Uzbekistan - Protected Natural Areas (PNA)

There are a number of types of preserved lands in Uzbekistan.

The most important is the "Zapovednik" which is a permanent reserve created with the goal of preserving a specific species or ecosystem.

Zapovednik (Russian: заповедник) from the Russian word заповедный means  "sacred, prohibited from disturbance, reserved". It is a protected area which is kept "forever wild". The closest international term is "a wilderness reserve".

It is open to scientific researchers with special permission; it is generally not open to the general public for recreation as it is under strict conservation management. In addition, education and promotion of wildlife conservation are key functions of zapovedniks. However, many reserves have adjacent areas or inclusions with different degrees of protection, sometimes areas within a park can have other uses such as grazing or tourism. They equate with the IUCN Cat I.

The next is the "Zakazniks" which are areas where temporary or permanent limitations are placed upon certain on-site economic activities, such as logging, mining, grazing, hunting, etc. They correspond to sanctuary in UNESCO World Heritage terminology. Many Zakazniks have traditionally been managed as game reserves. Some protect complex ecosystems, colonies of birds, or populations of rare plants. They range in size from 5,000 ha to 1,000,000 ha. They correspond to sanctuary in UNESCO World Heritage terminology.

Natural parks and monuments were created in Uzbekistan just before the breakup of the Soviet Union. They are usually smaller reserves next to or within nature reserves dedicated to unusual and/or historically significant features of the landscape. They are open to the public. The main objective on national parks is to ensure biodiversity conservation in the context of wise and strictly regulated nature use (tourism, harvesting natural raw materials, agriculture). These areas are IUCN Category II.

Outside of the official park system, there are still vast areas of virtually untouched nature.

PNA Year Designated Area (ha) Region

State Nature Reserves (Zapovrdniks)

1.  Badai-Tugai 1971 6,642 Republic of   Karakalpakstan
2.   Chatkalsky 1947 35,724 Tashkent region
Gissarsky 1983 80,986 Kashkadarya region
3.  Khitabsky 1979 3,938 Kashkadarya region
4.  Kyzylkhumsky 1971 10,311 Khorezm and Bukhara region
5.  Nuratinsky 1975 17,752 Dzhyzak region
6.  Surkhansky 1987 24,554 Surkhandarya region
7.  Zaaminsky 1926, restored in 1960 26,848 Dzhyzak region
8.  Zeravshansky 1975 2,352 Samarqand region
                                                                                      Nuratinsky
National Parks

1. Ugam-Chatkalsky state national nature park 1990 574,590 Tashkent region
2. Zaaminsky People's Park 1976 24,110 Dzhyzak region

Specialised Designations

1. Dzheiran Eco-Center 1976 7,122 Bukhara region

Refuges (Zakazniks)

1.  Aktau 1992 15,420 Samarkand region
2.  Dengyzkul 1992 50,000 Bukhara region
3.  Kharakir 1992 86,225 Bukhara region
4.  Kharnabchulsky 1992 40,000 Samarkand region
5.  Kushrabatsky 1992 16,300 Samarkand region
6.  Mubareksky 1992 236,846 Kashkadarya region
7.  Saiga 1991 1,000,000 Republic of Karakalpakstan
8.  Sarmysh 1991 5,000 Navoi region
9.  Sechankul 1992 7,037 Kashkadarya region
10. Sudochye 1991 50,000 Republic of Karakalpakstan

Nature Monuments
                                                  Central Ferghana

1.  Chustsky 1994 96 Namangan region
2.  Central Fergana 1995 142 Ferghana region
3.  Mingbulaksky 1993 1,000 Namangan region
4.  Yazyavan 1991 1,842 Ferghana region

There is no central authority in control of all parks, different PNAs are subordinate to different departments and local authorities: the State Committee for Environmental Protection (Goskompriroda), the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Economy, the State Committee of Geology, and regional administrations (Khokimiate)

Source: http://www.biodiversity.ru/eng/publications/zpnp/archive/n42/uz_oopt.html

THE SAIGA

Сайга

Сайга[править]Материал из Википедии — свободной энциклопедии
Перейти к: навигация, поиск У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Сайга (значения).

