Issyk Golden Cataphract Warrior Project

On the plains at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, 50 kilometers east of Almaty, Kazakhstan, lies a cluster of ancient burial mounds known as the Issyk Kurgan group. These kurgans — stone tombs remarkably similar in form to Korea’s Silla-era stone mound tombs (jeokseokmokgwakbun) — preserve the heritage of the early Saka people. In 1969, during construction work in the area, a mid-sized kurgan was accidentally unearthed. It contained two burial chambers: the central one had already been looted and destroyed, but the southern chamber remained intact. Inside, archaeologists discovered a spectacular array of gold, silver, and bronze artifacts, as well as ceramics and wooden objects — all vividly attesting to the brilliance of Saka culture in the 5th–4th century BCE. At the heart of the tomb was the so-called Golden Man — a discovery that astonished the world. Believed to be a young noble between 16 and 18 years old, he was buried in an extraordinarily ornate garment composed of over 4,000 gold pieces. His elaborate wooden and bird-shaped accessories, headgear, and clasp ornaments bear striking stylistic resemblances to the gold crowns and regalia found in Silla tombs, hinting at surprising transcontinental parallels. Despite the vast time and geographic distance, the tomb’s construction and grave goods provide valuable clues for the study of ancient Korean history. Today, the Golden Man is regarded as a national symbol of Kazakhstan. TRIC (Technology Research Institute for Culture & Heritage) worked in close collaboration with Bekmukhamet Nurmukhametov, Honorary Director and Chairman of the National Issyk Museum, and Dr. Zainolla Samashev, Director of the Astana Institute of Archaeology, to digitally reconstruct the Golden Man’s entire body — including his facial features. With support from Daejeon Technopark, the final product was developed as a glasses-free 3D video and premiered at the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences. It was later donated to the National Issyk Kurgan Museum, where it remains on display as a permanent digital tribute to one of Central Asia’s most iconic archaeological finds.