Mangyshlak Peninsula is a land on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. The Mangistau region is in its territory. One of the most impressive scenes on the peninsula is the valley of stone balls called Torysh. There are several theories of their creation, however, the exact cause is still not known.Its significant place is on the coast of the Caspian which turns the Mangyshlak Peninsula into a transit passage for the troops on the Silk Road.
According to the recent evidence, between the fifth and 14th centuries, the Caspian Sea’s water level was as much as seven meters lower than it is today, and there was a land link between Mangyshlak and the Caspian north shore. Trains could pass through in the shortest path to Itil on the Volga River.
The places of old caravanserai sites are pleasant in this range because they are present next to watering holes, which form surprisingly green lands in the barren landscape. For caravan passengers, survival depends on these commonly spaced out oases, and the heirs of the sites knew how to exploit that.
Places Defining The Beauty Of Mangyshlak:
Mangyshlak’s Beaches:
The Caspian Sea water which is on its east coast is clear, transparent turquoise, yet it is perfect by the regularly expanding of oil drilling at various locations in the area.
Aktau has several lovely beaches with fine sand and small bays between mussel-chalk rocks, where you can find yourself wholly alone outside the high period of late May to the beginning of September.
The most impressive beaches can be seen by turning to the west and traveling through one of the tracks off the road from Aktau to Fort Shevchenko.
Mangyshlak’s Sacred Caves:
The dry Mangyshlak Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Ustyurt Plateau extending into the northeastern part of the Caspian Sea.
High in the concentration of cemeteries, mosques, places of pilgrimage and it is recognized as a holy and divine land within Kazakhstan.
You will find hundreds of necropolises in addition to underground mosques and always linked with the tomb of a saint and large cemeteries.
Shopan-Ata
It is found at the base of a low limestone cliff, the top of which has been shaped into a crater in order to assemble some water for ablutions. It is encircled by a cemetery from10th to 19th centuries AD, from the Oguz to the Adai period.
Shakpat-Ata
Shakpat-Ata is situated 90km away from Aktau, on the cliffs of the northwestern peak of the Mangyshlak Peninsula, this mosque, carved into the vertical slopes of limestone bedrock adjoining a valley with a seasonal stream.
Shakpak-Ata is from 9th-10th centuries AD, making this place as the oldest in Mangyshlak, and overlooks a huge necropolis.
The door has a portal flanked on both sides by unreal grottoes, each occupied by a burial place, including the later grave of Shakpak-Ata.
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