Mo’ynaq was once a large fishing community and was also Uzbekistan’s only port city. Over fishing and diversion of water to satisfy cotton production led to the Aral’s receding shorelines and the collapse of the economic system of the city. The town of Mo’ynaq is now but a shell of its former fishing glory.

This area is also home of the ships of the desert. Ships which are rotting away on sands where there once was water. The stark contrast of ships on sand is very dramatic, this place is an adventure, one that is slipping away. Getting to this town is an adventure itself, a combination of air and land travel though the desert.

Coming to Mo’ynaq is not for your typical traveler who wants the traveler experience that is catered by larger tourism spots. This is place is for someone who wants to see and feel the desert lifestyle in Central Asia and witness the consequences of rapid misuse of natural resources.

Photographers would appreciate such a place and recognize it as a town full of hope and potential now slowly eroding away like the ships on the sand. Those feeling resonate in the rotting trucks, buses and ships left to disappear on their own.

There is a lot of poetry and imagery in Mo’ynaq. Once again, this is not for the tourist type, this is for those who want to feel a place with a lot of character, where its history is still painfully obvious and to observe the consequences of the clash between society and environment.

John Rehn traveled to Mo'ynaq in 2005 and describes his adventure on his blog. Read about John Rehn’s adventure to Mo’ynaq here, he gives a full description of life there and his experience traveling towards the dying Aral.

Labels: Destinatons