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In the Markakol District of the East Kazakhstan Region, the Altai Archaeological Expedition of 91��ý Kazakh National University is conducting field research aimed at the comprehensive study of archaeological sites and historical changes in the natural environment. The research is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, particularly its focus on the preservation of cultural and natural heritage.

The main objective of the expedition is to identify, document, and investigate archaeological sites located in the intermontane basins of the Southern Altai and the areas surrounding Markakol, as well as to examine the conditions of their formation and functioning in relation to natural and landscape processes.

The field research is organized in several areas:

• archaeological excavations are being conducted at the Saty burial and ritual complex near the village of Toskaiyng. At present, two burial mounds of the Pazyryk culture dating to the 5th–3rd centuries BCE and belonging to the Late Saka period are being investigated;

• archaeological surveys are being carried out in the Karakaba River valley and adjacent areas to identify potentially previously unknown sites and collect preliminary data on archaeological monuments;

• archaeological sites in the vicinity of the villages of Bugymuiz, Toskaiyng, and Balyktybulak are being investigated;

• small-scale research activities have been conducted at a Stone Age habitation site and a Bronze Age sanctuary to obtain preliminary data on the characteristics of their cultural layers;

• aerial photogrammetry data are being used for the recording and documentation of archaeological landscapes.

One of the expedition's important research areas is the study of the bottom sediments of Lake Markakol. Sediment cores collected from the lakebed are being considered as a source of data that can help identify long-term changes in the region's natural environment. These materials are expected to enable the reconstruction of the dynamics of climatic and natural processes during past periods.

International specialists are also involved in the research. Specialists from the PaleoData Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the Markakol State Nature Reserve, are participating in the study of lake sediments. Christian Leipe, a specialist from Freie Universität Berlin, is assessing the potential for applying modern archaeobotanical approaches to the study of archaeological sites in the region.

In addition to the scientific documentation of archaeological heritage, the expedition's research helps identify the relationships between past societies and their natural environment, trace changes in historical landscapes, and establish a scientific database necessary for the preservation of the region's cultural heritage.

The field research involves staff members of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology and Museology at KazNU, specialists from relevant scientific institutions, as well as students majoring in Archaeology at the Faculty of History. Thus, the expedition provides an opportunity to conduct scientific research and student field training simultaneously.

The research is being conducted under the supervision of Gani Omarov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Director of the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at KazNU, and Associate Professor of the Department of Archaeology, Ethnology and Museology.

The project is being implemented within the framework of the research project AP26100595 “Archaeological Sites and Cultural Heritage of the Markakol Basin: An Interdisciplinary and Comprehensive Study” of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.