthen altar. The mausolea exist side by side with ordinary burials, showing signs of social stratification and of cult of ancestors. Not far from them, large settlements up to 10 ha., with 35 houses, are found, kinds of prototowns. The houses too are made by granite slabs, with pillars and walls 1,5 m. thick and connected each other by corridors. There is evidence of a wealthy economical organisation: practice of agriculture, irrigation, animal husbandry, and exploitation of the rich deposits of non ferrous metals of the region. Because its location quite isolated in a fertile mountain area surrounded by dry steppes, the Begazy-Dandybai culture acquired very specific characters; it had certainly been the original centre of formation, on the same territory, of the following pastoralist nomadic culture of Tasmola, and the historical link between Andronovo and Sakas cultures. Its artefacts have some similarities with thc contemporary Karasuk culture, but its megalithic architecture doesn't meet any other analogue. Unique in its gender is also the rural pottery found in the mausolea, and the bronze and golden wares that will influence the ones of the following early nomadic culture of Tasmola.

Kazakhstan - Cultural landscape of Ulytau

The cultural landscape of Ulytau is situated in the semi-desertic zone of Central Kazakhstan and it shows all its typical natural features: low mountains, conical-shaped hills, plains, river valleys and lakes. It includes places of exceptional natural beauty, natural habitats of rare species like relict plants, local botanical and zoological varieties, migratory routes for waterfowl (some of them on the red book like the Black Stork and the Pink Flamingo). The region is on the main north-south vegetation corridor of Kazakhstan and has been inhabited from the earliest times: around 4500 BC it has been colonized by Neolithic cultures coming from south and attracted by its riverine and lacustrine habitats; during the Bronze age charioteers from the west came looking for metals; possibly an important center of formation of nomadic cultures during the iron ages. Its political and historical importance reached its peak during the Middle Ages, when the region became a main corridor of migrations of tribes and got its present name (Ulytau is a Turkish name and means 'great mountain'): during the Turkic period it has been the core of the Dasht-i-Kipchak steppes and the political center of the Ogouz--Kipchak Khaganates; under the Mongols it has been a secret burial place of the Gengis Khan descendants and of the Golden Horde khans, second in importance only to the burial area of Burkhan-Kaldun in Mongolia; and then it became a political centre of the Uzbek and Kazakh khans. The archaeological remains of the Ulytau landscape show full evidence of all the phases of the human history and of the human interaction with the natural environment: ancient mines, settlements, burials, petroglyphs, anthropomorphic steles, hillforts and towers, medieval towns and mausolea. The mausoleum of the mythical first khan of the Kazakhs, Alasha khan, is located here; and so the only three preserved mausolea of the Golden Horde, the ones of Jochi-Khan, Ayak-Khamir and Balgan-Ana. The ethnographic period is represented by necropolis and living buildings of the Kazakh nobility. Ancient nomadic traditions of horse-breeding, folklore and handicrafts have been preserved till today.

Kazakhstan - Barrows with stone ranges of the Tasmola culture

The relics of the Tasmola culture belong to the Saka period (VII-III BC) and most of them are located in the same area of the precedent Begazy-Dandybai culture, in picturesque valleys surrounded by mountains, in Central Kazakhstan. The main monuments of the culture are stone complexes having as dominant characters: one up to four stone barrows, accompanied by menhirs, single or in group, and by two curved stone ranges ('moustaches') 50-200 m. long, departing from the barrows and going east. This last element is an exclusive feature of the Tasmola culture. The barrow, when single, contains always pottery, traces of fire and horse skeletons, but never human remains. The beginning and the end of the stones' ranges show alignments with equinoctial, solstitial and / or midsummer sunrise points. The monuments are often located near barrows with burials of noblemen and priests, but also near burials of ordinary people, settlements and mines, so their function doesn't seem to be specifically funerary. Their main elements suggest the possibility that they have been ritually built by the first steppe nomads during grandiose celebrations and horse sacrifices. The new religious syncretism between sun, horse, fire and hero-ancestors is the ideological reflection of the socio-economical changes that happened in the steppes at the beginning of the I° millennium and that survived until our century: the establishment of the pastoralist nomadic way of life based on horse riding and long-range annual transurnances, and its social regulation by tribal confederation and aristocratic stratification. The barrows with stone ranges of Tasmola are representing the first turning point of this immense historical process. About 300 barrows with stone ranges have been found in Kazakhstan. Only few of them have been archaeologically excavated. The 75% are concentrated in the territory under consideration; the others spread in every direction in the other regions of the country, showing the power of diffusion of the Tasmola culture.

Kazakhstan - Aksu-Zhabagly state natural reserve

The reserve territory is representative for Western Tien-Shan province, landscapes of which, as against eastern regions of Tien-Shan, more similar to the countries of Middle Asia and Mediterranean. Ridges of the reserve are characterized by predominance of hillside, deeply splitted relief which had been developed in Paleozoic soils; chalkstones, shales and quartzites are widespread here. River valleys are narrow and deep, very often in the form of canyons. The feature of vertical zonality is total absence of spruce forests: the girdle of softwood forest is represented by tall archas, specific for mountains of Pamir and Altai. Permanent snow line in mountains of the reserve is located at the altitude of 3300 m above sea level. Above this horizontal boreal declines of mountains are covered by snowfields, and in hollows glaciers lie, upwards the rivers Dzhabagly and Kshi-Aksu there are 49 glaciers with the square of 12.5 sq. km. (Vilesov, 1976). All glaciers of the reserve are pendulous, some of them form beautiful ice cascades - for example, upwards the river Dzhabagly. Climate The prevailing influencing on Western Tien-Shan province is rendered by atmospheric processes, typical for the Mediterranean sector (Climate of Kazakhstan, 1959)