The sandy desert of the Karakum (Turkmenistan) is the largest in Central Asia and one of the largest on our planet. Its territory is vast. This is ¾ of the area of ​​​​the whole of Turkmenistan. Where is the Karakum Desert located? It occupies the territory located between the foothills of Karabil, Vankhyz and Kopetdag in the south, as well as on the Khorezm lowland in the northern part of the country. In the east, its territory borders on the Amudarya valley, and in the west - on the Uzboy riverbed.

Geography

The Karakum is the desert of Asia, stretching for almost 800 km along the parallel and 450 km along the meridian. The total area of ​​this sandy sea is more than three hundred and fifty square kilometers. This is larger than the size of countries such as Italy and the UK. It is interesting to compare the Karakum desert with similar natural formations. The Turkmen sandy sea is on the list of the largest. Those who want to know which desert is larger - the Kalahari or the Karakum, should keep in mind that the natural formation of Africa is almost twice as extensive. Its area is 600 square kilometers.

The Karakum desert is diverse in its relief, geological structure, soils and vegetation. In this regard, scientists divide it into the South-Eastern, Lowland (Central) and Zaunguz (Northern) zones. These three parts of the desert are distinguished from one another by origin, weather conditions, and the degree of economic development.

Northern Karakum

The Zaunguz part of the Turkmen sandy sea has the most ancient geological structure. Scientists believe that the formation of the Northern Karakum occurred more than a million years ago. This is the most elevated part of the territory, towering over the rest by 40-50 kilometers. This location gives reason to call the Northern Karakum plateau. However, this is not true because of the too large dissection of this zone, on which kyrs are located - meridianally elongated sandy ridges reaching a height of 80-100 m, between which there are closed basins.

Groundwater in the Northern Karakum desert is mostly salty. This does not allow the full use of these areas for pastures. In addition, the local climate is much harsher than in the other two zones.

On the northwestern side, the Zaunguz Karakum limits the relatively well-preserved ancient channel of the Western Uzbay. In the southern part, this desert zone breaks off with a ledge, the height of which varies from 60 to 160 meters. This curving chain of shors, takyrs and sandy basins stretches from the Amu Darya and reaches Uzboy in the west. How these mysterious depressions formed is still unknown. According to some scientists, the edge of the Zaunguz uplift was formed due to the accumulation of salts, which fluttered and destroyed natural rocks. Other researchers believe that this relief is an ancient little preserved channel of the Amu Darya.

South-Eastern and Central Karakum

These territories are low-lying, with absolute elevations ranging from 50 to 200 m. Where the Karakum desert passes from one zone to another is not known for certain. After all, the boundary between these parts is very conditional. But they designate it by the Tenjen-Chardzhou railway line.

In terms of their landscape, the South-Eastern and Central Karakum differ from the Northern part by a more flat structure. This, as well as the presence in these territories of rich year-round pastures and many freshwater wells, made it possible to use them more intensively in economic terms. The development of these zones is facilitated by a relatively long period without frost, location near large cities and a high value of the sum of positive temperatures.

Climate

What is the Karakum? This is a vast territory where sharp diurnal temperature fluctuations of air masses are observed. In general, the climate of this desert is classified as sharply continental. Moreover, the average January temperatures in the north are fixed at around minus five degrees, and in the south - plus three. In July, the thermometer rises from 28 to 34 degrees. But here's what's interesting. Due to daily air changes, the Karakum desert is considered one of the hottest on our planet. This is due to the fact that in the daytime in many of its parts the thermometer rises to plus fifty degrees and above. As for the soil, the warming up is much greater. Sometimes the temperature of the sand reaches eighty degrees.

In winter, the Karakum desert is characterized by severe frosts. In this season, on the territory of the sandy sea, the thermometer drops below thirty degrees.

As for precipitation, they are very scarce here. During the year, in the north of the desert, their number reaches 60 mm, and in the south - 150 mm. The most rainy season in the Karakum Desert is from November to April. At this time, up to seventy percent of the annual rainfall falls here.

origin of name

Translated from the Turkmen language "Kara-Kum" means "black sand". But this name is not true. The Karakum desert does not have. The name of this natural formation, most likely, is due to the fact that ninety-five percent of its territory is covered to some extent by vegetation, which loses its green color in summer. The remaining five percent of the desert is sand dunes. Their name in Turkmen sounds like “ak-kum”. Translated, it means "white sand".

