Travelers to Karakalpakstan pay special attention to the cities of Nukus (the capital of Karakalpakstan) and Moynaq, which once stood on the shores of the Aral Sea. Now it is a monument to what the human activity can result with. Due to the need to solve the food problem in 1954, the Soviet leadership decided to develop virgin and fallow lands. Since the level of precipitation in these latitudes is low, agriculture here can only be irrigated. Where to get water from? Of course, from nature, because its wealth, as some think, is boundless. The full-flowing rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, carrying their waters into the Aral for millions of years, were “diverted” to irrigation facilities and irrigation systems. As a result, they simply stopped flowing into the sea, their channels now mired somewhere in the sands. And the sea is rapidly drying up, forming a saline desert, because the water there, as is known, is salty. Dry winds blow salt from the bottom of the former sea and spread it around. The dead ships in the sands of Moynaq, once anchored in the water — are a real warning to us, humans.
Nevertheless, the Aral Sea region is a visited tourist destination, akin to the enduring popularity of horror films. Nukus is the largest city in Karakalpakstan, sometimes referred to as the “northern capital” of the republic. The city is relatively young, but in ancient times, the city of Shurchi, a wealthy settlement, existed on its territory.