Altyn-Emel National Park is a national park in Kazakhstan. It was created in 1996. The park covers about between the Ili River and the Ak-Tau mountain range, near Lake Kapchagai, and consists mostly of desert and rocky terrain.
Features
Altyn-Emel National Park is located in the Ili River Valley, Kazakhstan. It comprises various landscapes, including sand desert, mountains, and flora. The park was founded on April 10, 1996, with the objective to preserve a natural park complex, as well as archaeological and historical monuments. It is the largest reserve in Kazakhstan and part of UNESCO's world heritage. It consists of two main parts – the plain that adjoins the right Bank of the Ili river and the mountain – the spurs of the Dzungarian Alatau and the macro-slope of the Altyn Emel range. Small island mountain ranges are located on the plains. On the territory of the Park, Carboniferous deposits have been identified, which are mainly represented by volcanites, Permian and Carboniferous deposits, and the most ancient deposits are Silurian. The Park's mountains are mostly composed of Paleozoic rocks that are 200 to 400 million years old. Located within the park, the Besshatyr Burial Ground is a historical monument of Saka mounds. The burial mounds date back to the Iron Age, and were built by the nomads of Central Asian steppes. Objects found within the burial mounds include gold-plated trappings, gold adornments and utensils, weapons and armor. Another prominent feature of the area are the Aktay mountains. The Aktay mountains are also referred to as the "lunar mountains" on account of their particular colors. Aktau, which means "White mountains"in Kazakh. In translation from the Turkic-Mongolian Altyn-Emel means: "Altyn" - gold and "Emel" - saddle, which means"mountain pass".
The "Singing Dunes" are located from Almaty national park. The area is referred to as the Singing Dunes on account of the rumbling sound emitted from the sand. The Singing Barchan dune is long and high. The barchan is a crescent in form. When the wind is blowing from the west dispersing the sands, it can sound as if a pipe organ is playing. The cause of this phenomenon is still a mystery, but scientists theorize that in hot dry weather the sand gets electrified due to friction and creates a certain sonic vibration.
Climate and ecoregion
The climate of Altyn-Emel is Humid continental climate, warm summer. This climate is characterized by large seasonal temperature differentials and a warm summer (at least four months averaging over, but no month averaging over. The park is in the Tian Shan foothill arid steppe ecoregion.
The Kosbastau oasis, consisting of a grove of trees with a warm radon spring, is located in the plain between the Ulken-Kalkan Mountains in the west and the Katytau Mountains in the east. A natural monument - a 700-year-old willow - grows near the huntsman cordon. The exact age of the tree was revealed during the examination of the tree trunk, thick branches and roots. The willow was discovered during geological work in 1960. The monument is on the list of specially protected natural areas with the status of a nature protection and scientific institution, under the care of the administration of the Altyn-Emel National Park.
