Kyzylkum Desert

Overview About Kyzylkum Desert

Reminding of the brave traders who pioneered the Silk Road and would spend weeks to cross it in ancient time and known as the 15^th largest desert in the world, Kyzylkum Desert is located in Central Asia in between Amudarya and Syrdarya Rivers. The name of desert is Kyzylkum where‘Kyzyl’ means ‘Red’ and ‘Kum’ mean ‘sand’ or “Red Sand”. Most of the part of desert lies in Uzbekistan where the small portion goes in the territory of Kazakhstan. On Bukhara Tours, one can visit the concentration of high dunes in the central Kyzylkum desert, enjoy camel ride, and explore the lost exotic villages of Kulkuduk, Yangigazgan and Dongelek while travelling forKyzylkum Desert.

For some special attractions and activities like jeep tours, car tours, rallies, bicycle tours, ecological tours and Bacterian camel tours, it becomes one of the prominent Uzbekistan Destinations.

History Of Kyzylkum Desert

Historially known as Transoxania or Sogdiana, the region was the home of Andronovo people dating back to 2100 BC as per the archaeologists. The region was majorly dominated by nomadic tribes which results the livestock on the open plains.

Kyzylkum Desert has been the path for the traders passing on old Silk Road. Also, it has witnessed the conquerors from Alexander the Great, Ghenghis Khan and Tamerlane to Soviet Union.

Geography Of Kyzylkum Desert

The territory of Kyzylkum Desert has an altitude up to 300 m (980 ft) above and mainly an extensive plain with a number of depressions and highlands such as Sultanuizdag and Bukantau. Most of the area is covered with dunes while northwest large areas are covered with clay coatings or takirs with some oasis; there are also some oases. The agricultural settlement can be seen along the rivers and oasis.

The weather of Kyzylkum desert is sharply continental with the temperature in between 26 °C to 29 °C and maximum of 51°C in hot summer and the temperature varies in the range between 0 °C to –9 °C in cold and winter seasons.

Fauna Of Kyzylkum Desert

On Bukhara Tours, one can visit Kyzylkum Nature Reserve in Bukhara, where Bactrian deer, wild boar, common pheasant and golden eagle can be found. In Djeyran Reserve, Goitered gazelle, Przewalski’s horse, Turkmenustan Kulan, and MacQueen’s bustard can be found. Other mammals in Kyzylkum Desert are long-clawed ground squirrel, Aral yellow souslik, sand cat, wolf, corsac fox, tolai hare, gerbils, jerboas and bats can be found. The bird species like crested lark, desert warbler, houbara bustard, saxaul desert jay, steppe eagle, various owls and others can be found in the desert. The reptiles present in the desert are snakes, Russian tortoise and large lizards.

PaleontologyOf Kyzylkum Desert

The Late Cretaceous epoch of Kyzylkum Desert was the producer of early birds like Incolorins martini, exploronis walkeri,Kizylkumavis cretacea, Sazavis prisca, etc. This rockstartsa was also the major source od different dinosaurs such as Oviraptorosaurs, Tyrannosaurid, ankylosaur, troodontid, Ceratopsian dinosaurs, and others. Other fossils of Cretaceous are pelecypods, beetles, sharks, bony fish, frogs, salamanders, turtles, crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs, etc.

Economy Of Kyzylkum Desert

Most of the local people dependon the agriculture settlement on the bank of Amudarya and Syrdarys River with the livestock like sheep, Bactrian camels and dromedaries. Kyzylkum Desert has gold, copper, aluminium, natural gas and oil. Among all Uzbekistan Tours, Kyzylkum Desert is the home of most famous Muruntau gold fields. In Zarafshan city of NavoiRegion the mining and smelting industry can be found.