There is another version of the origin of the name of the Turkmen desert. Scientists believe that the word "black" is purely symbolic and means a territory that is not adapted to life, hostile to humans.

archaeological discoveries

According to researchers, the Karakum desert was inhabited by people as early as the fourth millennium BC. The settlements of the ancient tribes were discovered by scientists in an oasis near the delta of the now defunct Murghaba River. This part of the territory attracted people in later centuries. Even at the end of the third millennium BC, when a vast area from Greece to India was covered by the most severe drought, residents of Northern Syria or Eastern Anatolia moved to this oasis.

An even more significant discovery was made by scientists in 1972. An archaeological expedition led by V. I. Sarianidi discovered the ruins of the ancient temple city of Gonur-Depe in the Karakum Desert, which means “gray hill” in Turkmen. This settlement was a grandiose complex built of stone, in the center of which were the temples of Sacrifices, Fire and other structures. Along the perimeter, all buildings were surrounded by powerful walls, on top of which there were square towers. The inhabitants of the ancient country of Margush came to this city to bow to the fire.

After the discovery of Gonur by the archaeological expedition of Sarianidi, traces of another two hundred settlements were found. At the same time, scientists argue that Margush in former times was not inferior to Mesopotamia, Egypt, China or India in its significance.

However, at the end of the second millennium BC, people had to leave this fertile oasis in search of a more full-flowing source of water. The sands subsequently simply swept away the traces of the once powerful civilization, which some scholars tend to consider the first bearer of Zoroastrianism.

Education version

The Karakum desert was formed relatively recently. Thus, the age of its Zaunguz area is about a million years. This is significantly less than the age of the Namib Desert, which has existed for 55 million years.

The western part of the Karakums is even younger. It was formed from the steppes only 2-2.5 thousand years ago.

What is the geological pedigree of the Karakum Desert? There are two hypotheses for this. According to one of them, put forward by the mining engineer A. M. Konshin, the formation of the desert occurred on the territory of the ancient dried up Aral-Caspian Sea, which was part of the prehistoric Tethys ocean.

According to the second hypothesis, which most scientists agree with, the territory of the Karakum was formed thanks to the Murgab, Amu Darya and many other rivers, which carried clay, sand and other products from the destruction of rocks of the southern ridges of the Kopetdag mountains. This process took place at the beginning. At this time, the cooling was abruptly replaced by warming, and the melted glaciers contributed to the fact that the rivers became swift and full-flowing. This theory was confirmed by further research by geologists.

Flora and fauna

The amazing world of the Karakum desert is interesting for those researchers who are constantly striving to expand their horizons. The sandy sea of ​​Turkmenistan is the place where only sun-loving representatives of flora and fauna are concentrated, able to live in the absence of a large amount of moisture.

The Karakum desert was chosen by dozens of different species of reptiles and more than one thousand species of arthropods. Three dozen species of birds and two hundred and seventy species of plants feel comfortable in this territory. They consider the desert their home, which means that there is something mysterious and unknown to man himself in it.

Vegetation

A variety of shrubs grow on the sandy territory of the Karakum. Among them are black and white saxaul, cherkez, kandym and astragalus. There is also a sandy acacia. Of the grass cover in the desert, swollen sedge is most of all, there are saxaul, saltwort, ephemeral and other communities here.

In areas of arid Karakum plains, xerophytic shrubs and semi-shrubs grow. Many of them lack foliage or shed it when drought sets in.

The roots of plants growing in the desert are branched and long. They are forced to penetrate to great depths. For example, Her root system goes deeper into the sandy soil for more than twenty meters.

Desert plants reproduce by seeds, which are usually pubescent or have peculiar wings. This structure facilitates their movement in the air. Many of the plants of the Karakum desert easily take root even when they get into moving soils. Tugai are especially distinguished. These are thickets of white willow and poplar, giant cereals, comb and other moisture-loving plants that can be found on the banks of the Karakum Canal.

Animal world

There are many representatives of the fauna in the Karakum Desert. These are animals well adapted to existence in sandy areas. Most of them prefer to be nocturnal, and are also able to do without water for a long time. In addition, the animals that can be found in the desert are excellent runners. They easily cover long distances.

Of the representatives of mammals in the Karakum desert, one can meet a wolf and a jackal, a goitered gazelle and a dune cat, a jerboa and a corsac fox. The world of reptiles here is represented by monitor lizards and cobras, sand boas and an arrow snake, agamas and steppe turtles. Desert crows and larks, saxaul jays and sparrows, as well as dun finches fly in the sky over the sandy sea.

