Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Sauyskandyk
Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to UNESCO
Kyzylorda Region, Shieli District
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Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party
Description
The archaeological landscape of Sauyskandyk is situated on the lower reaches of the Syrdarya River on the territory of the Shieli District of the Kyzylorda Region. It is located 50-60 km north-east of the village of Enbekshi and 3,5 km from the route between the villages of Shieli and Taykonyr on the western end of the Karatau Mountains on both sides of the little mountain river of Bala Sauyskandyk.
Sauyskandyk is a complex of various archaeological sites (petroglyphs, individual and group burial grounds, etc) connected with the different aspects of the social and cultural life of local communities from the Bronze Age to the beginning of the XX century. The burial sites include “kurums” (ground-based constructions with stonework, burial chambers with or sometimes without dromos) and “kurgans” (the earth-embankment above the burial chamber).
Petroglyphs or rock carvings are the most valuable and numerous (more than 3000 in total) archaeological heritage sites of Sauyskandyk. The main concentrations are located on the right side of the river. All of them were made with the ‘picketage’ and engraving techniques by stone and metal tools.
Justification of Outstanding Universal Value
The cultural and historical phenomenon of Sauyskandyk archaeological complex is characterized by its geographical location on the transit corridor of Karatau located on the border of two different cultural, historical and natural areas: nomadic steppes of Eurasia and sedentary oases of Central Asia. Historically the trans-Eurasian corridor of Karatau was connecting the Margiana, Bactria, Northern Iran, Western and Central Kazakhstan, and Ural Region.
The Outstanding Universal Value of Sauyskandyk consists in the artistic evidence of the interchange between the nomadic civilizations of the steppe and sedentary civilizations of Central Asia in the fields of technologies (for example transport remedies and weapons), sacral values and religious stereotypes (demonstrated by the mythological personages and rituals) and other “realities” that together allows to synchronize different artistic traditions of rock carving in the region.
Criterion (ii): Sauyskandyk is a bright visual example of interchange between the communities occupying the areas of the steppe on the north and Central Asian Region on the south. It is located on the north-western end of the Karatau Mountains on the territory of the contact area between nomadic and sedentary cultures. The cult function of this area remained unchanged during a long period of time. Such natural particularities as the beauty of the landscape, presence of water sources, and protection from wind, as well as the availability and good quality of stone materials, demonstrate its importance in the evolution process of the rock carving art.
The rock carvings of Sauyskandyk cover a relatively large period of time from the period of palaeometal (V-IV centuries BC) to the middle of XIX century. Some very important changes in the fields of economy, linguistic and anthropological identity of the local population have happened on the territory of Eurasia during that time. These changes were followed by considerable transformations of cultural and religious practices that left their traces on the rock carvings of Sauyskandyk. Petroglyphs of the Early Iron Age and Early Nomadic Period are closely connected to each other and demonstrate their mutual social, ritual and mythological value for local communities of IV-I centuries BC. Development of social and economic phenomenon of the nomadic civilization, the formation of nomadic states, expansion of the writing system and new religions have contributed to the disappearance of the cultural and social centre of Sauyskandyk and the transformation of the function of the rock carving art. Finally, the modern period is characterized by the progressive extinction of the historical and cultural phenomenon of the rock carving practices of Sauyskandyk.
Sauyskandyk provides information on the historical evolution of the esthetic norms and perception of the petroglyphs by humans, as well as on the ways to transform the natural landscape into cultural on the basis of behavioral stereotypes. Petroglyphs of Sauyskandyk demonstrate the transformation of the main spiritual ideals and social symbols that characterize the steppe cultures and communities. Zoomorphic Saka symbols were replaced by the mythological characters of the period of palaeometal. The new social symbol of nomadic empires – horse solder with the complete military costume appeared during the Turkic period. Petroglyphs of the modern period include the image of the daily life of Kazakh nomads and “tamgas” – the signs used for marking of winter pastures. The Arab epigraphy is another important religious sign of the transformation of the literacy of nomadic societies in XIX century.
Criterion (iii): Sauyskandyk is a unique manifestation of the cultural traditions of steppe communities of Central Asia (especially during the period of not written languages). The high adaptability to the natural environment and the arid climate, as well as the ability to use the transit character of the local landscape in their cult and sacral rituals, were typical to steppe civilizations. The rock carving art transformed the natural landscape of Sauyskandyk (river valley, rock surfaces, and mountain summits) into the sacral landscape or the sanctuary that was corresponding to the basic world view of the communities of Asian steppes of II century BC. Location of the rock carvings and cult complex demonstrate the cultural tradition of the period of palaeometal (V-II millennium BC).
Statements of authenticity and/or integrity
Authenticity
Sauyskandyk demonstrates a high level of authenticity. Apart from the few interventions during the Soviet period, the archaeological landscape of Sauyskandyk has conserved its authenticity and its natural and cultural particularities. The rock carvings of different visibility (the blue-black rock carvings of Bronze and Early Iron Age and light-grey rock carvings of the late period) represent the main component of the cultural landscape. Other archaeological sites are represented by the burial and commemorative constructions (relatively small stones, kurgans and burial stone chambers of a box-type) and ruins of traditional Kazakh winter houses. The petroglyphs have a relatively good state of authenticity despite a few destroyed rocks, modifications of the ancient and medieval carvings and the modern signatures.
