Tamgaly is a canyon full of drawings made three thousand years ago. In the dry Anyrakay hills, northwest of Almaty and not far from the Ili river plain, thousands of petroglyphs are scratched into dark rock, many of them from the Bronze Age, with later layers added over the centuries. The site is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and the carvings include figures with rayed, sun-like heads, dancers, animals, riders and scenes that seem to show ritual. The name is often explained as meaning a painted or marked place.
It is stark country. The ride out from Almaty crosses a wide plain, passes the Kapchagay reservoir area, and then goes on into semi-desert and low hills. The roads are fast and often straight, with a few long climbs, and the surface can be patchy, so keep an eye out for livestock and the occasional hole. The terrain is open steppe, tawny grass in spring, scorched and silver in high summer, and the sky is huge. Wind and heat are the main hazards; there is almost no shade, so take plenty of water and a hat.
At the site itself, the main carvings lie along a gorge, with a few of the most striking images on a small plateau or amphitheatre of rock, and walking between them takes an hour or two. Nomads probably gathered here to perform ceremonies, and some of the images show burial and sacrifice. Bronze Age herders, and later peoples, used these hills for grazing and ritual, and nearby are old stone burial mounds. A small visitor facility and a ranger can help with directions, but this is not an overbuilt attraction.
The sensible places to fill are in Almaty or the larger towns on the road, like Kapchagay. Take drinking water, snacks and sun protection, and aim for morning or late afternoon when the light is better for the carvings and the temperature is lower. Spring is the loveliest season, when the hills are green and the poppies and tulips come out; the best photography light comes low and gold on the rock.