The Altyn-Emel State National Nature Park is a protected area in Kazakhstan. It was established in 1996. The park spans approximately 4,600 square kilometers and is located between the Ili River and the Aqtau mountain range, near Lake Kapchagai. The land is mostly covered by desert and rocky areas.

Features

Altyn-Emel National Park is located in the Ili River Valley. It includes many different landscapes, such as sand deserts, mountains, and plants. The park was created on April 10, 1996, to protect natural areas and ancient historical and archaeological sites. It is the largest reserve in Kazakhstan.

The park has two main parts: the flat land next to the right side of the Ili River and the mountain areas, including the spurs of the Dzungarian Alatau and the slopes of the Altyn-Emel range. Small mountain ranges are found on the plains. Carboniferous rock layers (300 million years old) have been found in the park, including volcanoes, Permian, and Carboniferous deposits. The oldest rocks are Silurian, which are more than 400 million years old. The park's mountains are mostly made of Paleozoic rocks, which are 200 to 400 million years old.

Inside the park is the Besshatyr Burial Ground, an ancient site with Saka mounds. These burial mounds were built during the Iron Age by nomadic people from the Central Asian steppes. Items found in the mounds include gold-covered clothing, gold jewelry, tools, weapons, and armor.

Another special feature is the Aktau Mountains, sometimes called "lunar mountains" because of their unique colors.

In May 2021, the Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources announced plans to develop tourism in the Altyn-Emel National Park, focusing on history and ecotourism.

In 2021, the Kazakh National Geographic Society stated that eco-toilets, gazebos, shade covers, drinking fountains, and extra observation decks will be added to the Altyn-Emel area in the near future.

The Singing Dunes

The "Singing Dunes" are located 300 kilometers (190 miles) from Almaty National Park. The area is called the Singing Dunes because of the loud rumbling sound from the sand. The Singing Barchan dune is 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) long and 120 meters (390 feet) high. The dune has a crescent shape. When wind blows from the west and moves the sand, it can sound like a pipe organ is playing. Scientists do not know exactly why this happens, but they think that in hot, dry weather, the sand becomes charged from friction, which creates sound vibrations.

Climate and ecoregion

The climate of Altyn-Emel is a humid continental climate with warm summers, classified as Dfb in the Köppen system. This climate has large temperature differences between seasons and warm summers, with at least four months averaging above 10 °C (50 °F), but no month averaging above 22 °C (72 °F). The park is located in the Tian Shan foothill arid steppe ecoregion.

Flora and fauna

The park helps protect rare and endangered plant and animal species. The plants in the park include 1,800 species, with 69 of them being rare. There are also 56 rare animal species in the park, such as argali, dziggetai, and Persian gazelle. Not counting insects and fish, at least 260 different animals live in Altyn-Emel. The park is home to endangered amphibians like the Siberian toad and rare or endangered birds such as the black stork and imperial eagle. Of the 78 mammal species in the park, 11 are listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. These include stone marten, polecat, otter, manul (wild cat), wild ass, gazelle, argali, Asian barbastelle bat, Bukhara deer, lynx, and Tien Shan brown bear. Kulan and Przewalski horses also live in the park. Among the plants, the ancient white and black saxaul, small groves of ironwood (Caucasian frame), and Sievers apple trees are notable.

Kosbastau oasis

The Kosbastau oasis has a group of trees and a warm radon spring. It is located in a flat area between the Ulken-Kalkan Mountains to the west and the Katytau Mountains to the east. Scientists found out how old the tree was by studying its trunk, branches, and roots. The willow tree was discovered during geological work in 1960. The area is a protected natural site listed as a nature conservation and scientific research location. It is managed by the Altyn-Emel National Park administration.