Interesting villages and cities of Kazakhstan -
Jeep tour to Kapal village and sacred spring Tamshibulak -
Kapal village is a picturesque mountain village, located in the foothills of the Dzungarian Alatau, at an altitude of 975 meters above sea level. Founded in 1847 as a fortification of the Cossack regiment, and then turned into a city with a bright cultural status, the village today is on the verge of revival. It was visited by great explorers - Pyotr Semenov Tyan Shansky and Thomas Atkinson, they called this place the pearl of the region. The village is famous for its location in a picturesque place and before reaching the village there is a mountain road that will take you to the high-mountain plateau of Kapal and the mountain pass "Kapalsky Vzvoz". Through this pass you can go down to the Korinsky gorge (Kora), along which the Kora River flows. You can climb up this gorge along a very difficult mountain road and get to the famous, highest waterfall Burkhan-Bulak (45°00'27"N 79°12'28"E).
How to get there and visit -
The village of Kapal is located 81 kilometers from the city of Taldykorgan in the Dzungarian Alatau mountains, Aksu district, Zhetysu region, Republic of Kazakhstan.
GPS coordinates: 45°07'29"N 79°02'39"E
Information and history -
Once Kapal was a district center, with a coat of arms, many merchant houses and active participation in the Great Silk Road. But since 1997, respect for this place has weakened - institutions have closed, buildings have become empty, and historical areas have fallen into disrepair. However, the power of history and spiritual traditions are hidden in this place. The cult of personality of Kapal-batyr, an associate of Tauekel Khan and defender of the eastern borders of the khanate, in whose honor a memorial was erected, is growing here. The village houses the house-museum of Akyn Sary Tastanbekkyzy, where aitys arrived with Birzhan Sal, who became a classic of Kazakh poetry and culture. The dombra, personal belongings of the poetess and documents dedicated to her life and influence are kept there. A special place in the village is occupied by the healing and sacred spring Tamshibulak, or "Tears of the Earth". The water from it flows down in drops, like the cry of nature, and does not freeze even in winter. The spring was known to Shokan Valikhanov and Dinmukhamed Konayev, and is considered sacred: many tourists come here for healing and inner silence. Nearby there are gazebos and paths, but the spirit of the primeval still lives here.
Kapal is not just a point on the map of Zhetysu, but a place where history breathes in every alley. Imagine: old poplars, planted by the Cossacks, rustle over houses with carved window frames, and on the central street there are still brick buildings from the century before last, remembering the clanging of sabers and the heated debates of travelers. Here in 1856, Semenov-Tyan-Shansky himself stopped before his great discoveries, and in the local school there once hung a map with the routes of Przhevalsky's expedition.
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