1533, 1848 KAZAKHSTAN - Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly (UNESCO WHS)

1533 Petroglyphs of Tamgaly (1)

Posted on 22.04.2015, 24.08.2015
Set around the lush Tamgaly Gorge, amidst the vast, arid Chu-Ili mountains, Tamgaly (which in Kazakh means "painted or marked place") is a remarkable concentration of some 5,000 petroglyphs dating from the second half of the second millennium BC to the beginning of the 20th century. The majority are in the main canyon, but there are a number in the many side canyons, distributed among 48 complexes with associated settlements and burial grounds. They are testimonies to the husbandry, social organization and rituals of pastoral peoples. A huge number of ancient tombs are also to be found including stone enclosures with boxes and cists (middle and late Bronze Age), and mounds (kurgans) of stone and earth (early Iron Age to the present).

1848 Petroglyphs of Tamgaly (2)

The delineation of the property into a sacred core and outer residential periphery, combined with sacred images of sun-heads, altars, and enclosed cult areas, provide a unique assembly. Petroglyphs on unsheltered rock faces, which have been formed using a picketing technique with stone or metal tools, are the most abundant monuments on the property. By far the most exceptional engravings come from the earliest period and are characterized by large figures deeply cut in a sharp way with a wide repertoires of images including unique forms such as solar deities, zoomorphic beings dressed in furs, syncretic subjects, disguised people, and a wide range of animals.

About the stamps
On the postcard 1533

The both stamps are part of the series Cultural Persons, issued on 2014 and consisting of three stamps.

On the postcard 1848
The first stamp is part of a series issued on November 12, 2012, to mark the anniversary of a 100 years of the birth of Kulyash Baiseitova (1912-1957), a Soviet Kazakh opera singer. The second stamp is one of the eight of the series 15th Anniversary of Astana, issued on July 4, 2013.

References
Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly - UNESCO official website
Tamgaly - Wikipedia

Sender: Gulmira
Sent from Astana (Kazakhstan), on 16.03.2015
Sender:
Sent from Astana (Kazakhstan), on 03.07.2014