Most of the archaeological sites remained in the fossilized state. The traces of previous archaeological excavations (side pilings and excavated shallow graves) are nearly visible or correspond to other sites of the same landscape. Modern anthropogenic interventions had some negative influence on the archaeological sites: the burial chambers were covered with the household rubbish, some kurgans were destroyed. In spite of the vanadium mining site in the neighborhood, the property was not damaged by the mining process. The absence of the auto-roads and modern economic activities on the territory of Sauyskandyk also positively contribute to the state of the authenticity of the landscape. There are only one ETL and one dirt road on the territory of the property.
As a result, Sauyskandyk conserved the historical authenticity of its cultural and archaeological landscape as the manifestation of the rock carving art, and its role of the cult centre.
Integrity
The main natural and cultural particularities of Sauyskandyk continue to manifest their originality. However, a few household buildings and dwellings in the proximity of the mountains with the rock carvings disharmonize the original cultural landscape and require a specific solution. It is also important to provide additional protection for the site in the context of its proximity to the vanadium mining site.
The main element that manifests the integrity of the property is the petroglyphs of different periods from the Bronze Age to Middle Ages. Together with such burial constructions as kurgans and kurums they form a unique complex. Despite the potentially negative impact of the mining site, the rock carvings conserved their integrity. The traces of the archaeological excavations on the territory of some kurgans are insignificant and are not visible on the general view of the cultural landscape of the site.
A few natural factors such as erosion, water penetration and layering of the natural ground represent the main danger for the physical integrity of the site. These factors are aggravated by the extreme continental climate and a very high range of temperature drops. As for the anthropogenic factors, the uncontrolled visits and graffiti-making represent the highest danger for the integrity of the site.
Multiple studies of the site identified numerous rock carvings of different periods that provide the information on the life and world view of the ancient and medieval communities of the region. The above-mentioned studies of the site prove its Outstanding Universal Value and integrity.
Comparison with other similar properties
On the national level Sauyskandyk is going to be compared with three other rock carving properties simultaneously proposed for the inclusion and remaining in the Tentative World Heritage List of the Republic of Kazakhstan (petroglyphs within the archaeological landscapes of Arpauzen, Eshkiolmes and Kulzhabasy), as well as with one national rock carving property already inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2004 (Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly). All of them are located on the territory of two geographic areas: Zhetysu (Eshkiolmes, Kulzhabasy and Tamgaly) and southern Kazakhstan (Arpauzen and Sauyskandyk).
All five previously-mentioned petroglyphs sites on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Arpauzen, Eshkiolmes, Kulzhabasy, Tamgaly and Sauyskandyk) demonstrate numerous similarities: the same vegetation, and wild and domesticated animals (apart from the Bactrian camels more characteristic to the southern Kazakhstan); belonging of the rock carvings to the same long period of time from the Early Iron Age to the beginning of the XX century; the same complex of various archaeological sites (burial grounds, ancient settlements and ancient traditional dwellings) on the same area as the petroglyphs; and the same interpretation of the properties as the sacral and cult areas by the local communities of the past. In this way, all of them are the exceptional testimonies of the disappeared civilizations and cultures that generally left very few written sources on them, which makes them conform to the criterion (iii).
However, the territories of Sauyskandyk and Arpauzen were historically situated on the territory on the borders of the steppe regions of central Kazakhstan populated by the nomadic communities and the agricultural regions of Central Asia occupied by the sedentary communities. As the result, these cultural heritage sites demonstrate the evolution of interchanges between the local nomadic and sedentary communities with a very different tangible culture, which makes them both conform also to the criterion (ii).
In summary, all five reviewed petroglyph sites can be theoretically combined into one serial property of the rock art sites under the criterion (iii). As the Tentative World Heritage Lists of other Central Asian countries also includes several petroglyph sites (for example Saimaly-Tash on the territory of Kyrgyz Republic, and Sarmishsay on the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan), the international decision-making and scientific community can eventually consider a serial transnational nomination of the Central Asian rock art for World Heritage List.
On the international level, typologically the most resembling site to Sauyskandyk and other rock carving sites of Kazakhstan is the Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai inscribed in the World Heritage List in 2011 under the criterion (iii).
As Sauyskandyk, the Mongolian petroglyph complexes are also located in the isolated areas, represent the remains of cultural traditions of a long period of time and were used for the funerary and ritual purposes by the later communities. However, in the case of Mongolian property, the earliest rock carvings were dated by the period of Late Pleistocene. It means that it is much older than Sauyskandyk and other rock art sites of Kazakhstan. It explains the difference of the vegetation and the wildlife shown on the petroglyphs (for example the presence of the mammoths, rhinoceros, and ostriches on the Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai). Finally, the compared site wasn’t inscribed in the List under the criterion № (ii), as it wasn’t situated on the territory of constant exchange between the sedentary and nomadic communities as Sauyskandyk.
At the end of this short comparative analysis, it is worth to mention that all mentioned rock carving sites in Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries and Mongolia are potentially exposed to the same negative natural and anthropogenic impacts. As for the natural negative impacts, it is the soil erosion, water penetration and layering of the natural ground all coming from the fact that these properties are situated in the countries with the continental climate and serious daily and periodical changes of temperature. As for the anthropogenic negative impacts, the highest danger for the petroglyphs represents the uncontrolled tourists and site visitors that can seriously damage the historical rock carvings by leaving their signatures on top of them.