The Zarautsoy Rock Paintings (Uzbek : Zarautsoy rasmlari) are a gallery of rock art contains the oldest petroglyphs in Central Asia. The images describe primitive man's everyday life, and bull and wild goat hunting. [1] The site is located in the Surxondaryo Region of Uzbekistan.
The continuation of the Hisor River valley consists of the Kugitangtau and Gissar Mountains, which have numerous springs that give rise to several streams. [2] One of these streams, known locally as "Rez," originates from a spring near the village of Qiziloqmaso in the Zaraut region. It flows down to the Qorabogʻ, Maydon, and Loyliq villages, eventually joining the Sherabot River. [3]
Between the Big and Small Qorchiq areas in the Zaraut region, there is a wide basin considered to be the source of a small mountain river. Along the banks of this river, with steep elevations on both sides, you can find willow trees, various bushes, and long stretches of rocky terrain. [4]
Zaraut has been one of the ancient mining and craftsmanship centers. There were two galleries in "Koʻpkaritaxti," two in Koʻksoy, one in Choʻchqabuloq, and one in Lalmi Etaga, totaling six mines (their remnants are still preserved). These mines consisted of one floor of Zaraut coal, one floor of raw shale rock, with a fire pit, chimney, and a furnace for smelting iron. According to Zaraut residents, in ancient times, charcoal and iron were exported to foreign countries via the Qiya road through the Katta Qoʻrchiq area. During the war years, the "Red Labor" collective farm workers used this same road to transport limestone slabs from the high mountain to the smelting furnaces. Zaraut's Qorabuloq, Koʻkbet, Oynabuloq, Sassiqbuloq, Shakaraklik mines contained various colored stones such as red, yellow, blue, white, turquoise, and others. In addition to these precious stones, Zaraut had deposits of valuable natural resources such as gold, cobalt, sapphire, aluminum, uranium, and twelve other precious minerals that have been part of its unique historical heritage. The coal from Koʻksoy mines has been utilized by the local population for centuries. [4]
The petroglyphs of Zarautsoy in Surkhandarya region, one of the earliest human settlements in the history of civilization, are known as a significant and famous artistic and historical heritage, occupying a portion of the arid Earth's surface for thousands of years. Scholars and archaeologists from the ancient Ittifoq (Alliance) have been exploring and documenting these rock images as valuable remnants of the Paleolithic era, comparable to paleolithic relics in places such as France and Spain. [5] Scholars and archaeologists in the Ittifoq have been actively conducting research in this area for a long time. It was only in 1959 that the Paleolithic paintings were discovered at Zarautsoy, entering the scientific world in 1939 after the rise of the art of Fan, and were found in the Kapova Cave in the Ural Mountains. [6]
In 1940, an expedition led by G. V. Parfyonov was organized for the initial study of the Zarautsoy rock paintings, in cooperation with the Uzbekistan Art History Museum, the Surkhandarya district, and the Panjikent district in Tajikistan. [7] This expedition revealed the Zarautsoy Red Rock paintings and explored several new painted sites. During the archaeological examination of the northern part of Zarautsoy, a flat stone was found that served as a primitive man's sleeping place, indicating a settled lifestyle. The traces of an early Paleolithic man, known as Duldul Ota, were identified during the cleanup process. These findings included stone tools, and they confirm the Paleolithic era's initial stages. All of these discoveries were eventually transferred to the Uzbekistan Art Museum at that time. [8]
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 18 January 2008, in the Cultural category. [9]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
In archaeology, cave paintings are a type of parietal art, found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin. These paintings were often created by Homo sapiens, but also Denisovans and Neanderthals; other species in the same Homo genus. Discussion around prehistoric art is important in understanding the history of the Homo sapiens species and how Homo sapiens have come to have unique abstract thoughts. Some point to these prehistoric paintings as possible examples of creativity, spirituality, and sentimental thinking in prehistoric humans.
A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images. Petroglyphs, estimated to be 20,000 years old are classified as protected monuments and have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. Petroglyphs are found worldwide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples. The word comes from the Greek prefix petro-, from πέτρα petra meaning "stone", and γλύφω glýphō meaning "carve", and was originally coined in French as pétroglyphe.
In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also may be called cave art or parietal art. A global phenomenon, rock art is found in many culturally diverse regions of the world. It has been produced in many contexts throughout human history. In terms of technique, the four main groups are:
Urgench is a district-level city in western Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Xorazm Region. The estimated population of Urgench in 2021 was 145,000, an increase from 139,100 in 1999. It lies on the Amu Darya River and the Shavat canal. The city is situated 450 km (280 mi) west of Bukhara across the Kyzylkum Desert.