Of the invertebrates in this area, there are scorpions, phalanxes, beetles and karakurt spiders. More than fifty species of fish live in the Amu Darya and in the reservoirs, among which there are herbivorous silver carp and grass carp.

desert cat

The lynx from the Karakum desert deserves special attention. So often called caracal. Indeed, these animals are similar in their habits. However, an ordinary lynx is not able to survive in a desert where there is no forest. For the caracal, these territories are their home. And this is not surprising. The desert animal is painted light brown, which allows it to be almost invisible among the foothill ledges and sand dunes. The main food of the caracal are birds, rodents and lizards.

Between what is the Karakum desert, which is the habitat of this amazing beast? These are sections from the Aral Sea to the Caspian Sea. But, unfortunately, the development of these territories has led to a catastrophic decrease in the number of desert cats, and today only about 300 individuals remain in natural conditions.

Repetek Reserve

It is advisable to start acquaintance with the flora and fauna of the Karakum desert from the central part of its Eastern zone. It was here, at a distance of 70 kilometers south of the city of Chardzhou, that in 1928 the unique Repetek Nature Reserve was organized. Its main task is to protect and study the natural complex, which is rich in the Karakum desert.

The Repetek Nature Reserve covers an area of ​​about thirty-five thousand hectares, where the main plant communities of the sandy sea of ​​Turkmenistan and its diverse fauna are collected.

The Karakum desert has a relatively small sand formation - the Karakum - located in Kazakhstan. It is located between two lakes - Sassikol and Balkhash.

In the Karakum desert, many tourists are attracted by a burning well. It is located near the village of Darvaza. This is a former exploration well, which collapsed due to a nearby underground void.

There is a lot of groundwater in the Karakum desert. Their especially large reserves are located near the Amu Darya.

Twenty thousand wells have been dug in the Karakum desert. Moreover, water from them, as a rule, is extracted in an ancient way, for which camels walking in a circle are used.

Those wishing to plunge into the unique atmosphere of the East should visit Turkmenistan. In a hot country, history lovers are attracted by the memorable places of the cities of the Great Silk Road, madrasahs and mosques, the majestic palaces of the Timurids and Khorezmshahs, rich libraries and amazing observatories.

Turkmenistan delights nature lovers with spring valleys with myriad flowers, hot expanses of the Karakum desert, clear waters of the Caspian Sea, natural wonders of Central Asia: the sulfur lake Kou-Ata and the burning crater of Darvaza.

Country Summary

• Turkmenistan is the official name of the country.
• The state in Central Asia borders on Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan does not have access to the oceans, it is washed by the waters of the inland Caspian Sea.
• Ashgabat is the capital.
• The area of ​​the country is 491,200 sq. km.
• The population of Turkmenistan reaches more than 5.4 million people.
• The form of government is a presidential republic.
• The official language is Turkmen.
• The largest cities are Ashgabat, Dashoguz, Balkanabat, Turkmenbashi, Mary.
• The main religions are Islam and Christianity.
• The official currency is the manat.
• Time zone UTC+5.

Story

prehistoric period. According to scientists, Neanderthals inhabited the territory of Turkmenistan in prehistoric times. Confirmation is the traces of their stay, found near the village of Gaurdak in the Chardjou region. On the territory of Turkmenistan, the Jebel cave site (near Nebit-Dag) and the Mesolithic sites of Kailyu were found. Geometric microliths (miniature stone tools) and microscrapers prevailed at the sites of Jebel, Dam-Dam-Ceshme 1 and 2. The peoples here have already mastered the technique of making the simplest ceramics, but, as before, they used stone tools. In addition to the layers of the Mesolithic era, monuments of the Neolithic and the beginning of the Bronze Age were also found in the Jebel cave.

In the VI - V centuries BC. e. The Jeytun culture was replaced by the Anau culture, whose carriers were immigrants from Iran, who had already mastered the copper foundry business. Simultaneously with the Anau culture, the settlement of Namazga-Tepe spontaneously arises, and on its basis the Margian civilization (Gonur-depe), belonging to the Dravidian cultures of the Middle East (Harappan civilization), is formed.

