The Акsu - Zhabagly reserve, a pearl of the Western Tien Shan, is included into the number of the world natural reservators. In the reserve a big amount (36) of the endemic types of plants, on relatively small territory, is presented about 70% natural-climatic zones of the region.
The reserve is formed in 1926. It has in its own possession a rich flora and fauna. Now there are more than 55 types of birds and animals, more than 200 types of plants, many of which are included into the Redden book. The most beautiful mountain ridges and gorges of the Tien Shan mountains, the canyon of the river Aksu, thrilling a spirit, will not be able to leave anybody indifferent.
In the Tyulkubas district there are a lot of other protected natural monuments – the karstic cave in village Akbiik, the nut grove in Psteli, a gorge Mashat and others, not more picturesque places. Uniqueness of nature of the Western Tien Shan was confirmed by the Commission of the UNESCO, which has visited the region in July, 2003. The Commission has called to unite the efforts of the three border states for the further conservation of originality of this cozy corner of the nature, the big part of which is situated in the South-Kazakhstan region. The Aksu-Zhabagly reserve is a National pride on the same level with the Mausoleum of Hodzha Ahmed Yassavi.
Reference
1920 - a group of scientists from the Tashkent university at the head with professor- hydrobiologist A.L. Brodskii visited the region of the Western Tien Shan in the territory of the present reserve.
1922-1923 - an address of the scientists to the Turkestan committee on affairs of museum and protection of oldest monuments, of art and nature with offer on organization of the reserve. The group of scientists: a botanists M.G. Popov, M.V. Kultiasov, E.P. Korovin, an ecologist D.N. Kashkarov, soil scientist N.A. Dimo - proves a uniqueness of the landscape of riverhead of the Aksu and the Zhabagly.
1923 – the first mentionings about petrogliphs - an rock paintings in the natural boundary of Kaskabulak has attested D.N. Kashkarov.
1925 (the February-May) - works on determination of the borders of the reserve were organized.
July, 14, 1926 – a decree about foundation of the reserve Aksu-Zhabagly is accepted by the Sovnarkom of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
May, 27, 1927 - a decision was approved by the Sovnarkom of the RSFSR.
1926-1935 - a real member of the Russian geographical society, Boris Petrovich Trizna was approved by the director of the reserve.
1937-1959 - the game reserve was headed by N.H. Karmysheva. As a botanist she was specialized on wood sort - Central Asian juniper, nicknamed as “a tree of life” because of ability of the plant to work out the antimicrobic materials.
Later the scientists: E.A. Zhirmunskaya, B.S. Serikbaeva, A.S. Odintcova were directors of the reserve.
30 545 hectare - an initial area of the reserve.
69 826 hectare - an area of the reserve in 1937
75 043 hectare - a present area of the reserve.
The reserve is situated on the territory of the Tulkubas and Tolebi district. Besides, the reserve includes also the paleontologic areas, situating within the ridge of the Syrdarian Karatau in the Baydibek district (the place Karabastau, the first paleontologic reserve of the USSR, and the place Aulie, investigated as a reserve in 1973.).
Uniqueness of the reserve zone Aksu-Zhabagly is concluded in the following:
- there are well conserved remains of animals and plants on the territory, existed in waters and on the coasts of lakes at Jurassic period - 140 mln. years ago. Such places on the Earh are found in Scotland, India, Japan, Georgia, Tadzhikistan. But the Karatau burial place (the part of reserve in the Baydibek district) is considered the most unique and rich of all discovered ones. Besides, on the nearby area in the Talas Alatau there are burial places, counting 400 mln. years;
- in mountainous part there are the main high-altitude belts of vegetation from semi-deserts till mountain tundra and snow ice belt on a height from 1000 till 4280 m above sea level;
- flora of the reserve is characterized by a high endemicity: nowhere, except the Aksu-Zhabagly and the territory of the adjoining ridges of Tien Shan, does not meet.
The unique paleontologic discoveries in the reserve have vastly renewed the world science, it helped to solve the row of riddles and to find the connecting-links in unceasing chain of development of lives on the Earth, and also to define the nature and particularities of the climate change in the determined epochs.
On the main territory of the reserve, in the Talas Alatau, the rich concourses of the petrified animals at Paleozoic age over 400 mln. years are discovered.
Our distant ancestors also had left the traces of activity. On the left bank of the river Zhabagly on the height of 3700 m. above sea level in the region of the top of Kaskabulak the porphyrite stones were found. On their smooth sides the ancient People had left the drawings of animals, people, scenes of hunting. Petrogliphs express, for instance, marals that is indicative of that that they primarily dwelt here. These animals, exterminated at the end of the XIX age, were brought there again only in the 60th years of the last century, only forty years ago. And they became acclimated.
Canyon Aksu
The Canyon Aksu is one of the most picturesque places of the reserve Aksu-Zhabagly, of the oldest reserves of Kazakhstan, founded in 1926 in the mountains of the Western Tien Shan. According to its size the Aksu is considered to be one of the greatest and deepest canyons in the Central Asia (its depth varies from 300 till 500 metres, the distance between upper edges is about 800 metres, and the length is more than 30 kilometers). The descent in the canyon is rather difficult, and the vertical riversides on many areas make it, in principle, impenetrable. The rocks and the mountain river, well warmed up by the Sun, providing a moisture of the air, create in the canyon a microclimate of a natural hothouse; and aside from plants, meeting on the rest territory of the reserve, in the canyon it is possible to see also horsetails, ferns, relict plants of the long ago past epochs.
If you decide to visit this wonderful place, you can get information about organization of tourist tours at the following site - www.aksuinn.com
