Tamgaly-Tas II Upper Cliff Petroglyphs
Таңбалы-Тас II — Жоғарғы жар · Tamgaly-Tas Upper Ili Cliff · Ili Kapchagai Upper
Late Bronze to Dzungar·Wusun, Turkic, Mongol-Oirat, Tibetan Buddhist·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Kapchagai District, Ili River left bank, Kazakhstan
About
About Tamgaly-Tas II Upper Cliff Petroglyphs
Upper limestone cliff 35 m above the Ili left bank at Tamgaly-Tas (Kapchagai), 800 m upstream from the famous 17th-century Tibetan Buddhist panels. This separate terrace holds 60+ Bronze Age and Early Medieval engravings: Dzungar Oirat Buddhist mantras, Turkic tamgas, and earlier Wusun ibex hunters overlain by Tibetan ‘Om mani padme hum’ 14th c. Distinct from main Buddha niche, Upper Cliff preserves the only undisturbed Kartamysh-style deer and Mongol ovoo.
Why it mattersUpper cliff shows continuity from Wusun rock-art to Oirat Buddhism on Ili corridor.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Interpretation of Kartamysh deer style on Ili
- 02Overlap of Turkic tamgas and Tibetan mantras
Theories
- 01River-crossing ovoo shrine
- 02Dzungar propaganda marking Ili boundary
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.1200 BCE–1700 CE
- Period
- Late Bronze to Dzungar
- Culture
- Wusun, Turkic, Mongol-Oirat, Tibetan Buddhist
- Builders
- Ili valley pastoralists and Dzungar monks
- Purpose
- River-crossing shrine and Buddhist pilgrimage marking
- Abandoned
- c.1757 Dzungar genocide
- Rediscovered
- 1877 Pozdneev; 1898 Pantusov; 1957 Maryashev
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1200 BCE
Wusun ibex engravings
1677
Oirat Buddhist inscriptions
1877
Pozdneev recording
1957
Maryashev systematic map
On the ground
Structures & features
43.8950° N · 77.0720° E · 520 m · 2 mapped features
Kartamysh Deer Panel (UC-9)
petroglyph panelLimestone slab with S-antlered stag and hound, Wusun style
43.8955° N · 77.0725° EOirat Mantra Niche (UC-14)
inscription panelNatural niche with Tibetan om-mani inscription and offering cups
43.8945° N · 77.0715° E