Bokty Mountain

Bokty Mountain stands as one of the remarkable natural landmarks in Mangystau Province, Kazakhstan, preserved within the protected zones of the Mangystau State Historical and Cultural Reserve. Its name, “Bokty,” translates from Kazakh as “pie,” a fitting moniker that reflects its unique layered structure and profile.

A magnet for tourists exploring the protected area, Bokty Mountain captivates with its unusual and picturesque beauty. Composed of rocks in a spectrum of colors that alternate across its layers, the mountain’s base displays the lightest hues, gradually shifting to darker tones halfway up its majestic cliffs.

Located within the Karakiya District of Mangystau Province, Bokty Mountain is a state-protected natural monument. The closest urban settlement, Zhanaozen, lies approximately 90 kilometers away, while the mountain itself is set about 20 kilometers from the unpaved road connecting Zhanaozen to the revered underground mosque of Beket-Ata.

Nearby is the Bay’sary area, another Mangystau attraction with white chalky outcrops along the slopes of the Ustyurt escarpment. To the west of Bokty lies Azhyrektoi, translating from Kazakh as “cracked.” Heading 20 kilometers eastward, visitors encounter the famous Boszhira valley, another popular natural landmark featuring limestone and chalk formations on the western Ustyurt Plateau. Named after its “gray-blue land” in Kazakh, Boszhira hosts a mountain popular among visitors to this section of the Mangystau Reserve. The journey from Bokty to Boszhira follows a clay-packed, unpaved road, enhancing the rugged adventure of exploring these natural wonders.

Bokty Mountain rises dramatically above a dried-out salt marsh—a unique terrain type known as “sor.” Sors are common in the deserts of Central Asia, often defined by their saline crusts. To the mountain’s north, the landscape transitions to Golbanshe hill, while some 25 kilometers away, the Tuiesu sands extend southeast to northeast for nearly 30 kilometers.

With an elevation of eight meters above sea level and a peak reaching 165 meters, Bokty is an isolated mountain, or “inselberg,” that formed from the sediment of an ancient sea bed. Exogenous forces—wind and water erosion—contributed to shaping this geological marvel composed mainly of chalk. Tourists often liken its shape to an overturned boat or a pie, with the mountain’s stratified southern face displaying vibrant hues that account for its name.

The southern side is particularly striking, layered in white, yellow, and red near the base, with a sudden transition to gray, brown, and green tones higher up. The base of Bokty Mountain is decorated with vertical fissures and crevices, giving it a weathered yet formidable appearance.

Standing alone against the vast landscape, Bokty Mountain is a sight to behold from the route toward Boszhira. Around it, an expansive takyr terrain unfolds. In Turkic, “takyr” means “flat, smooth,” a landscape type that emerges when saline soils dry and harden. Often found in Asia’s clay deserts, takyrs form vast flat plains that resemble asphalt in hot weather but become sticky and challenging to traverse during rains or snow.

The climate around Bokty Mountain is sharply continental, with arid, hot summers and mild winters with little snow. Rain in summer is rare, and the vegetation is sparse due to the takyr-affected saline soil. Only desert shrubs and resilient plant species populate this harsh environment.

The lack of freshwater sources and limited vegetation shape the area’s wildlife, which includes scorpions, lizards, and the occasional solitary camel.