The Magnificent Usyturt

The Ustyurt is a huge plateau within the Caspian watershed on the territory of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and NW Turkmenistan, covering an area of about 200,000 sq. km. It extends from Mangyshlak and Kara Bogaz Gol Bay in the west to the Aral Sea and Amu Darya delta in the east. The plateau rises above the plain to 350 meters, cut off from the surrounding plains by steep inaccessible ledges of the escarpment. To access from Nukus you travel north to Kungrad and then north west above the desert plain there suddenly rise sheer cliffs up to 400 m high called ‘chinks’ a steep pass allows access up onto the plateau. Its seminomadic population raises sheep, goats, and camels. The name is sometimes spelled Ust Urt.    

The Ustyurt Plateau, with its magnificent cliffs, escarpment, scenic canyons and outlying mountains, presents a unique landscape and has an exceptionally rich biological diversity. It has clay-sagebrush and saltwort-sagebrush desert plants, and in its south-eastern part of is clay-and-rock-debris, with alkali spots. The nature of the Ustyurt is fantastic and unique. Many animals that live there are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is especially beautiful in spring and autumn. Its summer temperature here is more than 50ºC, and often mirages appear in the scorching air. In in winter severe cold winter blows and it can reach 40ºC.  

 

For centuries, the Ustyurt Plateau has been a crossroads of civilizations (Scythians, Mongols and Kazakhs) and it has preserved traces of these many cultures.  Sensational historic discoveries have been made in recent years with more than 60 sites of the Neolithic period being found including the so-called Arana (Arrows), a complex configuration of hundred metres of stone fences which served for mass battue hunting of hoofed herd such as kulans, saiga antelopes and gazelles. 

The famous Silk Way passed through the plateau connecting Khiva with lower reaches of Emba and Volga. Along this trade route there was an ancient city called Shakhr-i-Vazir, Beleuli caravanserai, and Allan fortress. The ancient graveyards with the magnificent mausoleums called ‘mazars’ and other Islamic holy places are scattered across the plateau.

Stone Guards of the Ustyurt

Introduction

For many centuries, the Ustyurt has been a crossroads of civilizations it has retained traces of neolith man, Scythians, Massagets,  Mongols and others.  It  is shared between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan stretching from Mangyshlak and the Gulf of Kara Bogaz Gol on the Caspian in the west to the Aral Sea and Amudarya River delta in the east.
 

The Great Silk Road passed through this area, an ancient caravan route – Khorezm Shahs road that connected the ancient city of Khiva with the lower reaches of the Volga, it reflected by the ancient cemeteries, mausoleums and other archaeological ruins scattered across the plateau including some 60 sites dating back to the Neolithic period.

Archaeologists have discovered several sacred sites in the Western areas of the Ustyurt Plateau located on hills or hill-like embankments. One site containing a large number of sculptures of male warriors and sacrificial altars about 50 km from the village of Sai-Utes (on the Kazakhstan side of the Ustyurt).

Stone Guards of the Ustyurt

Known as the Bayte Cult complexes it consists of large burial mounds, sacrifice tables and giant stone sculptures of men in fighting outfit which over time most of whom have been removed or fallen down and damaged. The statues were placed towards the north west, the direction of dawn, or the mythical “Land of the Dead”, where the cold and the darkness lived. From an examination of the finds in particular the weapons and ornaments archaeologists  believe that they belong to the Dahae-Massageteans of the second half of the 4th - 3rd centuries BC.

Their apparel and accessories a broad leather belt with a metal buckle, sometimes decorated with embroidery or applications. A double edged sword in a sheath at the front belt, pending by two straps, a quiver fixed on the left side of the belt, and a bow and a dagger positioned close to the warrior's hand (suitable for hunting)  were worn at the hip by one or two straps.
 

Stone Guard located in Aktau Museum

An extension at the end of the sheath, or a couple of ledges attached to the bottom part of the cover, prevented the dagger from falling out. A semi  spherical leather helmet protected the head and neck of these nomad warriors.

Precious metal objects revealed the high social status of their bearers. Persons of higher rank (both men and women) wore gold jewellery, including bracelets, earrings and ornamented decorative trinkets. They also decorated their horses harnesses with silver badges and beads.

Sculpture illustrates a standing male whose right arm is lowered and whose left arm is pressed against his stomach (right).

