Rock paintings tell ancient stories of China, Kazakhstan

Petroglyphs of the Archaeological Landscape of Tanbaly

Located among the vast and arid mountains of the Tanbaly canyon is a remarkable concentration of about 5,000 petroglyphs dating from 1500 BC to 1900 AD, most of which belong to the Bronze Age.

The images are scattered around 48 complexes, mostly human settlements and burial grounds. The five most important display about 3,000 images, such as solar deities, zoomorphic beings dressed in fur, religious rituals, and a wide range of animals.

The images were engraved on hills using stone and metal tools, so that a motif could be depicted on the brighter layer under the dark patina. This technique was used from the Bronze Age (2000-700 BC) until the Turkic medieval period (500-1300 AD).

The dense and coherent group of petroglyphs, with sacred images, altars and rituals, together with their associated settlements and burial sites, provide a substantial testimony to animal husbandry at the time as well as the social organization and rituals of pastoral peoples of the central Asian steppes from the Bronze Age to the present day, giving this UNESCO-recognized site an outstanding historical value.

Rock art originated as far back as 40,000 years ago, much earlier than written records. Though it has been found all over the world, its motifs and styles are surprisingly similar. The paintings discovered on the cliffs in Guangxi and the carvings on the rocks in Tanbaly, share a long, common creation period, and serve as a crucial testimony to the lives and beliefs of the people who lived there in ancient times.