Sacred objects include especially revered monuments of the natural landscape and cultural heritage, as well as places associated with historical and political events. There are many such objects in the Almaty region. The Charyn Canyon is also included in the list of sacred places of Kazakhstan from the Almaty region
The Charyn River, flowing down from the northern Tien Shan, formed a canyon. The geological age of the Charyn canyon is more than 12 million years. Its steep walls start from the river of the same name and consist of large deposits of clay, which at sunset turns red and shimmers with amazing shades. The reddish cliffs of the canyon, whose height varies between 150-300 meters, look very similar to watchtowers. At the bottom of the gorge flows the Charyn River, which several million years ago fed the Ili Lake. After it dried up in the pliable sedimentary rocks, a powerful river flow carved out a deep gorge, the length of which is 154 kilometers. The source of the Charyn River is located on the Ketmen mountain range, and it flows into the Ili. The total length is about 400 kilometers. The Charyn Canyon is home to more than a thousand different plant species, many of which are very rare, 62 species of mammals, 3 subspecies of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles and a large variety of birds.
Also in the Charyn canyon there is an Ash grove – this is the state pride of the Kazakh people and one of the main attractions. The grove stretches for 20 km, and its total area is more than 5000 hectares. Sogdian ash trees in this area are extremely beautiful and amazing, they grow up to 10 meters high, and the thickness can reach several meters. There are many legends, and one of them is about the Valley of Castles – the most popular place among tourists. One of the most mysterious gorges in this part of the canyon is called Vedmino. According to legend, the witches drive the tourists who stayed late at night on stone pillars and throw them into the abyss. Naively, but nevertheless, at night around the campfire, even the most skeptical person experiences involuntary fear. The wind in these places makes really mystical sounds. The reasons for the occurrence of terrible howls are scientifically justified: the fact is that the local rocks, consisting of sedimentary rocks, have many small holes – in fact, this is a huge natural "wind instrument", and witches have nothing to do with it.
There is no need to cross the ocean to see the beauty of nature, because Kazakhstan has many of its own wonders of the world. And every person who comes to Almaty region is simply obliged to see this beautiful and fascinating Charyn.
Victoria PASTARNAK