Cholpon-Ata is an open-air museum of petroglyphs, located just outside the city center. The 42 hectares of the museum are dotted with stone circles, tombs, bulbuls, and a variety of petroglyphs. These petroglyphs date from the 2nd millennium BCE up to the 4th century AD.
It is thought that the site was once an open-air temple, where people worshipped the sun and other celestial bodies. Many of the stones feature animals, including snow leopards and deer. One of the stones near the entrance features hunters chasing deer with tame snow leopards, while another stone depicts snow leopards in motion, a rare image in Central Asian petroglyphs. There are also images of the sun, and chariots racing across rocks.
