The local Kazakhs have a legend about a monster who lived in this Holy mountain a long time ago. He wanted to control the whole area, so he caused the ice to remain frozen all year long, even in the summer. Soon there was not a drop of water anywhere; the grass and the farmlands dried up, and cracks appeared in the parched earth.

 The only way people could obtain water was to obey the monster’s wishes. At first he only demanded that they pay tributes of sheep and…