Sacred landscapes of Betpakdala
Bedelbayeva M. Novozhenov V. Zhusupov D.
2023Margulan Institute of Archaeology
Kazakhstan Archeology
2023#22Issue 29 - 33 pp.
The article analyzes the main aspects of the organization of the sacred space on the example of the historical monuments of the Tayatkan-Shunak area. The landscape-mythological boundary marking “its own space” was often indicated by petroglyphs. The center of the sacred space of Tayatkan-Shunak is the location of rock carvings, the earliest of which date back to the Bronze Age. The drawings reflect the worldview components of the traditional mytho-ritual complex of the population and were part of complex rituals. The results of research on archaeological sites – Bronze Age fences and burial mounds are presented. The oldest mythological motifs are organically integrated into the existence of a Muslim cult complex – the worship of the mausoleums of Agybay Batyr and his wife, which is associated with Islamic traditions, but also has a more ancient context – the cult of the dead. The landscape elements consecrated by these historical monuments contribute to the sacralization of space and time, personified in a continuous cultural connection with previous generations.
Betpakdala , Bronze Age , Central Kazakhstan , mounds , mountains Tayatkan-Shunak , petroglyphs , sacral space
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Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography, Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
International Centre for the Rapprocement of Cultures under the auspises of UNESCO, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Karaganda Regional Museum of Local History, Karaganda, Kazakhstan
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
International Centre for the Rapprocement of Cultures under the auspises of UNESCO
Karaganda Regional Museum of Local History
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