People

The name "Altyn-Emel" is Mongolian, meaning "golden saddle". It is believed that it was Genghis Khan (about 1155 or 1162 - 1227) who gave this name to the pass in the form of a saddle, which sparkled in the golden rays of the setting sun.

Genghis Khan is also associated with such natural and cultural sites as the Singing Dune, the 700-year-old willow and Oshaktas, but it is nothing more than beautiful legends. There is no reliable information about the presence of the Mongol conquerors in this region. However, the following arguments can be made in favor of this fact:

1. Historically, the territory has a Mongolian name.

2. Geographically, Altyn-Emel was on the way to the cities of Semirechye, where Genghis Khan was going to, and the Mongol army must have passed this territory.

3. The warriors of Genghis Khan were famous for their mobility and speed, so they could hardly leave any significant traces here, moving to the Central Asian cities. the goal of their conquest campaign in 1219.

In 1856, Shokan Valikhanov (1835-1865), the first Kazakh scientist, historian, ethnographer, folklorist, traveler, educator and orientalist, passed through the passes of Uigentas and Altyn-Emel during his famous expedition to Kashgaria and made a description of the nature of the Ili depression.

Pyotr Semyonov-Tian-Shansky (1827-1914), a Russian geographer, botanist, statistician, economist, traveler, statesman and public figure, received the second surname for describing the Tien Shan mountain system.

During his extensive geographical research, he also visited Altyn-Emel, where he studied the Katutau and Aktau Mountains.

In 1878, Nikolai Przewalski (1839-1888), a Russian traveler, geographer and naturalist, was returning from a second expedition to Central Asia. On the Russian-Chinese border, he received a gift from the merchant Tikhonov - a scull and skin of a wild horse, killed by local Kazakh hunters.

Przewalski sent them to the Zoological Museum in St. Petersburg, to the Russian zoologist Polyakov. The latter discovered that the skull and skin belonged to an unknown species and made the first description of a wild horse.

Polyakov named the species in honor of the discoverer - the Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii Polj., 1881).

In 1849-1851, Alexander Vlangali (1824-1908), a Russian geographer, pioneering explorer, historian, economist, diplomat, made a trip to Dzhungarian Alatau.

He made a short physical and geographical description of Semirechye and Dzhungarian Alatau and collected detailed information about the nature of the valleys of seven rivers - Ayaguz, Lepsy, Karatal, Ili, Aksu, Bien, Koksu.

When describing his expedition, Vlangali was the first to mint the scientific term "Semirechye" ("Seven Rivers").

In 1840-1843 Alexander von Schrenk (1816-1876), a Russian traveler, mineralogist, botanist and ethnographer, made several expeditions to Dzhungarian Alatau and Semirechye resulting in huge botanical collections, including unknown species.

Many plants are named after him: Astragalus schrenkianus Fisch. Et CA Mey., Artemisia schrenkiana Ledeb., Allium schrenkii Regel, and the famous Schrenk's spruce, or Tien Shan spruce (Picea schrenkiana Fisch. Et CA Mey.) which adorns the slopes of the Dzhungarian mountains in the Altyn-Emel National Park.

Nikolai Severtzov (1827-1885), a Russian zoologist, naturalist and traveler, devoted his life to the study of the Central Asia nature. He visited Semirechye several times and collected a huge zoological material.

Altyn-Emel is inhabited by species named after him - for example, Severtzov's jerboa (Allactaga severtzovi) and Severtzov's stone loach (Nemacheilus sewerzowi G. Nikolsky, 1938).

Ivan Mushketov (1850-1902), a Russian scientist, geologist, geographer and traveler, explored Central Asia and Tien Shan since 1873.

In his fundamental work "Turkestan" he outlined his views on the geology and orography of Central Asia and the nearest regions of Kazakhstan. Mushketov was one of the first to begin geological exploration of Dzhungarian Alatau and adjacent territories. 

He also compiled the first geological map of the whole Turkestan region.

Albert Regel (1845-1909), a Russian botanist, traveler to Central Asia, was born into the family of Eduard Regel (1815-1892), a botanist of German origin.

Eduard Regel described over 1000 plant species, published monographs on the taxonomy of genera. Eduard Regel was one of the first to study the taxonomy of the Turkestan flora from the collections delivered by Russian travelers.

Many plant species are named by him in honor of his son, Albert Regel, who collected a huge amount of botanical material in his travel - for example, Tulipa alberti Regel, Ranunculus alberti Regel et Schmalh., Rosa alberti Regel, etc. growing in the Altyn-Emel National Park.

Sergei Alferaki (1850-1918), a Russian ornithologist, entomologist, a leading expert on butterflies (lepidopterologist),devoted his life mainly to the study of insects, especially butterflies of Central Asia.

In 1879 Alferaki visited Semirechye where he discovered such species as Melitaea sibina Alpheraky, 1881, Hyponephele kirghisa Alpheraky, 1881, Neolycaena sinensis Alpheraky, 1881 and many others that can be found in Altyn-Emel, as well as Coenonympha mongolica Alpheraky, 1881, a relict and endemic species of Altyn-Emel.

He also discovered a rare, endemic and restricted-area reptile species in Altyn-Emel - Phrynocephalus alpherakii Bedriaga In Nikolsky, 1905.