Editor’s Note: The Astana Times continues its Forgotten Cities of the Silk Road series, exploring Kazakhstan’s tentative UNESCO World Heritage sites. This edition highlights the early Silk Roads corridor in the Zhetisu Region, centered on three necropolises, including Besshatyr, Boraldai, and Esik, where archaeological findings illuminate long-standing cultural exchanges between ancient nomadic civilizations and early empires such as China and Iran, predating the Silk Roads of historical record. ASTANA — Long before Chinese envoy Zhang Qian’s historic journey westward in the second century B.C., evidence of trade and cultural exchange already linked the steppes of Central Asia with the far corners of Eurasia. Archaeological research in the south-east part of Kazakhstan has revealed that the earliest threads of the Silk Roads were woven centuries earlier, connecting Saka nomadic communities with Achaemenid Iran and ancient China through the exchange of silk, iron, gold and ritual traditions. The proposed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) corridor in Kazakhstan’s Zhetisu Region includes three major archaeological sites: Besshatyr, Boraldai, and Esik. These are where kurgans (burial mounds) offer rare insight into the region’s pre-Silk Road interactions and the spiritual and material culture of the Saka people between the fifth and third centuries B.C. Besshatyr necropolis: stone monuments of the steppes Located along the right bank of the Ili River, approximately 128 kilometers from Almaty, the Besshatyr necropolis comprises 81 burial mounds dating back to the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. The mounds range in height from six to 18 meters and in diameter from up to 105 meters. Excavations at Besshatyr revealed two skeletons buried with akinaks (iron daggers), quivers containing bronze arrowheads, and decorative elements, including cornelian and gold-beaded ornaments. According to working documents submitted to the World Heritage Center, architectural details, such as trapezoidal stone embankments and entry chambers, suggest that the tombs were used ceremonially for memorial rites. These elements reflect complex funerary customs and the high status of those buried, likely Saka elites. Boraldai necropolis: preserving the Saka legacy near Almaty Situated just northwest of Almaty, near the village of Boraldai, this site includes 52 burial mounds dating back to the fifth to the third centuries B.C., spread over an area of approximately 3,000 by 800 meters. The largest mound measures 20 meters in height and 150 meters in diameter. Despite urban proximity, the site remains largely undeveloped and under state protection. Like Besshatyr, Boraldai represents a concentrated and well-preserved example of Saka burial practices. Its monumental scale and strategic location underscore its historical importance as a ceremonial hub and necropolis. Esik necropolis: home of Altyn Adam (Golden Man) The Esik site, situated near the city of the same name, approximately 50 kilometers east of Almaty, comprises 45 large burial mounds, many of which measure up to 90 meters in diameter and 15 meters in height. This site gained international fame with the 1970 discovery of the Altyn Adam, a young warrior buried in a richly adorned tomb containing more than 4,000 gold artifacts, including a ceremonial headdress, weaponry and ornamental vessels. The tomb had remained untouched, providing an extraordinary snapshot of Saka craftsmanship, status symbols, and funerary traditions. Subsequent excavations also uncovered fragments of Chinese silk, underscoring the region’s participation in trans-Eurasian exchange as early as the fourth century B.C. The Esik necropolis is now managed by the State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve of Esik, which conducts ongoing research and conservation efforts. Why it matters: a precursor to the Silk Roads While Zhang Qian’s mission is often cited as the beginning of Silk Road diplomacy, archaeological discoveries in Zhetisu push back the timeline of East-West interaction. The findings of Chinese silk and Iranian textiles in royal and commoner burials alike demonstrate that commercial and cultural links had already flourished centuries earlier. These burial mounds, massive in scale and rich in content, reflect the sophisticated spiritual world and artistic expression of the Saka civilization, one of the earliest state-forming communities in what is now Kazakhstan. UNESCO nomination and outstanding universal value Kazakhstan’s nomination of the Besshatyr, Boraldai, and Esik necropolises is grounded in two UNESCO criteria. First, the sites demonstrate intercultural exchanges between China and Central Asia in the pre-Silk Road era. Second, they serve as exceptional testimony to the Saka nomadic culture and belief systems. Despite past looting, all three sites retain strong integrity and authenticity. Protected by law, they remain among the few surviving Saka burial grounds that have not been disrupted by modern development. Their concentration and preservation are comparable, if not superior in scale, to other burial mound sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List, such as the Dilmun Burial Mounds in Bahrain. The broader Silk Road heritage in Kazakhstan The Zhetisu corridor is one of several Silk Road segments in Kazakhstan’s UNESCO Tentative List. Others include the Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor, which encompasses the medieval sites of Otyrar, Sauran, Kyshkala, Asanas, Syganak, Yassy-Turkistan, Zhankala, Zhankent and Zhetyasar oasis, and the Volga-Caspian Corridor, home to the ancient settlements of Kyzylkala, Saraychik, and Zhayik.