The faces are full of expression, with almond-shaped eyes, a forehead clearly separated from the face and a straight longitudinal nose with a thin, pendant moustache and a small mouth.

 

Although the majority of sculptures reflect Caucasian facial features others have a broad and flat face and lack beards or defined cheekbones that are characteristically mongoloid (left).

The Dakhae Massagetae

In the early Iron Age from the 7th to 3rd centuries BC the Massagetae also known by historians as the Dakhi or Dai settled between Lake Aral Lake and the eastern region at the Caspian Sea. They spoke an Indo-Iranian language and exerted a major influence over the adjoining steppe lands.  

When in the IV century BC Alexander the Great came to the lands of Central Asia, they were among the most implacable enemies of the new invaders. Like other Scythian warriors they were feared for their belligerence and love of freedom and fought both on horseback and on foot, their weapons consisted of bows, spears, daggers and battle axes. They worshiped the sun and believed in life after death, and built sanctuaries of their ancestors and preserved them. At peace they returned to their lives as nomadic hunters who wandered around with their herds.
 

Source: http://www.face-music.ch/nomads/skythen_en.html

Northern Deserts of Central Asia

Introduction

The Central Asian Northern Deserts are a mosaic of clay, stone, salt and sand and together with the Central Asian southern desert, supports the highest level of biological richness of all Eurasian deserts. The region is populated by middle Asian and north Caucasus species and is closer in nature to the Turanian subtropical realm. The area is dominated by rarefied semi-shrub communities formed by the perennial saltworts (Chenopodiacea) and sagebrushes (Artemisia spp.). Northern Turanian or Kazakhstanian species of plants are the dominant flora. Two prominent small mammals in this eco-region are jerboa and gerbil. The latter digs deep burrows which become critical for vegetation growth. Rare but still found are the goitered gazelle, marbled polecat, saxaul jay, Asian desert sparrow, and Houbara bustard.

Location and General Description

Photo: Usturt Plateau

The Northern Desert includes the Kazakh territory of Mangyshlak, the central part of the Ustyurt plateau (including a large part of the territory of Karakalpakstan) streatching across again into Kazakhstan and the northern and southern areas near Balkhash Lake. The northern deserts are distinguished the following climatic parameters: total solar radiation 130-140 kilocalories (kkal) per square centimeter (cm2) and the radiating balance 45 - 50 kcal./cm2. The mean temperature in January is –10 to -15oC and in July from 24 to 26oC.

The precipitation is distributed evenly across seasons with some increase observed in the spring. The quantity of precipitation compounds 100-150 millimeters (mm) per one year (for separate years up to 200mm). The influence of the Asian anticyclone begins to develop in this territory.

The relief of the Northern Desert is varied in form and origin. Low littoral plains near the Caspian Sea, arid denudational plateaus (northern part of Ustyurt and western part of Betpakdala), stony plains, and melkosopochnik - a highly eroded plateau (Mangyshlak, eastern part of Betpakdala and northern part near Balkhash Lake) are represented here. There are also sandy deserts (Muyunkum), and sandy regions near the northern part of Aral Sea and near Balkhash Lake. These vast areas are composed of the clay alluvial and alluvial-delta plains found in the lower reaches of the Chu, Ili and Emba rivers.

Perennial saltworts predominate in the Northern deserts. Species that prevail on clay soils of the region include Anabasis salsa, Salsola orientalis, and sagebrushes such as artemisia terrae albae, A. turanica, and A. gurganica to the west. The plant communities from Salsola arbusculae formis and Nanophyton erinaceum are typical in stony soils. Typical for sandy soils are psammophitic semi-shrubs such as Ceratoides papposa, Artemisia terrae albae, var. massagetovii, A. santolina, and A. songarica, and shrubs such as Calligonum aphyllum, Ephedra lomatolepis and psammophitic grasses (Agropyron fragile).

The spring flora of ephemers and ephemeroids aren’t as richly represented in the northern desert as in the southern deserts, however the colorful tulips (Tulipa greigii, T. albertii) decorate these areas in some years. The halophytic succulent semi-shrubs such as Halimione verrucifera, Kalidium folitum, K. Schrenkianum, anc Halocnemum strobilaceum, and annual saltworts (species of Petrosimonia, Climacoptera, Suaeda) dominate on solonchaks. Spireanthus schrenkianus (relic of Tertiary time) is
a rare plant growing in the central area of Betpakdala. It is associated with a specific community of species peculiar to chink ecosystems found in Mangyshlak, Ustyurt Plateau, and Ili depressions.

