Ukok Plateau is a remote and pristine
grasslands area located in the heart of southwestern
Siberia, the
Altai Mountains region of
Russia near the borders
with China,
Kazakhstan and
Mongolia.
Pazyryk is the name given by modern scholars to an ancient people who lived in the
Altai Mountains on this plateau who are associated with some spectacular archeological findings, including mummies found frozen in the
permafrost. Many ancient
Bronze Age tomb mounds have been found in the area and have been associated with the
Pazyryk culture which closely resembled that of the legendary
Scythian people to the west. The term
kurgen is in general usage to describe such log-barrow burials. Excavations of this site have continued to yield notable archaeological finds. One famous finding is known as the
Ice Maiden, excavated by Russian archaeologist
Natalia Polosmak. At least six tattooed mummies dating from the period ca. (c. 2600 BC - AD 402) have been recovered preserved by the permafrost in tombs at sites on the Ukok Plateau including Temrta III, Primorsky I, Ak-Alakha 3, Verkh-Kaldzhin 2, and the Pazyryk burial ground.