MANGYSTAU
It is said that during the Mesozoic era, this territory was covered by the ancient Tethys Ocean. Looking at the modern mountains, cliffs, ravines, and gorges, one can’t help but feel as if one were on another planet. Furthermore, Mangystau is home to approximately 362 graves of saints, making this region also considered spiritually significant.
Mangystau also attracts beach lovers. Everything has been built along the coastline for the comfort of tourists: hotels, recreation centers, children’s camps, and health centers with sandy beaches.
Recommended attractions:
Kyzylkup – Tiramisu Canyon – is a gently rolling hill composed of multicolored rocks that alternate with one another, creating a breathtaking view. The layers are colored by various minerals. Because of its unusual layered structure, people often call this area “Tiramisu.” During the day, on a sunny day, the landscape is snow-white, in the evening it takes on creamy hues, and at sunset it turns purple.
Ayrakty Shomanay – the Valley of Castles – is a system of residual mountains in Mangystau. They became known as the “Ayrakty Valley of Castles” thanks to the drawings of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. The area around Airakty resembles a mysterious desert city with ruined remains resembling towers and castles with spires.
Porous Canyon – a limestone cliff with unique, bizarre shapes, ranging in height from 3 to 6 meters. Aerated chocolate, sea corals, delicate lace, and even honeycombs. These are how tourists describe the patterns on the cliff walls. Everyone who has visited sees something unique. This place will not leave anyone indifferent.
The fallen land of Zhylyngan is one of the main attractions of the Tupkaragan Peninsula. The name aptly reflects the cape’s features—it resembles a huge pool filled with boulders. It is sometimes called a “sinkhole.” Individual stones at the bottom of Zhylyngan are comparable in size to a small house.
The Bozzhyra tract is a magnificent creation of weathering and erosion, located on the Ustyurt Plateau. Here you can see vast clay deserts, limestone mountains, and mounds over 200 meters high. Many fossilized shells and prehistoric shark teeth can be found here. Ocean waves, then the sun and wind, when all the water disappeared, shaped the landscape we see today: an arid, light-gray landscape, reminiscent of a piece of the Moon on Earth.
Valley of Balls (Torysh) – The unusual Valley of Balls, which stretches through the Torysh tract, is considered one of the most mysterious places in the Mangystau region. Steppe winds and high temperatures, rain and frost, crack and cover these geological formations with a network of cracks. For many years, attempts have been made to unravel the nature of this phenomenon, puzzling over the origins of these unusual, perfectly shaped balls, which eventually begin to crumble like an onion, shedding layer after layer.
Shakpak Ata Underground Mosque – The term “underground” is somewhat inappropriate, as it is carved into a massive chalk cliff on a slight incline. The mosque is unique in its architecture and design, and is considered an example of stone art in Kazakhstan. Hundreds of years ago, sacred ceremonies with Sufi dances and healing magic were held in the Shakpak-ata Mosque.
What else to see in Mangystau: Mount Sherkala, the Jurassic clays of Kokkala, the Tuzbair Salt Marsh, and the Ustyurt Nature Reserve.