Biodiversity Features

The most common northern desert mammals are the long-eared hedgehog (Erinaceus auritus), long-quilled hedgehog (Piracohinus hypomelas), and tolai hare (Lepus tolai). Yellow gopher (suslik) is characteristic of the clay desert and feeds on the ephemeral plants. A variety of rodents such as gerbils (Rhombomys, Meriones), and more than ten species of jerboas (Allactaga, Dipus, Paradipus, Eremodipus, Stylodipus) are found here. Both gerbils and jerboas play an important role in the biological functioning of the clay desert. Numerous, deep burrows by the gerbils are critical for vegetation growth. Both form a significant part of the diet of nocturnal predators such as owl, steppe ferret (Mustela eversmanni) and corsac fox (Vulpes corsac). Endemic jerboas include the selevinia (Selevinia betpakdalensis), comb-toed jerboa (Paradipus ctenodactylus), and the three-toed and five-toed dwarf jerboas (Salpingotus heptneri, salpingotus pallidus, Cardiocranius). Also endemic are representatives of several mammalian genera (e.g., Diplomesodon, Spermophilopsis, Pyderethmus, Allactodipus, Eremodipus).

Saiga (Saiga tatarica) were once quite common throughout these deserts, coming here for winter periods. Their population size has been significantly reduced however. The goitered gazelle or djeiran (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) and marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) are also rare and endangered. First attempts to reintroduce Asiatic wild ass (kulan) (Equus hemionus) were undertaken here in the 1980s. Until only recently, there was a chance that cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) continued to survive in some parts of this ecoregion.

Photo: Saiga http://www.fauna-flora.org/explore/kazakhstan/

Larger birds of the ecoregion include the houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata), black-bellied and pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alcata, P. orientalis), cream-colored courser (Cursorius cursor), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetus), short-toed eagle (Circaetus gallicus), steppe eagle, (Aquila rapax), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), and saker falcon (Falco cherrug). Among the more common bird species are wheatears (Oenanthe isabellina, O. deserti), desert warbler (Sylvia nana), the desert lark (Ammomanes deserti), desert raven (Corvus ruficollis), and desert shrike (Lanius excubitor). Pander’s ground jay or saxaul jay (Podoces panderi) is a rare and unusual member of the crow family. Asian desert sparrow (Passer zarudnyi) is also rare. Houboara bustard is one of the most endangered bird species in this region. It migrates from Saudi Arabia through Iran and Pakistan to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. It is threatened by elite hunters who spend large amounts of money for the opportunity to hunt it.

The list of desert reptiles includes a number of species of toad agamas, namely: Khentau toad agama (Phrynocephalus rossikowi), Molchanov's toad agama (P. moltschanovi), Strauch's toad agama (P. strauchi), spotted toad agama (P. maculatus), Sogdian toad agama (P. sogdianus), Said-Aliev's toad agama (P. helioscopus saidalievi). Other reptiles include gekkos (Alsophylax pipiens, A. laevis), Rustamov's skink gekko (Teratoscincus scincus rustamovi), Chernov's snake-lizard (Ophimorus chernovi), Ferghana sand lizard (Eremias scripta pherganensis), black-eyed lizard (Eremias nigrocellata), gray monitor (Varanus griseus), Afghan lytorhynch (Lytorhynchus ridgewayi), four-lined snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata), and the cobra (Naja naja oxiana). The invertebrate fauna of the sandy deserts is especially rich, represented by species such as grasshoppers, darkling beetles, scarabaeid beetles, butterflies, termites and ants.

The main anthropogenic threats are agriculture, hunting and poaching, and overuse of woody plants for firewood. Overgrazing of livestock is the main threat in non-irrigated areas. Biodiversity in the deserts of this region are adversely affected by desertification and localalised degradation of soils. Irrigated agriculture in marginal lands has significantly accelerated wind erosion and salinisation of soils.

References:

• Borodin, A. M., editor. 1985. Krasnaya Kniga USSR: Redkie i nokhodyashchiesya pod ygrozoi uschesnoveniya vidy zhivonykh i rastenii. Moscow: Lesnaya Promyshennost.

