Mongolia

Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai

WHS Score 2.06 Votes 5 Average 2.6

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
Inscribed 2011 Site history
History of Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Rock Art
Travel Information
One thousand visitors or fewer
One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “Tourist number is currently tiny”
Recent Connections
View all (13) .
Connections of Petroglyphs of the Mongolian Altai
History
  • 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)
  • Bronze Age
    Large compositions appear within this period (AB ev)
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Sacred Mountains
    Shiviit Khairkhan - "The mountain is still considered sacred by local people." (AB ev)
Human Activity
  • Writing systems
    Turkic Period (7th-9th c. CE): "To this period, also, belong a number of runic inscriptions." (AB ev)
  • Petroglyphs
  • Pastoralism
    the high valleys used for summer pastures (AB ev)
  • 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)
Timeline
Science and Technology
Visiting conditions
News

No news.

Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

No reviews yet. If you have visited, write one!