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| THE MOUNTAIN NECKLACE OF KARKARALY |
SHAITANKOL Shaitankol ('devil's lake' in Kazakh) is the most popular lake of the area, despite the lack of recrea-tional opportunities - the water is too cold for most people to bathe in the lake - due its beauty and the ancient legend associated with it. The legend tells about unhappy love (as a rule, this is the most popular plot of the stories concerning such places). According to it, in olden days a very beautiful girl, Sulushash, (the daughter of a rich man, Tleuberdy, who possessed extensive lands), fell in love with a poor shepherd Altai. Naturally, Tleuberdy did not ap-prove of their relationship and forbade them to see each other. So, the sweethearts decided to elope. Sulushash, Altai and Altai's faithful companion Kausar took shelter in the Karkaraly Mountains. The tragic ending of the legend tells how, when they reached lake Shaitankol, Altai and Kausar left the girl by the lakeside and set off hunting. Kausar fell down from a cliff when chasing an argali and died. In the meantime, Tleuberdy was in pursuit of the eloping couple - but having failed to find them in numerous caves and valleys, set the forest on fire. Panting from the smoke, Sulushash took to her heels and run into a tiger. In order to save herself from the beast's fangs, the girl jumped into the lake and died. Having heard his sweetheart's farewell cry, Altai ran to the lakeside. But all he could see was her skull-cap (tyubeteika) which was waving in icy waters of Shaitankol. Without any hesitation he plunged a dagger into his chest.
TREKKING AND MOUNTANEERING The Karkaraly oasis is of special interest to trekkers and moun-taineers. There are six official trek-king routes and a great deal of other popular, but no less interesting, routes (lasting from one day and upwards). Those who love to climb the rocks instead of walking around them can be recommended the Komsomolskiy Peak, the Shankoz Mountain and many other peaks which can be used for training. But as the practice shows, most of the hikes in the Karkaraly Mountains often combine trekking and moun-taineering of reasonable complexity (by request, of course). The Komsomolskiy Peak (1403 meters) is located in the south part of the mountain massif. It was called Komsomolskiy in 1936 when 100 Komsomol members from Karkara-linsk climbed the peak and raised the Red Flag upon it. The western moun-tain side, composed of steep rocks of yellow tints, is rather interesting. It is called Zhirensakal (Red Beard). Climbing the Komsomolskiy Peak (1-2 category of complexity), which towers some 400-500 meters above the locality, is relatively easy but requires caution. The Shankoz Mountain (1360 meters) is the second highest peak in the Karkaraly Mountains. It is situated in the northwestern part of the massif. The Bezymyanniy (Nameless) Peak (1332 meters), which is also called Medved (Bear), Ak-Ayu ('white bear' from Kazakh) or Bugyly, is situated 1.5 km from Lake Shaitankol. There are three small lakes near the top of the mountain. The Pionerov Peak (northeast of lake Pashennoye) and the Semi Bratyev Range (or Semibratka in the spoken language) with its highest peak Koktyube (1254 meters) enjoy popularity as well. One of the most popular trekking routes, which has been used by tourists for many years, takes 5 days. It enables tourists to see the most interesting places of the massif. The route begins from the Karkara-linskaya tourist center (turbaza). On the first day the passage to the Komissarovka village (10 km) is undertaken, during the second day tourists reach the foothills of the Komsomolskiy Peak (10 km), and the next day they climb the peak. The forth day includes the passage to Lake Pashennoye (7-8 km), the fifth one the passage to Lake Shaitankol (about 6 km) and farther via Lake Bassein along the Karkaralinka River to the town of Karkaralinsk (about 12 km).
CAVES The Karkaraly Mountains have an abundance of caves which relate to different periods of human history. Those caves to the north of the town of Karkaralinsk are the most popular with visitors. Among them there are the caves inhabited in the Bronze Age and some with signs of relatively recent occupation. The former are represented by the so-called Ushchelye Peshcher (the Ravine of the Caves), with numerous springs. The most famous among the modern caves is the cave Bolshaya Palatka (the Huge Tent) which is a source of curiosity for those with an interest in recent history. It comprises a 10 meter deep cavity in the rock, some 8 meters high and 15-20 meters in width. This cave is considered a house-register of Karkaraly, for its walls are covered with lots of inscriptions, most of which date back to the early 20th century. Well-known names can be found there alongside the names of ordinary tourists who visited this place during the last century. LAKE PASHENNOYE Lake Pashennoye (Pashino) is one of the most popular resort places in the Karkaraly Mountain Oasis. According to one of the versions, it got this name from the meadows that border upon the lake which were used as tillages (pashnyas for Russian) by the Cossacks some 100 years ago. Nowadays the lake is widely used for water sports: bathing, boating, katamaraning and fishing - there are the perch (Perca fluviatilis), the crucian carp (Сурrinus carassius) and the pike (Esox lucius). The lake covers an area of about 1 square kilometer and its depth does not exceed 7 meters. It is fed by several small rivers, so water is pure, though not suitable for drinking. KARKARALINSK