Научная классификация
Царство: Животные
Тип: Хордовые
Класс: Млекопитающие
Отряд: Парнокопытные
Семейство: Полорогие
Подсемейство: Настоящие антилопы
Род: Сайги
Вид: Сайга
Латинское название:Saiga tatarica (Linnaeus, 1766)



Файл:Сайга

Систематика на Викивидах

Сайга́[1], сайгак[2] (лат. Saiga tatarica, самец — сайгак или маргач, самка — сайга) — парнокопытные животные из подсемейства настоящих антилоп. В 2002 году Всемирным союзом охраны природы (МСОП) этот вид был отнесён к категории «CR», то есть «находящийся в критическом состоянии». Изначально заселяли большую территорию в степях и полупустынях Евразии от подножия Карпатских гор и Кавказа до Джунгарии и Монголии. Сейчас сайгаки обитают только в Казахстане, Узбекистане, с заходами в Туркмению, в России (в Калмыкии и Астраханской области) и западной Монголии.

[править] Местообитания и поведение

Сайгаки в разные сезоны года собираются в большие стада в степях и полупустынях и кормятся самыми разными видами растений, в том числе ядовитыми для других видов животных. Сайгаки мигрируют на большие расстояния и могут переплывать реки, но стараются избегать крутых и скалистых склонов. Сезон спаривания начинается в ноябре, когда самцы борются за обладание самкой. Победивший в схватке самец, становится обладателем «гарема», состоящего из 5 — 50 самок. В конце весны — начале лета появляются детёныши — молодые самки чаще приносят по одному, а взрослые (в 2 случаях из трех) — по два.

[править] Распространение

После поздневалдайского оледенения сайгаки обитали от крайнего запада Европы, включая Британские острова до центральной Аляски и северо-западной Канады. В XVII—XVIII столетиях сайгак населял все степи и полупустыни от предгорий Карпат на западе до Монголии и Западного Китая на востоке. На север он доходил в те времена до Киева и Барабинской степи Сибири. Однако во второй половине XIX столетия человек быстро заселял степные пространства, и сайгак почти исчез из Европы. Резко сократился ареал и численность сайгака и в Азии. В итоге к началу XX века, он сохранился в Европе только в самых глухих районах нижнего течения реки Волги, а в Азии — по Устюрту, в Бетпак-Дале, в междуречье Или — Каратал (пески Сарыесик-Атырау), в котловинах западных озёр Монголии и некоторых других местах.

Реконструированный древний ареал обитания сайгаков (белый) и современный ареал обитания двух подвидов Saiga tatarica tatarica (зелёный) иSaiga tatarica mongolica (красный)Далее последовало сильное уменьшение численности и почти полное истребление сайги в 1920-х годах, но благодаря принятым мерам охраны и высокой плодовитости сайгака популяции восстановились и в 1950-х годах численность составляла более 2 миллионов особей, обитающих в степях и полупустынях бывшего СССР (предполагается, что в плейстоцене они были ещё более многочисленны и жили в холодных степях вместе с другими представителями мамонтовой фауны[3]). В определённый момент группы по защите животных, например Всемирный фонд дикой природы, поощряли охоту на сайгаков, называя их рога альтернативой рогам носорога[4]. Численность опять сократилась, и сейчас сайгак находится в списке находящихся в критическом состоянии животных, составленном Всемирным союзом охраны природы. К настоящему времени в живых осталось около 70000 особей сайгака, относящихся к подвиду Saiga tatarica tatarica и обитающих в России (Северо-Западный Прикаспий), трех областях Казахстана (Волго-Уральские пески, Устюрт и Бетпак-Дала) и двух изолированных областях Монголии (Шаргин Гоби и район Манхан сомона). Заповедник «Чёрные Земли» был создан в Республике Калмыкия (Россия) в 1990 году для сохранения популяция сайгака, обитающей в Северо-Западном Прикаспии. Популяция, в Монголии представляет собой другой подвид — Saiga tatarica mongolica и насчитывает в настоящее время около 3500 особей.

[править] Примечания

1. Позвоночные животные России: Сайга
2. Соколов В.Е. Пятиязычный словарь названий животных. Млекопитающие. Латинский-русский-английский-немецкий-французский. — М.: Русский язык, 1984.— С. 134.— 352 с.
3. Е.Наймарк. Браконьерство — основная причина деградации популяций сайгаков
4. Richard Ellis No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species. — New York: Harper Perrenial. — P. 210. — ISBN 0-06-055804-0

Источник — http://ru.wikipedia.org/

http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%B3%D0%B0

El antílope saiga

El Antílope saiga (Saiga tatarica)



El antílope saiga (Saiga tatarica) es una especie de mamífero artiodáctilo de la subfamilia Antilopinae que habita en las estepas de Asia Central, desde el sur de Rusia (Kazán) hasta el noroeste de China y zonas de Mongolia; el mayor número de cabezas habita en Kazajistán y Uzbekistán.