• German, V. B., A. L. Zatoka, E. Y. Shubenkina, and V. P.Shubenkin. 1990. Kaplankyr zapovednik. Pages 141-149 in V. E. Sokolov, editor. Zapovedniki of the USSR, Volume 6., Moscow.

• Ismagilov, M. I., L. A. Kuznetsov, and V. L. Rashek. 1990. Zapovednik barsa-Kelmes. Pages 42-56 in V. E. Sokolov, editor. Zapovedniki of the USSR, Volume 6., Moscow..

• Kovshar, A. F. 1990. Usturtskii zapovednik. Pages 30-41 in V. E. Sokolov, editor. Zapovedniki of the USSR, Volume 6., Moscow.

• Krever, V., O. Pereladova, M. Williams, and H. Jungius. 1998. Biodiversity conservation in central Asia: An analysis of biodiversity and current threats and initial investment portfolios. World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), Washington DC.

• Lavrenko, E. M. 1962. Osnovnye cherty botanicheskoi geographii pustyn Evrasii Severnoi Africi, Moskow-Leningrad Izdatelstvo. Academii Nauk, SSSR.

• Pereladova, O., V. Krever and M. Williams. 1997. Biodiversity Conservation in Central Asia. Moscow. ISBN: 1559636084

• Rachkovskaya, E. I. 1995. Kazakhstan semi-deserts and melkosopochnik. Vegetation Map of Kasakhstan and Middle Asia. Scale 1:2 500 000. Komarov Botanic Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Sankt Peterburg.

• Suslov, S. P. 1961. Physical geography of Asiatic Russia. W. H. Freeman, San Francisco. ISBN: 0199248028

• Syroechkovskii. E. E. 1990. Zapovedniks of central Asia and Kazakhstan. In V. E. Sokolov, editor. Zapovedniki of the USSR, Volume 6., Moscow. ISBN: 5244004964

Source: http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151007/

 

ЗАКОН РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАРАКАЛПАКСТАН - О ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОМ ФЛАГЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАРАКАЛПАКСТАН ЗАКОН РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАРАКАЛПАКСТАН

ЗАКОН РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАРАКАЛПАКСТАН


О ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОМ ФЛАГЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАРАКАЛПАКСТАН

Статья 1. Утвердить схематическое и цветное изображение Государственного

флага Республики Каракалпакстан (прилагается).

Статья 2. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан является

символом государственного суверенитета Каракалпакстана.

Статья 3. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан представляет

Республику Каракалпакстан на международной арене: при визитах официальных

делегаций Республики Каракалпакстан в зарубежные страны, в международных

организациях, на конференциях, всемирных выставках, на спортивных

соревнованиях.

Статья 4. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстян представляет

собой прямоугольное полотнище, состоящее из трех горизонтальных полос

голубого, охры и зеленого цветов. Полосу цвета охры отделяют белые и

красные каемки.

Длина флага – 250 см., ширина – 125 см. Ширина голубой и зеленой полос

равны между собой и составляет 42 см. Ширина цвета охры полосы,

расположенной в середине флага – 34 см. Ширина белых каемок – 1,0 см., а

красных – 2,5 см.

На верхней голубой полосе изображены полумесяц (выпуклой стороной к

древку флага) и справа от него (если смотреть с лицевой стороны флага)

пять, равных собой, пятиконечных звезд белого цвета.

Полумесяц образуется пересечением двух окружностей, диаметры которых

соответственно, равны 22 с 19 см. Центры этих окружностей лежат на

прямой, разделяющей голубую полосу на две равные части. Расстояние между

центрами этих окружностей – 4 см. Расстояние от древка флага до

полумесяца – 20 см.

Звезды вписываются в прямоугольник размером 30 см. х 15 см. Расстояние от

древка флага до прямоугольника 42 см.

Звезды расположены в два ряда следующим образом: верхний ряд состоит из

двух, нижний – из трех звезд; каждая звезда вписывается в окружность

диаметром в 10 см. Нижняя точка полумесяца и вершины лучей нижнего ряда

звезд касаются горизонтальной прямой, расположенной на расстоянии 10 см

от верхней белой полоски.

Лицевая и оборотная стороны флага симметричны относительно древка флага.

