In Kazakhstan, a 3,800-year-old hexagonal burial mound has been discovered.
Many mounds in the Kazakh steppe, with a deep history, bear symbols and markings on their stones.
The Archaeology Department of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University conducted excavations at the Kırküngir Monument near the Toktamış Batyr village in the Abay district of Eastern Kazakhstan from 2020 to 2023. Over 100 monuments from the Early Bronze Age to the Göktürk Period in the Kırküngir region were examined.
Ulan Umitkaliyev, the Head of the Archaeology and Ethnology Department at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, shared details about the Kırküngir monument for the first time with TRT Haber.
"Kırküngir monument belongs to the Turkish culture."
The elite tombs of the Early Bronze Age at Kırküngir were extensively researched.
Ulan Umitkaliyev emphasized, "By placing and developing the horse culture, we can say that Kırküngir Monument is significant in the history of all Turkish peoples, identifying the spread of the Turkish clan across the world."
"Seen in a hexagonal style, the Kırküngir burial mound demonstrates the high level of development in the processing of monumental stones and architectural techniques of the Andronovo societies during the Bronze Age," said Ulan Umitkaliyev.
The diameter of the elite tomb is 43 meters, with a height of 2.3 meters. The structure contains three preservation compartments. The outer walls, made of large megalithic stones, are hexagonal in shape. The other compartments leading to the burial chamber are constructed in an oval shape. The diameter of the second passage is 12 meters, and the third section is 6 meters in diameter. Human and horse bones found during the 2021 excavation were examined by a team led by Mr. Yu Itashahi from Tsukuba University in Japan.
Radiocarbon data revealed that the Kırküngir Monument was constructed around 1859 BC, more than 3,800 years ago.
A monumental burial similar to the Kırküngir Monument from the Bronze Age was built four centuries earlier than the Karakaraganda region's Taldı River-side Karajartas Monument. The uniqueness of the Kırküngir Monument lies in its hexagonal architectural style, burial structure, rock paintings, and the tradition of horse burials, distinguishing it among the Bronze Age monuments in Eurasia.
At each corner of the outer hexagonal structure, large stone slabs exceeding approximately 1 meter were found. On these 20 slabs forming the outer enclosure of the tomb, petroglyphs depicting various animal figures were identified. Among the 20 pictorial compositions found on the entrance columns of the pyramidal structure are two camels, two humans, an internal predator, four symbolic signs, and 23 horse images.
Ulan Umitkaliyev states that based on these images, it can be said that the Kırküngir monument represents an important aspect of the socio-economic activities and spiritual beliefs of the Andronovo communities in Kazakhstan.
The horse culture in Kırküngir was not limited to pictorial images but was also reflected in the interior parts of the burial site with horse bones. These findings indicate the development of equestrian culture as early as the Early Andronovo Age, contrary to known perceptions.
"At increased sixteen times the walking speed of humans, the horse enabled our Turkish ancestors to spread across the world and establish great steppe cultures," Umitkaliyev remarks.
"A first in Turkish history: 3,800-year-old hexagonal burial mound discovered"
The use of horses for riding purposes in Eurasian steppes during this period shaped a nomadic steppe culture between summer and winter pastures. This utilization of horses for riding activities and opening pastures for animal breeding led to the emergence of steppe empires known in historical sources as the Scythians, Huns, and Göktürks.
Ulan Umitkaliyev evaluates, "It's observed that the depictions of horses and camels frequently found in granite stone-surrounded burial grounds among Andronovo communities carry significant cultural value. These images have found their place in Kazakh folklore as the leaders of camels, symbolized by Oyshil Kara, and the masters of horses, embodied by Kambar (Kamber) Ata."
"One of the earliest sacred burial sites in Turkish culture"
Ulan Umitkaliyev emphasizes that the hexagonal structure of the Kırküngir mound belongs to Turkish culture:
Considering that this complex structure encompasses monuments from the Bronze Age to the Turkish period, we can say that it is one of the earliest sacred burial sites in Turkish culture. This is due to the continuous development of the unique horse culture among Turks and the elevation of the horse to a totemic symbol within the burial area.
"Turks' ethnogenetic origins can be clearly identified through these burial sites"
"The tribes that lived in Kazakhstan during the Andronovo period can be specifically designated as the earliest period shaping Kazakh ethnogenesis and generally as the inception of Turkish culture, beliefs, and anthropological origins. Interdisciplinary studies will be necessary to shed clearer light on these perspectives. As an archaeologist and historian, I can explicitly state that the ethnogenetic origins of Turkish peoples can be identified through these burial sites."
The present-day territories of Kazakhstan, where the Kırküngir Monument is located, stand among the regions where Turkish tribes emerged onto the world stage. Archaeological artifacts with tangible evidence of Turks are found in this region. The most distinctive of these monuments is the hexagonal structured burial area identified in Kırküngir.
Kurgan architecture is one of the defining elements of Turkish burial traditions.
Kurgans are mounds formed by piling earth or cut stones onto the tomb chamber. The height of the mound was increased according to the importance of the deceased. It was believed that the emergence of early kurgan-style burial sites in the Eurasian steppes occurred during the Late Bronze Age. The discovery at Kırküngir suggests that this tradition began to take shape during the Early Bronze Age.
"A first in Turkish history: 3,800-year-old hexagonal burial mound discovered"
A bird's-eye view of the hexagonal kurgan resembles a tent.
One of the earliest periods of the Andronovo tribes shaping Turkish culture involves a life between summer and winter quarters. This tent analogy, in terms of historical continuity, demonstrates cultural connections between Kazakh or generally Turkish tribes and the Andronovo culture.
The earliest information about kurgan structures comes from Herodotus.
The earliest information about kurgan structures is found in Herodotus' book 'Histories'. Herodotus, in his passage describing Scythian burial customs, mentions that when Scythian kings died, they were taken in a cart to the furthest part of their kingdom, called the Gerros country, and were buried there. Through archaeological findings in present-day Southern Siberia and the Western Altai region, it was confirmed that the kurgans mentioned by Herodotus were from the Pazırık period in the Western Altai region of South
