Central Asia offers a large number of rock art sites with similarities in chronology, techniques and iconography. In South Kazakhstan, there are two important sites: Tamgaly and Kulzhabasy, each with approximately 5,000 engravings.
Though Tamgaly was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2004, Kulzhabasy enjoys no legal or physical protection. Despite its wealth of iconography, and scientific as well as historical significance, Kulzhabasy remains largely unknown and in some areas, unresearched.
This book aims to provide an overview of the petroglyphs of Kulzhabasy, and of the first results of research in these mountains.

Boris Zheleznyakov is a Kazakh archaeologist, specializing in the Central Asian Middle Ages and in Kazakh rock art. He is the scientific director of Tamgaly.