The Kyzylkup tract is smooth low hills composed of rocks of various colors that alternate with each other, creating a fascinating spectacle. The color of the layers is given by impurities of various minerals. The white layers consist of chalk, and the red ones contain iron. Because of its unusual layered structure, the tract is often called "Tiramisu" by the people. The official name of the tract received from the reservoir, which was once located nearby.

The Ustyurt plateau used to be the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean. And there was a constant accumulation of precipitation on it: clay, sand, various organisms. Therefore, it is not surprising that landscapes change their colors at different times of the day. During the day, in sunny weather, the landscape is snow-white, in the evening it acquires cream shades, at sunset it turns purple.

And there is also a local "sphinx". This is a huge stone protruding from the top of the mountain, similar to a human head. Tourists take photos next to him.

Airakty-Shomanai or simply Airakty is a system of remnant mountains on Mangystau. They became known under the name "Valley of castles of Airakty" thanks to the drawings of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. The surroundings of Airakta resemble a mysterious desert city with ruined remnants that look like towers and castles with spires. It is recommended to climb the mountain and get a better view of the terrain from a flat platform. You can also see the Aktau Mountains from it. Walking along the path to the site, you can meet steppe horses and mouflons, and at the foot of the mountain – scorpions and turtles.
Like the Bozzhira tract, the Airakta Mountains were covered by the Tethys Ocean in ancient times. This is why the Mangyshlak peninsula is interesting, which was formed 25 million years ago as a result of a layer of the earth's crust that rose due to an earthquake. After that, the formation began to deviate to the west. Over time, the erosion of the Cretaceous rocks led to the formation of canyons, outliers, caves, and winds and precipitation completed this process. To this day, the landscape is changing. Presumably, after 5-7 thousand years, weathering will lead to the disappearance of the remnant mountains altogether, since their height decreases every year.
Since the end of the VI century, caravans of the Great Silk Road have been passing through the land of Mangistau, and legends say that treasures can be found in the valley. Tourists often come with metal detectors in order to find gold. According to local shepherds, sometimes they actually find silver and gold coins.

The Ybykty Sai Canyon is a limestone cliff with unique bizarre shapes. Their height is from 3 to 6 meters. Porous chocolate, sea corals, openwork lace and even honeycombs. This is how tourists describe the pattern on the walls of the rocks. Everyone who has been here sees something of their own. This place will not leave anyone indifferent. Grottos, plumb lines, cave floors, labyrinths of passages and arches can be viewed for hours. The width from one edge to the other in the deepest part of the canyon can reach one meter. Of course, it is possible to step over. But if you look down into the crevice, fear will envelop you. Fear of the unknown, fear of the abyss will mix with admiration. At such moments, you will immediately understand what "terribly beautiful" means. This feeling will be remembered for a long time. It took a very long time to form this small but beautiful canyon. Millions of years ago, turbulent river flows made their way through all obstacles. Thus gorges and mountain valleys were formed. When the rivers became shallow, the most beautiful natural objects appeared in their place – canyons. So time, water and wind created a miracle of nature.
Ybykty Sai can be attributed to one of the oldest natural monuments. The canyon was formed about 66-41 million years ago. It was then that the dinosaurs became extinct.
The canyon is different during the day. This is due to the light that penetrates from above through a narrow long slit. The rays of the sun reflect off the rocks, creating incredible shimmers and shadows. Therefore, it is not surprising that tourists spend almost the whole day here to enjoy the beauty of the canyon and take unforgettable photos.

