Every city is unique in its own way. And these 8 facts are only a small fraction of what interesting things you can tell about this amazing city, built on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
1. The city was built from scratch in 1963. It was projected on the general plan of the Leningrad Design Institute in the development of new young cities of the USSR. Until 1991 it was called Shefchenko. In addition, it is the youngest city of our republic.
2. Aktau consists entirely of 36 microdistricts (microraion) without names. Names, familiar to us, here are replaced with the numbering. It is noteworthy that the addresses are similar to the phone numbers. For example, 4-35-16 (4th district, the 35th house, 16th apartment). Do not you agree that is very convenient numbering that simplifies finding the right building? Coming to other cities, the residents of Aktau often get lost because of the address system.
3. In Aktau the lighthouse is located directly on the roof of a house. It is the only lighthouse in the European part of the land, established in this way. But there are many such facilities in the world. There are lighthouse hotels, a lighthouse on a medieval castle and a lighthouse on the pension. So the lighthouse of Aktau is not unique in this case.
4. Aktau has not natural sources of drinking water. Citizens drink recycled sea water. For water supply, industrial water softeners using vapors from CHP were built. Besides, in Aktau the nuclear desalination plant is the first in the world in terms of power, delivering 120,000 m³ of water per day.
5. In Aktau, in one of the recreation areas there is well drilled for geothermal mineral water with a temperature of about 40 degrees. Anyone, willing and paying in advance for the service, can rejuvenate under geothermal shower.
6. Not far from Aktau, the largest uranium mine in the world, developed using open-pit method is located. However, at the moment the mine is conserved.
7. Near Aktau there are underground mosques, Sholpan-Ata and Becket-Ata, unique in its architecture. The Sholpan-Ata (X-XIII centuries) was carved into the gorge rock massif. According to tradition, the elder Sholpan-Ata was a famous Khoja Ahmed Yasavi’s pupil. Some written sources also claim that Sholpan-Ata and his daughter buried in one of the halls of the mosque.
8. 50 kilometers from Aktau, on the Mangyshlak Peninsula, the Karagiye depression is situated. It is the deepest dry depression in Kazakhstan and one of the deepest in Asia (132 meters below the sea level). At the bottom of the depression there is Lake Batyr, its water level and area is very changeable. When the lake dries up, the bottom of the depression covers with salt marshes.