Ships Graveyard in the Desert of Moynaq, Uzbekistan
Ships Graveyard in the Desert of Moynaq, Uzbekistan
Moynaq ship Graveyard — Mo‘ynoq also spelled as Muynak and Moynaq, is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. Formerly a sea port, now home to only a few thousand residents at most, Mo‘ynoq's population has been declining precipitously since the 1980s due to the recession of the Aral Sea. 30 years ago Moynaq was one of two biggest Soviet fishing harbours at the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea has been steadily decreasing since the 1960s, as the waters of the two rivers feeding it, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, were aimed at irrigating agricultural areas. Formerly one of the four largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 km2 or 26,300 sq mi, the Aral Sea has been steadily shrinking since in 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted by Soviet irrigation projects. In 2007, it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes – the North Aral Sea, the eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea, and one smaller lake between the North and South Aral Seas.However, in 2009, the southeastern lake had disappeared and the southwestern lake had retreated to a thin strip at the extreme west of the former southern sea. The maximum depth of the North Aral Sea is 42 meter or 138 ft in 2008.
The shrinking of the Aral Sea has been called one of the planet's worst environmental disasters. The region's once-prosperous fishing industry has been essentially destroyed, bringing unemployment and economic hardship. The Aral Sea region is also heavily polluted, with consequent serious public health problems. The retreat of the sea has reportedly also caused local climate change, with summers becoming hotter and drier, and winters colder and longer.
In an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish the North Aral Sea, a dam project was completed in 2005; in 2008, the water level in this lake had risen by 12 m or 39 ft compared to 2003. Salinity has dropped, and fish are again found in sufficient numbers for some fishing to be viable. The Aral Sea watershed encompasses Uzbekistan and parts of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Today Mo‘ynoq's major tourist attractions are the armada of rusting hulks that once made up the proud fishing fleet during the Soviet era, and a one-room museum devoted to Mo‘ynoq's heritage as a center of the fishing industry. Poisonous dust storms kicked up by strong winds across the dried and polluted seabed give rise to a multitude of chronic and acute illnesses among the few residents who have chosen to remain, most of them ethnic Karakalpaks, and weather unmoderated by the sea now buffets the town with hotter-than-normal summers and colder-than-normal winters.
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Top 13 Creepiest Places on Earth
Top 13 Creepiest Places on Earth (based on Buzzfeed)
13. Varosha, Cyprus
Varosha is a quarter south of the Cypriot city of Famagusta. It is located within Northern Cyprus. Prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, it was the modern tourist area of Famagusta. Its inhabitants fled during the invasion, and it has remained abandoned ever since.
12. Leap Castle, Ireland
There are varied accounts as to when exactly the main tower/keep was constructed; ranging anywhere from the 13th century to the late 15th century, but most likely around 1250 AD. Legend has Leap Castle haunted by a supernatural entity known as an Elemental. The alleged entity is known as It.
11. San Zhi Resort, Taiwan
The Sanzhi UFO houses, also known as the Sanzhi pod houses or Sanzhi Pod City, were a set of abandoned pod-shaped buildings in Sanzhi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The project was abandoned in 1980 due to investment losses and several car accident deaths during construction.
10. The Catacombs, Paris
The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are underground ossuaries in Paris. The ossuaries holds the remains of about six million people and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of historical stone mines. Opened in the late 18th century, the underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis from 1874.
9. Wonderland, China
Wonderland is an abandoned amusement park construction project located in Chenzhuang Village. Construction stopped in 1998 following financial problems with local officials. The site, which featured a number of abandoned structures was being reclaimed by local farmers to grow their various crops while the site was abandoned.
8. Akodessewa Fetish Market, Togo
Togo markets sell everything from red peppers, green lemons, and dried fish, to combs, travel bags, and traditional medicinal remedies.Nearer the centre of the capital city, there is the Akodessewa market, which is much more specialized than a general market. There are fetishes, gongons, and gris-gris.
7. Cincinnati's Subway System, Ohio
The Cincinnati Subway is a set of unused tunnels and stations for a rapid transit system beneath the streets of Cincinnati. It is recognized as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the United States. I
6. Kryziu Kalnas, The Hill of Crosses, Lithuania
The Hill of Crosses is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. Over the centuries, not only crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots, statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims.
5. Kabayan Mummy Caves, The Philippines
The Fire Mummies of the Philippines, also known as the Kabayan Mummies, Benguet Mummies, or Ibaloi Mummies, are a group of mummies found in Kabayan, a town in the northern part of the Philippines. They were made from as early as 2000 BC until 1500s, when Spain colonized the Philipines. Today, they remain in natural caves and a museum in Kabayan.
4. Muynak, Uzbekistan
Mo'ynoq also spelled as Muynak and Moynaq is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan. Formerly a sea port, now home to only a few thousand residents at most, Mo'ynoq's population has been declining precipitously since the 1980s due to the recession of the Aral Sea.
3. Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia is a borough and a near ghost town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Its population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 10 in 2010, as a result of the Centralia mine fire burning beneath the borough since 1962. Centralia is the least-populated municipality in Pennsylvania.
2. Island of the Dolls, Mexico
The Island of The Dolls is an uninhabited island in Xochimilco, Mexico. According to legend, a girl died in the canals surrounding the island, after which dolls began to wash ashore constantly. The island's sole inhabitant took to hanging the dolls around the island as a vigil for the deceased girl.
1. The Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
The Door to Hell is a natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan. The Door to Hell is noted for its natural gas fire which has been burning continuously since it was lit by Soviet petrochemical scientists in 1971. The fire is fed by the rich natural gas deposits in the area. The pungent smell of burning sulfur pervades the area for some distance.
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Central Asia Rally Part 1 - Day 2: Beyneu to Muynaq Beach - Kazakhstan / Uzbekistan
My father and I recently completed the Central Asia rally (centralasiarally.com) via the Silk Road and Pamir Highway (M41).
We travelled through Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and along the borders of Afghanistan and China.
We used a dashcam to record the whole journey through Central Asia/ Silk Road.
This video is Day 2 of the Central Asia Rally
Route: Beyneu (Kazakhstan) - Akzhigit - Muynaq (Aral Sea, Uzbekistan)
Distance: 437km
Highlights: We crossed through the Kazakhstan/ Uzebestan border. The experience was surreal as we got to the border around 8.00am and the queues were massive, with a simply smile to most guards we were able to move forward very quickly. No bribes or gifts ever changed hands.
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Note: The videos have been speed to to to around 1.5x
Music Credit: Russian Red Army Choir : Let's Go!