Altyn Emel National Park

Altyn Emel National Park

Altyn Emel National Park

Situated in south-eastern Kazakhstan within the Jungar Mountain region this national park covers a total area of 600 thousands ha. It is unique from a scientific and cultural point of view due to the combination of its various topographies remaining mostly unchanged, its large number of natural sites and its abundance of vegetation and animals, including fish.
In southern Kazakhstan and Northern Kyrgyzstan there are scattered large numbers of tombs of Saka kings. The most significant, both in size and complexity is that of Besshatyr. These are the huge burial mounds from the Iron Age sizing up to 104 m in diameter, up to 17 m high. Nowhere else in Eurasia there is such an accumulation of royal burial mounds. The majesty of the king’s tomb is emphasised by the bleak appearance of the surrounding landscape. Besshatyr Saka Burial mounds are a unique historical site.