Tamgaly Tas is located 120 km north of Almaty near the Ili River.
It is famous for its rocks where many petroglyphs with Buddhist inscriptions or images of mystical divine beings are carved. The most famous are the images of Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Compassion. You can also find a large number of stones with ancient Turk inscriptions, presumably made by the Kipchaks.
Several legends are associated with this mysterious place. One of them says that in the 10th century, on the banks of Ili River, Buddhists stopped to rest during their trip to Semirechye. Suddenly, an earthquake began, as a result a large piece of rock split and fell to the ground. This was seen as a sign to end the mission and return to India. Three Buddhas were depicted on a piece of rock.
According to one of the researchers’ versions, the inscriptions on the stones were left by the Kalmyks and were used for more than three centuries by the Mongols, who carved images of Buddha on the rock. Another group of scientists considers Tamgaly Tas to be a Buddhist temple for prayer and meditation. Identical images were found in Kyrgyzstan, China, India and Pakistan.
