Ali Shadilov, 73, reclines on the floor of his home, reminiscing about a time when laughter echoed among the fishermen of the Aral Sea. Dusting off his hat, he recalls how the town elders' warnings about the colossal sea's demise were once met with amusement. "Everyone laughed and said that it would take several million years," he reflects, his eyes reflecting a reality that no … [Read more...] about These men once relied on the Aral Sea. Today, the dry land is a reminder of lost livelihoods
aral
Desert of Ghost Ships: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Aral Sea
Only 30 years ago, the Aral Sea was the planet's fourth-largest inland water mass, covering an area of 26,000 square miles between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. It was an ancient sea so vast that even Alexander the Great wrote about his struggles to cross it. But today, the Aral Sea is a ghost of its former self, reduced to just 10% of its original size and split … [Read more...] about Desert of Ghost Ships: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Aral Sea