Archaeologists from the Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies at Altai State University (ASU) have monitored and surveyed Turkic sites in the Chemal District of the Altai Republic. The data obtained will be included in the fifth edition of the catalog of Turkic sites in the region.

The expedition included Sergey Vasyutin, Head of the Department of General History and International Relations at Kemerovo State University; Sergey Grushin, Professor in the Department of Archaeology, Ethnography, and Museology; and Yaroslav Frolov, Director of the Altai Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography.

The Altai Republic is a key region for the study of Turkic cultural heritage in Russia. The Chemal District, located in the Middle Katun River basin, stands out as one of the Altai Mountains' most thoroughly explored archaeological zones.  Part of it once lay in the projected flood zone of  the Katun (Altai) Hydroelectric Power Station, necessitating large-scale emergency archaeological excavations.

Sergey Grushin:

"The Middle Katun is home to numerous monuments spanning from the Eneolithic to the Middle Ages, including Turkic sites. Numerous expeditions have been conducted in this region by both research organizations and universities. Our colleagues from the Altai Republic and the Institute of Archaeology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences also participated. Altai State University played a leading role as a primary contractor for excavations in the Katunskaya Hydroelectric Power Station flood zone. For several years, monuments in the region, such as Choburak and Bike, have been studied under Professor Nikolai Seregin’s direction. Altai State University has made a significant contribution to archaeological research in this region. All the collected materials are stored in the Altai Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography."

Sergey Vasyutin:

"Our goal is to monitor the current condition of the sites and identify them, as many of them were excavated during the Soviet era, when GPS navigation was not available. Where feasible, we identify, describe, and photograph the sites, and document their state. It should be noted that the materials from many excavated sites remain unpublished, complicating identification."

During the expedition, we surveyed 18 sites, encompassing diverse archaeological features, such as burial mounds, Turkic enclosures, and petroglyphs. Several sites could not be examined due to their difficult-to-reach locations.

A key task involved georeferencing the sites with modern GPS coordinates, with special focus on expansive complexes like Ust-Edigan— a multi-kilometer terrace featuring featuring chains of burial mounds and memorial sites from various periods. Much of this complex remains unexplored. The discovered rock carvings span from the Neolithic to the early Middle Ages. A significant portion of the drawings date back to the early Iron Age, including the Scythian period. Distinguishing exclusively Turkic complexes among the petroglyphs proved challenging amid overlapping chronological layers.

The scientists also prepared photographic materials for the creation of approximately 10 archaeological panoramas. All materials will be systematized and forwarded to a specialist for further processing into 3D models, and featured on the virtual museum website "The Greater Altai – Homeland of the Turks."

Sergey Grushin highlighted challenges in site identification:

"Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish new sites from previously recorded. The exact boundaries of many sites are often undefined, and some elude detection due to inaccessibility. Early spring or late autumn aids exploration, with low grass making all sites clearly visible. Several decades have passed since the excavations of some sites, making identification harder. It is necessary to study all the literature, reports, and archival materials— a monumental task— to confirm prior documentation. Our prior research uncovered many new sites absent from published sources."

• Organizer: The Greater Altai Research and Educational Center for Altaic and Turkic Studies (Altai State University).

• Location: Chemal District, Middle Katun River basin (Altai Republic).

• Project period: fieldwork through 2026.

• Objects: Turkic burial mounds, fences, and petroglyphs from various eras (spanning from the Neolithic to the Early Middle Ages).

• Result: The materials will be included in the 5th edition of the catalog of Turkic monuments in the region and will be used to create 3D panoramas for the virtual museum.