History of Mangystau

The history of this extraordinary region is best divided into two distinct chapters: the prehistoric geological era and the human story.

The timeline of Mangystau’s natural landmarks stretches back hundreds of millions of years, with origins rooted in the ancient Tethys Ocean, which existed for nearly a billion years before it finally receded about five million years ago due to tectonic shifts. The layered deposits from this ancient sea formed the towering limestone and chalk plateaus found here today, containing fossilized remnants of Mesozoic marine life—traces of algae, shells, sea urchin exoskeletons, and shark teeth. Scientists have even uncovered the fossilized remains of ichthyosaurs, echoing an era when Mangystau lay submerged beneath prehistoric waters.

In addition to these marine fossils, impressions of land plants have been found in the Kok-Kala region, while traces of ancient horses and saber-toothed tigers have been preserved in the rocky expanse of the Zhygylygan chasm. Altogether, Mangystau is a veritable treasure trove for paleontologists, although unearthing these artifacts presents a formidable challenge, as the search zone spans thousands of square kilometers.

Human history in Mangystau dates back some 12,000 years, beginning with the earliest known human settlement discovered near the Shakpak-Ata Mosque. However, due to a lack of accessible freshwater sources, people traditionally inhabited this region only during migrations. For centuries, Mangystau served as a harsh waypoint along caravan routes stretching between the Aral and Caspian Seas. It wasn’t until the 7th and 8th centuries that nomadic Kazakh and Turkmen tribes began to establish semi-permanent settlements here. Later, in the 12th and 13th centuries, mosques like Karaman-Ata and Shakpak-Ata were constructed, leaving a testament to the region’s early religious and cultural heritage.

In the 18th century, Mangystau caught the attention of the Russian Empire, which established a southern frontier outpost here, Fort Saint Peter, the present-day site of Fort-Shevchenko. In the mid-19th century, renowned Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko was exiled to Mangystau, where he captured the region’s rugged beauty in his sketches, introducing this remarkable landscape to the outside world.

The 20th century marked a new era, with the discovery of vast uranium and oil reserves, which spurred rapid industrial development and infrastructure growth. The city of Aktau was founded to support the miners and workers who flocked to the area. While uranium mining ceased in the 21st century, Aktau has since gained prominence as Kazakhstan’s oil capital, solidifying Mangystau’s role as a vital economic hub in the nation.