Begazy-Dandybayev megalithic mausoleums

Begazy- Dandybai mausoleums are funerary structures in Central Kazakhstan related tothe Begazy-Dandybai archaeological culture (XII-VIII centuries BC). By 1998, 18-і tombs found are candidates for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Geographical location

Archaeological sites of Sal En B yengazy-Dandybai culture, containing megalithic mausoleums consisting of 35 residential buildings and an area of up to 10 hectares Б, are located in the mountain valleys of Central Kazakhstan-Shet district of Karaganda region.

Structure

Begazy-Dandybai mausoleums have a number of common features (square shape facing east, the presence of an upper ring gallery, special supportingе pillars with e mounts), as-well as their size and internal structure. The largest (and oldest) mausoleums are located in the northern part of the Begazy burial ground, near Begazy Mountain. Many mausoleums (but not all) are characterized by a double (sometimes constructed) outer wall, and some tombs have a two-chamber structure. Solid vertical stone slabs weighing up to 3 tons and measuring from 2.5×0.8×0.18 to 3.8×1.2×0.18 m were used for the construction of the outer walls. In part of the mausoleumsгі, the inner walls are sunk to 1.2-1.3 m of earth, the edge is lined with granite slabs. The height of the ground part of the internal walls exceeds 1 meter, and the external walls-at least 1.5 m, which forms the upper circular gallery. The total height of the structure from the base of the pit to the upper edge of the outer walls is at least 4 m. The burial chamber contains a massive sarcophagus and an altar. Simple burials were found near the mausoleums of the Begaza burial ground, which жіктелуіне could be related to the social classification of society at that time.

Cultural significance

The isolation of the Begaza-Dandybai culture, which occupies fertile mountain valleys surrounded by dry steppe, led to the formation of its unique features, which allow us to consider it as a transition period between the Andronovo and Saka cultures.Despite the similarity with the memorial and cult buildings of the Andronovo era, the mausoleums of Begaza differ from them in their monumentality and improved architecture, including columns, an entrance gallery (dromos). Kazakh Soviet archaeologist A. Margulan оoyi studied the monuments for twenty years. The concept "Begazy-Dandybay culture" was introduced into scientific useген (in addition to the Begazy tract, the name also included the village of Dandybay, where the first monuments of this culture were discovered) and defined it as a transition period from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age.

In 1998, the mausoleum of Begazy-Dandiby was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List by Kazakhstan. The Committee of the Tourism Industry of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Kazakhstan has included the Begazy burial ground in one of the five clusters of historical and cultural tourism of the country - the Astana Cluster. Excavations and restoration work are continuing in the complex.