Discovering the Dinosaur Plateau

The plateau contains more than 600 dinosaur tracks, and when including surrounding areas, the total number exceeds 2,000. The village’s name and the ancient legend of these unusual footprints indicate that locals have known about them for a very long time. It was they who first guided historians and geologists to the site, leading to the first scientific reports in the latter half of the 20th century. As news of the discovery spread, the plateau attracted the attention of the global scientific community. Experts from the Paleontological Institute and the Institute of Geology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, along with groups of university students, conducted extensive research. Turkmen scientists eventually cataloged 2,500 tracks, a number unmatched anywhere else on Earth, securing the plateau’s status as a truly unique site.

Millions of years ago, the region where dinosaurs once roamed was likely a swampy coastal area, which is why the deep tracks of these ancient creatures have been so well preserved. As mountain-building processes took place, the swamps dried up and fossilized, preserving the footprints along with them. The area then rose above the surrounding landscape and tilted. Over time, rains and mudslides eroded the soil layers, revealing this paleontological wonder.

The Dinosaur Plateau covers an area of approximately 28.5 square meters, with an average incline of 22 degrees. The tracks are embedded in limestone formations dating back 150 million years to the middle Oxfordian period. When the plateau was mapped again, 22 distinct trails containing 796 footprints were identified. Among them, two paths were the longest, stretching up to 220 meters, while four other trails measured 100 meters each. Preliminary studies suggest that the footprints belong to two local dinosaur species named Megalosaurus and Terangospodylus.

Megalosaurus was a large, carnivorous dinosaur with a massive head, long jaws, and sharp teeth. It hunted along the shores of ancient bodies of water, running on two powerful hind legs with four toes, the fourth of which featured a claw on the back of its foot. Its short front limbs had three fingers and did not touch the ground. The footprints of Megalosaurus measure up to 70 centimeters in length and 65 centimeters in width, with the longest stride exceeding two meters. The smaller Terangospodylus, identified by its three-toed footprints, left the majority of the tracks on the plateau.

Today, the Dinosaur Plateau is accessible to both local and international tourists, with visitor numbers increasing each year. The site holds exceptional value for the global scientific community, paleozoologists, biology students, and curious travelers alike.