Forty kilometres west of the Aktau-Buzachinsky Nature Reserve, on the Tub-Karagan Peninsula’s north coast, is the rubble-strewn landscape of Cape Zhygylgan, meaning ‘fallen’ in Kazakh. An enormous landslide created the area, caused by erosion of the sand and clay layered beneath the dense limestone bedrock.

Wide shot of Cape Zhigylgan showing steep cliffs and a giant bowl strewn with boulders.
© Profile Arxitektor
Valley floor of Cape Zhigylgan with hundreds of boulders
© Alexandr Malyshev

The slide zone itself is 2–3km wide and extends over 4km north before terminating on the Caspian shore. Backed by a steep and crumbling cliff line dozens of metres high, hundreds of rocks and boulders dot the area. Some blocks have 10–15-million-year-old fossilised footprints of hipparions – which are three-toed prehistoric horses – and sabre-toothed tigers.

If you like boulder-hopping, there are a couple of footpaths weaving right through the slump zone. There are also dirt tracks leading down to the sea, which is 2.5km away, on the eastern and western edge of the cliff line. Kuzdakary, a mini soccer-pitch-sized lake, lies in a depression on the eastern path. It’s near an abandoned water well that’s over a hundred years old, from a time when people lived in the area. Stretching 10–15km on either side of the cape – between Cape Bagardzhik and Cape Ashchymuryn – are a half dozen more ancient coves to explore.

Satellite view of Tub-Karagan Peninsula's north coast
Map Data: Google, © 2021 CNES / Airbus, Maxar Technologies

Coordinates:

  • Cape Zhygylgan (Jyğylğan Müiısı/Мыс Жыгылган): 44.6075, 50.8352 (eastern edge descent) and 44.5915, 50.7881 (western edge descent)

  • Cape Bagardzhik (Bagarjik Müiısı/Мыс Багарджик): 44.6337, 50.5980

  • Cape Ashchymuryn (Aşymūryn Müiısı/Мыс Ащымурын): 44.5555, 51.0011

Resources:

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Other places included in our publication:

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