The Frozen Tombs of the Altay Mountains, Climate Change and Tourism: Mapping the Archaeological Heritage of Altay

WOUTER GHEYLE, JEAN BOURGEOIS, RUDI GOOSSENS, ALAIN DE WULF
Ghent University, Belgium

The Altay Mountains are situated near the boundaries of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Altay Republic (Russian Federation). Scattered across the mountains are thousands of surface structures dating from the Eneolithic up to the Ethnographic period (3rd millennium BCE - 19th century CE). These surface structures are uncommonly well preserved – even smaller monuments, comprising no more than a few stones, are still visible today, presenting us with a unique view of past and present landscapes.

The most famous of these archaeological monuments are the burial mounds of the Scythian civilization, dating from the Early Iron Age (roughly 9th-2nd century BCE). Many of these tombs are located in the permafrost of the high mountains, which kept them frozen for over 2000 years. All of the tombs contents is preserved, including all organic and inorganic materials that accompany the dead to the afterlife. These generally include textiles, wooden objects, bone, bronze, iron and gold objects, weaponry, fully harnessed horses, and even food to survive the trip to the hereafter. The bodies of the dead have often been so well preserved that even the tattoos on their skin remain intact.

Grave robbers and fortune hunters have been the tombs’ traditional enemies but, today, a new threat hangs over them. Climatic change is causing the permafrost in this part of Siberia to thaw. The remaining frozen tombs and the insights they provide into the ancient nomad Scythian culture could be lost forever. In 2005, Ghent University (Belgium) and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre started the ‘Frozen Tombs of the Altay Mountains Preservation and Conservation’ initiative to preserve the remaining frozen tombs, together with local institutions in Russia and Kazakhstan. Besides making an inventory of the archaeological heritage in several research areas in Russia and Kazakhstan, they are looking for ways to detect the tombs that are frozen, and are searching for technical solutions to preserve the frozen tombs in situ.

A less visible threat is the expansion of tourism in the area of the Altay Mountains. The nature and culture of Altay is very popular and attracts increasing numbers of visitors. Thousands of tourists visit annually, and the area affected by tourist camps continues to expand, moving deeper and deeper into the hitherto untouched high mountainous area. This puts considerable stress on the unprotected and unguarded archaeological sites, including some of the most interesting Scythian burial complexes.

We are convinced that our inventory work and the detailed archaeological maps of our research areas in Altay (now including detailed information about 12,047 individual structures) can assist in the protection of the monuments, by developing a responsible heritage management. Our data is therefore available to local authorities. It can be used to inform the public about the importance of their cultural heritage and to raise public awareness for climate change and its consequences.

A good example of an active project is the Uch-Enmek Etno-Cultural Park, founded by director Danil Ivanovich Mamyev in 2001 to protect the native lands and sacred archaeological and petroglyphs sites. The director and his team organize guided trips in the Park, giving information about the sites and creating awareness. Together with Mr. Mamyev, we decided to map the many archeological structures in the park to provide more information and detailed archaeological site plans. Already 3,297 structures were mapped in 2007-2008 and we plan to finish the work next summer.