Issyk Mounds

Location: These mounds are 60 kilometers away from Almaty. This distance covers an hour along the Kuldzhnski highway in the direction of Issyk City. From the highway right before the village of Novoalekseevka, turn right and drive about 10 kilometers more, and you will see the State Museum-Reserve “Issyk” on the right.

What’s interesting about it?

The Issyk burial mound is one of the most impressive archaeological monuments of the Scythian-Saka era and one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. In 1970, the remains of an 18-year-old Saka warrior in gold clothes became one of the symbols of Kazakhstan. His mound is located on the southern edge of a large burial ground consisting of more than 40 mounds. The mound has a diameter of 60 meters and a height of 6 meters. Two burials were discovered under the mound the central and side ones (on the southern part). The central grave was completely robbed, while side one remained untouched. The warrior that was found there began to be called the “Golden Man” because of his costume, which consisted of more than 4,000 gold pieces of jewelry made approximately in the 5th–6th centuries BC. It’s believed that the remains belong to a representative of the Saka-Tigrahaud dynasty.

When is the best time to visit?

The State Museum-Reserve “Issyk” can be visited at any time of the year. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. When you visit this place, it is better to immediately plan tours to the Talkhiz settlement and Lake Issyk to cover more landmarks in one trip.