A large holed Stone (Teshik-Tash in Turkic) is surrounded by small white stones.
According to the stories of old, the stone has a healing effect. Mothers bring their children and take them through the hole of the stone. They say that the next day children are cured of their illnesses. Teshik Tash is not only the name of the holy place, but the name of the grotto, well-known for the archaeological excavation of the remains of a Neanderthal child. In 1938, the famous Central Asian archaeologist Michael E. Masson found the burial place in the Teshik-Tash Cave.
During the excavations archaeologists found the skeleton of a Neanderthal boy of 9-10 years. Famous Russian anthropologist Mikhail M. Gerasimov restored the live appearance of the boy from his skull. Today, you can see a sculptural portrait of the boy in Termez museum.
The child was found in a grave surrounded by upright goat horns deliberately placed there, as if to ritualize the burial. The Teshik Tash burial illustrates an early expression of an animistic belief – that is, that nature is essentially personal and filled with spirits which behave like human beings.
Kashkadarya, Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
29june23
