Naizatas, Stone Spear

Bayanaul National Park is a national park in Kazakhstan, located in southeastern Pavlodar Province, 140 kilometers from the industrially developed city of Ekibastuz, on the outskirts of the central Kazakh Uplands. It is included on the list of protected areas of Kazakhstan.

Of special interest to the tourists at Bayanaul are the large rocks and stones that have taken on bizarre shapes due to many centuries of erosion by wind and water. They often resemble animals, people, and other objects, such as a truck coming down the mountain. Among these is the sculpture known as the "stone head". When viewed from a certain angle, it truly resembles the head of a bald toothless old woman with a treacherous grin. Another equally well known creation of local nature is a rock called "masculine dignity," resembling the head of a penis. Among other rock forms are a camel, the heads of a mammoth and a gorilla, a flying saucer, a dinosaur, a dove, a horse head, and many others.

This particular rock named Naizatas ("stone spear" translated from Kazakh) is very popular among rock climbers. At the top of Naizatas are six lakes, which dry out during the dry season.