Human bones discovered under a road in Almaty

Tengrinews.kz - Human bones and skulls have been discovered on a bypass dirt road in the Talgar district of the Almaty region, according to petroglyph researcher Olga Gumirova.
Gumirova explained that people and livestock walk over the human bones. The bone fragments were found on a bypass dirt road cut through hills near the medieval settlement of Talkhiz in the Talgar district.
A local shepherd informed her that the road was built through a cemetery.


"During a tour of the settlement, a shepherd approached and told us that the road was laid through a cemetery, and human bones lie in its path. He said, "I am offended by this disrespect towards our ancestors, and you, as scientists, are closer to the authorities". Karl Baipakov confirmed that there is a medieval cemetery in the hills, but it was not included in the protected area, and no grant was obtained for excavations," Gumirova reported.

In 2016, activists managed to halt the construction of a road through the ancient settlement of Talkhiz, but nothing could be done about the cemetery.

"Cars do not drive there, but people and livestock continue to walk, the road surface is eroded, and human bones, including a crushed skull, are visible. It is frightening to realize that we are walking on human bones, but we cannot change the situation, and the responsible authorities are inactive. Reburial requires permission and a license because this is an archaeological site," the researcher noted.

According to the Issyk Museum-Reserve, the place where the presumed human bone remains were found is located outside the territory of the medieval settlement of Talkhiz.

"This place is located at the foot of the mountains, outside the monument's boundary, on a bypass road. There were burials from different periods — from ancient to modern. The bones may have surfaced due to mudflows or other reasons. Special studies are needed to determine the exact origin of the remains," the museum-reserve reported.

Talkhiz is one of the 33 medieval settlements of the Great Silk Road in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China. In 2014, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Archaeologists feared that the settlement could be destroyed due to road construction. The settlement, located near Talgar in the Almaty region, was founded in the 8th century and is 1,200 years old.
Earlier, archaeologists investigated a nearly 3000 year old pastoralist site in the mountains of the Almaty region and discovered "stone houses.”