Altyn-Emel National Park

Established in 1996 in the Ili River valley of southeastern Kazakhstan, Altyn-Emel today spans 4,600 square kilometers (1,776 square miles), making it the country’s largest protected area. The area’s name—“Golden Saddle” in Mongolian—is said to have been given by Genghis Khan during his Central Asian campaign of 1219. The park was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2017 and, more recently, was inscribed as part of the transnational World Heritage property Cold Winter Deserts of Turan in 2023.

Altyn-Emel harbors nearly 400 vertebrate species, including 70 mammals, 300 birds, 25 reptiles, five amphibians, and 28 species of fish. Among its most notable conservation stories is the kulan (Asiatic wild ass), which had vanished from the region but was successfully reintroduced in 1982.Today, more than 3,400 kulans roam the desert-steppe, forming one of the world’s largest surviving populations.

Other mammals include goitered gazelles, argali sheep, snow leopards, manul (Pallas’s cat), Bukhara deer, and Eurasian lynx. The park’s birdlife is equally rich: imperial eagles and black storks nest in cliffs and marshes, while swans, pelicans, and endemic larks visit the Ili River floodplains.

More than 1,800 species of plants have been recorded in Altyn-Emel, including 31 listed in Kazakhstan’s Red Book. Unique vegetation includes black and white saxaul trees and the Malus sieversii apple tree, the ancient ancestor of today’s cultivated apples.

Altyn-Emel’s most iconic natural landmark is the famed “Singing Dune”, a sandy ridge stretching 1.5 kilometers and rising to 130 meters in height. In hot, dry weather, the dune produces a deep humming sound reminiscent of organ music, giving the monument its evocative name.

Equally striking are the park’s mountains. The Aktau (“White”) range reveals rainbow-striped ridges of clay and sediment, sculpted over some 400 million years. The volcanic Katutau (“harsh”) mountains, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions and subsequent erosion of solidified lava flows, also dot the Altyn-Emel landscape.

The park also features a 700-year-old willow tree at Kosbastau Oasis, still living and tended by park rangers as a natural monument.

Scattered across the park’s territory are archaeological sites, dating to nomadic civilizations that traveled through the Ili Valley millennia ago. Most notable are the Besshatyr burial mounds, or kurgans, built by the Saka people (Scythian-era nomads) in the 7th–6th centuries BCE as resting places for tribal leaders. The site’s name, meaning “Five Tents,” reflect the appearance of the largest kurgans that rise from the flat steppe.

Another of the park’s well-known cultural sites is the Oshaktas standing stones, or steles, located about 10 km from the singing dune. While the origins of the three stele remain uncertain, there are several theories. One possible explanation links the stones to the Saka period (1st millennium BC), proposing that they served as a site for religious rituals. Other theories suggest more practical uses, such as a signal tower or stone fireplace for cooking.

Altyn-Emel’s status as Kazakhstan’s largest national park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve makes it a cornerstone for wildlife and plant conservation and a hub for scientific research. Park authorities have focused on restoring populations of species once lost or in decline. Altyn-Emel’s flagship achievement is the restoration of the Turkmen kulan population, whose thriving population has become a source for reintroductions in other protected areas, such as the Ile-Balkhash reserve and Altyn Dala steppe. Other notable wildlife recovery stories include the rebound of the Bukhara (Tugai) deer, argali sheep, and goitered gazelles.

Research and monitoring programs play an important role in sustaining these achievements. Altyn-Emel was the first site in Kazakhstan where snow leopards were fitted with GPS-satellite collars, under a joint initiative of the Government of Kazakhstan and the United Nations Development Program.This project is helping scientists map the cats’ habitat and migration routes, providing critical data for their long-term conservation.

The park’s mandate also extends to safeguarding rare and endemic plant life. Among its treasures are wild apple (Malus sieversii) groves and vast saxaul desert woodlands, ecosystems vital both to biodiversity.

In recent years, Altyn-Emel has developed into a leading ecotourism destination in Central Asia. The park’s diverse landscapes, opportunities to observe rare wildlife and plants, and distinctive natural and archaeological features attract a steady flow of visitors. Local communities are becoming involved in ecotourism and related services, though the infrastructure is still developing.