Buddhist Petroglyphs of Tamgaly Tas (Ili River Valley): К. Larionov and К. Malishevsky’s Manuscript Reports as Earliest Research Sources

Abstract

Introduction. The paper deals with the unique Buddhist culture complex of Tamgaly Tas located in the Ili River Valley, in the vicinity of Kapchagay (present-day Talgar District of Almaty Region). The carvings of pictures and inscriptions have been investigated for over a century and a half since the locality was visited by the renown Kazakh scholar, ethnographer and traveler Sh. Walikhanov. Goals. The work introduces into scientific discourse manuscript reports by the military topographer K. Larionov and Orientalist K. Malishevsky. Results. The article analyzes the research historiography, publishes original manuscripts supplemented with all drawings made by the authors, and evaluates them as sources for further studies of the unique monument attesting to the dissemination of Buddhism across the region during the Dzungar rule.

Keywords

• petroglyph
• buddhism
• manuscript
• oirat script
• oirats
• kalmyks
• tamgaly tas