Статья 5. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан поднимается:

1) постоянно на зданиях:

- Верховного Совета Республики Каракалпакстан;

- Совета Министров Республики Каракалпакстан;

- местных органов власти и управления;

- постоянных представительств Республики Каракалпакстан;

2) на зданиях и помещениях где проводятся сессии Советов народных

депутатов – на весь период сессии;

3) на зданиях министерств, государственных комитетов и ведомств, других

государственных и общественных органов Республики Каракалпакстан,

предприятий, учреждений и организаций, а также на жилых домах – в

праздничные дни, установленные законодательством Республики Узбекистан и

Республики Каракалпакстан. При этом Государственный флаг Республики

Каракалпакстан поднимается в 6 часов и спускается в 22 часа местного

времени;

4) на зданиях и в помещениях, где проводится голосование – в дни выборов

Президента Республики Узбекистан, народных депутатов Республики

Узбекистан и Республики Каракалпакстан, депутатов местных Советов

народных депутатов Республики Каракалпакстан или референдума. В этих

случаях Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан поднимается на

период проведения голосования или референдума;

5) по распоряжению правительства Республики Каракалпакстан;

6) на церемониях, торжественных мероприятиях, проводимых государственными

и общественными органами, предприятиями, учреждениями и организациями

республики Каракалпакстан;

7) на спортивных аренах – во время проведения чемпионатов и первенств

Республики Каракалпакстан, международных спортивных соревнований с

участием национальных сборных и во время церемониалов по случаю

награждения победителей соревнований, представляющих спортивные сборные

Республики Каракалпакстан.

Статья 6. При поднятии одновременно с Государственным флагом Республики

Каракалпакстан флага другого государства Государственный флаг Республики

Каракалпакстан должен быть поднят с правой стороны (если стоять лицом к

фасаду здания), а флаг другого государства – с левой стороны.

При одновременном поднятии с Государственным флагом Республики

Каракалпакстан флагов нескольких государств флаг Республики

Каракалпакстан поднимается отдельно, последние – в порядке

каракалпакского алфавита.

Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан должен быть расположен на

одном уровне с флагами других государств.

Статья 7. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан поднимается на

зданиях у главного входа или в другом подходящем для этого месте, либо на

древке в соответствующем держателе, либо на флагштоке, с тем, чтобы

древко флага образовало с, фасадом здания угол не более 45 градусов.

У поднятого Государственного флага полотнище должно находиться на высоте

не менее 2,5 метра от земли.

Статья 8. По случаю траура по решению Президиума Верховного Совета

Республики Каракалпакстан Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан

может быть поднят в траурном оформлении. В этом случае к верхнему концу

древка или флагштока Государственного флага Республики Каракалпакстан

крепится черная лента шириной равной 1/20 ширины флага, два свободных

конца которой свешиваются на всю ширину флага.

При поднятии флага на флагштоке по случаю траура флаг приспускается на

1/3 длины флагштока.

Статья 9. Государственный флаг Республики Каракалпакстан и его

изображение, независимо от их размеров, всегда должны точно

соответствовать цветному и схематическому изображениям, прилагаемым к

настоящему Закону.

Статья 10. Ответственность за соблюдение требований, изложенных в

настоящем Законе, при поднятии Государственного флага Республики

Каракалпакстан на зданиях органов государственной власти, управления,

предприятий, учреждений, и организаций возлагается на их руководителей, а

при поднятии флага на жилых домах – на их владельцев или на должностных

лиц, которым поручено организовать эксплуатацию домов.

Статья 11. Наблюдение за точным исполнением настоящего Закона возлагается

на местные органы государственной, власти и управления.

Статья 12. Граждане Республики Каракалпакстан, а также иные лица,

находящиеся в Каракалпакстане, обязаны чтить Государственный флаг

Республики Каракалпакстан. Надругательство над Государственным флагом

Республики Каракалпакстан наказывается в порядке, установленном

законодательством.

Председатель Верховного Совета Республики Каракалпакстан

У. Аширбеков

г. Нукус

14 декабря 1992 г.

№ 229/ХII


Law of the Republic of Karakalpakstan: About the State Flag of the


Republic of Karakalpakstan

Art. 4th. The national flag of the Republic Karakalpakstyan is

a rectangular panel consisting of three horizontal stripes blue, ocher

and green. A white and red fimbriation separates the ocher-colored stripe

from the others.

