Blogs from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Asia

SURPRISING STEPPE DISCOVERING THE ROOTS OF KAZAKH CULTURE Petroglyphs of Terekty-Aulie Leaving the asphalt behind, our driver has to win the fight against the jolty tracks of the steppe – and he succeeds brilliantly. The first stop of the journey: Terekty-Aulie – a collection of rock carvings (petroglyphs) in the heart of the Kazakh lowlands. With its origins in the Middle to Late Bronze Age (about 1500-100 BC), the carvings bear a central meaning for Muslim-Kazakh faith. In Terekty-Aulie we are faced with the remains of past nomadic cultures carved into granite. The word “Aulie” relates to the Arabian name for a saint (“wali”) and alludes to the significant meaning this place embodies for Muslim pilgrims. Islamic Mysticism contains the belief that the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law blessed this place with his godly gift (“barakah”) on ... read more