The Qidaohe'er Stone Figures

The Qidaohe'er Stone Figures

Located in Qidaohe'er, Ahesu County, Zhaosu, these are tombs of Turkic nomadic peoples from the 7th or 8th century. There are two stone figures standing facing east, arranged in a north-south line about 500 meters apart. Both are carved on the upper part of rectangular stone slabs, featuring outlines of faces along with the shapes of eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. The northern stone figure is 1.3 meters tall and 30 centimeters wide, with relatively clear features including eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, no beard, thick lips, and a square-shaped mouth — representing a female figure. The southern stone figure is 98 centimeters tall, 36 centimeters wide, and 25 centimeters thick, with clear facial details, featuring mustache in the shape of an inverted V, and a closed-mouth expression — representing a male figure with an ancient and simple appearance.