Length of the flag — 250 cm; width — 125 cm; width of the blue and green

stripes equal to each other — 42 cm; width of the ocher-colored stripe,

located in the middle of the flag — 34 cm; width of the white edging —

1,0 cm, and the red edging — 2,5 cm.

On the top blue stripe a crescent moon (with the convex side facing the

flag pole) and at its right (when viewed from the front of the flag) five

five-pointed stars in white, equal to each other.

The crescent formed by the intersection of two circles, whose diameters

are respectively equal to 22 and 19 cm; the centers of the circles lie on

line separating the blue stripe into two equal parts. Distance between

centers of these circles — 4 cm; distance from the flag pole to the

crescent — 20 cm.

The stars lie in a rectangle of 30 cm × 15 cm. The distance from the

hoist to that rectangle is 42 cm.

The stars arranged in two rows as follows: the upper row consists of two,

the bottom — of the three stars, each star fits into a circle of diameter

of 10 cm; the lower point of a crescent and the top tips of the lower row

of stars are 10 cm above the the top of the white stripe.

The front and back side of the flag are symmetrical.


Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Karakalpakstan

U. Asirbekov

in Nukus city

December 14th, 1992

Law № 229/ХII

Kungrad Soda Ash Plant - Update

The Kungrad soda plant has a capacity to manufacture 102 thousand tons of soda annually. A Major expansion of the facility now underway (2013-2015) is set to double the annual production output to 200 thousand tons. The proposed expansion being carried out by Uzkimyosanoat JSC and the Chinese company CITIC. The project funded by a loan provided by People’s Republic of China in the amount of $81.7 million USD. Besides the Chinese Eximbank loan, the project worth a total of $110 million USD will be financed by a loan from the Reconstruction and Development Fund and Uzhimprom's own funds.

The plant capacity will be expanded by increasing the production of limestone in the Jamansay quarry and technical salt at the resource base of the Kungard soda plant at Barsakelmes. Explored reserves of the Barsakelmes salt field exceed 130 million tons of salt, and the Dzhamansay limestone deposit around 70 million tons.

The main domestic consumers of soda plant are enterprises producing household chemicals and building materials, including the production of various types of glass. Currently the needs of the domestic market were estimated at 70-80 million tons, the remaining volume to be exported.

In 2013 Kungrad soda plant (Ustyurt) exported 22,000 tons of Soda Ash and 78,000 tons of technical salt and limestone to foreign customers. Currently product is exported to Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. An additional 70 employees, mostly graduates of Kungrad Chemical Engineering College were employed in 2013.

This year (Expected to be commision in October 2014) the facility will also start producing quality iodized salt. The raw material will be extracted from Koraumbet salt deposit, not far from the enterprise. The production line, employing an additional 35 technical staff will produce some 10 thousand tons of iodized salt per year.

A further expansion of the production: with the start of commissioning process line for the production of hyper-pressed limestone bricks with a capacity of 20 million pieces a year is also scheduled in the second half of 2014 which will provide a further 65 technical jobs and in 2015, the plant also plans to start significant glass production (30 percent which is planned to be exported).

Sources:

http://en.trend.az/regions/casia/uzbekistan/2084978.html

http://uza.uz/en/business/3754/

http://www.uz24.uz/en/Economics/kungrad-soda-plant-today:-facts-and-figures

Montañas extraordinarios paisajes blancos de Ustyurt

Paisaje hermoso inusual de la meseta blanca de Ustyurt de las montañas en Kazakhstan.

 

 

Ustyurt Arrows - Geoglyphs

Introduction

In 1986, scientists from the the Karakalpak Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek ССР whilst examining aerial photographs of the plateau Ustyurt detected strange arrow bag layouts. In total some 50 such arrow bag like lay-outs known as negative geoglyphs were found in an almost continuous chain over a vast area starting from near Cape Duana on the edge of the Aral sea stretching hundreds of kilometres into the Ustyurt across the border into Kazakhstan. 

The Arrow formatiuons differ little from each other with contours and sizes, and generally face to the north. On the ground each arrow and bag can be identified by a faint ridge of rock in which the traces of a binding solution. On the inside of the bag was a trench dug earth, the earth from which a shaft, which has been installed and stone ridge.

All along the pit grows wild grass, which can be clearly seen against the background of withered grass on the plateau. Archeologists believe that the arrows represent the ancient watering facilities for Ungulates (large hoofed animals).

