Kyzyl Kum Desert

Kyzyl Kum Desert

The Kyzyl Kum Desert is the 15th largest desert in the world and its name means Red Sand in Turkic, despite this the sand is mostly yellowish. It is located in Central Asia, between the confluence of the Amu Darya and Sir Darya rivers, in the region historically known as Transoxania, which is now divided among Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It covers an area of about 298 000 km2. The region consists primarily of an area of vast plains at 300 meters above sea level, with some depressions and highlands, much of it covered by dunes, with large areas covered with takirs in the northwest, and there are also some oases. The fauna of the area includes the Russian Tortoise and a large lizard, the Transcaspian or Desert Monitor, which can grow up to 1.6 meters long. In addition, the Saiga Antelope occasionally pass through the northern area of the desert. The Kyzylkum Nature Reserve in the Bukhara Region was created in 1971. The reserve covers an area of 101 000 km2 and is located on the floodplain drained by the Amu Darya, near the settlement of Dargan Ata. Bactrian Deer, wild boar, Common Pheasant and Golden Eagle can be found in the area. The Djeyran Reserve can be found 40 km south of Bukhara. The reserve covers a total area of 51 450 km2 and is a breeding center for rare species like the Goitered Gazelle, Przewalski's Horse, Turkmen Kulan and MacQueen's Bustard. The reserve was established in 1977 on 5 131 hectares of enclosed land. In the Kyzylkum Desert rock formations have been excavated that have produced a number of fossils.