Luman Gully Petroglyphs

　　Introduction      Located about 4 kilometers inside Luman Gully in Tianpeng Township, Tianjun County, a total of three sites have been discovered. One is on the northern side of the gully root, where more than 50 animal figures in various forms are carved on a large rock of approximately 3 square meters; one is in the middle with fewer images, featuring a total of 7 animal figures; one is on the southern side, which is rather unique, with 19 animal figures carved, mainly camels, all facing the same direction, depicting the scene of camels traveling across the desert.

　　    All three petroglyph sites were created through incising and hammering. The animal figures are simple yet bold, with tight compositions and lifelike representations. The main animals depicted include camels, horses, cattle, pigs, goats, argali, dogs, and wolves. The overall scene reflects the artisans’ realistic portrayal of plateau animals living in groups. Research suggests that the petroglyphs were created during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, when Buddhism was prevalent in the region.

　　 Delingha, Qinghai