TOP-10 unique places of Mangystau

If there is a tourist paradise in the world, then it is in the Mangystau region. Probably, it is the best and shortest way to describe the potential of the region where the best conditions for a vacation are created.

Mangystau is a peninsula with breathtaking landscapes, a unique climate and unique people. This is a real paradise for tourists: the sea, steppes, mountains, tracts, canyons and holy places. And this is not the whole list of what you can enjoy in the region.

In this case, it is extremely difficult to choose the top 10 places to visit. However, we have tried and selected for you a list of interesting and picturesque objects of the region.

Bozzhira Mountain

The magic of this place cannot be expressed fully with photo and video camera. The unimaginable view of the natural boundary Bohzhira, located on the Ustyurt plateau, attracts tourists from all over the world. White rocky remains shine blindingly. This amazing place is compared to Arizona, Monument Valley. However, as for the Kazakh natural monument, it is way easier visit it, it is financially more affordable, and there are a lot fewer tourists visiting, which makes one with nature time more magnificent.

Sor Tuzbair

This creation of nature is incredibly beautiful. On Tuzbair, desert, hills and cliffs are miraculously combined. Tourists from all over the world come here to look at the salt flats, to conquer the rocky peaks, to touch the great creation of mother nature. Each view is an unforgettable scene. For photographers, this is a paradise for a successful photoshoot, for artists, ready to be drawn landscapes saturated with inspiration.

The underground mosque of Becket-Ata.

When speaking about the touristic sector of Mangystau region, it is impossible not to mention the famous Becket Ata mosque. Pilgrims from all over the world come here to bow to his relics and ask for mercy to heal the soul and body. According to the tales, the sick are healed and those in need become successful. The main thing is good thoughts and purity of the soul. In addition to the fact that the place is sacred, the underground mosque of Becket Ata is also a picturesque object with a rich history.

Depression of Karakiya. 

One of the deepest in the world (fifth in the ranking). Its depth is 132 meters below sea level. The picturesque view makes the heart stop. The bottom of Karakiya is covered with an extensive salt marsh called Batyr. The depression is rubbed 85 km in length and reaches 25 km in width. Thousands of tourists come here every year to enjoy this creation of nature.

Ayrakty-Shomanai. 

The second name of the area is the Valley of Castles. It was no coincidence that a natural object received such a characteristic. The Airaktinsky mountains look like fabulous castles with columns and towers with fortress walls. In spring, the valley is covered with tulips. Along the sides of Mount Ayrakty on the blocks of chalk rock can be seen scratched drawings, called one of the researchers “Steppe Symphonies”.

Mount Sherkala

The majestic Mount Sherkala is located on the endless steppes of Mangystau and it is notable for its unusual shape. Locals say that from a certain angle, the mountain resembles a huge yurt(nomads’ portable tent). People joke that this natural object in the middle of the plain steppe was set by nomad giants to celebrate the toy(in Kazakh - any type of celebration).

Cape Zhigylgan

Fallen land. This is what the cape is called because of its’ unusual appearance formed by the huge geological landslide that arose as a result of the soaking of the clay-sand pillow on which the limestone layer rested. Zhigylgan gave people a rare opportunity to view an extraordinary thing - fragments of plates with surface impressions of petrified traces chains of large and small sabre-toothed makhairod cats and small three-toed horses - hipparions deeply bogged down in silt. The age of these traces is 10-15 million years.

Valley of Balls Torysh

The most mysterious landmark of the Mangystau region over which scientists around the world puzzle over. Until now, no one can understand how stones of a clear round shape appeared in the middle of the endless steppe. Disputes of the origin of this place have been ongoing for 250 years. However, thinkers have not come to a common opinion.

Tupkaragan - The Cradle of Mangistau History

Cape Tupkaragan is called the cradle of the history of Mangistau. Many people of the world respect the shrines, where the memory of the ancestors who lived there is kept. Chronicles of medieval Arab scholars from the 8th-12th centuries claim that an ancient city was located in this place.