Boralday (Kazakh: Боралдай) is a burial site in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from the early Iron Age. It is connected to the Saka people, an ancient group. The site is located on the southeast side of the village of Boralday. It includes 47 burial mounds spread across 430 hectares on the left side of the Bolshaya Almatinka River.
The site was found in 1990 and became a protected area in 2010. Plans are being made to create a museum there.
In 1956, archaeologist Ageeva first studied and officially recorded the site.
Archaeological Park "Boralday Sak Barrows"
On March 28, 2006, the area containing the kurgans was placed under the management of the Museum of Almaty to establish an open-air museum called the Archaeological Park "Borolday Sak Barrows." This park was designed to include both an archaeological site and an ethnopark that displays examples of nomadic architecture and daily life from the Kazakh people.
In 2016, M. M. Nurpeisov, the scientific secretary of the Association of Museums of Almaty, stated that the park’s development would focus on creating an ecopark. Plans included planting small groves around the park and preserving the natural landscape in the central area where the mounds are located.
On May 27, 2017, the park held a festival celebrating nomadic culture. Visitors saw the "Sarmatian Priestess," a gold artifact discovered in the Taksai 1 mound, along with other items from the Saka culture. Attendees also participated in a community cleanup event to improve the park’s appearance.
Necropolis
The necropolis covers an area of 430 hectares and includes 47 mounds from the Saka period, which dates from the 5th to the 3rd centuries BC. These mounds are arranged in a line from south to north and from southwest to northeast. The burial ground measures 3 kilometers in length and 800 meters in width. The largest mound, located in the center of the necropolis, stands 14 meters tall and has a diameter of 100 meters. Other mounds vary in size: some are 5–6 meters tall with diameters of 60–80 meters, while medium-sized mounds are 3 meters tall with diameters of 30–40 meters. Small mounds are 1–1.5 meters tall and have diameters of 10–20 meters. The dry climate in the area has helped preserve and mummify remains, including human bones, clothing, and objects. A separate area for burying horses has also been discovered.
Monument status
On November 10, 2010, a new State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of Local Significance in Almaty was officially approved. At the same time, all earlier decisions about this topic were made no longer valid. In this official statement, the Boroldai Mounds kept their status as a monument of local importance. The areas around the monument that needed protection were officially decided in 2014.