El saiga mide 0.6-0.8 metros en la cruz (altura en los hombros) y pesa entre 36 y 63 kg. Su periodo de vida normalmente abarca desde 6 hasta 10 años. El macho es más grande que la hembra y es el único que presenta cuernos. Los cuernos tienen valor en la medicina tradicional china y es por esa razón por la que están en peligro por la caza furtiva. La nariz es ancha, larga y muy móvil, semejante a una pequeña probóscide. Esto permite al animal calentar y humidificar el frío y seco aire de las estepas antes de que llegue a sus pulmones.

Los saigas forman enormes manadas que conviven en estepas semi-desiertas, se alimentan de una gran variedad de plantas, incluyendo algunas venenosas para otros animales. Además, pueden cubrir distancias considerables y cruzar a nado los ríos.

La época de apareamiento comienza en Noviembre, con la lucha por la posesión de las hembras. El ganador lidera una manada de unas 5-50 hembras. En la primavera, la madre da a luz a un retoño, siendo menos frecuente el alumbrar dos. La hembra saiga, al igual que ocurre en los antílopes dik-dik, se conocen por su capacidad de tener descendencia a la temprana edad de 8 meses. Lo extraño resulta que el primer parto es gemelar, pero en adelante es unico. Si la población se viera serriamente afectada las hembras de 5 meses aceleran su madurez y alumbran gemelos de ambos sexos.

Como animal adaptado a los espacios abiertos, fríos y secos, el antílope saiga es un perfecto indicador de condiciones glaciales en los yacimientos del Pleistoceno donde aparece. En su momento de mayor distribución, la especie llegó a poblar grandes extensiones de Europa (siendo especialmente abundante en el sur de Francia), Asia e incluso el noroeste de América. En el siglo XVIII se extinguió en los Cárpatos debido a la caza excesiva y ya en el siglo XIX fue exterminado en Polonia y Ucrania.

A pesar de la protección oficial, la caza furtiva para conseguir sus pieles y cuernos (demandados en los últimos años por la medicina tradicional china como sustituto del cada vez más raro cuerno de rinoceronte) sigue constituyendo una grave amenaza para el futuro de la especie, y es a estas actividades a las que se debe que su número haya descendido a unos 40,000 ejemplares desde la población de aproximadamente un millón que había en 1990.[1]

Clasificación científica
Reino: Animalia
Filo: Chordata
Clase: Mammalia
Orden: Artiodactyla
Familia: Bovidae
Subfamilia: Antilopinae
Género: Saiga
Especie: S. tatarica
Nombre binomial: Saiga tatarica
Linnaeus, 1766
Subespecies: Saiga tatarica tatarica y Saiga tatarica mongolica

Source: wikipedia (spanish)

DOMES OF UZBEKISTAN

Save the Aral Sea Stamps

Designer: D. Muhamedjanov
Paper: coated
Printing process: offset
Perforation: frame 14 : 13 3/4
Size of a stamp: 32,50 x 27,50 mm
Size of the Souvenir Sheet: 128 x 108 mm

15 S. multicoloured. Caracal (Felis caracal)
15 S. multicoloured. Aral trout (Salmo trutta aralensis)
20 S. multicoloured. Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
20 S. multicoloured. Kaufmann's Shovelnose (Pseudoscaphirhyncus kaufmanni)
25 S. multicoloured. Pike asp (Aspiolucius esocinus)



Same issues (different text and values) issued by Kazakhstan,Turkmenistan, Krygizstan and Tajikistan in 1996.

Brine Shrimp Industry for the Aral

Netting Brine Shrimp

The Deputy Director on Science of the Zoology Institute of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences Iskandar Mirabdullaev believes that harvesting brine shrimps in the Aral could be a valuable local natural product in future, creating employment in the Aral region and be a source of profits for local people. (Source: Uzbekistan Today)

In the last decade the Aral Sea brine shrimp has been the basic component of life in the Aral some 99% of its total biomass. The nutritional properties of newly hatched brine shrimp make them particularly suitable to be sold as a food source for fish and crustaceans raised in home aquariums, aquaculture systems, and in laboratories. They are high in lipids and unsaturated fatty acids (but very low in calcium).

