Archaeologists are continuing the 2026 field season at the Baydala burial complex near Pavlodar. At one surviving mound they have cleared traces of a funerary ditch and found animal bones described as sacrificial remains. The central burial is due to be opened in August or September.
What is actually new in 2026
Following a visit to the excavations, Pavlodar Region Akim Asain Baikhanov instructed officials to develop proposals for further research, conservation and restoration of the finds. The regional authorities will also examine how Baydala could be turned into a museum complex and developed as a major heritage site.
Researchers have proposed preserving a group of mounds, creating a historical and archaeological cluster, and considering the Baydala mounds for Kazakhstan’s register of historical and cultural monuments. These are proposals under development, not a completed museum project.
A 2016 discovery, not a new find
The wheeled wooden structure with a tent-like superstructure resembling a yurt was found in 2016. In a report published in April 2018, expedition leader Timur Smagulov said the mobile dwelling had been discovered two years earlier. Presenting it as a new 2026 discovery would therefore be inaccurate.
Current official accounts describe it as an exceptionally well-preserved mobile dwelling from the Kimak-Kipchak period. A wooden saddle, stirrups, bits, weapons, jewellery and silk textiles were also recovered.
