In 2026, with the support of the Akimat of the city of Almaty, the Association of Museums of the city of Almaty carried out emergency archaeological excavations of a mound from the Saka period of the Early Iron Age in the Karagai burial ground, which is located in the territory of the Naurizbi region. During the work, a unique gold item and many human remains were discovered.
The diameter of the mound is 25-26 meters, its height is about 2.5 meters. According to preliminary dating, based on the study of the burial place, the monument belongs to the Saka period and dates back to IV–. Three hundred BC. The mound was looted in ancient times. The bandit funnel - 3 meters.
During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a significant number of human remains. Apparently, four adults and three children could have been buried in the mound. The exact number of those buried has not yet been determined.
In addition to bone remains, Saki ceramic fragments were found. Most of the objects are scattered randomly after the robbery.
A special value is a unique gold item - probably a small gold figurine cast in the shape of a bear, intended to decorate a headdress. The presence of holes in the plate indicates that the decoration could have been sewn onto a headdress.
Similar products are typical of Saka era costume. Analogies are also known from other archaeological finds: in particular, a golden pommel in the form of an argali was discovered on the headdress of the "Golden Man", and in 2014, in the Cook-Kiner burial, a statue of a tiger was found, which was also a component of the headdress.