An island from which they do not return …
Do you think this is the script for another Hollywood thriller? Not at all. We are talking about a real island in the Aral Sea, called Barsakelmes. More precisely, it is a former island, now turned into a tract due to the shallowing of the sea.
Its name sounds as intimidating as the legends of the anomalous past. Translated from the Kazakh language, the name of the island means “you won't come back”. It even makes sense …
The history of the reserve
Barsakelmes Island was officially documented in the 1850s by the Russian hydrographer Alexei Butakov. The exiled Ukrainian poet and outstanding personality Taras Shevchenko was part of his expedition. Today, his drawings, made during his stay on the island, have survived.
Promotional video:
In the 20s of the XX century, a hunting farm for breeding ground squirrels was created here. Ten years later, the island was awarded the title of a national reserve. The main task of the facility was to support the population of onions, which were brought here from outside. However, the lack of fresh water has brought many obstacles to the development of this reserve. It is known that in the 90s the kulans were taken back.
Secret laboratory
Barsakelmes was called the most "closed" nature reserves of the entire Soviet Union. It was almost impossible to get here due to the strict access control.
According to the assumptions of the researcher Mikhail Antonov, 60 kilometers from Barsakelmes, on Vozrozhdenie Island, at one time the Soviet government opened a secret laboratory of biological weapons. As a result of testing harmful substances, residents of neighboring villages suffered.
What happened to the island in the future remains a mystery to this day. Such conspiracies gave rise to rumors and incredible guesses about the events taking place on the island. As a rule, they mainly feature stories of mysterious disappearances of people.
What's in your name?
In time immemorial, an enemy attack forced a certain tribe to move to the island of Barsakelmes.
According to legend, while waiting for frost, in order to freely cross the frozen sea, an old man appeared to the leader of the tribe in a dream. He prophesied a safe and happy life for the inhabitants of the tribe, provided that no one would harm the animals and plants of the island. Indeed, soon after the move, the enemies finally lagged behind them, and the inhabitants of the tribe indulged in unbridled fun.
However, a person tends to forget about the values of once unattainable wealth. Intoxicated by the carefree life, the inhabitants of the tribe began to cut trees and kill the island's animals for their own needs. In revenge, the island took up arms against people in anger and sent a flock of giant steppe snakes to them. Thus, people became victims of their own greed.
Disappeared Tankman
Another more plausible story of the island swallowing people says that in the 1960s, a Soviet expedition delivered a tank packed with reconnaissance equipment to the island. And the tanker was instructed to be on the line all the time.
The tankman carried out the order unconditionally and for a long time conducted conversations on the radio. But at some point, the broadcast stopped. The tanker did not get in touch anymore. When the rest of the expedition arrived at the tank, there was no one inside, and the military transport itself was covered with frost. It is still not clear where the tanker went.
Is time really fleeting?
According to popular rumor, in the 20s of the XIX century, a whole topographic expedition disappeared in Barsakelmes. Her search took three whole months. However, at one point, the disappeared people themselves unexpectedly appeared in their homes. When asked where they disappeared all the time, all as one stated that they had stayed on the island for only 3 days, doing topographic surveys.
A similar case happened with the escaped prisoners who hid here from the search groups. After a few years, the fugitives returned to their families. Upon returning home, they were horrified to find that not months, but years had passed since their escape.
There are a lot of such intriguing stories with "temporary" failures. Ufologists have their own version of this. In their opinion, Barsakelmes Island is under the influence of a powerful geoactive zone. This is where abnormal phenomena follow, such as a violation of the course of physical time.
UFO activity area
Meanwhile, many researchers associate the mysterious disappearances of people on the island with UFO activity. In the past, there were many eyewitnesses here who claimed to have seen unidentified flying saucers. If you search well, you can find a lot of information about the mysterious glow over the island. Until now, no one has found a rational explanation for these glows.
Despite such anomalous stories, the Barsakelmes National Reserve is still considered one of the main assets of the nine protected natural sites of Kazakhstan. This mysterious area attracts many researchers from all over the world with its frightening beauty.
Prepared by Kyrmyzy Aydarova