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Suffa Radio Observatory (RT-70)

An unfinished Soviet-era radio observatory at 2,324 m on the Suffa plateau, built around a 70-metre RT-70 dish begun in 1981.

Attractions1981

About the place

Work on the Suffa observatory began in 1981 on a high plateau of the Turkestan range in Zomin district, chosen for its dry, thin air. Its centrepiece is the RT-70, a radio telescope with a 70-metre dish, meant to observe at millimetre wavelengths. Construction stopped after the collapse of the USSR, and despite later plans with Russian partners the instrument is still unfinished.

The site stands at 2,324 metres, about 40 km by mountain road from the town of Zomin. The huge steel frame against the open steppe is the attraction, and half an hour on site is usually enough. The road can be closed by snow outside summer, and access is not always open, so ask in Zomin before driving up.

Why go

  • 70-metre RT-70 radio dish
  • Plateau at 2,324 m
  • Unfinished Soviet megaproject

Sources (1)

  1. 1.en.wikipedia.org

Nearby

  • Nature

    3 km away

    Chortangi Gorge

    Deep gorge in Zaamin National Park, about 450 m deep and 500 m wide, with a waterfall and bearded vultures overhead.

  • Resorts

    5 km away

    Zaamin Resort Area

    A mountain resort at 2,000–2,400 m beside Zaamin National Park, with a Soviet-era sanatorium, a cable car and a long suspension bridge.

  • Zaamin National ParkNature

    5 km away

    Zaamin National Park

    Juniper forest, mountain meadows and rocky gorges on the northern slopes of the Turkestan ridge, above the town of Zomin.

  • Archaeology

    18 km away

    Tugunbulak and Tashbulak

    Medieval highland towns of the 6th–11th centuries at 2,000–2,200 m in the Turkestan range, published in Nature in 2024; Tugunbulak covers about 120 ha.