Tours over lakes Bayanaul of national park

Zhasybai Lake in Bayanaul.

Tours over lakes Bayanaul of national park.

“Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere”

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Bayanaul park Tours.

Bayanaul the highest mountain of the park Bayaanaul at the height of 493 meters above sea level. It is the resort place in neighboring of the same named settlement of urban type in Bayanaul district of Pavlodar oblast. It is situated in 210km of Pavlodar and in 135km of Ekibastuz station.
There are freshwater lakes as Sabyndykol (the area is 7,4sqkm) and Zhasybai (the area is 4sqkm). Average temperature is –13,2’C in January and +20,5’C in July. The quantity of atmospheric precipitation is 320mm.
According to one version, the word is of Mongol-Turkic origin. Bayanaul (in Mongolian “Bayan-ola”) means “prosperous hill,” a place of rich and blessed grazing mountains. According to another version and legends of the indigenous population, the name of the mountain and the village is connected with the name of Bayan-Sulu (sulu meaning “beauty”), the heroine of a popular epic poem Kozy-Korpesh and Bayan-Sulu.
Legend has it that Karabai, Bayan-Sulu’s father, wandered annually from Aiaguz to Tyumen, making long stops in Karkaraly, Bayanaul, Dombraly, the Monshakty Mountains, etc. Bayan especially liked the Kazylyk Mountains, where there were many karkars, birds with beautiful plumage.
She made a lovely headdress using feathers from the bird and decorated by a sultan (karkara) and for this reason the mountains were named Karkaraly (black heron mountains). In the Kokshetau Mountains she found a wonderful tree which emitted a melodious sound.
Bayan-Sulu ordered a dombra (a traditional Kazakh lute-like stringed musical instrument) to be made from it; therefore the mountain was called Dombraly. The area had a lot of precious stones which she used to make gorgeous beads (monshak); as a result these mountains were called Monshakty (beaded).
The rich Karabai family repeatedly stopped in the valleys of the Bayanaul Mountains, which were recorded in variations of numerous legends. In particular, after the tragic death of Bayan-Sulu people from nearby places grieved over her passing for a long time and retold episodes from her life.
They recalled she dropped soap into the lake, causing the water to become soft. The lake was named Sabyndykol (soapy lake). According to legend, in those days the mountains were called Bayantau (mountains of Bayan). People also named one mountain Tarak (comb), where she allegedly dropped a comb.
Poetic local people, talented with a well-aimed word, gave vivid and geographic names to other places in this wonderful corner of nature. The highest mountain was named Akbet (white faced), while others were called Naizatas (stone spear) and Atbasy (horsehead) and a rock was named Kempirtas (the old woman stone) for being remarkably similar to an old woman’s head.
There are other rocks with corresponding names like hat, loaf of bread, fish and dove. There is a Witches Gorge with twisted trees and the Konyr Aulie-Tas sacred cave, where gathering in the deepening water is considered curative, and a pass where Kazakh batyrs (warriors) led by Zhasybai fought the Dzhungars.
Struck down in battle, the brave, dying warrior asked to be buried at the pass so visitors could simultaneously see Lake Zhasybai and Lake Sabyndykol and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Bayanaul also has names which are directly related to its history and geography, as the following stories describe.
There is the rest house on the coast of Zhasybai Lake. Zhasybai Lake, surrounded by mountains on all sides, is the second largest lake in the Bayanaulsky mountains, but reigns predominate in its popularity. The lake is named after Zhasybai Batyr, a warrior and hero of the Kazakh-Dzhungaria war.
You can get to the lake using the Zhasybai passage. According to legend Zhasybai held back the dominating attacks of the enemy to the bitter end resulting in his ultimate death. Lake Zhasybai is the second largest one in the Bayanaul Mountains.
But it is the most popular place ( Bayanaul Tourist Center and many rest homes are situated there). The lake surrounded with mountains bears the name of Zhasybai batyr. He lived in the period when Kazakh people were fighting against the Jungar (Kalmyk ) invaders.
In the XVII-th century the Jungars captured Abylai, the Khan of the Middle Zhuz, and tried to occupy the Karkaraly and the Bayanaul steppes. Olzhabai Tolebayev and his nephew Zhasybai headed the liberation movement.
Zhasybai had to contain the enemies at the narrow mountain pass between the present Lake Zhasybai and the Bayanaul Village.

Zhasybai Lake.