May
10
2010
Went to visit Tamgaly, the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Almaty for the second time. The first time was in August 2007. This time it was Spring.
I decided to return to Tamgaly for a second time to have more pictures taken of the petroglyphs and under different lighting and with different camera conditions than the first time around. It was clear that Spring probably is the best time to visit the area. The vast openness and rolling hills and green pastures look like a giant golf course as a result of the lush green that sprouted after winter.
One of the carvings Tamgaly is famous for is the one with the human with a sun-like head and more than a dozen dancers at its feet. Yet there are many more carvings from the early Bronze Age up to the Middle Ages. They are all very stylized and in good condition. I will upload my new pictures to the Tamgaly Gallery on this website. It’s always difficult to take pictures of these rock carvings particularly in strong sun light. In this case I have found the use of a polarizing filter most effective to enhance the contrast.
A number of quite remarkable stone graves were discovered and opened at Tamgaly. The are dug out graves lines with slabs of rock some of with are carved, to prevent the grave from collapsing. These graves can be noticed in may paces in Kazakhstan as little overgrown mounds which at closer inspection will reveal that the overgrowth is hiding a mound of rocks piled on top of each other. Many locations with rock carvings also have these type of graves in the neighborhood and they typically are near little streams or rivers as if to connote that the river is the path to the after life, similar to the Styx in Greek mythology.
Spring was clearly in full swing. We saw plenty of herds populated with newly born offspring. Horses were enjoying the pools of water with their foals before it will all dry up this summer. Cows were grazing with their calves and the herds of sheep had plenty of lamb eagerly looking for their moms. No better and more abundance of examples of Spring as the start of a new cycle of life.
While there were no trees to be seen anywhere in the distance of the vast steppe we see quite a number of birds. A pair of white golden ducks but also plenty of green and brown feathered birds. As I’m not an ornithologist I had no idea what kind of bird it was.
Our luck was really to witness a game of kokpar. While we were driving away from Tamgaly, we saw a large crowd of men on horses in the open field at the first hamlet near Tamgaly. As we got closer we saw that a fierce competition was happening between two groups of riders who were trying to fight for a headless goat carcass and land it behind a line on the ground in the distance. The team that lands it across the goal line of the opposite team wins. The melee of horses and riders can be fierce and it shows the strength and stamina of the riders when they are carrying off a heavy goat carcass in one hand while steering the horse with the other and being pursued.
Apr
24
2010
From April 11 through 15 I had another opportunity to travel in all three Caucasus countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.
Gobustan, Baku
After my February visit I went back to Gobustan to see some more rock carvings. This time I visited the Kichikdash Mountain which is just south of the popular and frequently visited Boyukdash Mountain with its visitors’ center. The Kichikdash mountain also has very beautiful carvings of bulls and fish, including one which must be over 4 meter. The views from the mountain top over the Caspian sea are stunning.
Near the Boyukdash Mountain there is well preserved Roman era inscription in the rock in Latin. It is the eastern most Roman inscription ever found. The inscriber was Julius Maximus, a Roman centurion, possibly on a scouting mission from Syria. He inscribed that he was serving in the 12th Legion Under Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus (AD 51 – 96).
Gobustan also has a wide area covered with mud volcanoes bubbling up gasses and spewing mud. The area has the appearance of a moon like landscape. No ash clouds here though … Fortunately I got to go there with a good guide because there are no signs indicating how to get to the exact location. It is definitely worth the detour.
Baku is surrounded by oil and gas wells leading to interesting phenomena like the mud volcanoes or the gas welling up at the Atesgah Fire Temple. A similar experience can been had just outside Baku where you can have a tea or coffee with a snack right next to a burning hill side which is permanently on fire from the gasses seeping out of the ground.
Gori
Gori is a small town about 50km east of the Georgian Capital Tbilisi. In August 2008 it was the point were there Russians stopped their invasion into Georgia. Its real claim to fame though is as the birthplace of one Joseph Dzhugashvili, better known as Joseph Stalin. The town still has a large Stalin statue on its main square and a smaller one in front of the Stalin Museum. The museum is a relic from the Soviet era when it was built to commemorate Stalin’s achievements and preserve his birth home as well as his private train carriage that took him to Tehran and Yalta.
Gori also has the remnants of an old fortress on top of a hill in the middle of the city, at a short walk from the Stalin Museum. Except some ramparts, not much is left of the fortress. It did occupy a strategic location.
The views from the fortress down the valley and towards the Caucasus snow covered mountain range are breath taking.
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is a very picturesque city where big efforts are being made to restore and renovate the old part of the town with it’s unique almost medieval character. Yet, efforts are being made to infuse it with new architecture. The new presidential place overlooking the old town from across the river is but one example.
The Old town, Maidan, also is home to Tbilisi’s sulfur baths with their recognizable dome structures.
Near the baths is the only remaining old mosque of Tbilisi standing their as a reminder of Georgia’s history of being invaded several times in history by Muslim forces. Tamerlane went several times to Georgia to put down revolts.
One of the elements that gives Tbilisi a unique and appealing character is the rows of old multilevel houses with their veranda’s attached to the front of the houses. They are invitation to go up there to sit down and rest while taking in the bustling activities in the streets below.
Armenia
It may have been the middle of April, but spring still seemed a long time away when driving to Yerevan on cold misty roads leading up to snow covered mountain tops.
Apr
9
2010
On Wednesday 7 April I traveled to Pavlodar for a short two day visit with a couple of my colleagues. We left a rather cold and rainy Almaty. It feels like we will not have much of a Spring this year again. Last year Spring was very wet, rain all the time. This year we’ve had snow till the last days of March and since then the temperatures have remained low and we’ve had quite some rain.
As we were approaching Pavlodar it was clear that here too Spring had not swung in yet. All the water in the area was still frozen. The unending serpent that is the Irtysh river looked like a white frosted mirror reflecting the sun light. Unlike Almaty, the sun was out here and the sky a deep blue. Still temperatures remained just below freezing.
Pavlodar is a rather indescreptive town that does look clean and neat though. The one architectural element that stands out from the monotony of cookie cutter Soviet housing blocks is the post independence Mashur Zhusup Mosque with its shocking green dome and with a cone design that looks like its borrowed from a helmet.
While the weather is cold the clear sky and sunshine are an invitaiton for children to discover the parks and lend the colonies of pigeons a hand in surviving the last winter cold by feeding them some old bread.
Last Updated: 10-04-2010
Copyright © 2010 Hans Dewaele – All rights reserved