Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

After exploring the enigmatic and attractive Valley of Balls, we are still in for more beauty of the Mangystau region. We drive further east, making several stops on the way at several mountains. They seem to be getting always more spectacular. We soon discover that our friendly guide/driver is an expert in spotting tiny specimens of ancient life when all that we see was the bottom of a sea, not the desolate landscape of modern-day Kazakhstan. He spots fossils, remains of corals, proof of a life that is hard to imagine in our days. I realize that the mountains we climb now, were just underwater outcrops and valleys overgrown with sea vegetation and surrounded by fish. While we stand on one of the mountains, we see camels making their way through the landscape. I cannot help but try to imagine that once upon a time, big fish were swimming where those mammals now walk.
We continue further east, and see an enormous mountain loom in the distance. We stop, and our driver explains that this is Sherkala, or Lion's Castle in Persian. It's natural location and formation makes it the ideal place to control the surrounding area - and indeed, this is exactly why it is probably the most famous mountain in the region. Once upon a time, a citadel and caravanserai were built on top of the mountain. It was conquered by Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, who built a fort on top of the mountain. It was ultimately conquered when attackers managed to dig a tunnel into the mountain, cutting off the rope of the well and thus denying water to the defenders above on top of Sherkala. I have read that the top of the mountain can still be reached through a tunnel, but our guide tells me this is not possible anymore. We drive up to the northern side of the impressive mountain, and walk up to the vertical rock wall. We see caves, we see carvings in the rocks, we see views over the plains below. I try to find a way to climb up to the top of the mountain, but that seems impossible without equipment. It underlines how difficult it was to attack the citadel on top of Sherkala.
We drive around the mountain, and stop again on the southern side to have another last view of Sherkala with the afternoon sunlight shining on it. We continue our way east, passing more mountains, until we reach an area with mountains all around us. We get out, walk up a little bit for better views. We continue driving a little more, and hike up another mountain. We are rewarded with spectacular views of castle-like mountains with capriciously shaped mountains. The surface of the mountain is littered with hundreds of small pieces of all kinds. Our guide is frantically looking for a particular item, and then finds a few: fossilised shark teeth which, according to him, are ten million years old. Again, we try to imagine that we are actually on what was once upon a time, sharks were swimming here, hunting for their next meal. We walk around the top of the mountain, while the light on the jagged mountain tops, looking like turrets and towers, is getting always more beautiful. While we drive to a yurt camp for the night, the afternoon light on the mountains around us is getting warmer and warmer, making the landscape always more spectacular.

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Airakty Valley of Castles (Kazakhstan)

Airakty Valley of Castles > Kazakhstan > Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

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