TAMGALY-TAS

The tract is a place of unique beauty

Translated from Kazakh, "Tamgaly Tas" is "a stone with signs". Another translation sounds like "written stones". It is not so important which translation option is preferable, the main thing is that it is here, in the Tamgaly tract, that one of the most impressive, picturesque places located on the territory of the Almaty region is located. Petroglyphs and rock carvings found by prospectors in Tamgaly are known far beyond the borders of the state. The main attraction, of course, is the well–preserved images of Buddhas, as well as the sun-headed man! And also, if you carefully examine the Tamgaly Tas photo, you can see a rock that has an external contour similar to the outlines of the Buddha figure!

Some travelers, when visiting these beautiful places for the first time, may confuse the Tamgaly Tas tract with another place similar in name in the Almaty region – Tamgaly or Tambaly (many rock carvings were also discovered here at one time).

Description of attractions

Written rocks on the Ili River stretched along the winding coast in the immediate vicinity of the most important energy facility of the republic – Kapchagai hydroelectric power station. Scientists believe that in these places more than 500 years ago there was a unique Buddhist temple located right under the open sky. Every traveler, a guest of the country should plan his vacation in such a way as to make a trip to this beautiful place, which will cause a lot of deep emotions and impressions.

The main attraction is, of course, the rock carvings of the three Buddhas. Each of them has dimensions comparable to the average adult.
The traveler will definitely pay attention to the clear, well-developed lines of the drawings. There is still not a single, even the smallest chip on the surface of the stones. What kind of tool was used by the masters of rock art is a mystery that experts are still trying to solve.

If you look around, you can see the slopes of the rocks, covered with numerous petroglyphs depicting hunting scenes, people and animals. The drawings have been preserved in different ways, some are barely distinguishable, others are clearly visible and easy to read.

The unique places of the Tamgaly Tas tract contain many mysteries. One of them is a high rock located in the very center of the ridge. If you "turn on a little imagination", then you can easily notice the similarity of this natural structure with real Buddha figurines (found in numerous tourist shops).

Or maybe it's not nature – but the Buddha himself, embodied in stone, contemplates the world around him?!
Incredibly interesting!