Brine Shrimp Life Cycle

Usually they are sold in egg/cyst form. Brine shrimp eggs are metabolically inactive and can remain in total stasis for several years while in dry oxygen-free conditions, even at temperatures below freezing. Known as cryptobiosis, brine shrimp eggs can survive temperatures of liquid air (−190 °C) and a small percentage can survive above boiling temperature (105 °C) for up to two hours.

Once reintroduced to brine (salt) water, the cyst-like eggs hatch within a few hours. The nauplii, or larvae, are less than 0.5 mm in length when they first hatch. Brine shrimp have a biological life cycle of one year, during which they grow to a mature length of around one centimetre on average. This short life span, along with other characteristics such as their ability to remain dormant for long periods, makes them one of the most durable lifeforms on the planet.

Canned brine shrimp dried cysts / eggs

Drying Process

Russian companies in Siberia are currently selling artemia cysts (brine shrimp eggs) from salt lakes in southern Siberia for around 50 USD per kg (note each gm contains 270,000 eggs!) FOB depending on grade and size of deliveries.

Artemia

The global demand for Artemia biomass is about 2000 tons per year, and is on the increase. It is a huge potential new industry for Karakalpakstan. Already an industry is being developed in Kazakhstan and there is no reason that this can't also be carried out on the Uzbek side of the Aral.

BOOK REVIEW - Artemia parthenogenetica (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) from the Large Aral Sea: Abundance, distribution, population structure and cyst production Original Research Article- Journal of Marine Systems, Volume 76, Issue 3, 10 March 2009, Pages 359-366 Elena G. Arashkevich, P.V. Sapozhnikov, K.A. Soloviov, T.V. Kudyshkin, P.O. Zavialov Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS, Moscow, Russia and the Central Asian Institute of hydrometeorology, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Fig. The Aral Sea with overview of sampling sites (black dots — transect stations in October 2005; square —reference station off Aktumsuk (45°05′N, 58°23′E) visited every year in 2002–2006.

The brine shrimp Artemia parthenogenetica appeared in the Large Aral Sea in 1998 when mineralization reached 63 ppt. Data on Artemia abundance and biomass, along with temperature and salinity measurements were collected in the western basin during 2002–2006, primarily in the autumn. During the study period, population density grew progressively, both in terms of number, from 250 to 1260 individuals per m3, and in terms of biomass, from 0.3 to 1.3 g per m3. In 2005, the population density and spatial distribution in the western and eastern basins and strait was assessed.

The horizontal distribution of the Artemia population was uniform in the deep central part of the western basin, although the distribution was quite patchy in the shallow coastal zone. Depth habitat of Artemia was restricted to the upper 20–25 m of depth, as the oxygen depletion and formation of anoxic layer prevented distribution of Artemia to the deeper waters. In autumn, all females reproduced oviparously, with an average clutch size of 30–35 eggs per female. The number of eggs in a clutch was positively correlated with female body length (r2 = 0.36–0.44).

Darvasa Gas Crater



Pictures of the Darvasa gas crater or "Door to Hell" in Northern Turkmenistan located in the middle of the Kara-Kum desert, about 200 km south of Nukus.

See Videos

Darvaza at Night 1:20 Source: Disclose TV

Door to hell turkmenistan in pictures 2:01   Source:National Geographic

The Derweze area is rich in natural gas, whilst drilling in 1971 geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of about 50-100 meters. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided to burn the gas. Geologists had hoped the fire would go out in a few days but it has been burning ever since.

PRE ISLAMIC HISTORY OF UZBEKISTAN

Detail of the Airtam frieze (Hermatige Museum) - Kushan Musician with lyre(1st century AD)

Archaeological evidence that the area of present-day Uzbekistan was populated by humans as early as the Palaeolithic Age (500,000-1,000,000 years ago). During the Neolithic era (6000-4000 BC) three extensive archaeological cultures emerged within Central Asia; the Jeitun, the Gissar and the Keltiminar.

Settled crop growing cultures progressed during the Neolithic (circa 4000 BC) and especially Bronze Age (3000-2000 BC), when bronze tools and weapons came into use.

In the second half of the 2nd millennium BC the first city-states appeared in the most advanced regions of Central Asia. Their structure resembled that of ancient Egyptian city-states which included large settlement (administrative centre) surrounded by oases and several smaller settlements situated along a canal or river.

