The Turgai Valley, which is located in the Kostanay region, became world famous after the discovery of unique archaeological monuments here, which have no analogues anywhere else in the world. We will tell you what surprises this unremarkable area.
The unusual valley is a depression of erosional-tectonic origin, stretching for several hundred kilometers. It is called the Turgai Trough or the Turgai Hollow. In the north, there are steppes, in the south, the valley is approached by deserts - Big and Small Barsuki, nearby is the Naurzum nature reserve. The rivers Turgai (which gave the name to the valley), Tobol and Ubagan flow along the valley, there is also a whole chain of small lakes.
This area gained worldwide fame in 2007. At that time, Dmitry Dey, an amateur Kostanay archaeologist, was studying satellite images that were freely available in the Google Earth program. It was then that he noticed geoglyphs in the Turgai Hollow - figured or geometric patterns applied to the ground, which are often so large that they can only be seen from a height (like, for example, geoglyphs in the Nazca desert, South America). The discovery of the researcher attracted the attention of world luminaries and became, perhaps, one of the most sensational in the history of Kazakhstan.
These objects are located in one place - on the territory of the Turgai trough, similar images are not found anywhere else, although the steppes stretch for many kilometers further.
Now, 344 geoglyphs have been recorded in the territory of the Turgai trough, some of which have been studied in detail. Most of them are geometric shapes (crosses, squares, lines and rings), which were made up of separate rounded mounds (their diameter varies from 6 to 12 meters). Scientifically, the approximate time of construction of two of them was determined - IX-VIII centuries BC.
In September 2016, the Kazakhstan National Geographic Society (QazaqGeography) set off on an exploration expedition "Turgai Geoglyphs". It was the first in a series of projects to create a new protected facility in North Kazakhstan.
"Turgai swastika", or Turgai triquetra
The largest geoglyph is located near the village of Agashtykol. It is a mound in the form of a three-pointed swastika, its diameter is 94 meters, and its average height is about 70 centimeters. The swastika remains one of the oldest signs in the history of mankind and can have several symbolic meanings - life, movement, light, sun, well-being. The swastika can often be seen in Buddhist temples, where it carries the idea of perfection. The first of these symbols appeared in the late Paleolithic.
The "Turgai swastika" differs from the rest of the geoglyphs in its construction and pattern, the embankment is so leveled to the ground that it looks like a natural mound. It is noteworthy that the "rays" of the swastika are absolutely naked, without plants, but steppe grasses grow wildly nearby.
Dumbbell-shaped fill lines and seven mounds were found near the swastika. Almost all the mounds have been excavated, but one of them has been preserved in good condition. Such mounds represent the burial mounds of chariot warriors, in which the burials of horses and chariots with horses are almost always found.
Ushtogay square
This geoglyph was noticed by Dmitry Dey first, and it was with him that the history of the study of the Turgai geoglyphs began. The “square” is a rectangle, its dimensions are 229 by 276 meters, the diagonals are formed by two rows of mounds of approximately the same size. Some of them have been excavated, apparently, they were trying to find valuable items.
The scan results showed that there are no artifacts under the embankments; most likely, they constitute a ritual structure of antiquity. A large mound was seen near the square, which was heavily looted. It is dated to the early Iron Age. The Ushtogay square is so huge that it can easily accommodate about eight football fields.
Long-term studies have brought out three main versions of the origin of geoglyphs in the Turgai trough.
The first version was put forward by scientists from Vilnius University. It says that geoglyphs were border signs, they warned that the lands were occupied by certain tribes.
The second was put forward by scientists from the university and the archaeological laboratory at the Kostanay State University. They argue that geoglyphs could have been places of worship or sanctuaries.
The third version was formed within the framework of the Turgay Discovery project, according to this hypothesis, geoglyphs served as near-horizon solar observatories or solar calendars at the first stage of construction. For example, if you stand in the center of the geoglyph on June 21, the sun will rise according to one ray, hit the zenith on the second, and go beyond the horizon on the third.
The Kostanay researcher (the same Dmitry Dey), having discovered the mysterious embankments, asked the question: why did the nomads erect these huge religious buildings in the form of lines, rings and crosses?
Bestam ring, 12 geoglyphs in the form of a ring were found.
He suggested that geoglyphs were at one time a calendar. On the days of the solstice and equinox, the sun helps to calculate when nomadic saigas will come to the vast steppes. As a result, archaeologists hypothesized that a complex of geoglyphs could serve to observe the movement of the Sun, like the Peruvian Chanquillo towers or the world famous Stonehenge.
Only 12 countries around the world can boast of having geoglyphs. To prevent the destruction of the Turgai geoglyphs, it is planned to add them to the list of protected historical sites.