Mangystau is a land of amazing beauty. 5 million years ago, the ancient Tethys Ocean raged here. Today, the earth rising from the water resembles the surface of a fantastic planet, either the Moon or Mars, and fascinates everyone who has ever been here. In this article TengriTravel will tell you about the main natural attractions of Mangystau.
Valley of Castles
In appearance, these mountains resemble fairytale palaces with spiers, towers, colonnades and fortress walls. This is a system of small remnant mountains, called in science Airakty-Shomanai. The people simply call the place "The Valley of Castles".
In the ancient ocean Tethys above Ustyurt, fantastic mollusks once lived. They put their remains in the form of the amazing beauty of the mountains. And tectonic movements have shaped the landscape. When the water was gone, the wind, like a jeweler, for many millennia, carved real works of art from rocks and spurs. For those who love to travel, there is something to see here. In the Valley of Castles, you will find many towers, fortresses and other amazing forms. You can admire at least the whole day.
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It is interesting that the Ukrainian poet and writer Taras Shevchenko, whose name gave the name of the area, had a completely different opinion. In 1851, the route of the Karatau expedition, of which he was a participant, passed here. The expedition made a pass along the mountain, and he had time to make a series of drawings under the poetic name "Valley of Castles". “The desert is completely without any vegetation, sand and stone, even a tree - there is nothing,” - that is how he wrote about this place.
Today the Valley of Castles is one of the favorite tourist destinations. Many people want to see and climb the famous white mountain Airakty. And they even stay here for several days. There is a legend that treasures are buried around Airakta, and the Valley of Castles is a real paradise for treasure hunters. This may well be the case, since one of the routes of the Great Silk Road passed nearby. In autumn, tourists are like mushrooms after a rain - they come with instruments and look for ancient gold. But there were cases, says our guide Baurzhan Bielman, when they did find silver and gold coins.
If you are lucky, you can see a couple of cautious mouflons - mountain sheep in the Valley of Castles. But tourists will surely meet camels. They often graze peacefully nearby, completely oblivious to visitors.
Airakts are referred to as mesas, that is, mountains with a flat top. Many do not miss an opportunity to climb on it. Climbing up, they admire not only the amazing panorama of the Mangistau landscape and neighboring mountains, but also the creations of modern artists. Not so long ago, the Mangistau archaeologist Andrey Astafiev created his gallery of geoglyphs in this mountain valley. Created in order to attract more tourists to the region. And we must give him his due - the giant geoglyphs, of which there are five, really involuntarily attract attention and amaze with their grandeur. They have become an adornment of the Valley of Castles, giving it a unique Turkic flavor.
Unfortunately, the Valley of Castles, like many other natural monuments of Mangystau, is not eternal. Scientists believe that in 5-7 thousand years its landscape will change beyond recognition, and the mountains will disappear from the face of the earth forever.
Zhigylgan
There are many legends associated with the place, which is popularly called Zhigylgan. Translated literally, it means "fallen earth". According to legend, one of the Prophets, the predecessors of the Prophet Muhammad, once passed here, and during the prayer the local natives took away his horse. The Prophet got angry and cursed this place. Since then the coast has been covered with mud, and the earth has split …
Scientists believe that the depression was formed either due to a strong earthquake, or due to the fact that the waters of the ancient Tethys ocean literally washed the earth. The Zhigylgan depression is called a karst cave in science. Asima Koshim, professor at KazNU named after al-Farabi, explains that karst is a cave that is formed from chalk rocks. Due to the action of water and wind, it is washed off over time and forms various bizarre shapes. It should be noted that Mangystau is rich in such karsts. In various variations, they can be found throughout the peninsula.
The edge of the Zhigylgan depression is an almost perfect circle. It is at least 10 kilometers in diameter and 80 meters deep. Going to the very edge is not safe. This is due to cracks, which gradually expand under the influence of wind and sun. Zhigylgan is often called a living object, because groundwater outflows continue to this day, clay deposits are shifting and the cliff continues to fall. At any moment, the place you are standing on can crumble. However, some daredevils like to stand on the edge of the abyss and take breathtaking photos.
