Winding lines
Snakes and animals on one stone.
Lymantria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lymantria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lymantria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lymantria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lymantria — CC BY-SA 4.0
Saimaluu-Tash is one of the most important collections of rock art in Central Asia, lying at about 3,200 m in the Fergana Range south of Kazarman village. Its Kyrgyz name means «embroidered» or «patterned stones». No car can reach it, so getting there is part of the experience. More than 10,000 stones carry pictures, perhaps as many as 98,000 of them, most dating from the Bronze Age between 2500 and 900 BC. They were pecked into the dark, shiny coating on the rocks, exposing a paler surface beneath. Kyrgyzstan placed the site on its UNESCO tentative list in 2001, and the same year a nature park of about 320 sq km was created around it. The stones are spread across two high valleys separated by a low ridge. You see animals with long horns, oxen, snake-like winding lines, human figures and circular sun-like symbols. Some stones carry a whole scene across their surface, and the lines read most clearly when the light is low. The site is about 31 km in a straight line from Kazarman and about 74 km from Jalal-Abad city. From Kazarman a 4WD covers part of the way, then it is a strenuous half day to a full day on foot or horseback. Snow limits access to roughly July and August, and there are no services, so bring a tent, food and a guide. Do not touch the carvings.
Snakes and animals on one stone.
A large pecked circle.
Black stone fields at 3,200 m.
Fergana Range, south of Kazarman, Jalal-Abad Region
No. A 4WD covers part of the way, then you continue on foot or horseback for half a day or more.
Only around July and August, as snow covers the carvings and blocks the way for the rest of the year.