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| Photo Source : Wiki Commons - Ustyurt Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan |
The Ustyurt Reserve is located in western Kazakhstan on the Ustyurt Plateau, one of the most remarkable places in western Central Asia. The total area of the reserve is 223,300 hectares. The Ustyurt Reserve was established on July 12, 1984 with the goal of preserving the plateau northern desert as well as rare species of fauna and flora.
A chink - an Ustyurt plateau steep edge made of limestone and chalk - is one of the reserve's points of interest. There are numerous samples of marine sediments among the chalk rocks, confirming a scientific theory that there was once a sea in the Ustyurt plateau territory. The chink itself is of great interest, so its pillars, which can reach heights of several hundred metres, are iridescent with colours ranging from pale pink and blue to dazzling white.
The reserve's landscapes are diverse, with horizonless steppes and deserts with numerous depressions where riverbeds of ancient defunct rivers can be traced. The massive Kenderlisor depression stretches from the reserve's south-west to its north-east. The depression's floor is below sea level. And it is there that one can see the most incredible chink figure combinations. There are depressions with numerous niches and cave systems. Another well-known drainless depression on the Ustyurt plateau, Barsa-Kelmes, covers nearly 2,000 square kilometres.
The temperature in the reserve's territory is mostly hot and dry. Temperatures in the reserve's hottest regions (deserts) can sometimes reach 40-60 degrees.
In addition to natural attractions, the Ustyurt Reserve also protects historical monuments. In the Middle Ages, caravan trade routes crossed the Ustyurt plateau. Cities flourished there before the 15th century. When the Amu Darya river bed dried up, many of them eroded over time, and the ancient ruins now serve only as a reminder that life once existed. Among the most famous historical monuments of the reserve are the ancient ruins of the city of Shakhr-e-Wazir, the Beleuli Caravanserai, the Alan Fort, and numerous tombs and mausoleums, many of which have not been studied. There are also dozens of Neolithic main sites nearby.
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The flora of the reserve is not as diverse as that of the Ustyurt Plateau; The reserve is mainly a desert honeycomb with fissures, with occasional small 2-metre outliers of ancient chalky rocks. Cactus, gray sedge, feather grass, anabasis-salsa, saltwort and other common plants grow in this area, as do rare species of plants such as brushwood of Asian poplar. Southern Ustyurt has takyrs with more diverse flora.
The reserve's fauna includes a variety of snakes and lizards, including a rare species of geckos found only in Ustyurt. Predators abound in birds including vultures, harrier eagles, saker falcons, golden eagles, imperial eagles and steppe eagles.
The fauna of the reserve is not particularly diverse. The reserve is home to several species of jerboa, sand hare and other animals. The area of the reserve is home to about 44 different species of mammals. The territory of the reserve is home to wolves and jackals, as well as the weasel and steppe ferret. The most common cloven-footed animals are the saiga, the Persian gazelle and the Ustyurt mouflon (Turkmen deer), which is considered rare and is found only in Ustyurt and Mangyshlak.
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