Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
CEDRUS, cilt.10, ss.69-93, 2022 (Hakemli Dergi)
Rock paintings (petroglyphs) are found in different regions and in many parts of the world. The different symbols and depictions on the rock paintings provide various clues concerning lives in ethnographic terms, as well as the relations of cultures with their surroundings as an indicator of their beliefs. Today, in research on petroglyphs, the meanings of symbols and the origins of the cultures they belong to are mostly discussed within the scope of different topics such as chronological order. To the northwestern of the city of Cholpon-Ata situated on the northern shore of the Issık Lake in Kyrgyzstan are found approximately a thousand petroglyphs of various sizes. Today, only a part of this area is enclosed by wire and used as an open air museum and is protected by a watchman sent by a museum in Cholpon-Ata. These monuments, which are proof of ties with past cultures, have unfortunately started to dissolve through the destruction of time, humans and nature. Although the petroglyphs in this region are legally protected, they are gradually disappearing from various factors arising from tourism activities, vandalism, natural life, climatic conditions and the geolojic structure of the stone. The main purpose of this study is to document these monuments witnessing to history, to make basic determinations to create an archive, to bring them into the literature and to contribute to the history, culture and promotion of the country.
Keywords: Petroglyphs • Rock Paintings • Archeopark
• Issık Lake • Cholpon-Ata