On the territory of Turkmenistan in the II millennium BC. Aryan tribes of the Andronovo culture settled. According to researchers in the IX-VII centuries BC. here the proto-Iranian alliance of Aryoshayan was formed, which was later defeated and pushed back to the southern part by the Turano-Massageta nomads ...

Soviet Turkmenistan. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian Bolsheviks in Turkmen cities had influence among Russian workers, and therefore an attempt to establish Soviet power was made simultaneously with the center, that is, in November 1917.

In August 1921, the main territory of Turkmenistan became part of the Turkestan ASSR, and in 1924 it was transformed into the Turkmen SSR. The land was transferred to agricultural cooperatives controlled by the Soviet state, which were mainly engaged in cotton growing. The oil industry has developed. The fight against illiteracy was actively carried out, and atheistic ideology was planted.

On the night of October 6, 1948, a strong earthquake occurred in Ashgabat, which claimed the lives of up to 100 thousand people.

In 1954, the construction of the Karakum irrigation canal began. The gas pipeline "Central Asia - Center" was put into operation in 1967, Turkmen gas was sent to the central regions of Russia.

In October 1991, a referendum on the independence of the republic was held, after which the Communist Party of Turkmenistan dissolved itself.

After the collapse of the USSR in Turkmenistan, the authoritarian regime of the former first secretary of the Communist Party, Niyazov, was established, who received the official title of Turkmenbashi in 1993. Saparmurat Niyazov was declared president for life in 1999.

In the economic, political, social and everyday life of the population, numerous innovations were introduced up to the absurd. The personality cult of Turkmenbashi consisted in the construction of monuments and the world's largest single-domed mosque of Turkmenbashi Rukhy, streets were renamed, as well as mountain peaks and even the whole city (Krasnovodsk became Turkmenbashi). The opposition and the free Internet were banned, but censorship was introduced, surveillance of the citizens of their country and foreigners, and the moderately nationalist ideology of the “holy” book of Turkmenbashi Ruhnama, which was close to the Koran in status, was imposed at all levels. However, thanks to social support measures and natural gas exports, Turkmenistan has maintained a moderately high standard of living.

Contrary to forecasts of a crisis in Turkmenistan in the event of the sudden death of Niyazov, after the unexpected and quick death of Turkmenbashi in December 2006 for the Turkmen people, the change of political power took place outwardly peacefully and there was no obvious crisis. Many innovations of Turkmenbashi were canceled in the country and the cult of his personality was abolished, some reforms were carried out. In 2012, the fourth presidential election was held and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was created.

Geographic data

Most of Turkmenistan has a flat character, in particular the Aral-Caspian lowland with separate relief depressions: the Unguz depression, the Sarykamysh depression.

In the north and in the center of the country there are sandy deserts of the Turan lowland, bounded by the Uzboy valley on the north-western side, the Central and Zaunguz Karakum, in the south - the South-Eastern Karakum.

In the northwest is the outskirts of the Ustyurt plateau, in the west - the deserted Krasnovodsk plateau. The Kopetdag ridge stretches near the border in the south-west of the country, in the south there are the foothills of Paropamiz - the Karabil and Badkhyz uplands, in the west along the coast of the Caspian Sea the Bolshoi Balkhan ridge stretches. On the Uzbek border there is the Kugitangtau ridge, where the highest peak of Turkmenistan is located - Mount Airibaba or the peak of the Great Turkmenbashi. The Akchakaya depression is the lowest point in the country.

The bowels of Turkmenistan contain such valuable minerals as natural gas, oil, lead, sulfur, bromine, mirabilite, iodine. The country has a variety of raw materials for finishing: limestone, gypsum, granite, marl, dolomite, gravel, refractory clay, pebbles, quartz sand. The natural resources of the Caspian are closely connected with the oil and fishing industries.

In Turkmenistan, there are rivers only in the eastern and southern regions; there is no permanent surface runoff in most of the country. In the east, the largest river Amu Darya flows, from which water is diverted for irrigation of the central regions through the Karakum canal, the Kopetdag, Zeid, Khauzkhan reservoirs were built on it. From the northern side, the Shavat canal enters the territory of Turkmenistan; water is taken from the Amu Darya, which flows in Uzbekistan. In addition, there are large rivers Murgab, Tejen, Atrek.

The Caspian Sea is located in the west of Turkmenistan. The largest lake Sarykamysh, 3/4 is located on the territory of Turkmenistan. There are small fresh lakes in the Uzboy valley.

