Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Cultural landscape of Ulytau - Kazakhstan

Manu sent me my 2nd Kazakhstan card. The Cultural landscape of Ulytau is situated in the semi-desertic zone of Central Kazakhstan and this area is on Unesco's Tentative List. The card shows the roof of the Alasha Khan mausoleum.

Alasha-Khan is a character, perhaps more legendary than historical. No one knows exactly if this person ever existed. His name means “variegated or colorful” and he is considered to be an ancestor of the Kazakh people. Alasha-Khan is mentioned not only in Kazakh legends, but also in other Turkic people’s legends and traditions. Scientists are of the opinion that he was most probably a worship symbol of the time when nomads of the Eurasian steppe united. The mausoleum was most likely erected in the honor of one of the steppe governments during the period of the XI - XII centuries. This mausoleum, made of different colored bricks and erected on the right bank of the Karakengir river, presents a complicated architectural construction with a dome cover and a powerful pylon (tower) in front. Its external walls are decorated with bricks laying in the shape of squares, rhombus and triangles, and the main facade is decorated with terracotta. - in: http://visitkazakhstan.kz/en/guide/places/view/571/

1 comment:

agi said...

great card to get from kazakhstan! i mostly see city views