South of the Ural Mountains, in the heart of Eurasia,Kazakhstan is located. Here antiquity intertwined with modernity, the traditions of the East with the modernity of the West. From the day of independence, the country has been developing by leaps and bounds, and a vivid example of this is the former capital, Astana. But to discover the unspoiled nature of the desert and almost the Alpine mountains is possible only by visiting remote regions.
Overview of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan
Мало кого удивишь романтической поездкой во France, shopping in Italy or visiting a fashionable party in Ibiza. But who can boast of a trip to Kazakhstan and tell about the rest on the Central Asian resort? Agree, the pursuit of trends sometimes overshadows what is practically next door. And there are enough beautiful places in Kazakhstan, and on the threshold of the 25th anniversary of the country, the national TV channel launched the “Photo Report” column, where the most interesting locations of the state were listed:
- Almaty is the capital, located in the valley of two rivers, at the foot of the Trans-Ili Alatau.
- Peak Khan Tegri - is known for the unusual shape of the summit in the form of an ideal pointed pyramid.
- Kolsay and Kulsey - three lakes filled with clear ice water, located at an altitude of 2000 m, are one of the most beautiful natural places in Kazakhstan.
- Aktau is one of the largest cities in the world where human life is almost impossible.
- Lake Balkhash is a unique place known for the fact that the eastern half is filled with salt water, and the western half is fresh.
- Kaindy - a lake in the Kengei-Alatau gorge, formed as a result of an earthquake.
- Khoja Ahmet Yassaui - the mausoleum, built in the 14th century, is a complex of temples, palaces, baths and hilveta.
- Charyn canyon is not only a beautiful place in Kazakhstan (in Kazakh “Sharyn”), but also the most ancient. The breeds of which it is complex, more than 12 million years.
- Katon-Kargai - a unique location, where the national park and reserve is located.
- Baikonur - the cosmodrome of the same name was built here, and all the sights on this territory are connected with the theme of space.
- Beket-ata is a sacred place for every Kazakhstani. Every day the mosque is visited by up to a thousand pilgrims per day.
- Borovoye is a famous resort, famous for its clean air, dozens of health resorts and incredibly beautiful nature.
- Merke is a sanctuary located at an altitude of 3000 m above sea level.
- Atameken is an open-air museum where you can see all the sights of the country at a time.
- Baiterek is a relatively young architectural monument (12 years old). At a height of 97 meters is an imprint of the hand of the President of the country.
- Zharkent is a mosque built without the use of nails and iron brackets. The main building material was Tien-Shan fir.
- Dead Lake - the most mysterious, but verya beautiful place in Kazakhstan (in English Dead Lake), where, unfortunately, almost every year people drown. If local residents bypass it, then tourists first of all go here.
- "Navel of the Earth" - people from different parts of the world come to an unusual place to get a charge of energy from space and Earth.
- The Ustyurt Plateau is a desert region located between the Aral Sea and the northern part of the Caspian Sea. According to statistics, in this place most often appear UFO.
- The singing mountain is a huge sandy hill grown on the river bank of the Ili.
- Turang Grove is a natural park located in the Almaty region.
- Markakol - a lake with clear water, the picturesque shores of which are carved by bays.
- Bektau-ata is the most beautiful sight in the north of the city of Balkhash, where a considerable number of interesting places of the country are concentrated on 4,000 hectares.
The choice of tourists
The main attraction of Kazakhstanis the endless steppe, which in its time passed several waves of migrations of people from east to west. The land is rich in picturesque corners where artifacts of human history are stored: stone sculptures, burial mounds and buried settlements.
Among the travelers is a popular trip to the Charyn Canyon, which will be discussed later. No less interesting on the Saki mounds, in the reserve "Borovoye" and in the gorge Karabulak.
In Kazakhstan, a lot of architectural monuments. A favorite place of historians and tourists is Otrar, the ruins of which have preserved traces of the conquest of Genghis Khan.
Sightseeing in Kazakhstan: mausoleums
Aisha Bibi - the only monument in the wholethe territory of Central Asia, whose facade is fully decorated with carved terracotta. The landmark is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the most valuable creations of mankind.
Babadzha-Khatun Mausoleum, built in the southKazakhstan, became famous for an unusual dome in the form of an umbrella with 16 faces. However, the admiration of tourists is caused by the walls of the building, decorated with unique masonry with various patterns.
Мавзолей Ходжа Ахмеда Яссави - огромный rectangular memorial complex, telling about the past of the Kazakh people. The ancient city of Yassi was located on the territory of the Great Silk Road between the steppe and the Central Asian oasis. It was a very lively place: China was involved in the export of porcelain, Persia - in gold and silver products, Byzantium - in fabrics. According to legend, a follower of the Prophet Muhammad, Khoja Ahmed Yassavi, lived in the city, whose sermons convinced people to despise greed and to be honest. Having reached the age of 63, he voluntarily became a recluse and spent the rest of his life in the vault of the mosque, reciting prayers and sermons. He died in 1166, and 233 years later, on the orders of Tamerlan, the mausoleum existing today was installed.
The largest and first spaceport in the world
Quench your thirst for travel on earth, humanityrushed into the sky. The cold war between America and the USSR served as the impetus for the flight into space. Thus began the history of Baikonur, whose construction began in January 1955.
