10 mysterious places in Kazakhstan

There are several places surrounded by mysteries in Kazakhstan. Some of them are associated with ancient legends, the life of saints, and even UFO sightings. Ancient churches, wells, mountain gorges, and even city parks hold many secrets.

Shaitankol Lake

The mysterious Shaitankol Lake, located near the town of Karkaraly, attracts travelers with its unnerving secrets and legends. The lake is surrounded by granite rocks and pine forest. They say neither animals nor birds come close to the lake. People do not swim here; and it is not suitable as a watering place for livestock. The legends say that one can encounter mermaids or the shaitan (in Islamic mythology it is an evil spirit, comparable to a demon or the devil) here. There are various opinions on how the lake was formed; the story of it being formed by the tears of unhappy people is the most curious one. Anyway, it is better to see it once than to hear about it a hundred times. The nature of the region will not leave you indifferent, and the mystery of the place will captivate you from within!

The Singing Barchan dune

The Singing Barchan dune is located in the Altyn-Emel National Park, 180 km northeast of Almaty. Its mysterious ability to "sing" is explained by the fact that the friction with the wind electrically charges the sand and creates a certain sonic frequency. Sometimes it sounds like a beautiful song; other times a terrible howl can be heard for many kilometers. There is a legend of the dune being a shaitan, turned by the Almighty into sand and stones for its atrocities. Perhaps this is why the monster cannot sleep, and it sometimes tries to scare people.

In addition, the Singing Barchan dune is also a unique and beautiful natural phenomenon, which is worth seeing.

The Dead Lake

Many residents of the Taldykorgan region are afraid of this lake and consider it to be truly “dead”. The water in it is freezing cold even in the summer, there are no living creatures in it, algae do not grow either. For some reason, divers cannot withstand staying in depth for more than five minutes. The bodies of numerous drowned people disappeared without a trace. No one can explain the reason for such oddities, but the lake attracts travelers with its unearthly beauty and mysticism.

Ukasha-ata Well

Near the medieval mausoleum of Ahmed Yasawi in the city of Turkestan there is a magical well known Ukasha-ata Well. The legend says that only those with good intentions and a benevolent soul are able to extract the water from the well. If you manage to get the water, then you are believed to be under the auspices of higher powers.

The well is named after Ukasha-ata - one of the associates of the Prophet Muhammad. Many enemies wanted to kill him, but he was invincible until his own wife told her friend about her husband’s weakness. Only during prayer the preacher became vulnerable; he was so connected to God, that he saw and heard nothing while he was in his state of worshipping. So he was trapped and brutally killed and at the place of his death a holy spring appeared.

Ungurtas

Another mysterious place in Kazakhstan is Ungurtas, which is located 85 kilometers from Almaty. Psychics even call it the "Navel of the Earth", an energy anomaly that can heal people, purify their thoughts and even fulfill their desires. Esotericists assume that an energy pillar emanates from this place to outer space. It is as if the celestial system connectes with the Earth through this point. Moreover, unusual flows of energy were recorded by various researchers. But no matter what goes on here, people come here to energize themselves. Paranormal believers visit Ungurtas with great hope and faith.

Altai “Shambhala”

The Chasha tract, near the town of Ridder, is another unsolved mystery of Kazakhstan. There is an assumption that this is where the mythical kingdom of Shambhala is located. It is known that the sign of Shambhala is an all-seeing eye inside a lotus. There is the very same lotus on the surface of the Chasha tract. This can be seen from flight altitude. There is also a large crater. A giant asteroid is believed to have crashed at this place.

Signs at the bottom of the Aral Sea

The drying sea is a reproach to all mankind for environmental damage. Yet its open bottom reveals surprises. For example, it can be seen from flight altitude that some strange signs are drawn all over the bottom. They cannot yet be solved by scientists, although some believe an unknown ancient civilization or even aliens had drawn the signs. For adventurers this place is highly attractive - the dried up Aral Sea, the desert around it, and abandoned ships create an unearthly scenery.

UFO sightings on the Ustyurt plateau

A desert between the Aral Sea and the northern part of the Caspian Sea has an alien landscape. Rumor has it that unidentified flying objects visit this place quite often. Something resembling UFOs are also seen over Kok-Tobe in Almaty, and some ufologists think that this is due to the energy of tectonic faults in the mountains or in the desert. But the Ustyurt plateau is a special place. Some researchers believe it to be the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean. The plateau has many giant stones, hollows and caves. There are caves with pictograms of unknown origin. There are also strange and unsolved line drawings, stretching for a hundred kilometers and seen only from a flight altitude. These drawings surpass the archaeological phenomenon of the Nazca desert in Peru. One can only guess what those lines are for.

Abysmal lake

The Kol-Kol Lake, located in the Zhambyl region, has its own share of strange stories. It's water has extraordinary physical properties - always fresh and as if "alive" in some way, despite the fact that not a single river flows into the lake. The lake is also believed to have no bottom. Modern researchers of anomalies say that a prehistoric creature lives in it - a congener of the Loch Ness monster. Some have even claimed to have seen it.

Secrets of Medeo

Who would have thought that the world-famous Medeo ice rink hides so many secrets! Ghost seekers, for example, are attracted to an unfinished house. It is allegedly haunted. No one dared to demolish or finish building the house so it remains abandoned.

Other adventurers try to get into the ancient underground church of hieromonks Seraphim and Theognostus. It is hidden under a huge tree. They say that the church is made entirely of wood and its catacombs extend into China. The catacombs seem to be blocked nowadays. But so far no one dared to check if it’s true.

Medeo is unique in different ways. This is the only ice rink in the world that is filled with clear mountain water. Every year it attracts millions of winter sports fans.

One can find mysterious sites in every part of Kazakhstan. Wherever you stay, it will be interesting and comfortable!