World Heritage Identification Number: 1693
World Heritage since: 2023
Category: Natural Heritage
WHE Type: Natural Landscapes & Geographic Features
Transboundary Heritage: Yes
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Cold Winter Deserts of Turan: A Transboundary World Heritage Site in Central Asia
The Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, encompasses a vast expanse of arid landscapes stretching over 1,500 kilometers across Central Asia's temperate zone. This transboundary property, comprising fourteen distinct component parts, lies between the Caspian Sea and the towering Turanian high mountains.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
This transnational property comprises fourteen component parts found across arid areas of Central Asia’s temperate zone between the Caspian Sea and the Turanian high mountains. The area is subject to extreme climatic conditions with very cold winters and hot summers, and boasts an exceptionally diverse flora and fauna that has adapted to the harsh conditions. The property also represents a considerable diversity of desert ecosystems, spanning a distance of more than 1,500 kilometres from East to West. Each of the component parts complements the others in terms of biodiversity, desert types, and ongoing ecological processes.UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ix): The serial property represents the cold winter deserts as an outstanding example of the development of terrestrial ecosystems in extreme climate conditions and of the evolution of survival and adaptation strategies of plants and animals as ongoing ecological and biological processes. The 14 component parts include diverse geomorphological desert types, which are reflected by different ecosystems. It is representative of most of the ecological-physiographic vegetation types in the Turan deserts: sagebrush and perennial saltwort vegetation; psammophytic vegetation, i.e. desert grasses; saxaul shrubs and woodland. Taxonomic diversification and morphological convergence of plants are significant ongoing biological processes. Saxaul woodland demonstrates the ability of desert ecosystems for ongoing carbon sequestration and storage. Morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations ensure survival of animal life as a fundamental ongoing process within the cold winter deserts of Turan. The component parts are important to the migration of migratory birds and ungulate species and serve as node points for migratory species and their dispersal across wider areas in the region.
Criterion (x): The serial property hosts very specific and diverse flora and fauna, adapted to the extreme climatic conditions of the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan. The species diversity is high, including diversity hotspots of Chenopodiaceae and plant genera of different families such as Artemisia, Calligonum, Salsola, Zygophyllum or Limonium, including a high share of endemic species. The property hosts numerous breeding birds, and important resting places of migrating bird species, as well as desert-adapted herpetofauna and insects. The Cold Winter Deserts of Turan are the habitat of globally threatened mammals, such as Goitered Gazelle, Saiga and Urial. Further important species that occur in component parts of the property include Kulan, Snow Leopard, Marbled Polecat and Striped Hyena as well as Asian Houbara, Great Bustard, Saker Falcon, White-headed Duck, Egyptian Vulture and Steppe Tortoise.
Encyclopedia Record: Turan
Turan is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical region, or a culture. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of the Avestan age.Additional Site Details
Area: 3,366,441 hectares
Number of Components: 14
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 44.0258333333 , 79.0341666667
IUCN World Heritage Outlook
The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Cold Winter Deserts of Turan reports the following assessment:
Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment
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© A. Pavlenko. Used with permission.
World Heritage Research
Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Cold Winter Deserts of Turan from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.
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Spatial Heterogeneity of Surface Soil Grain Size in Central Asia and Its Response to Seasonal Atmospheric Circulation Dynamics
Central Asia's surface soil grain-size distribution (GSD) exhibits pronounced spatial heterogeneity, with coarse-textured soils dominating northwestern and eastern desert plains while fine-grained sediments accumulate in southeastern mountain-basin systems. This pattern is rigorously governed by seasonal atmospheric circulation dynamics: the Siberian High drives coarse particle transport during spring, whereas mid-latitude westerlies and local topographic barriers (e.g., Tian Shan and Pamir) control fine-grained sorting. The desiccated Aral Sea bed acts as an anthropogenic dust source, further disrupting natural sorting patterns. Based on 325 soil samples across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, this study provides critical empirical constraints for dust emission modeling, highlighting the sensitivity of Central Asian land surfaces to shifting atmospheric circulation patterns.
Qiao, C., Song, Y., Wei, H., Gholami, H., Galymzhan, S., Shukurov, S., Zhang, M., Shukurov, N., Orozbaev, R., & Mamadjanov, Y. (2026). Spatial Heterogeneity of Surface Soil Grain Size in Central Asia and Its Response to Seasonal Atmospheric Circulation Dynamics. Atmosphere, 17(7), 633. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos17070633
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Impact of Climate Change on Aridization in Central Asia
Climate change is significantly accelerating aridization and desertification risks in Central Asia, particularly under high-emission scenarios. Research using five CMIP6 climate models projects that while moderate warming (SSP1-2.6) may limit extreme dry periods until 2050, severe aridity could expand westward to eastward across the region by 2100 under aggressive emissions (SSP5-8.5). Southern mountainous areas may see slight precipitation increases, but northwest and southwest regions face potential decreases of up to -0.18 mm/day, worsening drought conditions. The study highlights urgent need for adapted agro-climatic measures and transboundary water resource planning in the UNESCO-listed Cold Winter Deserts of Turan.
