Aral sea
The next and mandatory object to visit is the Aral sea.
Aral sea… Today, the name of this lake is associated with an environmental disaster. But what was it like 60 years ago?
The Aral sea is located on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Before the shallowing, the Aral sea was the fourth largest lake in the world. There were ports, fish factories, and fishing fleets sailed along the Aral sea.
Until the 80-ies of the XX century, there were 34 species of fish, 20 of which were of commercial significance. The Aral sea has dried up several times in its history. This is evidenced by the numerous remains of flora and fauna found on the dried-up bottom of the Aral sea. Despite the environmental problems, the nature of this area is truly unique.
Based on geological studies of the soil, scientists have concluded that the territory of the desert was once the bottom of a huge sea.
Even today, remains of the ancient marine world can be found here in the form of remains of ancient marine animals of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods.
Traveling through Karakalpakstan, you can not only see incredible natural landscapes, but also visit the ruins of ancient and medieval monuments, as the territory is a kind of “archaeological reserve”.
Today, there are more than 300 archaeological sites.
Once, in ancient times, the territory of Karakalpakstan, along with the modern Khorezm region and adjacent areas of Turkmenistan, formed a single state of Ancient Khorezm and was the birthplace of Zoroastrianism and the Holy book of the Avesta.