As someone who has dreamed of Kazakhstan for roughly five years to date, when I arrived at Almaty International Airport at 4 a.m. in mid-June, it was with my entire seven-week stay planned out. I had checklists, dictionaries, travel guides, and an entire Google Spreadsheet replete with detailed information I assiduously compiled on exactly what my goals in Kazakhstan were. Chief amongst them was the desire to indulge my anthropological side and touch as much history as I possibly could while living on the Silk Road.
An ideal destination for this was the ancient Tamgaly-Tas Petroglyphs, located roughly two hours from Almaty. It’s a locale accessible only after a drive through the famous Kazakh steppe, where, of course, Chekhov’s The Steppe was set. With two friends and rather nebulous plans, we struck out for a seven-hour day trip to the Petroglyphs.
As a bit of background on this expedition, the heart of our nebulous planning lies in the site itself: which one is it? Unknown except to locals, experts, and archeology nerds, there are two famous Petroglyph sites near Almaty: the Tamgaly-Tas (which I visited) and the Tanbaly-Tas (a UNESCO Heritage Site). Tanbaly, the UNESCO site, has sufficient information online to plan a fairly reliable trip. Tamgaly, however, is exceedingly difficult to research in its own right— which, while challenging, made this entire experience more fun. Some intrigue is always enlivening!
Fun fact! “Tas,” is Kazakh for “rock.”
While the Tanbaly-Tas Petroglyphs (UNESCO) date from the Iron and Bronze Ages, the Tamgaly Glyphs (which I visited) are from roughly 400 years ago. Written in a mixture of Sanskrit and Ancient Tibetan, they date back to the Dzungar period in Kazakhstan. These seventeenth- and eighteenth-century carvings incorporate many Bodhisattvas amongst the language panels and pictograms scattered through the rocky cliffs.
Located on the bank of the Ili River that runs past Northeastern Almaty, the Tamgaly-Tas is a sight of majestic geoformations. We climbed and scrambled up to the top of one of the mountain-esque peaks in the photos, squeezed through rock formations, and trekked through the gorge behind the main area of the Glyphs. Though we didn’t partake, we also saw many tourists swimming and rafting in the river! And perhaps the most incredible part of all—on the way through the Steppe to the river, we encountered a herd of wild horses, and drove with them. It was, perhaps, the most exhilarating ten minutes of my life.
Our driver was the hero of the day and consented to wait for us for three hours as we explored the Tamgaly-Tas. An eagle (another symbol of Kazakhstan’s Nomadic history) soared above us all day as we adventured through the rocks. Hidden away from the main section of the Petroglyphs, we found several other sites of shockingly perfect art and carvings in the mountains. Every time we scaled another few boulders, we found more to explore. Though I mourned my lack of a red shirt like the one worn by Yegorushka in The Steppe, it was an enrapturing day and a once-in-a-lifetime experience I’ll forever covet. Our day at Tamgaly had me constantly pinching myself. Surely, this was a dream or a movie, and not real life?
I came to Kazakhstan armed with lists and preparation for language immersion and cultural study. I’ve certainly made great strides in those endeavors, but I’ve also acquired magical experiences I could never have prepared myself for.
Sophia Fitter
Opportunity Scholarship Recipient
Dan E. Davidson Fellowship Recipient
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP)
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU)
Almaty, Kazakhstan, Summer 2025