Mongolia
Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
The Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai comprise the largest, oldest and least damaged concentrations of rock art at the intersection of Central and North Asia.
The petroglyphs are spread out across three components over a large area in mountain valleys at the remote western edge of the Altai mountains. The earliest images date from the Late Pleistocene (11,000 years BP). They extend into the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Turkic period (9th century). The images evoke historical cultural landscapes and lead to a better understanding of pre-historic communities in this area of Asia.
Community Perspective: this site has been unreviewed so far.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai (ID: 1382)
- Country
- Mongolia
- Status
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Inscribed 2011
Site history
History of Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
- 2011: Revision
- Includes former TWHS Tsagaan salaa rock painting (1996) and The Upper Tsagaan Gol Complex (2009)
- 2011: Inscribed
- Inscribed
- WHS Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- iii
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- depts.washington.edu — Rock Art and Surface Archaeology of Mongolia: Baga Oigor and Tsagaan Salaa
Community Information
- Community Category
- Archaeological site: Rock Art
Travel Information
One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “Tourist number is currently tiny”
Most Remote Cultural WHS
The hub seems to be Ölgi (with a domestic airport and 35,000 inhabitants). You’d …
Recent Connections
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Perfect Inscriptions
2011 -
Most Remote Cultural WHS
The hub seems to be Ölgi (with a domest… -
One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “Tourist number is currently tiny”
Connections of Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
- History
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Bronze Age
Large compositions appear within this period (AB ev) -
Iron Age
"This period, which coincides with the Scythian Period, reflects the development of a completely horsedependent, herding culture that dominated the steppes of Eurasia. The images are scenes of hunting and riding,." (AB ev)
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- World Heritage Process
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Inscribed on a single criterion only
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared -
Derived from more than one TWHS
Includes former TWHS Tsagaan salaa rock painting (1996) and The Upper Tsagaan Gol Complex (2009) -
Perfect Inscriptions
2011
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- Religion and Belief
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Sacred Mountains
Shiviit Khairkhan - "The mountain is still considered sacred by local people." (AB ev)
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- Human Activity
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Writing systems
Turkic Period (7th-9th c. CE): "To this period, also, belong a number of runic inscriptions." (AB ev) -
Pastoralism
the high valleys used for summer pastures (AB ev) -
Petroglyphs
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Hunter-gatherers
The earliest images reflect a time (11,000 - 6,000 BC) when the area was partly forested and the valley provided a habitat for hunters of large game. (official description)
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- Timeline
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Late Pleistocene
Oldest petroglyphs date from the Late Pleistocene (AB ev)
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- Science and Technology
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Excavated by American Universities
University of Oregon
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- Visiting conditions
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One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “Tourist number is currently tiny” -
Most Remote Cultural WHS
The hub seems to be Ölgi (with a domestic airport and 35,000 inhabitants). You’d have to stay overnight camping somewhere closer to the petroglyphs
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News
No news.
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