Nine nature reserves have been created in Turkmenistan, which have the status of research departments and the goal is to preserve rare natural complexes in their original form. Large reserves: Kopetdag, Repetek, Amudarya and others.

Internet

The state of Internet freedom in Turkmenistan is considered one of the worst in the world. During the reign of Saparmurat Niyazov, the Internet was unofficially banned.

The first Internet provider in Ashgabat was created by the Turkmen company Turkmentelecom. The Internet has been rapidly developing after the election of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. There are several Internet cafes in the capital of Turkmenistan.

Employees and students of universities and research institutes, regular readers of the Central Scientific Library of Turkmenistan received free access to the worldwide network. Gradually, the situation with the Internet is changing for the better. In 2017, Internet access has more than doubled in price.

However, the government still blocks access to such world-famous sites as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal. The number of users in Turkmenistan is about 5% of the population. Many foreign companies operating in Turkmenistan have lost access to corporate networks. The Internet is strictly censored, and many sites that are critical of the Turkmen authorities are blocked.

Among the inhabitants of the country, the site "My [email protected]" is popular. The speed and quality of the Internet is extremely low when compared with the Internet in other countries.

National cuisine

In terms of technology and range of products, the cuisine of the Turkmen people is very close to the cuisines of other Central Asian peoples. However, all Turkmen dishes have their own cooking methods. Popular dishes: pilaf - "palow", dumplings - "börök", manti - "manty", as well as a dish called "dograma" - a fatty soup to which crumbled pieces of meat and bread are added.

There are differences in tastes and traditional dishes of Turkmens from the eastern regions (Tekins) and Caspian Turkmens (Ogurdzhalins). Bread and meat are the main foodstuffs of the Turkmen people. Turkmen-Tekins eat dishes from the meat of game birds and young camels, Turkmen-Yomuds, Saryks use mutton meat.

Carpet weaving

The Turkmen carpet is one of the most famous handicrafts produced by Turkmens. Beauty and durability are the hallmarks of Turkmen carpets. Carpet weaving in Turkmenistan at the end of the 20th century becomes one of the most important sectors of the economy. In 2001, the largest hand-woven carpet in the world was woven, with a total area of ​​301 square meters. m, and in 2003 included in the Guinness Book of Records.

In Turkmenistan, the carpet is one of the national symbols and is declared state property.

Tourism

The tourism industry of Turkmenistan is one of the rapidly developing sectors of the country's economy in recent years. Especially intensive development was received by beach and medical tourism. First of all, this is due to the creation of the Avaza tourist zone on the coast of the Caspian Sea in 2007 (the first Vatanchi hotel opened in 2009).

However, for foreign tourists, the reason for the deterrence is numerous restrictions and especially the visa regime with all countries of the world. Before entering Turkmenistan, each tourist must obtain a tourist visa, which requires a personal application or a written application from the host tourist organization.

In addition, the possibilities of contact and interaction of foreign tourists with the local population, as well as photographing a number of objects, are significantly limited.

Many travels in Turkmenistan begin with the entrance to the seaside city of Turkmenbashi or the capital of the country Ashgabat, where the modern international airport Ashgabat named after the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi operates. Airports in the cities of Turkmenbashi, Turkmenabad, Mary also have international status.

For tourists in Turkmenistan, excursion trips are organized with visits to the historical sights of Ashgabat, Kunya-Urgench, Dashoguz, Mary, Nisa, Merv, recreation and medical tours in Mollakar, Archman, Yyly Suva, beach tours to Avaza.

Ashgabat- the capital of Turkmenistan, is the largest administrative, political, scientific and cultural, industrial center of the state. Ashgabat is a separate administrative-territorial unit of Turkmenistan - a city with the rights of a velayat (i.e. region).

In 2013, Ashgabat, as the most white marble city in the world, was included in the Guinness Book of Records for the fifth time, 543 new buildings covered with white marble were built in the capital. Even earlier, this Book included such sights of the Turkmen capital as the largest fountain complex, representing 27 synchronized fountains; the highest flagpole in the world, having a length of 133 meters; the largest image of a star in architecture is the eight-pointed star of Oguz Khan on the TV tower; the largest closed Ferris wheel.

Merv- an ancient city of Central Asia in the southeastern part of Turkmenistan, standing on the banks of the Murghab River, located 30 km east of the modern city of Mary (Mary region). The ruins of Merv are a monument of the World Heritage of Humanity.

