Skip to content

Sarmishsay Petroglyphs

A mountain gorge north-east of Navoi whose dark rock faces carry thousands of carvings of animals, hunters and symbols made over many periods.

ArchaeologyAbout 3 hours to see

About the place

The Sarmishsay stream cuts through the Karatau hills, and along its course the rock surfaces are covered with a dark natural patina. For a very long time people have pecked images into it: wild goats, bulls, deer, predators, hunters with bows, and signs whose meaning is unknown. Archaeologists assign the carvings to periods from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages.

The site is spread along several kilometres of the gorge, so a visit is partly a walk in the hills. There are few facilities, and the best images are easy to miss without someone to point them out.

The gorge lies in Navbahor district, within reach of Navoi city by car. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons; summer in the gorge is very hot.

Sources (1)

  1. 1.Wikidata

Nearby

  • Rabati Malik CaravanseraiArchaeology

    UNESCO World Heritage

    Rabati Malik Caravanserai

    The surviving portal and outer walls of an 11th-century royal caravanserai on the old road between Bukhara and Samarkand, on the edge of the steppe.

  • Sardoba of MalikEnsembles

    UNESCO World Heritage

    Sardoba of Malik

    A domed brick cistern across the road from Rabati Malik, built to store water for the caravanserai and for travellers crossing the steppe.

  • Mir Sayid Bakhrom MausoleumMausoleums

    UNESCO World Heritage

    Mir Sayid Bakhrom Mausoleum

    A small early brick mausoleum in Karmana with a decorated portal and an inscription in Kufic script, from the period after the Samanids.

  • Qosim Sheikh ComplexEnsembles

    UNESCO World Heritage

    Qosim Sheikh Complex

    A 16th-century khanaka and burial ground in Karmana, built around the grave of the Sufi sheikh Qosim, who was close to the Shaybanid court.