Trip on natural places of interest of Central Asia.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime” 

Mark Twain.

The brief description of a route of excursion in gorge Arpauzen in mountains Karatau:

The town of Taraz - settlement Assa - settlement Kumtyin - settlement Akkol - lake Akkol - lake Sorkol - settlement Saudakent - settlement Kumkent - lake Kyzylkol - settlement Sholakkurgan - settlement Abai - gorge Arpauzen – town Kentau – town Turkestan – town Shymkent - town Taraz.

Distance of the route: 887 km.
Season: from April 1^th till September, 30th.
 Best time for excursion: April - August.
Advanced reservation:  for 48 hours.
Duration of the tour: 3 days, 2 nights,

The detailed program of an excursion trip on architectural monuments in settlement Sozak:

Historic Petroglyph Tours Kazakhstan.

Day 1. The town of Taraz - settlement Asa - settlement Sudakent - lake Kyzylkol - settlement Sholakkurgan - settlement Abai - gorge Arpauzen (361 km).
Our way leaves Taraz on northeast. Beyond Taraz we pass an industrial zone of town with Zhambyl a phosphatic factory and further our way lays to settlement Asa to an administrative centre of area Zhambyl Zhambyl of province.
Having passed settlement Asa behind settlement Kumtiyn we turn off from the basic line on road the leader to settlement Zhuma and lake Bilikol. Soon from road high barchan Kumburul to the left of road is visible, it and is our place of excursion, here we shall search for tulip lehmanniana. On a barchan the old asphalt road which hangs down above sandy borrow literally conducts.
Behind a barchan from the western party the river Assa in a direction to lake Bilikol proceeds. Walks in vicinities of barchan Kumburul, searches of Tulipa lehmanniana. Further our way lays to a following kind of a tulip - Tulipa Alberti which plantations are at northern coast of lake Akkol. Our way lays on northwest by small lake Bugulkol, to the right of road, we pass settlement Akkol and is soon turned off on a country road which results us on steep northern coast of lake Akkol (72 km).
The extensive panorama on lake Akkol which was stretched in the bottom of a huge blue bowl from here opens. Here on the solar party, on abrupt slopes which break to lake, we shall borrow in searches of a tulip of Albert, this wonderful, and a fantastic plant of Southern Kazakhstan. Walk behind tulips. A lunch on in vicinities of lake.
After the termination of excursion behind Albert's tulips, further our way lays to lake Kyzylkol where we shall search for tulip Tulipa Borszczowii.
Transfer: lake Akkol - boggy, salty lakes Ashchykol and Tuzkol which will be to the north from road - settlement Saudakent - settlement Kumkent - lake Kyzylkol (116 km).
Excursion walks behind tulip Borszczowii. The further transfer: lake Kyzylkol - settlement Sholakkurgan - settlement Abai – gorge Arpauzen (65 km). Walks in vicinities of gorge. Overnight in the tents.
Day 2. Gorge Arpauzen.
Breakfast. The gorge Arpauzen in mountains Big Karatau, has the name - Kenchektau. Along road on columns birds of prey sit, the landscape behind a window of the machine amazes with the open space and varying contours of mountains, original elements, as grazed two-humped and camels, horses, flocks of sheeps. Mountains Kenchektau appear unexpectedly, and cause greater admiration.
Here freakish and fantastic rocks, with sharp reminding a teeth. We shall put the tents at bottom of these mountains that all next day to devote to supervision over signature stamps Egypius monachus which in nest here in rocks.
It is completely not difficult to rise on a track to tops of mountains and to examine close surprising rocks, and also to glance in an extensive valley where ancient surfaces are visible. In the spring in gorge it is a lot of tulips, others which trees and bushes - the day spent here start to blossom later, it appears pleasant and sated by impressions.
In gorge Arpauzen are rare and surprising petroglyphs on slopes of mountains, along small superficial gorges on hills, at bottom of ridge Karatau, at height about 900 meters above sea level. Images are on greater rocky blocks and the plates combined from slates.
The Great bulk petroglyphs is presented by ancient images. On one of plates a stage with participation of people and camels. Probably, it is a stage connected with worship to a camel. On plates of natural boundary a plenty of horses and Asiatic wild ass is embodied. Horses were represented with horseman in chariots. In total 10 chariots and cargo vehicles, 9 of them with horses, on 2 compositions - camels are cut.
On one stone the complex composition is beaten out: 3 chariots, horses; images on color do not differ from breed of a stone. In petroglyphs Arpauzen 2 cargo 4-wheel vehicles, are fixed. Walks in vicinities. Overnight in tents.
Day 3. Gorge Arpauzen - settlement Sozak - the town of Turkestan - the town of Shymkent - the town of Taraz (526 km.).
Breakfast. If to leave gorge early in the morning, in solar beams you easily will see hills of ancient barrows-burial places which are on plain. Transfer: gorge Arpauzen - settlement Abai - settlement Sozak (65 km).
Arrival in settlement Sozak, visiting of architectural and archeologic monuments ancient Sozak - mosques Noghai Ishan (the beginning of XX century), site of ancient settlement Sozak (X - XVIII c.c.) which is in territory of village Sozak, Mamed Khalfe the mausoleum is located on territories of site of ancient settlement Sozak, the mausoleum the Kulak-Ata (XVI century), the Kara-Bura the mausoleum.
The further transfer: Arpauzen gorge - settlement Sholakkurgan - Turlan a water basin - pass Turlan - settlement Korzhykai - the town of Kentau - the town of Turkestan (141 km). Arrival in Turkestan and excursion to Akhmed Yassawi maussoleum complex: gallery of stone statues, arheological museum, historical (cultural reserve) museum “Azaret-Sultan”, gates (Darvaza) (XVIII - XIX c.c.), Esimkhan mausoleum  (XVI c.), Rabiga Sultan Begim mausoleum (end XV c.), Akhmed Yassawi khanaka-mausoleum (XII - XIV c.c.), “Zhuma” mosque (1878), underground mosque Khilovat (XII - XV c.c.), oriental baths (XVI - XVIII c.c.), Big khilvet (XII c.), Chillyakhana (XIV c.), archeological site of ancient settlement Kultobe (XIV c.), Khilvet Aulie-Kumchik-ata (XII c.). 
Transfer: Turkestan - mosque Arstan-bab (55 km), visiting of a mosque. The beginning of construction of a mosque of Arstan-bab was the beginning in 2010 at financial support of one of the Kazakhstan patrons of art, approximately in 2012 the mosque has already been constructed.
The further transfer to mausoleum Arstan-bab (1 km), visiting of the mausoleum. Transfer to ruins site of ancient settlement Otrar (X - XII c.c.) (2 km), visiting of site of ancient settlement Otrar, archeological excavations - a medieval bath, a mosque, inhabited quarter, a fortification.
Transfer to settlement Shaulder (14 km.), visiting of a museum «Otrar» where there are archeologic artefacts from excavation of site of ancient settlement Otrar.
Transfer: settlement Shaulder - settlement Tortkol - settlement Ekpindy (78 km), visit of the Red bridge in settlement Ekpindy on the river Bogen, constructed in 1886.
Transfer: settlement Ekpindy - settlement Temirlan (22 km), Visiting museum Khadji Mukan, an exposition of a museum tells about well-known Kazakh fighter Mukhan Munaytpasov become by the first world champion on the French struggle.
Transfer: settlement Temirlan - the town of Shymkent - the town of Taraz (184 km).

Note:
The author program is Alexander Petrov. Copying and introduction - only from the sanction of the author - petrovsra@mail.ru

Alexander Petrov
photos.