Merv is one of the best preserved oasis cities located along the Silk Road and is a variety of monuments that have survived the devastating effects of centuries. The ruins of Merv equally attract the attention of both archaeologists and tourists. Human settlements located on the southern edge of the Karakum desert were attracted by fertile soils and an abundance of water supplied from the wide delta of the Murgab River.

IN Badkhyz nature reserve(founded in 1935) and the Badkhyz Upland included the foothills of Paropamiz and the northern part of the Hindu Kush. This reserve is home to 250 species of birds, 40 species of mammals, 34 species of reptiles, including the Central Asian deer, kulan, Turkmen mountain sheep, short-toed eagle, spotted hyena, leopard.

In the Balkan velayat, the major popular centers of pilgrimage tourism are the holy place of Khakberdy-Akhun and the mausoleum of Parau-Bibi (X-XI centuries) near the village of Parau. In addition, in the desert there is Lake Yasga, one part of which contains salt water, and the other contains fresh water.

On the mountain ranges of the Small Balkhan and the Big Balkhan there are canyons, waterfalls, peaks that are especially popular among climbers, and many unique animals also live.

The ancient city of Dehistan (Mashad-Misrian) consists of a large cemetery Mashat (mausoleum Shir-Kabir 10th century) and the ruins of the city of Missirian 10-15 centuries. Dehistan, founded at the end of the third century BC. e., was a prosperous city of antiquity.

Avaza Resort in the east of the Caspian Sea is located near the city of Turkmenbashi. The main focus is summer beach recreation, as well as entertainment and sightseeing tours. The coastline is sandy. Hotels of different classes are located throughout Avaza. There are complexes with a large territory, enclosed by walls and adjacent to the sea, and simple cottage complexes.

It is most comfortable to visit Turkmenistan in autumn, in September-October, and in spring, in April-June, when it is neither cold nor hot here. There are many comfortable hotels, popular night clubs and restaurants in the country. In modern shopping centers, the assortment of goods is not inferior to the shops of world capitals. Rest in Turkmenistan will leave unique impressions.

Desert of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan

First letter "k"

Second letter "a"

Third letter "r"

The last beech is the letter "y"

Answer for the clue "Desert of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan", 8 letters:
karakum

Alternative questions in crossword puzzles for the word Karakum

Desert in Central Asia

Central Asian desert

Sandy desert in Kazakhstan

The name of this desert means "black sands"

Famous desert in Central Asia

Word definitions for Karakum in dictionaries

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998 The meaning of the word in the dictionary Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998
Karakums Turkmen sandy desert in Turkmenistan. OK. 350 thousand km2. According to the relief, they are divided into the Zaunguz Karakum (plateau) in the southeast and the Central (or Low) Karakum, distant from the first by the Unguz depression. The sands are predominantly fixed ridge,...

Wikipedia The meaning of the word in the Wikipedia dictionary
in the Karakum Desert

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The meaning of the word in the dictionary Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Turkmen (Turkm. Garagum, literally, black sand), a sandy desert in southern Central Asia that occupies the bulk of the territory of the Turkmen SSR. Limited to S. and S.-E. Sarykamysh depression and the valley of the river. Amu Darya, in the south-east. ≈ uplands of Karabil...

Examples of the use of the word Karakum in literature.

The water of the Amu Darya has already filled the canal, and people are swimming in the water into Karakum Amu Darya soms.

The further path of the imaginary Turkish pilgrim lay through Gurgen and Atrek, along the Big and Small Balkhans and the terrible desert in summer Karakum to the Khorezm oasis.

Iran and scimitar-like nomadic dunes Karakumov and Kyzylkum.

Left with a scientific expedition to Karakum future explorers Mazin and Rusakov.

Starting from Vaygach, we crossed the Bolshezemelskaya tundra on reindeer, climbed the largest peak of the Ural Range - Mount Narodnaya, overcame the Khanty-Mansiysk taiga on horseback, drove through the manganese Polunochnoe, woodworking Ivdel, from where at that time the Ivdel-Ob road, the first the route to the oil-bearing Tyumen, the metallurgical cities of Krasnoturinsk, Serov, Nizhny Tagil, the mining and processing Kachkanar, the copper-ore Gumeshki, where the Bazhov girl Azovka lived, overcame the Turgai steppe, crossed the Aral Sea on a boat, with a caravan of camels proceeded through Karakum.