The '''Kazakh Desert''' is the southernmost region of in Kazakhstan, spanning across the nation's sections of the vast Qyzylqum and Aral Karakum deserts. It is comprised of the Kyzylorda, South Kazakhstan, and Zhambyl provinces. This area is home to the lion's share of Kazakhstan's historical monuments, as well as the car-wreck-fascinating ecological disaster of the Aral Sea. You will also find here the main border crossings into nearby Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Regions
Cities
Aral — a benighted city, with a fishing economy that was dependant on a now disappearing sea
Kentau — a medium sized mining city, formerly a destination for Soviet exiles
Kyzylorda — a major stop on the Silk Road, with plenty to see and do
Sayram — a 3,000-year-old city, with Kazakhstan's oldest mosque and a very strong sense of Central Asian culture—there is a lot to see here
Shu — a relatively small town, and administrative center of Zhambyl Province
Shymkent — Kazakhstan's second largest city, an old market town located near Tashkent and some beautiful mountains; now booming with oil exploration
Taras — a 2,000-year-old city, rich in archaeological finds
Turkestan — another ancient city, long a border town between the Persian culture to the south and the Turkic nomadic culture to the north, now majority Uzbek and home to several important cultural-historical monuments
Aralsk, Qazaly Shardara, Jetisu, Saryag'ash and Lenger
Other destinations
Aral Sea
Baikonur
Barsa-Kelmes Nature Reserve — wildlife preserve located on an island in the Aral Sea
Otrar — a desert oasis surrounded by the ruins of the various castles and towns that once occupied this spot
Understand
Talk
Get in
Get around
See
Itineraries
Do
Eat
Drink
Stay safe