Bradt's Karakalpakstan is the longest, most detailed and most
up-to-date travel guidebook to this autonomous republic - Central
Asia's best-kept secret. With detailed information on what to see
and do, listings for accommodation and restaurants, and guidance on
getting around, this guide provides all the practical advice
adventurous tourists need to visit or explore this exciting
destination. Roughly the size of Sweden, Karakalpakstan borders
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and was, until recently,
dominated by the Aral Sea. As the sea water has retreated, the
Aralkum - the world's newest desert - and numerous lakes have
formed in its place. Ecotourism is developing rapidly here, as
local people recognise the need to protect and restore fragile
ecosystems while creating meaningful employment opportunities. Amid
Karakalpakstan's remote wildernesses, the intrepid traveller will
find unique geology (such as the Ustyurt Plateau), rare wildlife
(including a substantial population of the critically endangered
saiga antelope, whose peculiarly bulbous nose helps filter desert
dust and regulate the animal's temperature), and fabulous star
gazing. The region also boasts a long history and rich culture.
Scattered through the Kyzylkum, the ruins of the 50-plus desert
fortresses of Ancient Khorezm (some proposed as UNESCO World
Heritage Sites) attest to the region's former strategic importance.
You can explore ancient settlements (such as the necropolis of
Mizdakhan, said to include the grave of Adam), and see
caravanserais, mausolea and even Chilpik Dakhma, a Zoroastrian
'tower of silence'. Alternatively, celebrate Russian Avant Garde
art alongside the superb archaeological and ethnographic
collections of Savitsky Museum in Nukus, justifiably known as the
'Louvre of the Steppe'. For something entirely different, why not
explore Muynak's ship graveyard on the remains of the Aral Sea,
visit the notorious Soviet bioweapons lab Aralsk 7 on Vozrozhdeniya
(Resurrection Island), raise your binoculars at the Important Bird
and Biodiversity Area of Sudochye Lakes (where 230 types of birds
have been recorded) or dance the night away at the annual Stihia
festival of electronic music. Written by two Central Asian experts,
Bradt's Karakalpakstan is an indispensable practical companion to
visiting this excitingly varied republic.
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