Сармышсай: Өзбекстан тас өнерінің ең ірі ескерткіші

Archaeological site in Uzbekistan
Sarmishsay (; also known as Sarmish Gorge) is located in the Karatau Mountain Range in the Nurata District of Navoiy Region of Uzbekistan. The gorge contains archeological remains dating back as far as the Stone Age, including two petroglyph sites with a total of 10,000 ancient rock carvings. According to UNESCO, it is the largest and most important rock art monument in Uzbekistan.

The Karatau Mountain Range is a southern spur of the Western Tian Shan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Close to the Zarafshan Valley and the Kyzylkum Desert, the Karatau area has been an intersection of seasonal migration routes for people and animals since ancient times. Sarmish Gorge was cut through the sandstone rock by the Sarmish River, which today is a small mountain stream. The slopes of the gorge are covered with thickets of trees and shrubs, as well as poppies and other wild flowers in the springtime. About 650 species of plants can be identified in the region. Three of the species found here still are in Uzbekistan's Red List of endangered creatures, namely the Central Asian cobra, black vulture, and Severtsev sheep. Scythian tribes moved into Sarmishsay in the Iron Age and occupied the area from the 9th to 2nd centuries BC. We know that horses were important in their culture as they depicted them in petroglyphs of hunting scenes. The surface of darker rocks was polished, and that was used as a canvas by the ancient artists. Initially, they carved their artworks with stone chisels and other basic tools. Not all of the images are true to life: there is a camel with three humps, and a man with two heads. There is also a mountain yurt camp for tourists.