Modern travelers are attracted more often with those corners "on the brink" of world, where the nature appears in all its power, in a greatness unsubdued to a human being. One of such places on a planet - is one of its largest deserts Karakum. English traveler A.Berns wrote in first half of 19th century: «Other deserts are insignificant in comparison with this boundless ocean of sand …». And the same impression is made by Karakum on present "adventurers". Actually, in sands of Karakum it is possible to meet a lot of unexpected, inexplicable and consequently especially attractive. There are so many natural sights that "the boundless" desert can become the most interesting object for various kinds of tourism - from ecological to extreme.
Darvaza craters
In the centre of Kara Kum, in the district known as Darvaza, there are unique landscape nature sanctuaries - well-known deep downfall, from a bottom of one of which escapes flame, and in that mine where the bottom is filled with water, there rages gas. Impressions from what is seen are stunning: from bowels of a 70 meters in diameter and 20 meters depth crater there escapes a flame columns. This is natural gas. The bewitching show forces to have mixed feelings – of fear, curiosity, and unclear sacrament. The given natural phenomenon continues to excite imagination and causes genuine interest in the numerous tourists, burning with desire to see this all with their own eyes and to embody seen on a photo and video. What is the origin of this “nature miracle”?
More than half a century ago, during the period when researches of natural pantries in the Central Karakum has only started, geologists have revealed large gaseous structure the feature of which consisted in that its central part there was a zone of karstic emptiness. Formation of one of downfall was connected with drilling of structurally-profile well from which the first industrial inflow of gas with big debit has been received. When the well has entered into thickness of cretaceous carbonate adjournment, a gas-oil fountain has escaped from it. Soon because of destruction of rocks and a soil collapse, the drilling equipment and rig constructions were to be urgently dismantled. Nevertheless, a powerful gas fountain from this well, as well as numerous gas shows on enormous structure by its sizes, have allowed to highly appreciate the perspectives of gaseous area. Subsequently, exactly here, an industrial investigation of deposits has begun, and formed failures became a sightseeing of a sandy desert - unique landscape nature sanctuaries.
Ahchakaya hollow: at the bottom of prehistoric sea
Besides Darvaza hollows, Karakum gives possibility of acquaintance with even more deeper hollow in northwest part - Ahchakaya. At first it is not believable that on this sandy plain it is possible to appear unexpectedly on 200 meters depth. But, having turned from an automobile line and "having strayed" a little, one can appear on a stretched plain where the enormous hollow bent in the form of a horseshoe with high steep boards. Here it is, legendary hollow of Ahchakaya!
When in 1935, well-known researcher-geographer V.Mirzoev for the first time has gone down on its bottom and began to observe of behavior of a barometer, he has not believed his eyes: the arrow indicated a height - minus 100 meters, that is 100 meters below the sea-level. Such level on a land is met very seldom. “When in Leningrad I have made definitive calculations it has appeared that the bottom of a southern hollow lies 92 meters below the ocean level, - the scientist writes in his memoirs. It means that it takes the second place in Central Asia by its depth. Below Ahchakaya, settles down only the hollow of Karagiye on Mangyshlak, lying in immediate proximity from Caspian sea. This big saline soil is located at the height minus 132 meters. And meanwhile, just recently it was considered that the lowest point of region - the bottom of Sarykamysh hollow lying at level minus 45 meters. Also we managed, for the first time, to establish the depth of a hollow, it constituted 200 meters”.
Rivers do not flow here, and there are no streams, wells here. In 60th of the last century hydrogeologists drilled here a well from which so far gradually streams a warm, strongly carbonated water. Walls of a plateau contour the hollow in the shape of an amphitheatre. Brightly painted rocks appear on breakages - green, white, red, pink clay, limestone, mergheli мергели form a well traced tapes. In light clays of the bottom horizon an expedition participants have found the teeth of sharks which laid here tens of millions of years.
Lake, that has revived a steppe plain
One more interesting place to the north from a hollow - picturesque lake Zengibaba. There is a legend telling that long times ago on a height a sacred person grazed cattle. When the shepherd has died, he was buried on this place and now both the height and the lake is named in honour of sacred - Zengi baba. More 100 years ago there already was a reservoir here, then it has dried up, and has revived again in connection with intensive development of the Shahsenem massif.
Revival of lake which is located in the territory of Shahsenem wildlife park of Kaplankyr state nature reserve, has served as powerful stimulus for ecological equilibrium restoration in huge territory. Now on more than 2000 hectares lake coast area there grow tens kinds of plants. Near the lake there grows unique saxaul wood where it is possible to see how mighty the trunks of this tree of desert can be.