Krylova, V., Ryssaliyeva, L., & Schwarz, D. P. (2026). Impact of Climate Change on Aridization in Central Asia. Towards Sustainable Future of Central Asia: Analysis of Climate, Resources and Human Security, 49–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-29989-5_3
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An overview of the transboundary dust events in southeastern Turkmenistan near the border of Iran (Sarakhs-Badkhyz region)
A new, significant dust storm source has been identified in the Sarakhs-Badkhyz region, spanning southeastern Turkmenistan and northeastern Iran. This previously unrecognized area, covering 100,000 km², contributes to intensifying transboundary dust events due to rising temperatures, reduced precipitation, and declining river flows (Tejen and Murghab). The study leveraged long-term spatial and statistical data (1980–2023) along with remotely sensed datasets from IRIMO, Eumetsat, and NASA to analyze these trends. Key factors include increased atmospheric circulation intensity, frontal cyclone activity, and the drying of sandy deserts—exacerbated by climate change and human-induced water depletion. Future research should focus on the socio-economic impacts of these dust storms on nearby urban regions, including Mashhad, Mary, and Herat, which house 4.35 million inhabitants.
Mansouri Daneshvar, M. R., Rasouli, S. J., & Dehqanpour Aliaqa, A. (2025). An overview of the transboundary dust events in southeastern Turkmenistan near the border of Iran (Sarakhs-Badkhyz region). Environmental Systems Research, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40068-025-00392-9
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Ребрендинг евразийской кочевой цивилизации: значение опыта исторического кочевничества в контексте изменения климата и аридизации территорий Казахстана
A rediscovery of ancient nomadic pastoralist practices offers a sustainable solution to the degradation of arid landscapes in Kazakhstan, demonstrating how millennia-old adaptations to seasonal droughts and water scarcity can be integrated into modern ecological challenges. The study highlights that traditional nomadic lifestyles—characterized by mobile herding, adaptive architecture, and resilient infrastructure—once sustained thriving ecosystems in the Eurasian steppe but were abandoned as populations urbanized. By leveraging 21st-century technologies, materials, and engineering, these practices can be revived to transform barren wastelands back into productive, biodiverse regions, addressing both food security and climate resilience.
Байдаралина, A. M., Мауленова, Г.Д., Куспангалиев, Б.У., & Байдаралин, Д.Ж. (2025). Ребрендинг евразийской кочевой цивилизации: значение опыта исторического кочевничества в контексте изменения климата и аридизации территорий Казахстана. Eurasian Journal of Applied Engineering and Technology (EJAET), 152(3), 137–154. https://doi.org/10.32523/2616-7263-2025-152-3-137-154
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Spatiotemporal analysis of dune stabilization in the Kyzylkum and Karakum sandy deserts
A comprehensive analysis reveals that the Kyzylkum and Karakum sandy deserts, spanning approximately 500,000 km², have experienced low-energy wind conditions from 1950 to 2019, promoting dune stabilization. This study is the first to statistically evaluate the links between contemporary climate and dune morphologies in these regions, using Fryberger’s drift equations and Copernicus ERA5 wind reanalysis data. The findings indicate that 93% of the surveyed areas were subjected to low-energy winds, which facilitate plant growth and biogenic crust development, thereby strengthening dune stability. The spatial patterns of active dune morphologies are closely linked to wind direction, power, and variability, while stabilized aeolian formations show debatable disassociations. This suggests that winds in these areas have likely varied in strength but not in direction over time. The study provides a foundation for future research on climate change, dune mapping, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, offering insights into the region's paleo and contemporary environmental dynamics.
Petrović, M. Z., Blumberg, D. G., Orlovsky, L., & Maman, S. (2023). Spatiotemporal analysis of dune stabilization in the Kyzylkum and Karakum sandy deserts. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1129360
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On the Geomorphic, Meteorological, and Hydroclimatic Drivers of the Unusual 2018 Early Summer Salt Dust Storms in Central Asia
Unprecedented salt dust storms in Central Asia's Aralkum Desert during early summer 2018 were linked to compounding weather hazards, driven by a slow-moving synoptic wave pattern across the Northern Hemisphere midlatitudes. These extreme events, characterized by widespread haze and salt deposition on croplands, were triggered by cold intrusions and strong postfrontal winds associated with a rapidly developing anticyclone over western Russia, enhanced by Scandinavian blocking. The study identifies dry lake beds and lower river floodplains as primary dust sources due to abundant fine-grain sediments, while major sandy deserts showed minimal activity. Enhanced aeolian sediment availability was attributed to below-average soil moisture and vegetation in summer 2018, linked to reduced winter precipitation caused by a double-dip Central Pacific La Niña episode. The research integrates geomorphic, meteorological, and hydroclimatic data to elucidate the drivers of these unusual dust storms.
Xi, X. (2023). On the Geomorphic, Meteorological, and Hydroclimatic Drivers of the Unusual 2018 Early Summer Salt Dust Storms in Central Asia. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 128(10). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jd038089
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Approaches to the study of vegetation dynamics in arid Eurasia biomes: A review
A comprehensive review reveals that while the Cold Winter Deserts of Turan, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, have been extensively studied over time, modern methodologies are needed to fully understand their vegetation dynamics. The study highlights gaps in research, particularly in long-term and evolutionary scales, emphasizing the necessity for advanced data collection and processing techniques to unravel the complexities of arid Eurasian biomes.
Lednev, S. (2023). Approaches to the study of vegetation dynamics in arid Eurasia biomes: A review. E3S Web of Conferences, 392, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202339202006
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