Tamgaly Tas - the place where the ancient gods live

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The residents of Almaty are not in vain proud of their roots: this unique place has a rich history and nature. In the vicinity of the southern capital of Kazakhstan, there are many unique monuments that testify to the life of nomadic peoples. One of them is the Tamgaly Tas tract - a kind of gallery of ancient artists. In a relatively small area of rocky terrain, more than five thousand petroglyphs and images dating back to the Bronze and Turkic eras have been preserved.

That's why people call this place "Written Rocks".

Tamgaly Tas. Photos, history, legends. Famous inhabitants of the tract

From year to year, thousands of tourists from all over Kazakhstan and neighboring countries travel to Tamgaly Tas. Most of them purposefully move towards the main attraction of the tract - huge rock "portraits" of the three Buddhas: "Enlightened" Shakyamuni, "God of Boundless Light" Amitabha and four-armed Lord Bodhisattva Arya Avalokiteshvara.

Who, when and under whatcircumstances left these images here, is still not known. There are, however, popular beliefs that explain their origin.

They say that monks from India once walked along these paths. They were heading to Zhetysu (Seven Rivers) and had already reached the Ili River when a strong earthquake began. According to one version, stones that fell from the mountains blocked the way for travelers. They regarded this as a sign and turned back to their native lands. A more optimistic version of the legend says that the stones seemed to be deliberately thrown from a great height into a stormy river and folded one by one into a reliable crossing. The bridge, which appeared as if by magic, is still used by local residents.

Such contradictory legends are united by the ending: before continuing the journey, the monks carved three huge images of the Buddha on the rocks of Tamgaly Tas, and left the words of sacred mantras nearby. People believe that if you touch them, any disease will recede once and for all. Such an assumption is not without meaning, because the images of the gods were left only in special places with clearly positive energy.

According to another legend, Kalmyks (nomadic tribes, ancestors of the Kazakhs) left inscriptions in the 17-18 centuries. The writing style belongs to the Oirat Buddhist educator Zaya Pandita Ogtorguyn.

The most incredible, perhaps, version can be called the following: in the fifties, Kazakhfilm made documentary films commissioned by the USSR State Radio and Television. For the sake of this picture, these drawings were carved on the stones. But how then to explain the fact that references to petroglyphs are found in the works of prominentethnographers of the 19th century N. Pantusov and Sh. Ualikhanov?

Nature

But Tamgaly Tas is not only history, but also picturesque nature. The landscape opening from the rocks to the Ili River captivates at first sight.

Here it is, the perfect place to be alone, merge with nature and meditate.

And this is also a great opportunity to try real Kazakh cuisine: there are yurts nearby, where guests are treated to baursaks, koumiss, besparmak and other goodies.

Tamgaly Tas - how to get there on your own

The question is very relevant for visitors. There are two ways to get to Tamgaly Tas: by sightseeing bus or by your own car.

The first option is quite simple in execution - almost every travel agency in Almaty sells one-day tours to the tract. The route, as a rule, includes stops at the most prominent places in the valley, and the guide talks about them in detail.

The road here will take no more than two hours by car. You need to go through the city of Kapchagai, the Kapchagai reservoir and the Ili River. The track is quite good, only on the last short stretch the primer begins. But it is also quite easy to drive along it: it is reliably rolled up by a huge stream of cars striving for an ancient relic.

A festival that unites nations

In late April-early May, the annual international festival "Tamgaly Tas" takes place in these places. The main part of its activities has a sports focus:mass rafting along the Ili, sports mountaineering and motorcycling competitions are held here, national games and fun are actively practiced. At the same time, artisans and simply talented individuals do not stand aside. They hold master classes and flash mobs, demonstrate their skills at evening shows. And with the onset of darkness, all the “residents” of the camp gather around the fire and sing bard songs.

Modern paradox

Tamgaly petroglyphs are considered a national treasure and are even protected by UNESCO. But Buddhist monuments do not have such protection and may soon disappear forever. Some tourists also strive to leave their "mark in history", but they usually do not go beyond the banal "there were such and such." But who knows what will come into the minds of the most inventive visitors. And the forces of nature do not leave the three gods a chance for eternal life. It remains to be hoped that over time the situation will change for the better, and a reserve will be built here.