Guide / Shymkent / Tourism and rest

Shymkent still drew for a long time attention of travellers and scientists. As the city is the regional centre of the South Kazakhstan area, as a rule, all tourist routes begin with it and in various corners of region. In rendering of tourist services in a city are engaged 20 specialised firms and establishments. Directions of routes provide such kinds of tourism, as visiting of historical places, travel to exotic areas, hunting and fishing, mountaineering. In Southern Kazakhstan there are holy sites and architectural constructions to which the pilgrimage (ziarat) is carried out. For acquaintance with historical sights of edge and pilgrimage places visiting of Turkestan - the spiritual centre of the Turkic people which have entered into the list of UNESCO as the most ancient centre of a civilisation, having a world famous complex of monuments of history and culture, the ancient Sajrama, played an important role in formation of Shymkent, a site of ancient settlement of Otyrar - one of the main centres of trade and crafts on the Great Silk Way, Hodzhi Ahmed Jassavi's mausoleums, the Arystan-woman and other sights is provided. Unique territorial position of Southern Kazakhstan between spurs of Tjan-Shanja and desert Kyzyl Kum allows to be transferred within one day from snow-covered mountains to the heated sand. From here and presence in one area at once several prirodno-climatic zones: high-mountainous, steppe, deserted and semidesertic with all variety of kinds of animals inherent in them and plants. Seldom where in the world it is possible to meet on the area hardly more than 100.000 square kilometres of a snow leopard, a bear and a steppe fox - korsaka, a mountain goat and the inhabitant of semi-deserts - mountain goat, a porcupine and a badger, Himalaya ular and drofa. The unique pearl of the nature by right considers the oldest in Central Asia the reserve Aksu-Zhabagly located in spurs of Western Tjan-Shanja at height from 1000 to 4280 metres above sea level. Its area makes 75043 hectares. Reserve landscapes are beautiful, majestic and have value for a science and art. Here in a primordial form many relicts of flora and fauna have remained. Important interest for scientists and tourists is represented by the ancient rock drawings put by far ancestors on stone surfaces of mountain Kaskabulak. Among the exotic places of region rich with recreational resources, the important importance the lake Kyzyl-Kohl located near to foothills Karatau, a camp site of "Kyryk-Kyz" in picturesque Badamsky gorge represent, zones of rest "Ak-mosque" and "Burguljuk" in spurs of western Tjan-Shanja, sport centre "Alnex" to gorge to Sauries-sous, river Mashat gorge, the Shardarinsky water basin, a resort zone of Saryagashsky area with curative mineral sources, etc. At the disposal of tourists both having a rest the entertaining and cultural centres, billiard clubs, bowling the centre, high quality hotel service, modern cafes, restaurants, a magnificent city zone of rest, goodheartedness and the visitor