The Sarykum dune is the highest sand dune in Europe. It is located 18 kilometers northwest of Makhachkala. It is most convenient to combine a visit to the Sarykum dune with a trip to the Sulak Canyon.
Translated from the Turkic language, Sarykum means "yellow sand". The Sarykum dune is motionless. This is a rather unique case for a dune of this height. The height of the Sarykum Dune ranges from 240 to 262 meters. In the Sahara or on the Arabian Peninsula, such a height of moving dunes is not something unique, because there the wind constantly carries tons of sand. The highest dune in the world "Big Daddy" is located in the Namib desert. Its height is 325 meters, so the height of the Sarykum Dune at 262 meters can also be considered significant.
Scientists could not explain how a high sand dune could appear on a mountain plateau overgrown with trees. There is a version that sand for the dune appeared due to the destruction of mountains consisting of sandstone.
At the foot of the dune flows the river Shora-ozen. On its shore grow reeds, willows and other plants more suitable for swampy, not desert terrain. An amazing fact is that there is another small dune on the opposite bank of the river. In fact, the river divides the Sarykum dune into two parts. Despite the spring floods, both dunes do not collapse.
The length of the Sarykum dune is 12 kilometers, the width is 4 kilometers. The total area of the sandy surface reaches 600 hectares. Previously, access to the Sarykum dune was free, which had an extremely negative effect on its height. People walked along the crests of the dunes, from which sand was falling off. The height of the Sarykum dune was constantly decreasing. For a large desert, this is not a problem, since the wind constantly inflates the crests of the dunes, but the Sarykum dune is a free-standing stationary sand dune. It is surrounded by mountain valleys overgrown with trees, where there is no sand.
The dune is part of the Dagestan Nature Reserve. To visit the Sarykum dune, you need to buy a ticket and climb the stairs, which are laid almost to the top. Only a small observation deck is open for access, however, the reserve guards are loyal to people who want to walk on the sandy surface of the dune near the observation deck. However, in order to preserve the dune, it is strictly forbidden to climb the crests of the dunes, as well as to go far from the observation deck. At the foot of the stairs you can visit a small museum.
