Tamgaly-Tas II South Bend Ili Petroglyphs
Таңбалы Тас II Оңтүстік иін · Tamgaly-Tas South Bend · Ili South Rocks
Late Bronze to Tibetan Buddhism·Andronovo, Turkic Kipchak, Oirat-Mongol Buddhist·🇰🇿 Almaty Region, Kapshagai District, Ili River right bank, south bend, Kazakhstan
About
About Tamgaly-Tas II South Bend Ili Petroglyphs
Right-bank sandstone cliff 400 m south of the famous Buddhist Tamgaly-Tas bodhisattva triad, along the south bend of the Ili River where the Kapshagai gorge widens. The 200-m cliff bears 120+ petroglyphs: Bronze Age caprids and sun-symbols (c.1500 BCE) at river level, Turkic runic inscriptions (8th–9th c.) at mid-height, and 14th-century Tibetan-Mongolian Buddhist votive texts with 5-m Buddha figures at the top — mirroring the main panel but 400 m downstream in pristine condition. The south bend was a medieval ferry crossing, explaining the dense vertical palimpsest of Tamgas, crosses and mantras in three scripts.
Why it mattersPalimpsest preserving Ili corridor's 3000-year epigraphic transition Bronze→Turkic→Buddhist at single cliff.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Translation of fragmentary runes at mid-height
- 02Attribution of 5-m Buddha to Oirat vs Yuan artisans
Theories
- 01Ferry toll sanctuary where travellers added marks
- 02Buddhist reuse of earlier shamanic cliff
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.1500 BCE–14th c. CE (Bronze to Mongol)
- Period
- Late Bronze to Tibetan Buddhism
- Culture
- Andronovo, Turkic Kipchak, Oirat-Mongol Buddhist
- Builders
- Ili valley pastoralists and Buddhist pilgrims
- Purpose
- River-crossing sanctuary and Buddhist mantra cliff at ferry point
- Abandoned
- c.1400 CE abandonment after Timurid shift
- Rediscovered
- 1856 Lerch Buddhist discovery; 1958 Marikovsky south bend; 2012 Kazakh-Japanese epigraphy
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1500 BCE
Earliest caprid pecking at waterline
8th c. CE
Turkic runes incised mid-height
c.1350 CE
Mongol Buddhist Buddha and mantra carving
1856
Semenov record
On the ground
Structures & features
44.0550° N · 76.9950° E · 550 m · 2 mapped features
South Bend — Mantra Cliff (Upper Tier)
petroglyph panel5-m seated Buddha with Tibetan mantra Om mani padme hum and votive deer below, 14th c.
44.0555° N · 76.9955° ESouth Bend — Turkic Rune Band (Mid Cliff)
inscription18 Old Turkic runic signs in two rows, 8th–9th c. Kipchak ferry record
44.0545° N · 76.9945° E