The British newspaper The Telegraph has included Mangystau in its list of “The 10 Deserts You Must Visit in Your Lifetime.” The region in western Kazakhstan was placed alongside some of the planet’s most breathtaking landscapes. 

Mangystau is not a desert in the conventional sense. There are no classic sand dunes here. Instead, visitors encounter chalk cliffs, escarpments, and canyons. The Bozjyra Tract (also spelled as Bozzhyra) is known for its striking white rock formations that rise above the plateau like stone towers. The Karagiye Depression is one of the lowest points in the country, descending below sea level. The landscape is stark. Almost ascetic. Yet that very austerity is what makes it so compelling. 

Mangystau is also a land of sacred sites. The region is home to dozens of underground mosques and necropolises. Many of them are carved directly into the rock and remain active places of worship.