Big Salabyk mound, Archaeological monument in Salbyk Valley, Russia

Big Salabyk mound is an ancient burial constructed with a square perimeter marked by massive stone plates in the Salbyk Valley. The stonework weighs between 50 and 70 tons per block and creates a defined boundary around the central burial chamber.

The kurgan belongs to the Tagar culture, not the Bronze Age. G. F. Miller produced the first description in 1739 during the First Academic Expedition of 1733–1743. S. V. Kiselev's expedition excavated it in 1954–1956, and from 1992 to 2010 L. S. Marsadolov led Hermitage research here.

The site is a monument of the Tagar culture, whose people built it as a burial for a tribal chief. The surrounding steppe within about 5 km holds 56 kurgans, five nearly as large, which is why the area is called the Valley of the Kings. The open-air museum "Ancient Kurgans of the Salbyk Steppe" now operates here.

The open-air museum "Ancient Kurgans of the Salbyk Steppe" operates at the site, and the mound lies 60 km northwest of Abakan in the Valley of the Kings. The steppe is exposed, with little shade, so bring water and sun protection. The ground around the mound is stony and uneven.

Around the mound stand about 23 upright stones reaching up to 6 meters high, positioned along the corners and sides of the stone enclosure. These tall stones may have served as markers or as part of a system for tracking celestial movements.