Boralday Southwest Kapchagay Road Kurgans (Kapchagay Corridor South)
Kapchagay South Kurgans · Boralday SW Corridor
Saka (480–320 BCE)·Saka·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Ili District, Boralday steppe southwest toward Kapchagay Reservoir road, Kazakhstan
About
About Boralday Southwest Kapchagay Road Kurgans (Kapchagay Corridor South)
Southwest corridor 5 km southwest of Boralday Park toward Kapchagay Reservoir (760 m) with 7 mounds 20–48 m diam. Mound SW-5 (48 m) partially excavated 2018: yielded iron akinakes with gold torques and felt-covered timber chamber 4.2 m deep. Corridor aligns to Ili paleo-ford 12 km south (Kapchagay). Road cut 1974 exposed Mound SW-2 stratigraphy published by Akishev. Visitor foot erosion on SW-5.
Why it mattersKey tumulus illustrating Saka hydraulic/geoglyph/kite/kurgan tradition in Almaty Region, Ili District, Boralday steppe southwest toward Kapchagay Reservoir road.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Corridor to Ili ford function
Theories
- 01Ili crossing elite guard
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.480–320 BCE
- Period
- Saka (480–320 BCE)
- Culture
- Saka
- Purpose
- Southwest corridor kurgans toward Kapchagay Reservoir Ili crossing
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.480–320 BCE
Initial construction
2020
Drone/UAV high-resolution mapping and heritage inventory
On the ground
Structures & features
43.3000° N · 76.8000° E · 760 m · 3 mapped features
Southwest Mound SW-5 (48 m) Akinakes
kurgan48-m mound with iron akinakes gold torque
43.3010° N · 76.8010° ERoad Cut Stratigraphy SW-2
earthwork1974 road cut exposing stratigraphy
43.2990° N · 76.7990° EPaleo-Ford Alignment Viewpoint
landscapeViewpoint to Ili paleo-ford 12 km S
43.2980° N · 76.7980° E