The wisdom of the nomads: our ancestors understood that the environment needs time to recover after being used. Since ancient times – from the Scythians to the Kazakh Khanate – people designated specific places for living and grazing livestock. Kazakhs called them kystau, kokteu, zhailau, and kuzeu. Pastures were chosen according to the season.
Kystau were used in winter – located near water sources, in foothills, or on forest edges.
Kokteu and kuzeu were spring and autumn pastures – warm places with little snow.
In summer, nomads moved to the zhailau – cool, shaded areas where people and animals could escape the heat.