Surxondaryo Region is a region (viloyat) of Uzbekistan, located in the extreme south-east of the country. Established on 6 March 1941, it borders on Qashqadaryo Region internally, and Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan externally, going anticlockwise from the north. It takes its name from the river Surxondaryo, that flows through the region. It covers an area of 20,100 km². The population is estimated at 2,743,201, with 80% living in rural areas. According to official data, 83% of the population are Uzbeks and 12,5% Tajiks, but several sources argue that the Tajik population might be significantly higher in this region, as well as in Samarkand and Bukhara. The highest point of the Region and also of Uzbekistan is Khazrati Sulton peak reaching 4,643 m/15,233 ft in Gissar Range.
Bukhara Region is a region of Uzbekistan located in the southwest of the country. The Kyzyl Kum desert takes up a large portion of its territory. It borders Turkmenistan, Navoiy Region, Qashqadaryo Region, a small part of the Xorazm Region, and the Karakalpakstan Republic. It covers an area of 40,216 km2. The population is estimated at 1,976,823, with 63% living in rural areas.
Engelsberg Ironworks is an ironworks in Ängelsberg, a village in Fagersta Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden. It was built in 1681 by Per Larsson Gyllenhöök (1645-1706) and developed into one of the world's most modern ironworks in the period 1700–1800. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
Tourism represents a substantial and fast-growing sector of the economy of Uzbekistan. The government of Uzbekistan under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has invested heavily in developing tourism as a high-growth potential industry, resulting in an increase in international arrivals from approximately 1 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2023.
Sarmishsay is located in the Karatau Mountain Range in the Nurata District of Navoiy Region of Uzbekistan. The gorge contains archeological remains dating back as far as the Stone Age, including two petroglyph sites with a total of 10,000 ancient rock carvings. According to UNESCO, it is the largest and most important rock art monument in Uzbekistan.
Saymaluu-Tash is a petroglyph site and a national park in Jalal-Abad Region, Kyrgyzstan, south of Kazarman. Over 10,000 stones bear pictures—perhaps as many as 98,000 pictures in all—which are black-and-white rock paintings, making the site a globally important collection of rock art. The pictures have been pecked into the near black or grey shiny desert varnish covering many rocks. Most pictures are from the Bronze Age and show animals, humans and symbols. They may partly be seen as a sacred display of offerings of the ancient people of the lower valley.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uzbekistan:
Boysun is a city in Surxondaryo Region, Uzbekistan and capital of Boysun District. The population was 16,732 as of the 1989 census, and 27,600 in 2016.
The Cave of Altxerri is located in the municipality of Aya (Gipuzkoa) in the Basque Country (Spain).
Rock Art in the Ha'il Region is the fourth site in Saudi Arabia to be inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. The rock art includes two components situated in the desert of the Ha'il Region: the first is Om Sinman mountain at the city of Jubbah, and the second is al-Manjor and Raat at Al-Shuwaymis. An ancient population left traces of their passings in petroglyphs on the rock's surface, holding 8,000 years of history.
Shulgan-Tash Cave, also known as Kapova Cave, is a limestone karst cave in the Burzyansky District of Bashkortostan, Russia. It is located in the southern Ural Mountains, approximately 200 km (120 mi) south-east of Ufa. Located on the Belaya River in the natural reserve Shulgan-Tash, the cave is best known for the 16,000 years old Upper Paleolithic rock paintings and drawings. It contains the northernmost known ancient paintings.
Jubbah or Jubbat Ha'il is a city in Ha'il Region, Saudi Arabia, 90 kilometres (56 mi) north-west of the city of Ha'il. The city lies on the old caravan road between Najd and the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Although completely surrounded by the vast Nefud Desert, Jubbah is known for its abundant agriculture and plentiful water and has a population of 5,622.
Gobustan Rock Art represents flora and fauna, hunting, lifestyles, and culture of pre-historic and medieval periods of time. The carvings on the rocks illustrates men, ritual dances, men with lances in their hands, animals, bull fights, camel caravans, and pictures of the sun and stars. The date of these carvings goes back to 5,000 – 20,000 years before present.
Mangar Bani, a paleolithic archaeological site and sacred grove hill forest next to the Mangar village on Delhi-Haryana border; is in the South Delhi Ridge of Aravalli mountain range in Faridabad tehsil of Faridabad district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies, immediate south of India's national capital Delhi, within NCR.
Fayaz Tepe, also Fayoz-Tepe, is a Buddhist archaeological site in the Central Asia region of Bactria, in the Termez oasis near the city of Termez in southern Uzbekistan. Located 15 km west of Termez off the main M39 highway. Bus number 15 runs past the turn-off to Fayaz Tepe, from where it is a 1 km walk without shade. The foundations of the site date to the 1st century CE, with a peak of activity around the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Kushan period, before experiencing a fatal decline around the 5th century CE, probably with the invasion of the Kushano-Sassanian, whose coinage can be found at the nearby site of Kara Tepe.
