Aktau

The seaside city of Aktau stands on the Caspian Sea, in the south-west of the country. But this is far from a resort: there is a bare desert around. As the city of Aktau is little more than 50 years old, and it is unlikely that someone will come here from idle interest. But thanks to the rapid development of oil production in the localities, more and more specialists from different countries are traveling here on business trips.

"The desert, absolutely without any vegetation, sand and stone: if only the tree - there is nothing" - that's what the poet says about the local places.

How to get to Aktau

There is no own railway station in Aktau, therefore you need to get from Mangistau station, which is about 7 km away. Trains from Moscow arrive here with the transfer, but this is inconvenient: it is better to get from Astrakhan through Atyrau. From there it is better to go to Aktau by taxi: it's inexpensive. Aktau International Airport is located about 30 km from the city, and from there you can also get to the city only by taxi. You can fly here from Moscow or Astana, Atyrau, Astrakhan or Krasnodar.

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Weather in Aktau

March 1, Sunday Clear + 10 ° C in the afternoon + 1 ° C at night ° C water	March 2, Monday Clearly + 10 ° С in the afternoon + 2 ° С at night ° С water	March 3, Tuesday Clearly + 9 ° С in the afternoon 0 ° C at night ° C water
Weather forecast in Aktau for 10 days

A bit of history

The history of the city is connected with the creation of a nuclear shield of the USSR, which required a lot of uranium . Uranium mined, processed and enriched , and this required a lot of labor and resources . A community was built around the complex of enterprises so that workers could live more or less comfortably in the middle of the desert . Officially the city became a settlement in 1963 . Thus, Aktau is a city, which grew on an equal footing: there was not even an impoverished village . After the restructuring in Aktau oil was mainly produced, and after the recent discovery of the Kashagan oil field in the city, the era of prosperity actually started with the help of foreign investors .

Razv treatment, excursions and sights Aktau

Aktau - a city hot, deserted and completely green . In the summer, to give it some kind of nice appearance, green plantings in the city should be watered - the heat at 45 degrees without moisture no flowers stand . There are no rivers nearby, even drinking water in the city - sea, demineralized . Aktau was built according to the general layout, strictly functional, so that even the streets were not given names: they simply numbered the neighborhoods and used these numbers as part of the address, at home. In Aktau, the city is simply huge: here there are skyscrapers of 30 floors and constantly building new skyscrapers .

Taras Shevchenko served a link not far from Aktau, and the city was named after him from 1963 and up before perestroika. "The desert, absolutely without any vegetation, sand and stone: if only the tree - there is nothing" - this is what the poet says about the local places.

Naturally, there are no historical sights in the city. Interest in one degree or another represent only the newest, modern buildings. For example, the main palace of weddings, decorated in the center completely Martian spire. And one of the most beautiful buildings of the city is a large snow-white mosque with a lot of sky-blue domes.

In general, Aktau's appearance can not be called radical Muslim: almost no traditional clothes are worn here, and most residents still prefer to speak Russian.

Interesting to visit the port of Aktau. This is one port to the whole of Kazakhstan, where dry cargo ships and oil tankers from other countries come. The port was built in 1963 specifically to transport uranium and oil products.

3 things to do in Aktau:

See the lighthouse on the roof of the apartment house - the only one in continental Europe.
Get on the base rest "Ivushka" that at the very sea to swim in a well with mineral hot water is said to be very invigorating
Photograph the monument-sailboat on a granite pedestal-wave.

And in the city park - one of the few shady places in Aktau - several sculptures and a miniature railway were installed. It is modeled on the Eiffel Tower.

The beach in Aktau is not one - there are several. Surprisingly, in the summer heat and desert climate, the sea near the city is not too warm: the beach season opens here only at the end of June and lasts until autumn. Around the more or less cleared city beach, the coastline is strewn with picturesque boulders, where you can easily find a job without having a plan to swim.

Near Aktau is the world's largest open-cast uranium mine. Now, however, its development is not conducted.

Surroundings of Aktau

Around Aktau there are many necropolises, the earliest of which dates back to the 9th century, underground mosques, historical monuments and Muslim shrines. But we need to understand that in this case "around" means distances of tens and tens of kilometers. And these kilometers must be overcome in the desert by car, at your own peril and risk. Therefore, those who are really interested in the history and culture of these places, it is better to book a tour in advance with a visit to the most iconic attractions of the region.

Beket-Ata Underground Mosque is the most important Muslim shrine .Beket-Ata, a visionary, healer, scientist, nugget and Sufi, built three underground mosques in Mangistau .At the mosque in Oglundy he opened the Sufi school, and after his death was buried here .For more than two centuries this place is a pilgrimage center .To go here for a long time, but on the way the travelers pass another mosque, named in honor of Shopan-Ata, Teacher Beckett-Ata .Also interesting is the Shakpak-Ata underground mosque cut down in the rock in the 10th century .On its columns remains the remains of ancient paintings, and on one of the walls you can read the Sufi verses-the parable of the frailty of all things .