According to Behealthybytomorrow, Aktau is the administrative center of the Mangistau region, located in the western part of Kazakhstan on the Mangyshlak peninsula. In the 60s of the 20th century, uranium deposits were discovered in the vicinity of Aktau, which gave impetus to the development of the city. From 1964 to 1991 the city was called Shevchenko in honor of the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, who was in exile here in the 19th century.
Tourists come to Aktau to go on excursions to the famous landscapes of the Mangyshlak peninsula and the Ustyurt plateau, to see ancient settlements and architectural monuments, to get acquainted with the natural world of this region, to see rare birds, to fish and swim in the waters of the Caspian Sea.
In the city of Aktau and its environs (to the south of the city) there are equipped beaches. For accommodation, tourists are offered numerous hotels and holiday homes, which are cottage villages. The beach season lasts from May to September, the water temperature at this time is kept at +22..+24 degrees. One of the most attractive places for a beach holiday is Kendirli Bay, which is located 250 km south of Aktau. In the future, it is planned to build a highly developed resort area here. Today, the Kendirli resort, in addition to beaches and cottages, offers tourists restaurants, bars, swimming pools, sports grounds, tennis courts and a health and fitness complex where you can improve your health even in winter. The medical and health complex provides ultrasound therapy, various types of physiopress massage, comprehensive rehabilitation and weight correction. Another popular place for recreation is the modern sports and recreation complex “Stigl”, located 18 km from Aktau. This includes three hotels, three restaurants, a billiard room, a bowling alley, a SPA-Center with a large swimming pool and a small heated one for children, with two saunas, a phyto bath, a phyto bar, a gym, massage and beauty parlors, a Finnish, Turkish and Russian baths, and a sports center for minifootball, tennis, volleyball and basketball.
Mangystau region attracts many fishermen. Sturgeon fish (beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon), salmon, Caspian sprat, roach, mullet, carp, pike perch and goby live in the Caspian Sea. Excursions throughout the region are organized
from Aktau. First of all, these are trips to the natural attractions of the region. 50 km from Aktau, in the eastern part of the Mangyshlak plateau, there is one of the deepest depressions in the world – the Karagie depression.. It is located 132 m below sea level. It is believed that the Karagie depression is the bottom of the ancient salt lake Batyr, as evidenced by the outcrops of geological layers found here with the bones of fossil fish. The southern part of the depression belongs to the territory of the Karagiye-Karakolsky reserve, which also protects Lake Karakol, where numerous flocks of flamingos, pelicans and swans live. In the northern part of the region, 170 km from Aktau, in a desert area, there is Mount Sherkala, formed by centuries of erosional destruction of local rocks. At the base of the mountain, the remains of a fortified settlement of the 12th-13th centuries have been preserved. In the vicinity of the mountain you can see a field of spherical nodules, which is dotted with spherical formations reaching a diameter of 2 meters or more, the Samal mountain gorge, overgrown with reeds, hawthorn and medicinal herbs, and the Akmyshtau mountain valley, where rock blocks with ancient drawings are found. Of interest is the Tamshaly canyon, located a few kilometers from the northwestern coast of the region. The canyon is known for its shallow grotto, in which fresh groundwater seeps to the surface. Water descends from a rocky ledge in the form of thin streams, creating the illusion of rain. In the southeastern part of the region there are the Tuyesu sands with dunes up to 10 m high and the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve.. The reserve was established in 1984 on an area of 223 thousand hectares to protect desert landscapes. About 263 species of plants, 22 species of reptiles, 45 species of mammals and 111 species of birds are found on the territory of the reserve. Of the rare birds on the territory of the reserve, there are flamingo, saker falcon, peregrine falcon, vulture, steppe eagle, golden eagle, eagle owl, jack, short-toed eagle, black-bellied grouse and loaf. Of the rare animals, you can see the Ustyurt mouflon, goitered gazelle, caracal, manul, bandage, dune cat, honey badger, white-bellied arrowhead and cheetah.
In addition to exploring the natural attractions of the region, tourists are offered educational trips to historical monuments. In the Mangistau region, on the Ustyurt plateau, there is one of the most revered religious places of Kazakhstan by Muslims – an underground Beket-ata mosque. The mosque was founded by the Kazakh preacher Beket-ata at the end of the 18th century. Beket-ata was known as a clairvoyant, healer and sage, he learned science in Bukhara. The school he opened at the mosque was known throughout Central Asia and gradually turned into one of the most important centers of education. The mosque consists of four rooms. An interesting fact is that the same temperature is kept inside the mosque all year round. Here is the grave of Becket-ata and his daughter. On the way to the Bekket-ata mosque, there is another revered underground mosque – Shakpak- ata. It is believed that it was carved into the rocks in the 9th-10th centuries according to the idea of Shakpak-ata, the grandson of the great sage Shopan-ata. The mosque consists of several rooms, the walls of which are covered with mysterious inscriptions. The vault of the main room is supported by massive columns. In addition to underground mosques, it is also worth visiting the ancient city of Kzyl-Kala of the 4th-5th centuries BC. e., the Khanga-baba necropolis with a mosque and the family cemetery of local nomads of the 18-19 centuries Sisem-ata. Be sure to go to the oldest city in the Mangistau region – Shevchenko Fort, which is located north of Aktau on the Tyub-Karagan peninsula. The city was founded in 1846 as a military fortification. In 1850-1857, the famous Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko was in exile here. The city has a museum that tells about his life.
