The World Heritage–listed Tamgaly petro- glyphs are the most impressive of many petroglyph groups in southeastern Kazakhstan. Set in a lushly vegetated canyon in an otherwise arid region near Karabastau village, 170km northwest of Almaty, they number more than 4000 separate carvings from the Bronze Age and later, in several groups. The varied images include sun-headed idols, women in childbirth, hunting scenes and a big variety of animals, and are best seen in the afternoon when most sunlight reaches them. The canyon was a ritual site for nomadic people from at least 3000 years ago.
Don’t confuse Tamgaly with Tamgaly Tas, which is a smaller and more recent petroglyph site on the Ili River.