Mangyshlak Peninsula

Geographical location

Mangyshlak ( Kazakh Mangistau ) is the name of a large peninsula on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, which gives this its characteristic bean shape. It belongs to the administrative area Mangghystau, a western province of Kazakhstan.

The belonging to Kazakhstan peninsula measures about 200 x 300 km and is a semi-desert or desert. Your elevated central and southern reaches in Mangistau Mountains ( Gora Bessoki ) to 556 m above sea level and is geologically attributed to the Ustyurt plateau, while the flat northern part geomorphological depression is (-35 m) and usually as a separate peninsula ( Busatschi, russ. Poluostrov Buzaci ) is counted.

Mangyshlak is now only sparsely populated ( hpts. Kazakhs, Turkmen, Russian, Trans- Caucasian ), but in ancient times was a crossroads of different cultures. One can find old places of worship of Nestorians, Zoroastrians and Sufis, who are now a destination for pilgrims and occasional tour groups and have their own guest houses. The largest necropolis Mangyschlaks is the pilgrimage Schopan Ata in the sand desert Sauskan with underground meditation rooms and 5000 grave painting from 10 centuries.

Tourist destinations are also some canyons (among Schakpak Ata, Sultan Epe and Zhygylghan ) with fossils and ancient settlements. Furthermore, in Karatau Mountains the colored clay formations of Kokala, the mountain Scherkala and the adjacent archaeological site Kyzyl Kala. This mountain range (in contrast to the same- referred to as East Kazakhstan Mangistau ) takes place in three parallel mountain ranges of the headland ( Tjub Karagan ) at Fort Shevchenko more than 200 km to the east and provides a connection to the orographic Ustyurt plateau represents the two lateral ridges are called Ak -tau.

One of the early residents were among Turkmens, nomadic Kazakhs and Trans- Caucasian, which since Tsarist also increasingly Russians came. The largest settlements are the cities of Aktau ( Shevchenko Russian ) by the seashore and Zhanaozen (Russian Nowy Usen ) in the central highlands.

In the vicinity of the Aktau Aktau nuclear power plant is switched off ( power plant and plutonium - breeder ), in the south of the peninsula was a nuclear test site.

Swell

• Map Central Asia, Brockhaus atlas, 1980.