Petroglyphs. Photo: woscu.org
A collection of ancient rock art (petroglyphs) discovered in caves across Uzbekistan will be on display at the Museum of the Center for Islamic Civilization (CIC) in Tashkent, according to the CIC press service.
The exhibition is expected to be housed in the Pre-Islamic Civilizations gallery of the capital’s museum. It will feature replicas of petroglyphs found in the Zarautsay, Teshik-Tash, and Obirakhmat caves in the south of the country, as well as in the mountains near Tashkent, including the Chimgan, Chatkal, and Beldersay areas. Additional exhibits will include findings from the Sarmishsay caves in the Navoi region and from the Siybantash site in the Hisar mountain range of the Chirakchi district in Kashkadarya region.
Central Asia is home to more than 1,300 rock art sites, with 250 located in Uzbekistan alone. These include 267 drawings at Zarautsay and 822 petroglyphs at Siybantash. The reddish and brownish images are believed by experts to have been created using ocher. Many of these petroglyphs are at risk of disappearing due to natural erosion and human activity. Creating replicas helps preserve the knowledge and visual record of these ancient artworks.