It is very difficult to describe the beauty of this area. Picturesque rocks are like the ruins of an ancient castle. There is a small lake nearby, they say, the water in it is very salty, like in the Dead Sea. Old-timers call it Kozdykara. Nobody knows how it came about here. However, people believe that it is somehow connected with the Caspian Sea. They say that if a ram falls into the lake, then after a while it will certainly be in the sea.
Zhigylgan also attracts tourists by the fact that on one of the rocks there are supposedly traces of dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, lions and many other ancient animals. But in fairness, it should be noted that science has not yet confirmed whose traces these really are.
Boszhira tract
Kazakh Arizona. This is what travelers call the Boszhira tract. And quite rightly so. The tract is located in the western part of the Ustyurt plateau and is located on the site of an ancient canyon. Its area is huge, and the opening landscape seems to take us into a fantastic film on an unknown planet.
Mount Boszhira is also called the fangs of Ustyurt. The authors of this natural masterpiece are wind and sun. And these rocks consist of limestone deposits. Just imagine! Millions of years ago, the ancient Tethys Ocean splashed here. Huge remnant mountains and two pyramids in the form of fangs more than two hundred meters high were only its small islands. After the ocean receded, over the centuries, the slopes crumbled and eventually acquired such interesting shapes.
It's amazing how well preserved marine fossils are. Very often, scientists find nuggets of silicon here, from which ancient people made arrowheads. If you're lucky, you can even find fossilized shells or teeth of ancient fish. Sharks, for example.
The number of tourists wishing to see the cosmic landscapes of Boszhira is increasing from year to year. They come not only from Kazakhstan, but also from all over the world. Here, once one of his videos was shot by the famous singer Batyrkhan Shukenov. Today, commercials and extreme films are often shot here. Who knows, maybe one day another Star Wars movie or another fantasy movie will be shot here.
Tuzbair
And finally, another majestic creation of natural elements in Mangistau - Tuzbair, or the edge of Ustyurt. Here the plateau ends with a cascade of clay-limestone steps. This place is hardly noticeable from a distance, although it is located a few kilometers from the motorway. From the road, only two mesas are visible, many passing by simply do not pay any attention to them. And only if you drive closer, you will have an incredible panorama of the archipelago of remnant mountains, ridges and cliffs of the ancient ocean.
The Ustyurt plateau used to be the bottom of the sea. And on it there was a constant accumulation of sediments: clay, sands, various organisms, everything was superimposed on one another, layers appeared. Therefore, it is not surprising that at different times of the day the landscape of Tuzbair changes its colors. During the day, in sunny weather, it is snow-white, in the evening it acquires cream shades, at sunset - crimson.
This area is arid, there are practically no reservoirs here. There are cliffs, rocks and gorges everywhere. One gets the feeling that time has frozen in some moment. Only the scorching sun and strong winds, which carry limestone, clay and chalk throughout the area, remind of life. By the way, the wind is the main artist of Tuzbair. After all, it is he who carves bizarre patterns on the rocks. Some of them resemble the faces of people, animals or unidentified flying objects. At the very base of the cliff there is a natural arch. It is not easy to get to it, only experienced drivers who know a safe road on the salt marsh can drive very close to it. A few meters away there is Tuzbair's watchman - a giant sphinx. Day after day, he proudly inspects his property and enjoys the beauty of nature.
Another attraction of Tuzbair is the arans. These are stone hunting pens for the steppe saigas, they were once built by ancient people. Locals say that arans were used even in the 30s of the last century. Today these are historical monuments of the economic development of the Ustyurt plateau.
The nature of Mangystau is amazing. And, if you have not been here yet - do not waste time! You can visit these and other attractions of the peninsula from Aktau.
Travel to the Mangyshlak Peninsula will bring you an unforgettable experience and stunning photos. Each stone of this region keeps in itself a centuries-old history of natural changes in this place and the people who inhabited it.
Author of the text: Madina Ashilova. Photo: Alibek Begalinov