The cosmodrome is located in the south-west of Kazakhstan, in the heart of the steppe, and the nearest settlement is Kyzylorda (240 km). There are three ways to get to Baikonur:
- by plane - flight Moscow - Baikonur;
- to get from Astana to Kyzylorda, and the rest of the way is covered by car;
- by train from Shymkent / Almaty.
Actually, Baikonur can hardly be called beautifulplace of Kazakhstan. Judge for yourself: around the steppe plain, sparse vegetation, birds of prey, rodents and camels. But to learn the history of rocket science, it is still worth visiting the cosmodrome.
Otrar
The oldest city, the ruins of which are located near the villageTalapts Travelers of the Middle Ages described Otrar as a huge shopping center on one of the main branches of the Great Silk Road with numerous mosques, palaces and other architecture.
The name of the Eastern commander is connected with the city -Amir Temur. Here, by his order, the mausoleum Arystan-baba, the palace Bardibek (remains not found until now), in which Tamerlane lived on the eve of his campaign in China, was built.
The city has existed for almost 2,000 years, but becausedrought in the 19th century, people abandoned it, and over time it collapsed. Otrar is not just the most ancient city, here even the air is saturated with history. Archaeological excavations are still underway, and who knows, maybe they can help unravel all the secrets hidden in the sands.
Charyn
American travelers call Charyncanyon "younger brother" Grand Canyon. “Junior” is only because of its size, but this more than compensates for the stunning view of one of the most beautiful places in Kazakhstan.
Nature of the canyon, located on the spursTien Shan, touching on the thinnest strings of the soul, will make you come back here again and again. Travelers say: not a single description, not a single photograph, even the highest quality one, cannot convey all its beauty. And if there are breathtaking places on Earth, where the architectural talent of nature merges with its greatness, then one of them can rightly be called the Charyn Canyon.
Tamgaly-Tas
Very picturesque and beautiful place in Kazakhstan, thatin translation means "stones with signs." It is here that tourists can find images of Burkhanov and Buddha, accompanied by Tibetan inscriptions. Figures dated 14-16 centuries. In total, on the territory of Tamgaly-Tas there are 18 rocks with signs, including 3 with the image of Buddha. In general, the place is an open-air sanctuary.
According to legend, when walking along the tractcaravan, there was a strong earthquake. According to eyewitnesses, the cobblestones from the cliffs, rolling into the water, formed a crossing over the river. People took it as a sign of the blessings of the gods.
Borovoye
Burabay - a beautiful place in Kazakhstan, knownfar outside the country as "Kazakh Switzerland". In the middle of the yellow endless steppe, a green wall suddenly appears from the forest, behind which a terrain opens, where huge ancient trees coexist with stone ridges, and the bends of rocks protect the peace of lakes full of fish.
Borovoye (Burabay) is not rich in architectural monuments, but the amazing flora makes no less impression than palaces and castles.
Altyn-Emel
A beautiful place in Kazakhstan to rest on the rightcan be called the "golden saddle". Altyn-Emel National Park is famous for having a unique natural phenomenon - the Singing Mountain consisting of two dunes 100 and 150 m high. The last southern one makes a special impression on tourists, in the form of a mountain of pure sand with steep slopes and without a single blade of grass.
The most picturesque place of the reserve is the chalk mountains.Aktau, which is the bottom of the ancient sea that once filled the Ili basin. After the disappearance of water, nature created here canyons and gorges. Sheer walls are composed of different layers of rocks: the upper part is in dipazane from bright yellow to white, and the lower part is green and red.
Aksu-Zhabagly Reserve
Another beautiful place in Kazakhstan with an area of 740 m2. The country's first reserve was founded in 1926, and its main attraction is the canyon of the Aksu River, whose depth reaches 600 meters.
Special attention should be paid to the flora of the areaconsisting of 1200 species of plants. In addition, the Aksu-Zhabaglinsky reserve is a habitat for the snow leopard and ibex. Many residents of the park are listed in the Red Book, so hunting is prohibited here, and on some animals - strictly limited.
Issyk Kul
Rumor has it that the lake has its own character.For example, when the weather frowns, the water turns gray, and in the rays of the bright sun it becomes either turquoise, or blue, or green. But the beautiful place of Kazakhstan (in the Kazakh language "Ysyk" is hot, and "Kul" is the lake) became famous for its sad history. In 1963, the mudslide swept away a natural dam. Literally in 5 hours, the city of Issyk was seriously destroyed, where many local residents perished.
Before the catastrophe, the territory of the lake was very picturesque: the green shores, decorated with Tien Shan firs, the blue of the water surface and quiet bays - all this created a special, charming and romantic atmosphere.
После молниеносного селевого опустошения Issyk-Kul decreased by half. However, the new dam was able to recover most of it. Now locals and travelers who value peace and closeness to nature come here to relax. Around the lake are green meadows, rocky gorges, dense forests, where there are a variety of representatives of the flora, many of which are listed in the Red Book.
The best period for relaxing in one of the mostbeautiful places in Kazakhstan - from July to September inclusive. However, tourists who come here all year round, argue that even in winter the lake has a charming beauty and strength.
