Uzbekistan - Country of Contrasts (continued, p.2) The Aral Sea - is the most ridiculous natural disaster Crossing the vast desert, the last thing you expect to stumble on a ship! Especially if you sincerely believe that you are in the most distant from the ocean side of the planet. But this is Uzbekistan, and Uzbekistan are possible even the most absurd things. The Aral Sea The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest lake in the world. Once flourishing fishing industry here, which determined the way of life of tens of thousands of people. Muynak was once an important port with a population of 60,000 people and a lot of ships. But then came the Soviets. They proposed to realize a utopian idea (for the sake of progress and the common good, of course) to drain the rivers feeding the Aral to irrigate the surrounding desert ... and to grow cotton in it. Cotton - plant water-loving, and, of course, in the desert did not grow up (but who do something grows in the desert?). But the Soviets did not care what side effects may occur. This project became another victim, which brought the republic to meet the needs of the Soviet metropolis. 40 years later, the Aral Sea is almost completely gone (it was divided into two parts. The southern part of virtually disappeared, the north has somehow kept). Habitual way of life of tens of thousands of people turned into sand, and it's time to decide whether to stay or leave their homes. Today in the dusty town of Muynak live 8000 inhabitants, the main source of income which have become rusty ships, which attract tourists. Previously, there was a port, today the sea from Muynak gone up to 200 km. Moreover, here the case of strong dust storms and the devastating ice wind, not to mention the high level of chemical pollution (the Soviets have used the region for weapons testing). To get to the Muynak, you need a very long time to go, and upon arrival, you feel as if trapped in a backwoods (a feeling often visited by travelers in Central Asia, but in Muynak it appears particularly acute). The very sight of brown rusting ships in the middle of an absolutely flat going into the horizon of the desert, which was once the bottom of the sea - a strange sight, and almost surreal. Carpets tragedy of the Aral Sea is considered a major environmental catastrophe that occurred through the fault of the person. Even though these events have no relation to the debate on climate change and emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they have become a vivid example of the devastating impact that our activities can have on the fragile world around us. And let the people doing it in the name of progress, the result of his activities may be the destruction of most of this progress. Nukus - the worst place for the world-famous art museum, Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan, which is located in the far north of Uzbekistan, was lost in the red-black sands of Kyzyl Kum, somewhere very far away from civilization. And who would have thought that in this city is a museum where you can see some of the best paintings in the world! Yes, in Nukus have such a museum, it has an unmatched collection of Russian avant-20-30's and beyond. But what is surprising is that this whole collection, all 90,000 copies were hidden from the world communist regime. Once upon a time, Stalin banned any art because it promotes liberalism, critical evaluation, free thinking and all sorts of changes. All this would not be a good Communist, who had to work hard and do not ask too many questions. For this reason, he started a purge of all art that do not display the triumph of communist ideals, landing in jail, destroying or referring to labor camps objectionable artists. The museum's displays Savitsky real miracle may be called the fact that these paintings, which display such an important period in Russian history, escaped destruction and survived to this day. All this thanks to a man named Igor Savitsky. He risked his own life, collecting paintings banned from all Soviet Union and hiding them in a secret location in the desert, in Nukus. I'm not an art lover, but I can appreciate a good picture, liveliness of their colors, a striking contrast, a skilled design and craftsmanship. Start material: Completion of material:
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