Cape Zhygylgan is one of the main attractions of the Tupkaragan peninsula. Its name translates from Kazakh as "fallen earth". The name is very suitable for the cape, because it is a huge basin littered with boulders. Often the cape is called a "failure". Some boulders on the bottom of Zhygylgan reach the size of a small house. In some places, the depth of the sinkhole reaches 200 meters, the shape of the depression is elliptical, and the diameter is about 4 km. The circumference of the bowl is 12 km.
Because of the chaotically scattered stones, it seems that a strong earthquake has recently occurred. The failure is such an extraordinary sight that you can even shoot great movies about the apocalypse here.
Scientists have two hypotheses about the origin of the cape. Proponents of the first theory believe that the ground collapsed as a result of the displacement of tectonic plates. And according to the second version, the sea washed out the karst cavities located underground, which led to the collapse of the rocks.
Another interesting version is the fall of a meteorite, but the presence of cosmic rocks was not found.
Not far from the cliff is the "dead" lake Kozdikara. A rare sight: a large azure spot against the background of yellow sands and dry saxaul. From some angles, the reservoir takes the shape of a heart. The history of the reservoir is not known for certain, but there is a legend that the lake is so deep that if a ram falls into it, then after a while it will end up in the Caspian Sea.

The main attraction of Tuzbair is the salt marsh of the same name. In Kazakh, it is called "sor", which means a kind of salt marsh that has no runoff and is shallow. Sores are formed in depressions no more than one and a half meters deep.
During the spring melting, the salt marsh is covered with a water surface, in which the sky is picturesquely reflected. In the summer, the crust freezes, you can walk freely — occasionally your feet will fall into salt deposits to a depth of 10-15 centimeters. Therefore, to walk on the surface of the salt marsh, you need to wear rubber boots or other waterproof shoes with a high boot. Or as an option — to walk barefoot. Every year, cars get stuck in the marshy area of the salt marsh, which are then very difficult to pull out. You can drive here by car only with local guides who know proven trails.
According to scientists, today's Mangystau region was once the bottom of the Tethys Ocean, located between the supercontinents of Laurasia and Gondwana, about 250 million years ago. This is evidenced by the skeletons of sharks and their teeth, which are sometimes found in this valley. Over time, as the water receded, the combination of wind and rain shaped the landscape, creating beautiful sculptural chalk cliffs, cliffs and depressions. It is believed that Sora Tuzbair, along with plateaus, gorges and ravines, was formed as a result of erosion of softer rocks.

Sherkala is a large mountain range of unusual shape, formed as a result of the uplift of the seabed in the valleys of the foothills of Karatau. Translated from Turkic, its name means "lion fortress". This is due to the fact that on one side the mountain resembles a lion about to jump. From other angles, the mountain looks like a yurt or an inverted bowl.
Sherkala once stood on the Great Silk Road, which was a connecting thread between East and West. According to historical documents, caravans from Baghdad going to the city of Bulgar on the Kama River stopped here. Over time, this point lost its former significance, as the sea route opened by Vasco de Gamma began to develop. Then Shah Astsyz built the city of Kyzylkala, which existed before the arrival of the Mongols.
During archaeological excavations, coins and military equipment were found in the settlement, which confirms the numerous sieges of the city. The absolute height of the mountain is 322 meters. There are steep cliffs around the circumference of the mountain, and a domed ridge is located at the top. The mountain consists of clay, cretaceous rocks, limestones and sandstones. The northern part is destroyed by wind and water. The southern and eastern parts are steep and steep, their upper part is blurred.

Mount Bokty rises above the flat surface like a huge clay table. On the one hand, the mountain looks like an overturned white boat with an orange-yellow bottom covered with brown algae. On the other hand, it is an unusually large pyramid created by nature.
The climate in the area of the mountain is sharply continental, which is typical for Mangystau. Precipitation is low, so the flora is poorly developed. There are shrubs characteristic of deserts. Of the animals, you can meet camels, scorpions and lizards. Mount Bokty is depicted on an old-style 1000 tenge bill of the National Bank of Kazakhstan.

