Sacred places of Kazakhstan – Akbaur cave tour –
Akbaur is a monument of the Bronze Age, a sacred place of East Kazakhstan, Ak-Baur is a place of pilgrimage, a sacred cave. We invite you to visit Akbaur, an ancient observatory in the Ulan district. This object is of great interest both among researchers of ancient monuments and travelers. In the cave, rock carvings and petroglyphs are depicted on the walls, which date back to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC.
How to get there
Akbaur Grotto is located in Ulan district, East Kazakhstan region on Mount Akbaur. GPS coordinates: 49°40'50"N 82°41'00"E
Information
Akbaur Cave with a hollow roof and a cone-shaped interior resembling a gazebo was and is a sacred place that many people worshipped. The cave is located at an altitude of 5-6 m from the foot of the mountain. Large religious gatherings, sacrifices, etc. were held in the square in front of the cave at certain times of the year. The content of the rock carvings is quite complex, in the center there are two-legged carts, bulls, tauteke (mountain goats). Around them are depicted various zigzag lines, dots, triangles, rectangles and people, three or four gazebos. These paintings, painted in the era of the Eneolithic, Bronze, mean the desire for the fertility of the earth, the growth of cattle and the soul.
There are several theories describing this object
Theory No. 1: The open-air temple facing the West was used for funeral rites, sacrifices, rituals. Rituals performed near the mountain can be directly related to the cult of the mountains, which are among the most ancient cults. The cult of mountains, sky, sun, rains, animals and plants formed ancient forms of religions. Scientists believe that altars made of stones were a place of religious or other rituals, and rows of stones were alleys for religious processes. About 100 m from the wall you can see a large stone in the shape of a mushroom. According to experts, it was a stone altar.
Theory No. 2: This is an ancient observatory where ancient people carried out systematic observations of celestial bodies, because ancient structures were discovered there, an area on which a sundial was depicted, an "astronomical laboratory" with a diameter of about 25 m with preserved granite stones 2.5-4 m high. It is quite possible that spectators are sitting on these stones watching the actions of priests-astronomers, people watching the Sun and Moon of the Neolithic and Bronze Age.
Theory No. 3: The map of the salvation of mankind. The inscription on the unusual stone contains information about the planetary problem that led to the emergence of a sharp climate catastrophe.
Theory No. 4: Mountain worship was common in ancient cultures because mountains were considered the location of local gods and a place of power. They represented the middle of the world, the junction of earth and sky, the pursuit of eternity and the higher world.
Rock carvings, petroglyphs of Akbaur
White and black deer, peacocks are depicted here. Deer with the Sun on their horns symbolize the significance of the sacred animal for the ancient Eurasian nomad. The beauty and strength of the animal, its bravery and ability to defend itself are the reasons why the nomads chose the deer as one of the signs of nomadism. Even the "saka" tribe, which lived on the land of Kazakhstan in the Scythian period, is translated by some linguists as "deer".
The intended use of Akbaur stones
The semicircular space of the cave is covered with a stone with a heart-shaped hole. According to some assumptions, the shape contains adjustments made to observe the constellations in the night sky.
Sacred Akbaur, grotto, cave, ancient observatory
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