In the 7th-6th centuries BC the historic provinces of Bactria, Margiana, Khoresm and Sogdiana first emerged, as did the ancient cities of Maracanda, Kok-Tepa, Uzun-Kyr and Er-Kurgan, which had areas of hundreds of hectares and were surrounded by fortified walls.

In 529 BC Central Asia came under the control of the Achaemenid king Cyrus of Persia. The king himself was killed in a battle with the Sakas under Queen Tomiris.

During the next two centuries the southern part of Central Asia was annexed by the Persian Empire and divided into satrapies which paid tribute in silver to the Kings. Three of the satrapies – Bactria, Sogd and Khoresm – lay within the territory of present-day Uzbekistan. Cities such as Afrasiab and Chach became important outposts of the Empire.

The rule of the Achaemenids was ended by the advance of Alexander the Great who, having crushed the main body of Persian armies, invaded Central Asia in 329 BC in pursuit of Bess, satrap of Bactria and the last heir to the Achaemenid throne.

Alexander spent three years (329-327 BC) subduing the Central Asian peoples and faced fierce resistance especially from the Sogdians led by Spitamen.

The same period saw the rise of the first great state in the region the Kingdom of Khwarezmia (Khoresm). When the king of Khwarezm Pharasmanes offered friendship to Alexander the Great in 328 BC, Alexander's Greek and Roman biographers imagined the nomad king of a desert waste, but 20th century Russian archeologists revealed the region as a stable and centralized kingdom, a land of agriculture to the east of the Aral Sea, surrounded by the nomads of Central Asia, protected by its army of mailed horsemen, in the most powerful kingdom northwest of the Amu Darya (the Oxus River of antiquity). The King's emissary offered to lead Alexander's armies against his own enemies, west over the Caspian towards the Black Sea (e.g. Kingdom of Iberia and Colchis). Alexander politely refused.

After the death of Alexander and subsequent turmoil, in 306 BC the southern portion of Central Asia became part of the Seleucid Empire. Later, in the mid-3rd century BC, the rebellious Bactrian satrap Diodotus established an independent kingdom which became known as Greco-Bactria. In the second half of the 2nd century BC, Greco-Bactria fell to the invading Sakas and Sarmatians, and a like state, Kangyui, emerged in the 2nd century BC in Transoxiana which, according to Chinese sources, consisted of five domains, each coining its own money.

Later in the 2nd century BC Han China familiarised itself with "the Western Land" (i.e. Central Asia), and the Great Silk Road emerged as the first major transcontinental route connecting the West and the East.

Throughout the period of local antiquity (1st century BC – early 3rd century AD) Northern Bactria was a province of the powerful Kushan Empire, which was founded in the 1st century AD by the Yue-chi chieftain Kadphises. Sogd (present-day Kashkadarya and Samarkand oblasts of Uzbekistan) at that time was an independent kingdom under the Girkoda dynasty, who are also believed to be of Yue-chi origin. In Khoresm, the Afrigid kings rose to power; judging from their dynastic symbol – a horseman – their rule continued for 700-800 years. Bukhara, Davan (Fergana) and, possibly, Chach enjoyed virtual independence, although these Transoxianian kingdoms might have been nominal dependencies of Kangyui.

The 3rd and 4th centuries AD saw the fall of the great Parthian and Kushan empires, the rise of a host of petty kingdoms in Central Asia, intrusions by nomadic tribes, the destruction of the ancient social formation, and a decline in economy, arts and culture.

Radical changes to the antique social structure took place over the early Middle Ages (5th-8th centuries), when large landowners, dikhans, formed into an influential class. The political situation in this period was determined by the struggle for control of Transoxiana between the neighbouring powers: Sassanidian Iran and the Ephthalite kingdom (5th-6th centuries), Iran and the Turkic khanate (6th-7th centuries) and, finally, the Turkic khanate, Tang China and Arab caliphs which ended with the region’s inclusion in the Abbasid caliphate in the 8th century.

In the 7th-8th centuries Transoxiana was divided into a number of ethnically non-uniform city-states; the most prominent of them were Gurganj (present-day Kunya-Urgench), Bukhara, Samarkand, Chaganian (near present-day Denau) and Chach.

Religious beliefs were as diverse. Zoroastrianism dominated the region; Manichaeism and Christianity also spread widely, and Buddhism was practiced in the south.

Source:http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/uzbekistan/cache/offonce/pid/8489

The Ancient Khoresm Fortresses of Karakalpakstan

Less than 1hr from Nukus is Mizdakhan. It is three kilometres from the former capital of Karakalpakistan - City of Khodjeyli - and 19 km west of today's capital Nukus. Once the largest city in Khorezm requires 2-3 hours in total (from Nukus); to visit including the Mazlumkhan Sulu Mausoleum and Gyaur-Kala.

