Archaeological sites of the Altyn-Emel Nature Park -
Archaeological tours in the Altyn-Emel Nature Reserve -
Besshatyr is a group of ancient burial mounds, (presumably the place of burial) the largest monument of the Saka era. The mounds are divided into two parts (north and south). The northern group includes large mounds, the largest have a diameter from 45 to 105 m in circumference, and the height of these mounds ranges from 6 to 17 m. The classification of monuments by size allows us to determine the level of social development of the ancient inhabitants of Besshatyr. During the research, 18 mounds were excavated. Three of them are large, the rest are medium and small. There are 31 large and small mounds in total. The mounds cover an area of 1 km from west to east and 2 km from north to south. 21 mounds are covered with stones, and 10 others are covered with gravel (smaller stones).
How to get there, visit -
The Besshatyr mounds is located 3 km from the Ili River bank, on the territory of the Altyn-Emel State Reserve in the Shylbyr basin at the foot of Mount Zhelshagyr, Almaty region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 43°55'22"N 78°12'38"E
Information -
The scientific data obtained during the excavations of the Beshatyr mounds provide valuable information on the classification of ancient Saks by social groups, economy, household customs, religious beliefs, architectural achievements, weapons and equipment used. Six of the 21 mounds of Besshatra have long fences (stone fences consisting of menhirs) (the stones are dug vertically). They consist of stone fences, the total number of which ranges from 5 to 94 stones. Some fences surround all the mounds, others - only the eastern or south-western sides. Many of the stone slabs in the stone fences depict animals such as mountain goat, wild boar and wolf. Some of the fence plates near the village of Bolshoy Beshatyr are decorated with various symbols. Among them there are round images close to the symbol of the sun or similar to the Kazakh symbol "eye". This indicates that the place was not only a burial place, but also a special place of religious rituals. One of the features is the complex underground roads in the form of catacombs, specially excavated under large mounds. The total length of the 6th underground passage is 55 m. The passages were made for religious purposes such as funerals and meals. The division of the mounds into three in terms of external size also corresponds to the type of graves under them. The graves of the mounds have the form of simple pits, sometimes lined with stones. The large mounds of Besshatyr are among the rare monuments of ancient architecture.
Besshatyr Kurgan in the Altyn Emel National Nature Park and Reserve
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