Shakhty Cave Paintings
Шахты
A cave at roughly 4,200 meters preserving Stone Age ochre rock paintings depicting hunters and wild animals.
The Shakhty Cave lies in a valley south of Murghab at an altitude of about 4,200 meters. Its walls bear ochre-red rock paintings dating back about 10,000 years, depicting archers, bears, wild oxen, and bird-shaped figures. It is one of the oldest art remains on the Central Asian plateau. You need to hire an off-road vehicle and a local guide. The final section involves about 30 minutes of climbing a scree slope, so watch out for altitude sickness. It can be combined with the Madiyan Valley hot springs as a day trip.
Opening hours
Open all day (guide required)
Nearby sights
- Madiyan Valley Hot Springs
- Murghab Town & META Yurt Stays
- Murghab Container Bazaar
- Jarty Gumbez Hot Spring
- Bash Gumbez
- Rangkul Lake
- Ak-Balyk Spring
- Pshart Valley