Sarmish-Say Petroglyphs

Sarmish-Say, The Bronze Age Art Gallery - Petroglyphs

Sarmish-say is a river gorge on the south slope of the Karatau mountain ridge belonging to the Zarafshan mountain range. It is situated about 30 km northeast of the city of Navoi, which is about 170 km southwest of Samarkand.

The petroglyphs(the carved drawings of primitive people) from the Bronze Age (ca 6000-4000 BC), with a total number of more than 4000 thousands, constitute the most important part of the archaeological landscape of Sarmish-say. They are spread all over the territory of the site - at the first sight rather spontaneously, wherever the suitable rock material is found, but in fact their location is determined by certain natural conditions of the landscape, and also by the cultural and functional contents of its particular elements.

The best examples of petroglyphs of all epochs are concentrated in the picturesque canyon, that has rather limited conditions for the building of settlements, but is most suitable for the rock art activity and, probably, for the collective rituals. Also, there are single petroglyphs and simple compositions of the common contents (depictions of animals and scenes of hunting) found on separate stones near the sources of water, along the transit mountain routes and on the tops of hills or mountainous stones dominating there. Nevertheless, despite of the high concentration of petroglyphs and other monuments within the complex, the landscape to a considerable degree keept its desert virgin character.

In addition to the petroglyphs, there is a cave used by primitive people. Many complicated paths connect rooms located under ground, which was an ideal place to stay cool during the hot summer days and warm during cold winter nights.

Useful Resources:
Sarmish - The Rock Art Management Agency