SECRETS OF ANCIENT SARYARKA: KARNRU ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXPLORE THE TANABAI KURGAN

An expedition of the Saryarka Archaeological Institute of the Karaganda National Research University named after Academician E.A. Buketov continues its study of the ancient monuments of Central Kazakhstan.

Archaeological research is being conducted at the Tanabai burial ground, located in the Bukhar-Zhyrau District of the Karaganda Region. One of the expedition’s key sites is a burial mound complex with stone ridges.

The main structure of the complex is approximately 16 metres in diameter and is surrounded by a circular stone enclosure. The total area of the main excavation site is 490 square metres. Nearby are two satellite burial mounds, from which two curved stone ridges, up to 55 metres long, extend eastward.

🕰️ Researchers have already established that the complex was formed over several different periods. Although the main burial mound was looted in ancient times, its architectural features are characteristic of the funerary structures of the Tasmola culture, dating from the 9th to the 5th centuries BC.

The satellite burial mounds and stone ridges are of particular interest. They are believed to have been used during the Hunnic period, between the 2nd and 6th centuries AD. During the excavations, archaeologists discovered the bones of sacrificial animals and fragments of three elongated, jug-shaped ceramic vessels. Similar finds are widely known among archaeological materials from sites dating to the Migration Period.

The archaeological materials discovered at the site allow researchers to take a fresh look at lesser-known chapters in the history of Central Kazakhstan and gain a deeper understanding of the complex processes that shaped the region’s population during the Early Middle Ages.

According to scholars, alongside Turkic populations, Late Hunnic groups may also have played a role in these processes. These groups are associated with the construction of burial mounds featuring the so-called “stone moustaches.”

Each discovery made by the expedition adds a new piece to the broader historical picture, helping to reconstruct Saryarka’s past and preserve Kazakhstan’s unique archaeological heritage.