Kazakhstan files UNESCO bid for Ustyurt Plateau

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Kazakhstan has advanced a landmark UNESCO application by submitting a mixed cultural-natural nomination for the Ustyurt Plateau, a remote semi-desert expanse that straddles Central Asia and is known for dramatic escarpments, archaeological remains and rare wildlife.

The dossier, titled “Ustyurt Plateau: Landscapes and Hunting Traps (Arans),” was presented in Paris on September 24 by Culture and Information Minister Aida Balayeva during a meeting with UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone, according to state-run Kazinform News Agency.

Officials say the bid, personally championed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, would be the first mixed heritage nomination put forward from the post-Soviet region.

 “Mixed” nominations—covering both cultural and natural value—are a relatively rare category on the World Heritage List and typically require parallel expert evaluations.

At the core of Kazakhstan’s case is the plateau’s dual significance. The Ustyurt’s ancient stone hunting traps, known locally as arans, offer a window into steppe community practices of collective hunting and survival. Surrounding ecosystems support threatened species such as the saiga antelope and birds of prey, alongside distinctive desert flora adapted to extreme conditions.

While the nominated property lies within Kazakhstan, the plateau itself spans Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Heritage specialists say the bid could draw wider attention to Central Asia’s under-represented desert and steppe landscapes, and open the door to future cross-border collaboration on conservation.

The nomination dossier has been submitted to UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre for preliminary assessment. If the file proceeds, it would undergo evaluations by advisory bodies—ICOMOS for cultural attributes and IUCN for natural criteria—before any decision by the World Heritage Committee at a future annual session.

Kazakhstan has steadily expanded its UNESCO portfolio through Silk Roads corridors, rock-art complexes and intangible heritage linked to equestrian and musical traditions. 

Officials have also indicated that the Underground Mosques of the Mangistau region are slated for UNESCO recognition pending the organization’s procedures.

Beyond heritage policy, the government frames the Ustyurt effort as cultural diplomacy—positioning Kazakhstan as a regional steward of fragile landscapes and overlooked histories, and leveraging UNESCO engagement to deepen international cooperation and responsible tourism.