Mangyshlak is a peninsula loved by historians, geologists and ordinary travelers. The landscapes here resemble Martian ones - at least shoot films based on the stories of R. Bradbury. Everywhere you look - a rocky desert. But at the same time, archaeologists find numerous traces of the presence of people - since the Paleolithic. Mangyshlak is shrouded in secrets, including geological ones. There are cave mosques, Zoroastrian temples, medieval dilapidated tombs.
The story of the grandiose plan of Peter the Great is connected with the Mangyshlak Peninsula, which, fortunately, did not materialize. A traveler on an SUV has an advantage over an ordinary tourist: they do not carry excursions to these mysterious and wild places. In this article we will talk about some of the attractions of the Mangyshlak Peninsula, backing up the description with photos. We hope that you will want to see them firsthand.
Where is Mangyshlak located
The peninsula is located in western Kazakhstan, on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. This is a fairly large area. It is occupied by the whole Mangistau region of Kazakhstan. This geographical feature, deeply extending into the Caspian Sea, has its own peninsulas. In the north it is Buzachi, and in the west - Tub-Karagan. Mangyshlak is washed by the waters of the Kazakh Gulf in the south. And in the north, the Buzachi Peninsula bends towards the mainland. Thus, a small bay, called Dead Kultuk, and a very narrow water area of Kaydak are formed.
Since the beginning of the independence of the state of Kazakhstan, Mangyshlak (peninsula) has been renamed. He was returned to the former name of Mangistau. Translated from Kazakh, it means "a thousand winter huts." The capital of the Mangistau region is the city of Aktau. In Soviet times, it was called Fort Shevchenko, since a well-known Ukrainian poet, writer and artist was serving hard labor in these places.
Why is the desert here
The geology of the Mangyshlak peninsula allows us to define it (at least in the northern part) as a continuation of the Caspian lowland. This territory is incredibly rich in minerals. About a quarter of all Kazakhstan oil is produced here. But the main wealth of Mangistau are uranium ores. It is known that a long time ago the peninsula was covered not with desert, but with green meadows. Here the large river Uzboy flowed into the Caspian. But the change in the channel and the sharply continental climate led to the fact that the lush vegetation has withered out, giving way to desert landscapes. On Mangyshlak severe winters with snowstorms. And in the summer, the thermometer jumps up to seventy degrees!
Geological secret
Nevertheless, the Mangyshlak Peninsula is rich in healing mineral waters - sodium, chloride, bromine and others. In chemical composition, these sources are similar to Feodosia and Matsesta. There are thermal keys, reminiscent of those that hit in Kamchatka. Where does so much underground water come from in such an arid place? The secret is simple. The sands of Tuyesu, Bostankum and Sengirkum stretch for many hundreds of kilometers along the territory of the Mangistau peninsula from north to south. There are huge hollows. The sand that has been filling them since the retreat of the Caspian plays the role of a sponge. It absorbs precipitation, very few in number, and retains fresh water, preventing it from evaporating. Such reservoirs are enriched with mineral salts of rocks. The presence of numerous healing springs suggests that over time, balneological resorts will develop here.
Peter the Great and Mangyshlak
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the reformer tsar had the idea to build a waterway from Russia to India. It was supposed to pass along the Volga, Caspian, Amu Darya and Panj. Therefore, in the spring of 1715 a two thousandth detachment was sent, led by Captain Bekovich-Cherkassky. His goal was to identify the channel of the dead Uzboy River, which once flowed through Mangyshlak. The peninsula met the soldiers very inhospitable. Less than half of the squad returned back. But Peter the Great was implacable. He again sent Bekovich-Cherkassky to his, this time last, mission. Khan Shir-Gaza was skeptical of the crazy idea to turn the Amu Darya westward so that it occupies the deserted channel of the Uzboy and flows into the Caspian Sea. Moreover, the presence of Russians in his kingdom also did not bode well. The detachment lured to Khiva disappeared without a trace.
The nature of Mangyshlak
She is truly harsh. Nevertheless, the Martian landscapes, which are especially famous for the plateau of the same name on the Mangyshlak Peninsula, attract hundreds of brave travelers. Nature here only seems lifeless. In fact, the peninsula is inhabited by about two hundred species of animals and almost three hundred species of plants. A seal is found in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Mangyshlak. In shallow waters flocks of flamingos can be seen. Other inhabitants of the peninsula include the cheetah, white-bellied arrow arrow, four-lane snake, honey badger, sand cat, manul, caracal, gazelle, Ustur mouflon, bustard, eagle owl, golden eagle, steppe eagle, vulture, peregrine falcon. Many species of these animals are listed in the Red Book.
Mangyshlak Peninsula: Attractions
Like abandoned cities, lost in the desert, ancient necropolises look like: Sultan-Epe, Kenti Baba, Becket-Ata. Some memorials date from the Early Middle Ages, others were erected in the eighteenth century and were used as a cemetery until the twentieth century.
Tourists like to consider cave paintings, which depict camels, horses, floral ornaments mixed with Arabic script and Zoroastrian symbols. The grave of St. Sufi and the underground mosque of Beket-Ata are especially popular. Tourists also rise to the top of Mount Otpan, where the signal tower of the ancient Kazakhs once stood. Now there is a memorial built to recreate the forms of this stronghold. Tourists among other attractions of the peninsula often visit the cave mosque of Shakpak-Ata.
Enigmatic natural attractions
At the very foot of the Karatau Mountains, the Karagie Depression is located . Its bottom is one hundred thirty-two meters below the level of the World Ocean and approximately one hundred - on the Caspian Sea. The hollow is huge - fifty to thirty kilometers, and its origin is still inexplicable. What is it: the site of the fall of an ancient meteorite?
Similar to the Karagiye Depression is the Zhigylgan Basin. Its dimensions are somewhat more modest - ten kilometers, but the outlines - an almost perfect circle. The hollow is filled with cliffs-remnants, which from afar resemble the ruins of ancient castles. Of the other natural attractions that the Mangyshlak Peninsula is famous for, photos often capture the “chalk mountains” of Northern Aktau and the lonely rock of Sherkala.