Stone balbals in Kazakhstan -
Archaeological sites of the Yereimentau district -
In the protected depths of the Buirattau National Park, where feather-grass steppes turn into granite ridges, the Kumai archaeological and ethnographic complex is hidden - a unique open-air pantheon, where every stone breathes ancient sacredness. This is not just an open-air museum - it is an encrypted message from Turkic ancestors, carved in granite.
As you approach the Kumai River Valley, the landscape begins to change - stone giants grow among the steppe grasses, as if descended from the pages of a heroic epic. The central figure of the complex is a two-meter statue of the kagan, carved from a single granite monolith. His face, turned towards the rising sun, has preserved traces of the skillful work of ancient stone cutters - high cheekbones, characteristic eye shape, proud chin. In his right hand he holds a ritual vessel - kese for "ant suy" (oath water), in his left - a combat akinak, the blade of which even after centuries looks deadly.
Archaeologists suggest that this monument was created in the 6th-8th centuries - the heyday of the Turkic Khaganate. The figure of the leader does not stand alone - he is surrounded by a "retinue" of balbals, smaller stone warriors. Their location is not accidental - it accurately reproduces the hierarchy of Turkic society. Closest to the kagan are figures with rhytons in their hands (probably advisers or priests), a little further away - warriors with characteristic weapons: curved sabers, axes, bows. The preserved ritual site in front of the main balbal is especially awe-inspiring - a circle of stones with a clear orientation to the cardinal points. Here, judging by the findings of archaeologists, complex rites of worship of Tengri, the supreme deity of the Turkic pantheon, were held. Traces of sacrificial fires, fragments of ritual utensils were found in the ground, and next to some balbals - special depressions for memorial libations of kumiss.
But "Kumai" is not only military glory. In the western part of the complex there are stones of a completely different nature - rounded, with smooth lines. Scientists associate them with the cult of Umai - the goddess of fertility and patroness of children. On one of these stones a rare image has been preserved - three suns above a stylized figure of a pregnant woman. This is a unique artifact confirming the existence of a developed fertility cult among the ancient Turks. Today, the Kumai complex is a place of power, where not only tourists come, but also the descendants of the ancient Turks. It is especially crowded here on the days of the spring equinox, when, on the initiative of local historians, the Tengri Tagylymy festival is held - with the reconstruction of ancient rituals, berkutchi competitions and the performance of kyuis. On these days, the stone giants seem to come to life - their shadows in the rays of the sunset acquire amazing dynamics, creating the illusion of movement.
This place does not leave even skeptics indifferent - here you really feel the invisible connection of times when you read the runic signs on the stones, when you touch the rough surface of the balbals, storing the warmth of the ancient sun. The Kumai complex is not just an archaeological monument, it is a living history textbook in the open air, the pages of which are written in the language of stone and wind.
How to get there and visit -
The archaeological and ethnographic complex "Kumai" is located 1.5 kilometers from the village of Karagaily in the national park Buyrattau, the area of the Eagle Mountains tract, Yereimantau district, Akmola region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 51°43'21"N 72°40'16"E
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