Aug/24

Sarykum – the Largest Sand Dune in Europe

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Nature, Regions, Travel

Sarykum or Sary-Kum (translated from the Kumyk language as “Yellow Sand”) is the largest sand dune in Europe, located in the central part of the Republic of Dagestan, about 18 km northwest of Makhachkala. It is one of the largest sand dunes in Eurasia, approximately 3 km long, 2 km wide and up to 262 meters high.

The dune is located in a protected area, part of the Dagestan Nature Reserve, created on January 9, 1987. In 1968, several scenes of the famous Soviet movie “White Sun of the Desert” were filmed here. The Sarykum Sand Dune on Google Maps. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

Such a large sand dune is not a typical object for this area. There is no sand in the area, and under the dune there is stony rocky soil. Many call Sarykum a dune, which simply should not be here. Scientists still do not know exactly where this huge mountain of sand in Dagestan came from.

According to the most common version, the wind has been blowing sand grains out of the surrounding mountains for tens of thousands of years and collecting them in one place. The Sarykum Sand Dune does not move like other sand mountains. Apparently, the winds here blow in such a way that the sand always returns back.

The Sarykum Sand Dune is the hottest place in Dagestan. Here, from May to September, the average monthly temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius, and in summer on the southern slopes the sand heats up to 55-60 degrees Celsius. The dune has its own microclimate and nature. You can find desert plants and animals here.

The Shura-ozen River flows next to the dune, and behind it you can see the ruins of the village of Kumtorkala. This large village was completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1970.