3,400 years pyramidal tomb found in Kazakhstan reveals new findings for Turkic history

During four excavation seasons at the Karajartas Mausoleum, situated on a prominent hill overlooking the Taldi River in the Shet district of Karaganda Region, a pyramid was discovered.

Dr Aibar Kassenali, from the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, spoke to TRT Haber and provided an assessment of the recently discovered pyramid.

Based on carbon-14 analyses of the findings, Dr Airbar Kassenali tells that the pyramid structure is dated to between the 12th and 14th centuries BC.

Belonging to Bengazi-Dandibay period, the artistic works discovered in the pyramidal monumental tombs revealed a historical continuity with the art of medieval Turkic tribes, carrying significant common characteristics of steppe culture and the marks of traditional Turkic religious beliefs, according to experts.

Begazi-Dandibay Period

"The existence of multiple pyramidal step-like monumental tombs identified in the region indicates that the Taldi River Valley, located within the Sari Arka steppes, was used as a Valley of Kings for the Andronovo communities during the Bronze Age, similar to the Nile Valley in Egypt, where their great leaders were buried," Dr Kassenali explains the period.

Considering the findings in the burial chamber, it is possible that the steppe pyramid was built for a local ruler who ruled over the Kazakh steppes during the Andronovo period, he adds.

The construction of such a colossal structure in the Bronze Age and in a highly arid region like the steppe is indicative of the high artistic sensibility and rich spiritual beliefs achieved by the Begazi-Dandibay communities, according to Kassenali.

Begazi-Dandibay, whose primary economic activity is the metal export, represents the Late Bronze Age of the region of Western Turkestan

Particularly, the rulers of the Begazi period, constructed the Karajartas Pyramid, engaged in metal exports to a vast area stretching from Turkmenistan's Namazga-depe in the south to Tagisken in Harezm in the west, and as far as the Altai Mountains in the east.

This new phase marked the emergence of a social elitism in the region, shaping the formation of early stages of statehood among steppe communities in Kazakhstan for the first time.

Pyramidal tomb structures

Dr Serhan Cinar stated that there is information about pyramidal tomb structures in the historical sources of the ancient era, related to the Scythian-Saka and the early Begazi Dandibay communities.

Emphasising that the stepped pyramidal monument tombs identified in Karajartas could be early versions of burial structures from the Scythian era mentioned in historical records, he tells "The Sakas were led by a queen named Zarina, and as a result of her campaigns with neighbouring people, she civilised her country and founded several cities. It is also reported that her people built a triangular tomb, the largest in their lands, following her death."

A Proto-city settlement alongside mausoleum

Dr Cinar stated that the steppe pyramid, namely the Karajartas Mausoleum, belonged to a local ruler from the Begazi-Dandibay period, marking the final stage of the Andronovo era.

Being attributed to the Begazi-Dandibay communities, the excavations also unveiled a proto-city settlement named Kent.

Next to the settlements, special sacrificial altars were found where rituals were held. Within sophisticated structures resembling pyramid-shaped mausoleums like Karajartas, there were ritual sculptures carved from small stones in the shape of the human body. Such findings resembled depictions of gods worshipped during annual festivals, similar to the ancient Mesopotamian inhabitants.

As the paintings on the rocks reveal, the Karajartas Mausoleum pyramid was not just a burial site but also served as a sacred space for religious ceremonies for the Andronovo communities.

The importance of the discovery for the Turkish culture and history

The Begazi-Dandibay communities show that they also have a firm connection with the Karasuk culture of South Siberia, which is a constituent of the Proto-Turkic culture, as Dr Cinar expresses.

"In the mausoleums from the Begazi-Dandibay period, the corridors leading to the burial chamber always open towards the direction where the sun rises, as a manifestation of traditional Turkic religious beliefs," Cinar says.

"The round-shaped ceramic vessels found in the graves from this period represent a symbol of cultural continuity in the steppes. They harken back to ritual vessels from the Scythian-Saka period, and in later periods, they form the archaic versions of the traditional cast cauldrons commonly seen among Turkic tribes from the Asian Hun period onwards," he adds.

Another aspect the expert emphasised is the geometric ornaments and tamga-like characters found in the burial areas are also the characteristic of the art of medieval Turkic tribes, marking ethnographic and historical continuity.