The Kokala tract is located between two ridges: in the northwestern part of the Western Karatau ridge and in the central eastern part of the Northern Aktau ridge, 5.3 kilometers to the east and just north of the village of Shayyr, 6.5 kilometers to the southwest of Mount Zhalgan with a height of 331.2 meters above sea level, 9.5 kilometers to the west and just south of Mount Sherkala in the Mangistau district of the Mangistau region.
The Kokala tract is famous for its bizarre washouts of variegated and colored clays and a mountain gorge with spring water, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the tract. The Karatau mountain fold, rising from the bowels of the Earth, lifted layers along the edge of the fault, which were forever buried under the thickness of oceanic sediments. This is how colored clays of the Jurassic period were born.
Kokala is a natural multicolour among the monolithic rocky highlands of Mangystau, a small temporary tunnel in the age of dinosaurs. Here you will not find fossilized remains or traces of long-gone reptiles, but you can touch real wood deposits and the coals of a burnt lek on which dinosaurs roamed. We will not see fossilized bones or traces of long-vanished reptiles here, but we can touch real charcoal 170-200 million years old from the burnt forest where dinosaurs roamed. Nature has surprisingly eroded the layers of clay, creating a layered mountain of hummocks, columns, mushrooms, pyramids and miniature canyons with bizarrely incised sides. Kokala is a natural variegated color among the monotonous rocky mountains of Mangystau.

One of the most unusual sights of Kazakhstan is located in the northeastern part of the Tyub-Karagan peninsula, along the slope of the majestic Ungazy Mountain. The cave is not a natural formation, but a creation of human hands. It was carved from a single stone slab. The shape is more like a cross — the cave was hollowed out long before coming to the territory of Kazakhstan, and later converted into a mosque.
Legends of Shakpak-ata
People with different faiths come to the cave for different purposes. Someone is waiting for healing, someone wants to talk to God. According to local legends, a long time ago, a healer Shakpak-ata lived in a cave on the mountainside. People came to him from all the surrounding territories for healing of soul and body. Centuries have passed, the elder has died, but people still come to the cave so that the power of the ancient healer can help them.
According to another legend, a great warrior lived in the cave. He was named Shakpak-ata (translated as "The Elder-flint"), because even at an advanced age he did not lose his mighty strength. Entrance to the mosque is free. It is open to the public until sunset. Silence should be observed inside, especially if there are pilgrims in the cave. There is no dress code, but it is better not to stay in the mosque in short shorts and skirts, T-shirts and dresses with open shoulders. Archaeologists have found traces of the activities of people of the Stone and Bronze Ages here. Later, followers of Zoroastrianism, who came to the lands of Kazakhstan from Iran, worshipped fire in the cave. And to this day, fire worship has been preserved in the customs of the people of this area, along with Islamic traditions. Now fire-worshipping pilgrims bring a special altar, shirak, to the cave, strips of cloth soaked in mutton fat are kindled in it and turn to the fire, as if washing with this flame.

Quite a lot is known about Beket Ata. He was born in 1750 in the village of Kuisary. From an early age, he had an incredible thirst for knowledge and had a lively mind. As the legends say, at the age of 14, Beket-Ata came to worship the ashes of Shopan-Ata. During an overnight stay in the mosque, the sage appeared to the young man and gave instructions to study. So, a young guy went to distant Khiva for knowledge. He graduated from a madrasah (emphasis is placed on the last syllable), a Muslim religious and educational school. After studying, Beket-Ata began practicing medicine. He even undertook the treatment of the mentally ill and people with disabilities, achieving great results in this matter. There are legends about his incredible physical strength and talent as an orator.
The underground mosque of Beket Ata is located in the foothills of the Ustyurt plateau, geographically belonging to the Mangystau region on the Mangyshlak peninsula in Kazakhstan. It's not that easy to get to her. It is necessary to cover hundreds of kilometers through a desert area, and then walk a few more kilometers. Hohttps://redmaya-travel.kz/eng/attractions/mangystauwever, despite the difficult accessibility, the Beket Ata mosque is an object of pilgrimage for a huge number of people. It was founded by one of the most revered Kazakh religious figures and preachers of Sufism, Beket Ata, who during his lifetime was famous for the gift of healing not only the body, but also the soul. The saint's grave is located right in the mosque. This is a place with a special energy. Believers say that after visiting the necropolis, real miracles happen to them.
Between the 12th and 13th centuries, wandering ascetics who preached Sufism came to Mangyshlak. There are several legends about their appearance. All of them are connected with the name of a real person named Khoja Ahmet Yassawi, who was one of the first Sufi preachers. Legend has it that Khoja Akhmet hurled the staff of wisdom towards Mangyshlak, after which he sent 360 of his disciples in search of him. When the disciples found the staff, it had already grown into the ground and turned into a tree. So Yassawi's followers stayed on the peninsula to spread his philosophical teachings. You can find little details about some of them, and there is no information at all about others. However, the residents of Mangyshlak call it the "holy land", based on the fact that 360 saints once lived and preached here. The most famous of them are Shopan-ata, Masat-ata, Kenty-Baba, Sultan-epe, Shakpak-ata, Koshkar-ata.
The main places of religious worship were unexpected structures for this area — underground mosques. At that time, several such buildings appeared on Mangyshlak at once. It was unusual for Islam to build underground temples. But for Christianity, with its rock monasteries and cave churches, it was quite traditional. Most likely, the appearance of mosques underground is due to the mixing of a large number of cultures that appeared and disappeared in Mangyshlak. As a result, something completely new has been formed.

