Ryn Desert
The Ryn, also known as the Naryn Sands, is Kazakhstan’s westernmost desert. It spans for over 350km between the Volga and Ural Rivers, and over
The rugged Tamshaly and Meretsay Canyons are 15km west of Cape Zhygylgan and 30km east of Fort Shevchenko. Their names are used interchangeably. However, officially the 3-kilometre-long Meretsay is a tributary canyon to the 10-kilometre-long Tamshaly. Where the two ravines meet is a clear freshwater lake, with steps leading down from the west side of Meretsay. A few hundred metres south-west of the steps are the ancient Shiaulie and Aktam Necropolises.
From the lake, the canyon continues north for another 2km before terminating onto a wide plateau overlooking Karagan/Kanga, which is a disused Soviet-era fishing village now home to a couple of residential buildings. Dotted around the canyon are a handful of brackish, but potable, springs that are used by herders as a watering hole for their livestock. Surrounding the area are a few small groves of nettles, raspberry, mint, and mulberry trees.
According to local legend, a young woman named Meret was married to an old and sick khan. Together they lived in a nearby aul (a Turkic word for ‘village’). One hot summer, her husband died, and a drought hit the village. Remembering a spot where water welled up from behind a rock, Meret set out with a group to carve a channel to its source and save her people from dehydration.
Tamshaly Canyon (Tamşaly Kanony/Каньон Тамшалы) starting point: 44.5484, 50.6773
Steps to Tamshaly’s freshwater lake: 44.5885, 50.5923
Meretsay Canyon (Meretsai Kanony/Каньон Меретсай) starting point: 44.5797, 50.5694
Fort Shevchenko (Fort-Şevchenko/Форт-Шевченко): 44.5070, 50.2526
Cape Bagardzhik (Bagarjik Müiısı/Мыс Багарджик): 44.6326, 50.5981
Kanga/Karagan (Qanğa/Qarağan, Канга/Караган): 44.6202, 50.5865
Shiaulie Necropolis (Şiauli Qorymy/Некрополя Шиаулие): 44.5868, 50.5874
Aktam Necropolis (Aqtam Qorym/Некрополя Актам): 44.5845, 50.5867
1:200k Soviet map of Tamshaly and Meretsay Canyons, shown at the top. The triangular headland in the middle is Cape Bagardzhik.
Amazing Mangystau’s aerial video of Tamshaly Canyon.
Drone video of Tamshaly Canyon in winter.
Extensive illustrated trip report (PDF) about a 2019 multi-day cycling trip around Mangystau – with stop-offs at Tamshaly and Cape Zhygylgan – undertaken by the Tourist Club of the Moscow State Technical University, more commonly known as Турклуба МГТУ.
The Ryn, also known as the Naryn Sands, is Kazakhstan’s westernmost desert. It spans for over 350km between the Volga and Ural Rivers, and over
If you’re interested in obscure, remotely situated deserts, the Buzachi Peninsula has five small, sandy ones*: the Kyzylkum, Uvahkum, Shulshagylkum, Zhilimshik and Egizlak. The Kyzylkum
Ten kilometres off the north coast of the Tub-Karagan Peninsula is the Tyuleniy Archipelago. Tyulen means ‘seal’ in Russian. The archipelago comprises five named islands.
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