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Akyrtas quarry.


Sights of Akyrtas.
“On the road we came across a stone settlement: stones of a completely red color; there are traces of an ancient military camp. In the west, there are large burial mounds, located like stars in the Bear"
Taoist monk Chan-chun. 1221. "Travel from China to Genghis Khan's camp."
Drive from Taraz to Akyrtas.
The eastern side of the Kyzyl-Tash mountain, which is located nearby, on the western side of Akyrtas was used for breaking stones, there was a quarry that stretched for 400 meters. Until now, there are hundreds of blocks, processed and semi-processed blocks, towering mountains of broken stone and rubble.
The distance from the quarry to the construction site was about 200 - 400 meters, and on this path it was necessary to drag stones across the of river, along which a small rivulet flows, which dries up in summer and autumn.
It is possible that the transportation of boulders and blocks was mainly carried out in winter, when sleds made of thick logs could be used. Near the quarry, dugouts were discovered in which the workers of the quarries lived, as indicated by oval depressions, burnt bricks, and fragments of ceramics.
Authority:
K.M. Baypakov. "Medieval settlements on the Great Silk Road". Almaty, Gylym. 1998.
Photos by
Alexander Petrov.