Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

After visiting the underground mosque of Shakpak-Ata, we are driving through always more spectacular landscapes of rugged mountains. We are excited, because we are heading to what is supposed to be one of the most unique landscapes of Kazakhstan. When we start seeing stone spheres next to the road, we know that we are getting clear. We stop, get out, and walk towards the top of a valley. At the edge, we see many stone spheres lying scattered all over the landscape. Our excitement grows with every step we take. We are passing scores of spheres, of various sizes, and there are always more to be seen. We see stacks of spheres, we see rows of spheres, we see small hills covered with spheres. Some of the spheres are much higher than we are, reducing us to dwarfs.
We reach perhaps the most famous sphere a little further down the slope of the Valley of Balls. It is a huge sphere, perfectly cut in two. Here, we can clearly see that there is a differently coloured brown-red inner sphere. It makes us wonder how these weird creations were formed. There are actually two theories. One claims that the tectonic plates here caused electric powers that ultimately shaped stones into perfect spheres. The other is that the stone boulders were shaped when this region was still covered by sea, and that they were left behind when the sea eventually dried up. It is in fact mind boggling how nature could create such shapes, which in many cases seem (almost) perfect. I am surprised there is no legend here, about a giant who was playing around with rocks which he could magically turn into balls in Torysh Valley.
We walk up past many more spheres, before we reach our car again. It seems like we are driving away from the Valley of Balls, but this turns out not to be the case. After a few minutes, we reach a viewpoint, and our driver parks the car. We now see many dozens more spheres, scattered all over the landscape. He proposes to have lunch, and this is indeed a very good spot. We wonder around the balls, and study them more closely. Some have big chunks fallen off, some have just the outer layer chipped off. Some have deep cracks, and it is easy to see that they will eventually also fall apart. Does this mean that some day, the Torysh Valley will be without spheres? It is hard to imagine. One thing is for sure: it will take many more centuries for this to happen, if it ever will. It is time to have lunch, and celebrate my birthday in this special place.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Valley of Balls (Kazakhstan). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Valley of Balls.
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Valley of Balls > Kazakhstan > Asia

[Visited: October 2023]

Around the World in 80 Clicks

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