Kalmytskiy (Kalmyks') Rampart (about a kilometer southwest of the town) is an historic monument belonging to the period of wars between the Kazakhs and the Jungars. The rampart, which was obviously a defense construction, is represented by the line of flat stones projecting out of the ground. FLORA AND FAUNA Thanks to the specific micro-climate of the Karkaraly Mountains the flora differs from floras of the neighboring steppes. Among the plants that can be found are endemics such as the Berberis karkaralensis and the Karkaralinsk campion. Many rare plants including the Sphagnum teres, the Papaver tenelkim, the Adonis wolgensis and the Betula kirghisorum are regitered in the Red Book. The Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica) and the birch are predominant in the forest, alongside with the aspen and the willow. The most wide-spread shrub is the juniper. At the territory of the mountain oasis a lot of animals can be found; the most popular among them are the elk (Alces palmata), the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the deer (Cervidae), the squirrel (Sciurus), the badger (Meles meles), the marmot (Arctomys marmorata), the lynx (Lynx), the wolf (Canis lupus), the wild boar (Sus scrofa), the fox (Vulpes) and the hare (Leporidae). The Karaganda argali (Ovis ammon collium) registered in the Red Book also lives there. Among the birds the black grouse (Tetrao), the partridge (Lagopus lagopus), the woodpecker (Dendrocopos), the crow (Corvus) can be enumerated, as well as such rare species as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the black stork (Ciconia nigra), the saker falcon (Falco cherrug) and the eagle-owl (Bubo bubo). The best way to get acquainted with the specimen of the flora and fauna of the Karkaraly Mountains is to visit the Nature Museum and the Wild Animals Enclosure in Tasbulak. The Wild Animals Enclosure (northeastern part of the mountain massif, at Tasbulak) covers an area of 80 hectares. Deer, pony, yak (Poephagus grunniens), fallow deer (Cervus dama), bison (Bison bonasus) and other wild animals can be found here. Usually in the evening there are a lot of holiday-makers who come to the enclosure from the neighboring rest camps and resorts to feed the animals. There is a special observation area (50 Tenge) but usually the animals willingly and fearlessly come up to the netting separating them from the visitors and if one strolls along the perimeter of the enclosure, the visitor can observe the animals in a more secluded atmosphere (free of charge). The Nature Museum (at Tasbulak) is located in a two-storied wooden house. There are collections of fauna and flora, stuffed animals, herbaria, etc. One interesting detail is a large relief map of the Karkaraly mountain-forest oasis, on which all attractive sights of the district are represented. The museum works from 9.00 till 19.00 everyday except Monday. The entrance fee is 100 Tenge. FORMALITIES The Karkaraly Mountain Oasis is located in the Karkaraly National Park. The administration of the park is in the town of Karkaralinsk
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According to legend, the name of the Karkaraly Mountains originated from “karkara”, the name of the jewel in the women's head-dress which was probably lost by a beautiful girl in the steppe. Nowadays the Karkaraly mountain oasis is a real decoration of central Kazakhstan. The territory includes the Karkaraly National Park. The slopes of the Karkaraly Mountains are indented by numerous ravines, with rivers and streams running through them. The mountains are formed mainly of granite and are covered with pine and birch forests and with shrubs. There are also places where the cliffs are bare - not covered with anything. Numerous lakes, (such as the Shaitankol, Bassein, Pashennoye and Bolshoye), beautify the mountains and provide places of interest for a visit, or for bathing.
Many people say that the place has a mysterious atmosphere pro-duced by murmur of the pine-trees and the steep rocks. This atmosphere is felt especially sharply by animals who often behave in an unusual way there (they are nervous, whimper, etc.). Visitors rarely stay overnight here, and those who have plucked up their courage to do this tell stories about what happens at the lake at night. In 1905 a clergyman from Omsk, who was staying in Karkaralinsk, was asked to drive evil spirits out of the lake. He consecrated lake to God, calling it Sacred, a cross was planted by the lakeside, along with a metal tablet asserting the fact and set into stone. However, not six months had passed before the cross and the tablet had disappeared (the rectangular frame of the table can still be seen on one of the rocks surrounding the lake). The cross itself is believed to lie at the bottom of the lake. In the early 90s foreign scientists, who tried to sound the lake, and determined that it was 200-300 meters deep, but they could not reach the bottom. Some specialists believe that the lake is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. 
Some people say that one must not bathe in the lake, whilst others believe that taking a bath in it can give a person a fund of cheerfulness and health that will stay with him for a long time. The branches of the trees surrounding the lake are covered with patches of cloth which people used to tie to the twigs for good luck.
The town of Karkaralinsk is the district center. The town itself was built in 1824, and there is still much material evidence of its venerable age. The latter is represented by the restored Kunanbai mosque (named for the father of the famous Kazakh poet Abai) and Ryazanov merchant's house. There are many wooden houses and narrow streets in the town, which helps create a peculiar atmosphere harmonizing with the age of Karkaralinsk. In the 19th century, being the main town in central Kazakhstan and a convenient starting point for expeditions, Karkaralinsk became the place to which numerous travelers and scientists rushed. The famous Kazakh scientist and investigator Shokan Valikhanov was there twice; the Russian traveler and ethnog-rapher Grigoriy Potanin, the Russian specialist in folklore Zatayevich and many others visited the town. The Museum of Local Lore (34, Lenin St.) is also of great interest, as well as some other sights located in immediate proximity to the town.