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Turkic Statue from Aerkate (Aersyati, Bortala County)
Bortala is a Mongol autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the China


Fig. 2.2 Statue from Aerkate (Aersyati, Bortala County).


Fig. 2.3 Detail of Statue from Aerkate (Aersyati, Bortala County).

This is a massive sculpture 2.85 m high from Aerkate (Aersyati, Bortala County) (Hudiakov, 1998: Fig. 12; Si chou zhi lu…, 2008: 238) (see Fig. 2.2, 2.3). In addition to the pommel, long-bladed weapons that are depicted on the statues from Aerkate and Borili exhibit similar systems of attaching to the belt, semicircular sword belt clips on the sheath, and a position close to vertical. A long-lapelled coat, a torque (with a trapezoidal double pendant) on the neck, and earrings are also represented on the statue from Aerkate. The dagger on the belt of that sculpture also has an asymmetrical triangular blade; its outline can be discerned in the shape of the sheath decorated with a trapezoidal pendant-truss (?), and equipped with the same system of attachment to the belt as in the long-bladed cutting and stabbing weapons of both statues. The handle of the dagger, placed at an angle to the blade, has ribbed unilateral projections, which are well known from illustrations of the attributes of Old Turkic statues (Evtyukhova, 1952: Fig. 67), and now also from the real finds in the Western Siberian forest-steppe region. Upon direct examination, the intricate pommel, whose shape in the published drawings resembles a small teapot, turned out to be the same as in the sculpture from Borili; that is, in the form of a ring (see Fig. 2.3). In terms of the mutual arrangement of both bladed weapons, the statue from Borili is similar to the sculpture found in the lower reaches of the Tamdy River (Ulytau) (Margulan, 2003: Ill. 24) (see Fig. 3.11). The short-bladed weapon represented on this sculpture is located parallel to the belt and has a ring pommel. A rounded bag and a rectangular bag below are depicted on the right side. The decor of the upper part of the round bag, which is most likely a rendering of the flap, is similar to the same element on the Borili statue.

An extract from: An Old Turkic Statue at Borili, Ulytau Hills, Central Kazakhstan by L.N. Ermolenko, A.I. Soloviev, and Z.K. Kurmankulov, 2016.
Source: Cultural Realia