In the northeast of the city of Aktau, in the Mangyshlak region, there is a mountain called Shirkala, which in Turkmen means “Lion's fortress” or “Lion Mountain”. There are also other names: the sphinx mountain and the white yurt of gods. If you look at it from one side, it really resembles a huge white yurt, but on the other side, it looks like a sleeping lion with its huge head resting on its paws. Some argue that it resembles a huge bowl, which was turned over by a satiated traveller.

Residents of the region consider Shirkala a shrine of Mangyshlak. The mountain with a height of more than 300 metres is capricious and does not tolerate curious onlookers. Despite its relatively low height for mountaineering, Shirkala is a very harsh and unpredictable mountain. Monolithic walls enclosing the summit from almost all sides make climbing to this mountain very difficult, some routes are accessible to professional athletes only. Shirkala has an attractive atmosphere, it attracts travellers, climbers, writers and painters.