Ustyurt Arrow Geoglyphs - Scientists still do not have an unified opinion about these ancient geolines however the most recognized hypothesis is that the arrows were used for seasonable mass-hunting for ungulates (hoofed animals).

Source of photo: vokrugsveta.ru 44°45'31.39"С 57°37'45.74"В

Arrows of the Ustyurt

Despite an interest by UFOlogists who tie them into similar theory they have about the Nazca Lines in Peru ie that they are an ancient Spaceport ect (ED: I have visited Nazca - truly an amazing place!).

By far the most logical explanation to date was that put forward by the chief of archaeological expedition from Nukus V. Yagodin which investigated these formations. His team concluded that they served ancient hunters as shelters / pens during the seasonal hunt for ungulates (large hoofed animals) they may also have had an additional function in that they allowed for the collection of water.

All the geoglyts "Arrows of the Ustyurt" so far identified are in the form of a bag, from which two arrows with strong tips stick out. All the arrows point to the north and only slightly differ from each other in size and outline. The top keen edges of each bag have jutting out two spread wide arrows (one each side) having tips in the form of extended triangles. The narrow passages that form the body of an arrows delimited by shallow swales along their entire length in the direction towards the tips which are pits of up to 2 meters in depth.

At top of each triangle are rings of ten-meter diameter, serving possibly as holes. They look very similar to a schematic drawing of a military chart on which the fat arrows specify the direction of an attack.

The length of each lay-out is 800-900 meters, together with directing shaft reaches 1500 metres, width 400 - 600 meters, the depth of most of the outline doesn't exceed 0.8-1.0m, and the tops of the arrows up to 2m in depth. Judging by the fragments scattered around, earlier these outlines were much deeper, being worn away by wind erosion over time.

The area over which these mysterious impressions are found even surpasses the extent of the world famous system of mysterious lines and drawings in the Peruvian desert of Nazca. They are known to local population under the name “aranvi.”. During a trial excavation section through one of the arrow lay outs had been found ceramics and other subjects dating to the VII—VIII to centuries AD. However, if one is to consider that these are a little above the occupation layer which concerns the time of creation of the layout this is more than likely “the top border” of the timeframe of their construction.

Source: Vokrug sveta (ED: the oldest continuously published magazine in the Russian language) www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/2427/

Note: A geoglyph is a large design or motif produced on the ground and typically formed by clastic rocks or similarly durable elements of the landscape, such as stones, stone fragments, gravel, or earth. A positive geoglyph is formed by the arrangement and alignment of materials on the ground in a manner akin to petroforms, while a negative geoglyph is formed by removing patinated clasts to expose unpatinated ground in a manner akin to petroglyphs.

The Ustyurt also spelled Ust-Yurt, Ust-Urt and Usturt (Kazakh: Üstirt, Turkmen: Üstyurt), is a  plateau in Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) between the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea. It extends roughly 200,000 km², with an average elevation of 150 meters, and consists primarily of stony desert. The plateau’s semi-nomadic population raises sheep, goats, and camels.

Sources: 

Bannikov A.G. History of the Arrows Vokrug sveta www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/2427/
(ED: the oldest continuously published magazine in the Russian language)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoglyph

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ustyurt

Additional Information:
Bull J.W. and Esipov A.  Ancient techniques for hunting saigas in Ustyurt: the remains of arrans
http://www.saigak.biodiversity.ru/eng/publications/SaigaNews-16_Spring_2013_%20ENGsm.pdf

Plakhov K.N. 1994. ‘Sastaiannie populazii Ustyurskogo gornogo barana v Kazakhstan’ Selevinia 3: 58-67.

Viktorov S.V. 1971. Pustenia Ustyurt i voprosi ee asvoenia. Moscow.

Yagodin V.N. 1978. ‘Pamiatniki kochevik plemen drevnosti i srednievekoviya’. In: Drevniaya

i srednievekovaya kultura Iugo-Vostochnogo Ustyurta. Tashkent: 79-199.

Yagodin V.N. 1991. ‘Strelovidnie planirovki Ustyurta’. In: Arkheologhia Priaralia, vol 5. Tashkent, ANRU.