Wildlife park has turned to a places of constant dwelling of many kinds of animals and birds. During flight on a water smooth surface of lake thousand bald-coots, various kinds of ducks, pelicans, flamingo, seagulls, cormorants have a rest. On a watering place there come gazelles and kulans. During migration steppe antilopes visit a reservoir. In coastal thickets here live karakals, porcupines, etc. The lake is rich with fish - the catfish, carps, breams.
Darvaza craters
In the centre of Kara Kum, in the district known as Darvaza, there are unique landscape nature sanctuaries - well-known deep downfall, from a bottom of one of which escapes flame, and in that mine where the bottom is filled with water, there rages gas. Impressions from what is seen are stunning: from bowels of a 70 meters in diameter and 20 meters depth crater there escapes a flame columns. This is natural gas. The bewitching show forces to have mixed feelings – of fear, curiosity, and unclear sacrament. The given natural phenomenon continues to excite imagination and causes genuine interest in the numerous tourists, burning with desire to see this all with their own eyes and to embody seen on a photo and video. What is the origin of this “nature miracle”?
More than half a century ago, during the period when researches of natural pantries in the Central Karakum has only started, geologists have revealed large gaseous structure the feature of which consisted in that its central part there was a zone of karstic emptiness. Formation of one of downfall was connected with drilling of structurally-profile well from which the first industrial inflow of gas with big debit has been received. When the well has entered into thickness of cretaceous carbonate adjournment, a gas-oil fountain has escaped from it. Soon because of destruction of rocks and a soil collapse, the drilling equipment and rig constructions were to be urgently dismantled. Nevertheless, a powerful gas fountain from this well, as well as numerous gas shows on enormous structure by its sizes, have allowed to highly appreciate the perspectives of gaseous area. Subsequently, exactly here, an industrial investigation of deposits has begun, and formed failures became a sightseeing of a sandy desert - unique landscape nature sanctuaries.
Ahchakaya hollow: at the bottom of prehistoric sea
Besides Darvaza hollows, Karakum gives possibility of acquaintance with even more deeper hollow in northwest part - Ahchakaya. At first it is not believable that on this sandy plain it is possible to appear unexpectedly on 200 meters depth. But, having turned from an automobile line and "having strayed" a little, one can appear on a stretched plain where the enormous hollow bent in the form of a horseshoe with high steep boards. Here it is, legendary hollow of Ahchakaya!
When in 1935, well-known researcher-geographer V.Mirzoev for the first time has gone down on its bottom and began to observe of behavior of a barometer, he has not believed his eyes: the arrow indicated a height - minus 100 meters, that is 100 meters below the sea-level. Such level on a land is met very seldom. “When in Leningrad I have made definitive calculations it has appeared that the bottom of a southern hollow lies 92 meters below the ocean level, - the scientist writes in his memoirs. It means that it takes the second place in Central Asia by its depth. Below Ahchakaya, settles down only the hollow of Karagiye on Mangyshlak, lying in immediate proximity from Caspian sea. This big saline soil is located at the height minus 132 meters. And meanwhile, just recently it was considered that the lowest point of region - the bottom of Sarykamysh hollow lying at level minus 45 meters. Also we managed, for the first time, to establish the depth of a hollow, it constituted 200 meters”.
Rivers do not flow here, and there are no streams, wells here. In 60th of the last century hydrogeologists drilled here a well from which so far gradually streams a warm, strongly carbonated water. Walls of a plateau contour the hollow in the shape of an amphitheatre. Brightly painted rocks appear on breakages - green, white, red, pink clay, limestone, mergheli мергели form a well traced tapes. In light clays of the bottom horizon an expedition participants have found the teeth of sharks which laid here tens of millions of years.
Lake, that has revived a steppe plain
One more interesting place to the north from a hollow - picturesque lake Zengibaba. There is a legend telling that long times ago on a height a sacred person grazed cattle. When the shepherd has died, he was buried on this place and now both the height and the lake is named in honour of sacred - Zengi baba. More 100 years ago there already was a reservoir here, then it has dried up, and has revived again in connection with intensive development of the Shahsenem massif.
Revival of lake which is located in the territory of Shahsenem wildlife park of Kaplankyr state nature reserve, has served as powerful stimulus for ecological equilibrium restoration in huge territory. Now on more than 2000 hectares lake coast area there grow tens kinds of plants. Near the lake there grows unique saxaul wood where it is possible to see how mighty the trunks of this tree of desert can be.
Wildlife park has turned to a places of constant dwelling of many kinds of animals and birds. During flight on a water smooth surface of lake thousand bald-coots, various kinds of ducks, pelicans, flamingo, seagulls, cormorants have a rest. On a watering place there come gazelles and kulans. During migration steppe antilopes visit a reservoir. In coastal thickets here live karakals, porcupines, etc. The lake is rich with fish - the catfish, carps, breams.