Mizdakhan

Today Mizdakhan is a cemetery dating from the 4th century BC. Located on three hills about twenty kms to the west of Nukus (overlooking the once mighty Amu Darya river now reduced to a large stream), the complex provides a good overview of the burial site. It includes the Mazlumkhan-sulu mausoleum, in which visitors can descend stairs to a beautiful cupola structure with bright blue tiles.

"Maslum Khan Sulu Mausoleum"



The beautifully restored Maslum Khan Sulu is shrouded in a colourful local legend. The mausoleum the legend goes was built for a young princess Mazlim Khan, who died for her love for the prince of a rival principality. You can enter the mausoleum which has been restored to its former beauty after independence. It is serene and beautiful inside, with geometric patterns and carvings. It has been a place of local veneration for centuries.

Other day trips from Nukus

Max 2-3 hrs from Nukus or 1-2 hrs from Khiva/Urgench permits you to view some other fascinating archeological sites.

Toprak Qala, fortress of I-IV centuries A.D


Toprak Qala located near Buston was discovered by Soviet archaeologist Tolstov in 1938, is a complex covering approximately 17 hectares, surrounded by rectangular walls up to eight meters high in some places. The largest tower in the middle of the southern wall near the entrance to the Toprak Kala is over 60m high. Approximately 100 rooms are preserved, which show its complexity. Recent excavation has unearthed the palace archive, a number of glass vessels, alabaster sculpture fragments as well as some fantastic murals on the interior walls.

Gul’dursun

Gul’dursun is a fortress predating Christianity that existed until the 13th century, located approximately 20 kms to the east of Biruni. Originally discovered by the Soviet archaeologist Gulyamov in 1937, it was excavated by Tolstov and work completed by Dospanov in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The structure takes the form of a 350x250 meter rectangle, within which a number of important discoveries have been made, including antique and medieval coins, Middle Age ceramics, and bronze articles.

Ayaz-kala


One of the most spectacular archaeological sites in Khorezm, Ayaz-kala comprises the remains of three fortresses constructed during the 5th-4th centuries BC that are clustered together on and around a prominent hill, with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. Nearby, a gravel road from the main Urgench-Nukus highway leads to a small cluster of yurts, a tourist rest and recreation center overlooking a shallow but picturesque lake. Chil’pyk. A circular, high-walled enclosure on an isolated peak overlooking the Amu Darya river,

Chil’pyk

A religious building of II-IV, IX-XI centuries A.D. Originally a Zoroastrian dakhma and later used by local people as a beacon. A dakhma or tower of silence was used by people of the Zoroastrian faith for exposure of the dead. Bodies were laid out under the open sky and, after the bones were cleaned, families collected them and placed them in clay or stone ossuraries for burial. Chil’pyk can be seen clearly and is easily accessible from the main road about 40 kms south of Nukus.

Other recommended places to visit -

Badai-Tugai Reserve

The Tugai forests are the original vegetation of the river banks and their preservation is critical for the ecological and environmental well-being of the entire region. On the road southwards from Nukus to Beruni, a 6,500 hectare park has been established to protect one of the last relatively pristine stretches of Tugai forest along the eastern bank of the Amu Darya river. The reserve is a sanctuary for a variety of birds and small mammals as well as a herd of endangered Bukhara deer.

Moynaq


Another day trip north from Nukus (6-7 hrs is needed) is a visit to the old Aral Sea Port at Moynaq, including its museum and the ship cemetery (210 km north of Nukus) - as late as the 1960s, Moynaq was a significant fishing port and seaside resort on the Aral Sea, but is now more than 150 kilometres from its receding shore.


Suggested Basic Itineraries
From Nukus:

* Half-day visit to Mizdakh-khan―about 2 hours driving and one hour at the site.
* Full-day visit to Chil’pyk, Toprak-kala, Bustan and Ayaz-kala―about 4-5 hours driving and three hours visiting all the sites.
* Full day visit to Moynaq―about 6 hours driving and two hours at Moynaq.

From Urgench:

* Full-day visit to Toprak-kala, Badai-Tugai Reserve, Chil’pyk and the Savitsky Collection in Nukus about 4-5 hours driving and one-one and a half hours at each location (30 minutes at Chil’pyk)