Exploring abandoned mines can lead one to some interesting places and, I believe, this area of the former Soviet Union is a prime example of that. Rich in the history of the Second World War, scenic beauty, mining history, friendly people, unspoiled wilderness, unique sights… This area ranks high on the “interesting” scale for me. As I mentioned in the introduction, this abandoned mine and (almost) ghost town are located in southern Kazakhstan and go by the name of “Bayzhansay.” Although many Kazakh people were killed in WW2, the fighting did not reach this part of the world.
Therefore, the lead mines of Bayzhansay were running flat out to supply the war effort. I can only imagine the intensity of activity taking place during that time, but I’m sure it would have been something to see… Of course, I probably would have been shot as a spy or sent to a gulag if I’d rolled up with my camera and started taking a video like I do now though.
As the ninth largest country in the world, Kazakhstan has one of the lowest population densities on earth. And Bayzhansay is in a remote part of Kazakhstan… So, I wasn’t kidding when I said this was in the middle of nowhere. It took multiple days of driving for us to reach this mine. Also, bear in mind that even though Kazakhstan is the most developed of the ‘Stans, it is still complicated to fly here without spending a fortune. So, even though this abandoned mine and ghost town played such a role in World War II history, you won’t see it on any tourist routes.
If you’re curious to see Bayzhansay on a map or a program like Google Earth, these are the GPS coordinates: 43.163189, 69.920683. For a sense of perspective, the precise location of the coordinates is where we parked above the mill to hike up to the large open pit. I can also provide you with the precise locations of the adits and tunnels of the underground sections of this mine shown in the upcoming videos as well if there is any interest...
Based upon the research I had done on the size and significance of the town of Bayzhansay prior to visiting, I was shocked by its present state. Living in this town used to be considered a luxury and people used to come from all around for things like food and clothing.
Among the ruins, there are a few people still scratching out an existence and there’s a mosque that gets a little paint once in a while to touch things up, but that’s it… I was told that no one stays for the winter as they would be completely cut off.
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You can see the gear that I use for mine exploring here:
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Thanks for watching!
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Growing up in California’s “Gold Rush Country” made it easy to take all of the history around us for granted. However, abandoned mine sites have a lot working against them – nature, vandals, scrappers and various government agencies… The old prospectors and miners that used to roam our lonely mountains and toil away deep underground are disappearing quickly as well.
These losses finally caught our attention and we felt compelled to make an effort to document as many of the ghost towns and abandoned mines that we could before that colorful niche of our history is gone forever. But, you know what? We enjoy doing it! This is exploring history firsthand – bushwhacking down steep canyons and over rough mountains, figuring out the techniques the miners used and the equipment they worked with, seeing the innovations they came up with, discovering lost mines that no one has been in for a century, wandering through ghost towns where the only sound is the wind... These journeys allow a feeling of connection to a time when the world was a very different place. And I’d love to think that in some small way we are paying tribute to those hardy miners that worked these mines before we were even born.
So, yes, in short, we are adit addicts… I hope you’ll join us on these adventures!
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