Besshatyr East Sholak Foothills Mounds (Sholak Foothill Promontory)
Sholak Foothill Mounds · Besshatyr East Promontory
Saka (550–380 BCE)·Semirechye Saka·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Altyn-Emel NP, Sholak foothills / southwestern Sholak piedmont east of Besshatyr, Kazakhstan
About
About Besshatyr East Sholak Foothills Mounds (Sholak Foothill Promontory)
Promontory outliers on southwestern Sholak foothill piedmont (745 m) 5 km east of Besshatyr core (674 m Silkadv). Five mounds 20–36 m diam on 6° piedmont slope with views 12 km down Besshatyr valley to Ili. Mound 27 (36 m) with stone cist and gold eagle plaque (style Issyk). Foothill colluvium thicker; mounds show stone apron erosion tails 12 m downslope. Park route 2 (Besshatyr & Tanbaly Tas) passes 800 m west.
Why it mattersKey kurgan illustrating Semirechye Saka hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Almaty Region, Altyn-Emel NP, Sholak foothills / southwestern Sholak piedmont east of Besshatyr.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Apron tail ritual vs erosion
Theories
- 01Promontory lookout mounds
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.550–380 BCE
- Period
- Saka (550–380 BCE)
- Culture
- Semirechye Saka
- Purpose
- Foothill promontory outliers above Besshatyr valley
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.550–380 BCE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
43.8000° N · 78.6000° E · 745 m · 3 mapped features
Promontory Mound 27 (36 m) Eagle Plaque
kurgan36-m mound with Issyk-style eagle plaque
43.8010° N · 78.6010° EErosion Apron Tail (12 m)
earthwork12-m downslope stone apron tail
43.7990° N · 78.5990° EValley Viewpoint Sholak
landscape12-km viewpoint down Besshatyr valley to Ili
43.8020° N · 78.6020° E