Central Kazakhstan
The territory of Central Kazakhstan covers 398,8 sq. km. Population 17.3m thousand people. Density of population 4,5 people per sq km., 86% live in towns and settlements. Central Kazakhstan is a mine of natural resources.
Lake Balkhash, one of the largest lakes in the world, and a unique Kargalinsky woody-mountain oasis are situated in Central Kazakhstan (Karagandinskaya oblast). Mountaineers will not be indifferent to the picturesque Ulutau Mountains. This region has a lot of memorable places, which have preserved archeological and ethnographical sights.
Saryarka. Free and vast slopes of Saryarka: picturesque granite massifs of Karkaraly, Kent, Kyzylrai mountains in the east to Tengiz Lake and Ulutau mountains in the west, from the Ishim River in the north to Betpak-Dala desert in the south spreads a large steppe, which was called Sary Arka (yellow range) long time ago by the kazakh people.
Nature has been generously bestowed upon this land. Its bowels are rich in natural resources. Here in the very heart of the Eurasian continent summer and winter pastures spread and the mountains and hills glitter with blue light… This area is not so dry as one is accustomed to think. It has besides Tengiz Lake more than 200 lakes – habitats of swans, geese, ducks, cranes and herons.
Karkaralinsky State National Natural Park. The name of Karkaraly takes its roots from the name of national kazakh women’s hats – karkary, artfully covered with beads, necklaces, the silk, velvet and owl feathers. And like this bright Karkara, Karkaralinsky Mountains shine with all the colours of the rainbow. Its high and is comparatively small: the highest point is a three-pointed peak of Komsomol (1,403 m. above sea level), and over the surrounding hills it rises to 400-500 m. The total territory of the oasis is about 1,000 sq.km. The mountains are covered with pine and birch woods, various kinds of grass. The names of the cliffs, mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers given by the people speak eloquently of those lands: Eagle Summit, Dear Mountain, Red Bird Hill, Red Mountain Cliff and lakes: Mirror Deep, Plough, Shaitankol (Hell Lake).
There are many legends about Hell Lake. One of them says that the beautiful Sulushsash ran from her village to the Karkaraly Mountains, where she met a tiger and threw herself into the lake in order to avoid being an easy prey for the ferocious predator.
Another legend says that when the people were not yet born the devil settled down in the Karkaraly Mountains. One day a tiger attacked him. The devil threw himself into the lake and drowned.
Karasor Lake (Tyzdigul) has an area of 250 sq. km. The lake is rich in fish. The consistence of salts in the lake is more than that of seawater. On its banks there is theraputic mud. About 10 little rivers flow to this lake.
Balkhash Lake. There is a legend; saying that a rich man, Balkhash, had a beautiful daughter Ili. Once Balkhash held a feast and promised to give the winner of the contest his daughter as a wife. Ili loved Karatal the shepherd. She helped Karatal to win the contest. But Balkhash didn’t want to give him Ili. And the young lovers ran away. And the angry father could not catch the fugitives so he turned them into rivers and turned himself into a lake between them.
Balkhash Lake is the largest mouthless lake after the Caspian and Aral seas. Its length is 614 km., width is 3,5 to 44 km, the maximum depth is 26 m. The phenomena of Balkhash Lake is the different mineralisation of its western and eastern parts, connected by a narrow gulf. The western part gets water from the Ili River and is fresh; the eastern part is salty. The diversity of nature at Balkhash is wonderful.
Bektuata Mountain Range is an oasis of North Pribalkhashye. The pink peak of Bektuata soaring into the sky for more than 1,000 m. In clear weather it can be seen from over 100 km away, so it is not called the lighthouse of Pribalkhashye for nothing. Bektuata is not vast (4,000 hectares), but it includes a great variety of wonderful rocks and gorges. In the bowels of the caves one can find mountain crystal morion a rare mineral pesocwarts.
These granites take all imaginable forms, with names like the mushroom, the trunk, the turtle, etc.
Numerous ancient monuments and mounds, many of which has been preserved and may be still hiding the mysteries of life.
In Saryarka 88 archeological sites situated in different regions are protected by the state. There are Aktasti and Klish mound, Dermen settlement, Aidagarly cave, the group of mounds of Karasy winter set etc.
The most interesting specimen of cultural architecture of the XVIII c. is Ak-Beket Mazar. Mazar is a circular building in the shape of a yurta (tent).
So, Central Kazakhstan is the land where centuries met. The last archeological excavations testify that the steppes of Saryarka were included onto the trade and cultural sphere of the Great Silk Road.
In the nutshell, a visit to Saryarka promises everybody who wants to come here many surprises.
For additional information, please see www.ecotourism.kz