Ustyurt: Landscapes and Aran Hunting Traps is a vast mixed heritage site in the Mangystau Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, nominated for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique cultural and natural values under criteria (iii), (iv), (v), (vii), and (viii).

It encompasses over 223,000 hectares within the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve and possesses a series of extraordinary cultural and natural values, providing evidence of human-nature interactions throughout many millennia.

The nominated property contains one of the highest known densities of hunting traps locally known as arans, representing the full functional and morphological spectrum of these unique constructions. They were supported by a range of associated sites now preserved as diverse archaeological remains, including encampments such as zhurts and campsites, fortresses and watchtowers, cemeteries and other funerary sites, and navigational and water-management structures. The interrelation and connectivity of these key elements of the site with the surrounding natural environment constitute a unique relic-hunting cultural landscape of Ustyurt, created by diverse nomadic hunting-pastoral communities of Eurasia.

Illustrations

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The cultural landscape is embedded within the exceptional, desertified natural area that encompasses the plateau surface, chink cliffs, and sor salt flats. The Ustyurt Plateau is a territory expressively demonstrating the geohistory of the three successive oceans, Paleotethys, Tethys, and Paratethys, and their Quaternary remnant, the Caspian Sea. This exceptional geology is also associated with aesthetically breathtaking landscapes resulting from the combination of various lithologies and erosion. It is a phenomenal example of geological and geomorphological processes, while also preserving evidence of human coexistence with this harsh natural setting over millennia.

Natural Landscape Illustrations

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