Landscape
NATURAL LANDSCAPE OF SARMISHSAI GORGE
Sarmishsai is a river gorge or valley on the south slope of the Karatau mountain ridge belonging to the Zarafshan mountain range, latitude 40o 15’ 47’’ N, longitude 65o 35’ 09’’ E and 708-950 m above sea level and bordered with the Kyzylkum desert in its west-northern parts. The gorge, oriented north – south is situated ca. 30 km northeast of the city of Navoi, which again is ca. 170 km southwest of Samarkand. The gorge is characterized by 30-40m high hills with steep, cliff walls 15-25 and up to 200m apart on both sides of a small river or brook that on four places crosses a narrow dirt road. From antiquity, the landscape and the geographical condition of the Karatau Mountain ridge defined the seasonal tracking direction of the human tribes and flocks of animals.