Moynaq & the Aral Sea

Moynaq was a thriving fishing port on the Aral Sea until the sea itself receded over a hundred kilometers away, a consequence of Soviet-era irrigation projects. The rusting hulls of its former fishing fleet now sit stranded on what is desert sand. It's a sobering, memorable stop rather than a conventional sightseeing one, and the small local museum does a good job explaining what happened and what's being done about it.