Sarykum or Sary-Kum (russian: Сары-Кум, kum, Sari Hum, meaning "Yellow sand") is a large

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

located in the

Kumtorkalinsky District Kumtorkalinsky District (russian: Кумторкалинский райо́н, kum, Хумторкъали якъ, ''Xumtorqali yaq'') is an administrativeLaw #16 and municipalLaw #6 district (raion), one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dage ...

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. It is one of the largest sand dunes in Eurasia. The dune is located in a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

, part of the

Dagestan Nature Reserve Dagestan Nature Reserve (russian: Дагестанский заповедник) (also Dagestansky) is a Russian 'zapovednik' (strict nature reserve) that protects an area of sand dunes and ridges on the northwest coast of the Caspian Sea in the so ...

, which was established on 9 January 1987.

Geography

The dune rises about northwest of

Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

. Sarykum is the highest dune of the Sarykumskye Barchany (russian: Сарыкумские барханы) dune area, which extends below the northern slopes of the Narat-Tyube Range (russian: Нарат-Тюбе). The Sarykum dune is very old. Measuring approximately in length, with an area of , the height of the highest summit may vary between and .

Flora

The Sarykum area is a refuge for

desert flora A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one ...

in the region. There are up to 279 species of rare plants, including several which are endemic, such as ''

Iris acutiloba ''Iris acutiloba'' is a species in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenus of ''Iris'' and section ''Oncocyclus''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of the Caucasus and found in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, D ...

'', Shishkin's groundsel ('' Senecio schischkinii''), '' Karakugen milkvetch'', '' Astragalus karakugensis'' and ''

Colchicum laetum ''Colchicum laetum'' is a species of ''Colchicum'' found in south east Russia through to the Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and ...

''.Münir Öztürk, Khalid Rehman Hakeem, I. Faridah-Hanum and Recep Efe (Editor)

References

External links

*
Sarykum Sand Dune on Vimeo
{{Deserts Landforms of Dagestan Dunes of Russia