Cities and regions／Kazakhstan
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Ili River

The Ili is the riverside setting for Tamgaly-Tas, a rock sanctuary beside its waters near Konaev. Its rocks preserve Buddhist images and inscriptions.

Ili River
Photo by en:User:Edmon2004 Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
The place

What makes it special

  • Tamgaly-Tas rock sanctuary beside the river.
  • Images of Buddhist deities and ritual texts.
  • Inscriptions in Tibetan and Oirat scripts.
Rocks with Buddhist carvings beside the Ili River at Tamgaly-Tas.
Photo by Mheidegger Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Ili River
Photo by Alessandro893 Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel atlas

Articles in Ili River

Guides to this place

1 article

Ili River

journal.travel Editorial

Guides to this place

1 related guides

Rocks with Buddhist carvings beside the Ili River at Tamgaly-Tas.

Tanbaly and Tamgaly-Tas: Two Engraved Landscapes near Almaty

Two almost identical names refer to different places: one encompasses an extensive archaeological landscape from the Bronze Age; the other preserves Buddhist images beside the Ili River.

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Information in context

Sources and references

This profile summarises our destination guides. Their research sources and the geographical reference are listed below.

Profile updated: 30/09/2026