Tangbal Rock Paintings in Fuyun County, Altay

Why is Tangbal Rock Paintings So Special?

On cliffs at Tangbal in Fuyun County there are found rock paintings of population worship and scenes of hunting. All are painted with ocher. The images include human figures, animals, concentric circles, human faces, fingerprints and footprints, linked dots, curves, and other fancy geometric designs. According to textual research, these rock paintings can go back to the Paleolithic Age. Now it is listed as a cultural site under autonomous region protection.

Where is Tangbal Rock Paintings

Located 22 kilometers from Altay City, it is distributed on bare rocks on the west bank of the Khandegart River, with an altitude of 880 meters. The rock paintings are scattered on 200 square meters of rocks, and there are about ten or more of them.

History of Tangbal Rock Paintings

The Altai Mountains stretch for about 2,000 kilometers from west Siberia in the northwest to the People's Republic of Mongolia in the southeast via Altai region in Xinjiang, China. On the steep and gigantic rocks, the ancient nomads more than 2,000-3,000 years ago left us with very rich rock paintings. From Jimenei County and Habahe County in Altai region to qing he in the eastern part of the region, rock paintings will be found on every mountain. Therefore, it is known as the "Long Corridor of Thousand-mile Rock Paintings on Altay Mountain".

Main Attraction of Tangbal Rock Paintings

The rock paintings are mainly made by tiling and chiseling, with the contents showing animals mostly, including deer, carnivores, sheep and horses. In addition, there are also representative figures. First, they are composed of 6 people and 1 wild goat, arranged up and down, showing a balanced shape. Second, the horizontal arrangement of vertical figures makes it dance-like, and the composition is very novel.

In the composition of the picture, some of them are like animals of the same kind in rows, facing each other in a staggered arrangement. Some cut carnivorous or herbivorous animals into a stone to form scenes of chasing and biting. Some put animals together with human beings to form a picture of the ancient ancestors grazing and hunting.

These more typical rock paintings are flexible and varied in composition form, natural in image, full of life flavor, realistic in artistic terms, and unique in expression techniques. These ancient ancestors are good at using exaggeration and contrast to make up for the deficiencies in painting techniques so as to achieve artistic effects.
Altay's rock paintings constitute an art gallery of more than 1,000 kilometers. Its scale and content are rare in the world. At present, Altay's ancient rock paintings have attracted the attention of more and more Chinese and foreign experts in the fields of history, archaeology and fine arts. Their discovery and research are in the ascendant and continue to deepen.

Best Time to Travel Tangbal Rock Paintings

Every autumn, that is, August and September, is the best time to visit Altay.

At this time, the weather began to cool and the fruits began to mature. This is a very suitable time to travel. At this time, most scenic spots began to hang attractive gold. Let’s travel in the golden ocean. The natural scenery around Altay is very beautiful. In our spare time, we take our family to Altay to play, eat delicious fruits and enjoy different local conditions and customs. I believe this is a very beautiful moment and a very happy memory.

Useful Travel Tips

• Photographs of cultural relics should be taken at will, which may cause damage to cultural relics.
• In order to make it convenient for tourists to visit, many cultural relics exhibitions are not protected by glass. All tourists should not touch with their hands during the visit to avoid damage.
• During the visit, listen more to the explanation of the narrator. If you did not know a cultural relic before, you would not be able to understand it comprehensively and in detail in a short period of time.

Nearby Attractions

• Emin Minaret
• Tuyoq Valley
• Toyok Caves
• The Ruins of Ancient City
• Aydingkol Lake
• Karez Water System

Recommended Xinjiang Tour Packages

• 1 Day Urumqi City Tour with Xinjiang Museum and Nanshan Pasture
• 1 Day Urumqi City Tour with Heavenly Lake and Grand Bazaar
• 8 Days Silk Road Highlights Tour from Dunhuang to Urumqi
• 9 Days Silk Road Tour and Kanas Lake Adventure from Dunhuang to Urumqi
• 7 Days Northern Xinjiang Tour with Kanas Lake Adventure

Edited by Doreen/张洋