Welcome to the breathtaking Bozzhira Plateau! This stunning natural wonder is located in the western region of Kazakhstan and features a unique landscape of eroded rock formations and beautiful canyons. Bozjyra is a magnificent creation of weathering and erosion, located on the territory of the Ustyurt Plateau. Here you can see vast clay deserts, limestone mountains, buttes more than 200 meters (650 ft) high.
In the Mesozoic Era this area was covered by the Tethys Ocean, so now here you can find a lot of fossilized shells and teeth of prehistoric sharks. Bozjyra is part of the Ustyurt Plateau, the bottom of the former Tethys Ocean that covered the area millions of years ago. The waves of the ocean, then the sun and wind once all the water disappeared, shaped the landscape into what can be seen today, the arid, light grey scenery making it look like a piece of the Moon on Earth.
“I visited Mangystau in August of 2019. It felt absolutely amazing and otherworldly. The moment I remember the best was when it was night and I was sitting on the cliff alone, watching the moon set on the horizon and the milky way above the Bozjyra rock formations,” Juuso Hamalanainen, a tourist from Helsinki, told The Astana Times.

The unusual valley of balls, which stretches in the Torysh tract, is considered one of the most mysterious places in the Mangystau region. Steppe wind and high temperatures, rain and frost split and cover these geological formations with a grid of cracks. Sometimes tourists can find here the fossilized remains of ancient oceanic life - snails, ammonites, mollusks, teeth or bones of sharks and other inhabitants of the ancient ocean. For many years they have been trying to unravel the nature of the phenomenon, puzzling over the reasons for the appearance of unusual balls of regular shape, which eventually begin to crumble, like an onion dropping layer by layer. They were formed about 180 - 120 million years ago in the geological era of the Mesozoic.
According to the second version, the balls were formed more than 120 million years ago. At that time, the Tethys Ocean with a huge accumulation of plankton was located at this place. It was these organisms that became the basis for spherical nodules, the size of which increased over time. Over the years, the water began to recede, and the petrified balls remained on land. Which version is true is still difficult to say.
Asima Koshim, a professor at al-Farabi Kazakh National University, explains that there are two main versions of the origin of the balls in science: according to the first, they were formed as a result of an earthquake in the zone of tectonic faults. Due to the displacement of the plates, the rocks were subjected to discharges, melted and turned into a lump. This hypothesis is confirmed by the fact that there is a grain in the center of the stones, which over time rolled sand and clay over itself.

It is situated 24.4 km east of the village of Akkudyk in the Karakiya district and 72.2 km east of the Basgurly depression. Karynzharyk extends for 85 kilometers from west to east. It is bordered by Muzbel ridge to the east and the desert of the same name to the west. Mount Karamaya, which rises 210 meters above sea level, can be found 17 kilometers north of the valley. Geologists believe that this mountain was formed approximately 70 million years ago as a result of a powerful volcanic eruption.
The Karynzharyk depression, much like the Ustyurt region itself, serves as a habitat for numerous animal species listed in the Red Book. The area is inhabited by various birds, including flamingos, storks, crows, vultures, saker falcons, eagles, owls, steppe eagles, vultures, peregrine falcons, jackdaws, and black vultures. Additionally, you may encounter mammals such as caracals, goitered gazelles, sand cats, Pallas’s cats, and honey badgers.