GEOGLYPHS AS HERITAGE MONUMENTS AND INDICATORS OF THE ANCIENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE USTYURT

. Aim . We study the spatial position of the Ustyurt geoglyphs. Methodology . Use is made of space images and special cartographic sources to identify and study geoglyphs. All of them are measured using satellite images and plotted on a schematic map. Four groups of places are identified where arrow-shaped patterns are concentrated. It is found that locations are geographically stipulated. There is no randomness in the placement of figures on the Earth’s surface at all four of their locations. Results . It was found that individual (‘key’) geoglyphs are oriented to the countries of the world. This makes it possible to fix the main places and directions of movement of wild animals on the ground. It is revealed that 14 out of 50 geoglyphs of double arrow-shaped drawings are oriented to the countries of the world. Most of them (10) are directed to the North, one to the West and South, and three fix directions to the East. Some other repetitive orientation directions of the arrow-shaped patterns are found, including 15 arrows at 45° (NE) and 225° (SW) azimuths; and 12 arrows, 335°‒340° (NW) azimuth. It is possible that these statistically significant directions are not random. They can be associated with calendar events of the aborigines, essential for life and integral to hunting wild animals. It should be noted that there was no need to orient all the arrow-shaped structures by the countries of the world. Research implications . Geoglyphs on the Ustyurt plateau were created not randomly, but taking into account the most specific long-term observations of migration routes of wild ungulates. The natural-scientific basis for the construction of traps was the orientation of some of them to the countries of the world. This was done in order to fix the main migration routes of animals on the ground. Thus, the geoglyphs of the Ustyurt are heritage monuments and serve as indicators of the ancient development of the geographical space.