Karavan Saray on the Ustyurt Plateau

Caravanserai, khan, or fondouk, also Han (in Turkish) known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English or Sarai in Indian subcontinent (Persian: كاروانسرا kārvānsarā or کاروانسرای kārvānsarāi, Turkish: kervansaray) are buildings specially built to shelter travelers, goods and animals along ancient caravan routes, in particular along the former Silk Roads.

Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information, and people across the network of trade routes covering Asia. Up until the 16th century caravans continued to move trough the region linking the Kharnate of Khiva with the Emba and Volga Rivers.

Archeologists have discovering on the the remains of Caravanserais and wells which used to be stay points along the Great Silk Road placed at intervals of 20-30km or so across the UstyurtPlateau.

Linked to the rise of Islam and the growth of the land trade between the Orient and the West (then to its decline because of the opening of the ocean routes by the Portuguese), the construction of most of the caravanserais spanned a period of ten centuries (IX-XIX century), and covered a geographical area the centre of which is Central Asia. Many thousands were built, and together they form a major phenomenon in the history of that part of the world, from an economic, a social and a cultural point of view. They are also remarkable for their architecture, which is based on geometric and topologic rules that use a limited number of elements defined by tradition.

Sadly many have been completely demolished and those which remain are, for the most part in ruins and are slowly disappearing.

Beleuli caravanserai (Just over the border in West Khazakhstan)- On the route of the Khorezm-Sheikhs connecting Khiva with the lower reaches of the Emba and the Volga.

Ustyurt Plateau - Saiga

The unique grassland steppe of the Ustyurt Plateau, a temperate desert lying between the Caspian and the Aral seas cover a vast area, about 200,000 square kilometers shared between Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.

The landscape is a mosaic of eroded hills, shallow basins, and extensive escarpments, with no permanent streams or open fresh-water sources.

With a high degree of endemism -- species that can only be found locally -- the plateau is home to vegetation types well-adapted to a harsh environment, including gypsum- and salt-tolerant plants.

Still found are ungulates like the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa subgutturosa) and the Ustyurt urial (Ovis vigneri arcal), as well as mammal predators such as the marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna).

The plateau's most famous resident is undoubtedly the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica tatarica). With its bulbous, tubular nose and bulging eyes, the nomadic antelope is certainly one of the world's strangest-looking mammals. It's also on a list of critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

A range of human-related impacts are denuding and fragmenting the landscape and its habitats, affecting species' diversity, number, and migration. Meanwhile, social and economic difficulties have caused a sharp decline in funding for conservation efforts in a landscape susceptible to degradation and desertification.

In 1991, Uzbek authorities designated a protected area of 1,000,000 ha in Ustyurt to safeguard saiga lambing grounds. Likewise in Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt Nature Reserve protects 223,000 hectares of the plateau and in Turkmenistan's the 282,000-hectare Kaplankyr Nature Reserve covers the Ustyurt Plateau's southern spur.

The saiga population however has shrunk from more than 1 million in the 1990s to around 40,000 today. In particular the Ustyurt population is vulnerable, with less than 10,000 on the plateau with the population still in sharp decline.

As of today this species of ancient steppe antelope is represented by 5 dissociated groupings of 5-15 thousand of animal units each: Mongolian (in Mongo-lia), Kalmyk (in the Russian Federation), Urals (Kazakhstan), Usturt (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan) and Turgai-Betpakdala (Kazakhstan), which keep decreasing by 20-40% per year. If this population decline rate is continued, then taking into account the biological peculiarities of this species (a number of natural enemies, climate effect, and susceptibility to diseases) and high demand for the products made of their horns one may talk about the complete loss of this species within next 5-7 years.

This unsustainable increase in poaching for Saiga is occurring because demand for its meat and very sadly for its antlers (used in traditional Chinese medicine as an alternative to the rhinoceros horn). The use of the antlers is totally unfounded and is not based on traditional Chinese medicinal practise at all, but on a combination of lots of greed (particularly that of the smugglers & other middle men) and way way too much money in the hands of too many backward and superstition people living in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other parts of the far east who are buying at very high prices antlers & antler preparations which have historically have NEVER ever been used in any traditional Chinese medicinal preparations.

The saiga will face extinction unless very strong conservation measures in Central Asia and the Russian Federation are put in place and efforts by the Chinese/ Taiwan / Kong Kong governments ect. are steeped up considerably ie. making a real effort to stop the sale of the antlers and other by-products of the Saiga and prosecuting whomever is involved (as was done to save the panda in the PRC).