Torysh Valley of Balls
Торыш
Hundreds of round sandstone concretions, several meters in diameter, are scattered across the desert like stone balls dropped by giants.
The Torysh Valley lies west of Shetpe in the desert. Many spherical concretions have weathered out of soft sedimentary layers. Smaller ones are the size of soccer balls, while the largest reach 3 to 4 meters in diameter. Some are perfectly round, while others have split in half to reveal their internal layers. Geologists believe they formed tens of millions of years ago, when seabed sediments cemented around a central core. The site is open and has no facilities, making it good for photography and touching the stones, but please do not climb on them or damage them. It is often visited together with Sherkala Mountain.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Shakpak-Ata Underground Mosque
- Sherkala Mountain
- Sultan-Epe
- Airakty Valley of Castles
- Koshkar-Ata Necropolis
- Mangystau Regional Museum of History and Local Lore
- Aktau Caspian Embankment
- Aktau Lighthouse