The Karatau Mountains are located in southern Kazakhstan just north of the Syrdaria River, and they display a unique geomorphology. The name Karatau means Black Mountain in the Kazakh language. The mountains, aside from housing a varied geology, contain numerous stone archaeological sites that represent the many stages of cultural evolution from the early Paleolithic Age (1 million BP) to the Neolithic Age (6500 BP).
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on September 24, 1998 in the Cultural category.
Coordinates: 42°53′20″N 69°58′50″E / 42.88889°N 69.98056°E