Petroglyphs ” Eshkiolmes “
Petroglyphs “Eshkiolmes” is an archaeological complex on the territory of Eskeldinsky district of Zhetysu region, 14 kilometers from Taldykorgan. It is a gallery of rock paintings of nomadic cattle breeders who lived in Semirechye for several thousand years.
The historical and archaeological monument was named after a low (800-1300 meters) ridge Eshkiolmes in the system of Zhongar-Alatau. Here, in deep and narrow gorges nomads of ancient times arranged their pastures and sheltered from cold winter winds. Petroglyphs and other archaeological sites (burial grounds, settlements) were found in 24 gorges, their total number exceeds 10 thousand. Interesting is not only the number, but also the rich variety of subjects and styles of drawing from the finest engraving of micro-drawings, not more than 2 cm in size, to coarse and shallow contour embossing. There are drawings from the Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, when nomadism began, Saka art, Turkic and ethnographic times are well represented.
Eshkiolmes is an impressive complex by the number of objects. It is one of the largest cluster of petroglyphs in Kazakhstan. The most explored locations are Kuigan and Talapty.
It takes about half an hour to get from Taldykorgan to the petroglyphs of Yeshkiolmes, which are located on the right bank of the Koksu River near Talapty village.
Since Taldykorgan is located in sufficient proximity to the cluster of petroglyphs of Еshkiolmes, it is possible to return to the city. There are hotels here.
