Mangistau Silk Road Tours.

“Moonlight doesn't stay in this window.
There is never a moon in this window at all.
But the longer you look at the sky, the closer to it.
The moon has been nearby for four billion years.
The closer to her, the darker.
You can't see it, but it's there.
When viewed from the moon, there is no window.
It remains only to transfer all the weight.
Not from the Moon, not from the Earth, real life is not visible.
You look up, blowing dust from all the planets,
And it seems that you yourself are four billion years old."

August Letavet.

Trip to Aktau mountains on Mangyshlak.

Akmay mountains are located in the northwestern part of the Northern Aktau ridge, located in the northeastern part of the Mangyshlak peninsula, 14 kilometers southeast of the western shore of the Koshak Bay, east of the Myrzatai mountains, in the Mangistau district of the region of the same name.
Akmay Mountains stretch in a narrow strip from the southeast to the northwest for 13.5 kilometers, their width is also small and reaches only 1.5 kilometers in the southeastern part. The mountains on the northern and northwestern sides resemble a cliff plateau, which rises towards the center and gradually decreases towards the north.
In the south and south-west, along the Akmay mountains, a valley stretches in which two valleys are located: to the west - Altynkazgan, to the east of Zhamansai. On the eastern side, the border of the mountains is the Sharymkopy ravine, which, in turn, is a pass through the Northern Aktau ridge.
In the central part of the mountains, the picturesque Askazansay valley stretches from north to south. From the west, the natural border of the mountains is the Aktau-Karazhambas highway and the eastern tip of the Myrzatai mountains.
In the northern part of the mountains there are several small salt reservoirs and artesian wells. In the northwestern part of the Akmai mountains is the Kostam necropolis, not far from the Shiili winter road, and even further north is the Yemdybulak valley.
The highest elevation in the Akmai mountains, in the southeastern part, is an unnamed mountain 261.8 meters high above sea level. The next is a nameless mountain with a height of 231.1 meters above sea level, located in the southwestern part of the mountains.
The northern slopes of the mountains descend to the southern shore of the Koshak Bay. The surface of the Akmay mountains from the main ridge and further to the north looks like a rugged surface with meridional ravines.
The ravines are so frequent that there is practically no flat surface left, the slopes are sheer and steep. The relief of the mountains is very complex.
Geographical coordinates of Myrzatai Mountains on Mangyshlak Peninsula: N44°26'32.15" E51°33'24.12"

Authority and photos by
Alexander Petrov.