Sights history of Kazakhstan.

 “History is what is happening, which, crossing time, destroying it, comes into contact with the eternal”.

Jaspers Karl Theodor.

Historical monuments of Zhetysu region.

Kalakai Sacred site is located at an altitude of 1812 meters above sea level, located 160 meters from right bank of small river Sunkarbien, in intermountain valley formed by southern slopes of Bayan-Zharek mountains and northern slopes of Dzungarian Alatau ridge, 21.3 kilometers to east and a little south of Kapal village, 10 kilometers southwest of small village of Balasaz, 20.5 kilometers south and a little west of village of Arasan in Aksu-Susky district of Zhetysu region.
Kalakai Sacred site is a unique ancient observatory, laid out in the form of a circle, from small and large boulders. The diameter of the circle from east to west is 91 meters, from north to south - 85 meters. In the central part of the circle is a huge boulder, which covers an area of 36.21 square meters, the perimeter of the occupied area is 24 meters.
In the circle there is a cross made of large stones, which is oriented to the cardinal points. The Sacred site resembles a solar circle. Cross in a circle - the symbol of the sun is repeated in many ancient civilizations.
According to research, the monument dates back to the 1st millennium BC. e. 3.6 kilometers to the northeast there are more than 12 burial mounds of the Saka period. The easternmost part of the barrows stretched out in a chain from the southwest to the northeast and consists of 7 barrows.
There is also a group of burial mounds 2.3 kilometers to the northwest, a short distance from the southern slopes of the Bayan-Zharyk ridge. The burial mounds and the sanctuary create a cultural and archaeological ensemble of antiquity.
The design of the sanctuary is most likely a clock and a calendar. That is why it is called an observatory, where in ancient times the sunrise and sunset, the days of the equinox, the arrival of new seasons, the rainy season, etc. were calculated.
On a large stone in the center of the kraghu there are rock paintings of wild animals and small holes.
Geographical coordinates of Kalakai Sacred site: N45°05'38 E79°18'37

Authority:
Alexander Petrov. "Guide to the Dzhungar Alatau", Kazakh Tourism.

Photos by:
Alexander Petrov.