Since 1890 people have been extracting peat in the vicinity of Kirovgrad, Sverdlovsk Oblast ( the Urals ), and founding amazing artifacts. The Shigir Idol, or the Big Shigir Idol, is among the most popular trophies in the so-called Shigir storage (the Shigir collection).

The Shigir Idol was made in the Stone Age when the world-oldest Ural Mountains were inhabited by hunters, fishermen and foragers.

The Shigir Idol / Vladislav Falshivomonetchik (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Shigir Idol

The Shigir Idol had been initially 5.3 m (17.4 ft) high but once it was exposed to the influence of air, it started to crumble and fell into several fragments.

The body of the statue is long with a massive head on the top of it.

Ancient people carved the Shigir Idol out of a single larch-tree (about 150 years old) using various stone tools.

Archaeologist tried to assemble the statue by combining its fragments in different ways. They got the figure 2.8 m (9 ft). It was only later, when Russian scientists could restore the Shigir Idol in its initial size (5.3 m/17.4 ft).

More likely, the statue was attached to a pole bedded into the ground.

In the early 20 ^th century Russia underwent a drastic change of social structure. In the course of the revolution the lower part of the Shigir Idol (195sm/77 in) was irretrievably lost.

The whole statue is covered with ornaments.

The ornament of the Shigir Idol

The Shigir Idol is decorated with geometrical ornaments and several images of human-like faces. The latter ones resemble the Idol’s head, with each of them being framed by a geometrical pattern and put on the top of the ornamental group.

The head of the Shigir Idol is marked with lines which look exactly like scars. Probably ancient people were scarred during some coming-of-age ceremonies.

The Big Shigir Idol / Tolmachev’s drawing (1914)

The glass coffin

The Shigir Idol had been gathering dust in the museum storage for a really long time. In 2003, it was finally put into a special glass coffin which could control gas composition, humidity and temperature.

The concern of the Russian officials

There are non-destructive methods of examining ancient artifacts. However, the Russian-German scientists decided to slightly saw the Shigir Idol.

This fact aroused concern of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and later the institution filed a charge against the international scientific group.

We are not entitled to judge the adequacy of their surveying technique which was based on taking a sample from the sawn Shigir Idol.

From a scientific viewpoint, the Shigir Idol is a unique ancient artifact that surely deserves to be examined with the help of advanced non-destructive methods, even if the development of such techniques takes decades.

Furthermore, the Shigir Idol is protected as cultural heritage on the highest governmental level.

If the analysis of Shigir Idol had been postponed until certain non-destructive methods were established, many scientists would not have lived long enough to get these scientific results. However, if they had not tickled they vanity, it would have encouraged the further development of science.

Where to find the Shigir Idol

The Idol along with other artifacts from the Shigir collection can be found in the Local History Museum of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast.

The Shigir collection embraces, in particular, an antler-dagger made of an extinct gigantic deer and a wand-finial mimicking the head of a mythical predator.

Beside the so-called Big Shigir Idol, there is also the Small Shigir Idol that is almost neglected by scientists engrossed in studying its bigger counterpart. We wonder what scientific discoveries it conceals.

The post The Shigir Idol appeared first on Discover Russia .

Magnitogorsk is located in the Southern Urals.

Almost three centuries ago Russians founded there a fortress. This place was especially rich in ironstone, which had been used even by the Bashkirs.

In 1929, Soviet builders constructed in Magnitogorsk a significant steel company. It became one of the most ambitious construction projects during the industrialization of the USSR.

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works is considered to be the centre of industrial tourism:

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works is the biggest steel company in Russia

In Magnitogorsk

Back to the USSR

In 1929 Magnitogorsk officially became a city, and since then it has been actively built up.

The world-first Social state being formed, the Soviet youth (Komsomol members), led by romantic ideals and dreams, built a city to work and live there. It was a key city for the whole USSR.

One of the best-known symbols of Magnitogorsk is the monument “The First Tent”, literally depicting the tent where the first builders lived.

Magnitogorsk is a great architectural example of the so-called Stalin’s Empire style. Its Soviet-era buildings are highly decorated with bas-reliefs, sculptures, stucco moldings and fountains. It seems that this architecture sets you back in time and brings the atmosphere of the USSR period.

The bigger part of Stalinist buildings are located in Leninsky City District.

The monument “Rear-to-Front”

The monument “Rear-to-Front” on the bank of the Ural River

This monument commemorates the Great Patriotic War.

Two men hold a hammered-out sword. One of them, a warrior, looks westward where Nazis invaded Russia. The other, a worker, turns to Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works.

This monument is a part of a renowned triptych, which consists of the statue “The Motherland Calls” in Mamayev Kurgan (Volgograd, Russia) and “The Soviet War Memorial” in Treptower Park (Berlin, Germany).

The monument “Rear-to-Front”

This sculptural triptych shows the creation of the sword for defeating the invader (Magnitogorsk), the unification of the Soviet people under its banner (Volgograd) and, finally, the annihilation of the enemy in his lair, the liberation of enslaved peoples, the end of a dreadful war and the preservation of peace (Berlin). In the third monument the Soviet soldier lowered his sword but not threw it away.

Magnitogorsk fully deserves to host this monument as every second tank, every third shell and every fourth bullet were produced by Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works.

The German influence on the architecture of Magnitogorsk

After the Great Patriotic War German prisoners of war built there a whole quarter in an architectural style, which was untypical of Russia. The so-called “German quarter” in Magnitogorsk starts from Stroiteley Street.

Magnitogorsk is the place where Europe and Asia meet

Nowadays the Ural River flows through Magnitogorsk and serves as a border between two major parts of the world – Europe and Asia.

A part of the city belongs to Europe and the other lies in Asia

Around Magnitogorsk

A plenty of beautiful natural attractions can be seen in the vicinity of Magnitogorsk. Some of them are famous well beyond the Southern Urals.

The scenery near Magnitogorsk

The scenery near Magnitogorsk

40 km. Lake Bannoye (Yakty-Kul)

Lake Bannoye is known for its stunning nature and an advanced ski resort. The Bashkirs call the lake Yakty-Kul, which can be literally translated as “a bright lake”.

It is one of the best-known and beautiful lakes of the Southern Urals. In the summer these amazing sceneries draw many tourists. And in the winter Lake Bannoye turns into a ski resort.

60 km. Abzakovo

It is the most popular and well-equipped ski resort in Russia, which has one of the longest trails. Moreover, it was visited by the Russian President more than once.

60 km. Verkhneuralsk

Verkhneuralsk is the oldest city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, which is situated on the left bank of the Ural River. It is a real open-air museum known for its antique buildings and rich history.

90 km. Malinovka

Malinovka is a spectacular and calm place. There you can live in a real wooden house and ride a horse.

110 km. Settlement Arkaim

Arkaim is a cultic place in the Urals wrapped in mystery. There an ancient settlement was found, which later became the object of many theories and legends, and sparkled the interest of esotery scientists from all over the world.

The post Magnitogorsk, Russia appeared first on Discover Russia .

The history of Ufa

Being one of the peoples of Russia, Bashkirs inhabited these territories, which were an “apple of discord” between different nations and were constantly fought for. For a long time they had been under the reign of the Mongols. After the Golden Horde collapsed, Bashkirs became subject to the Kazan Khanate.

As the Russian state was steadily growing, its people were advancing to the East. According to modern historians’, when the Russian army conquered Kazan, it encouraged Bashkirs to join their powerful neighbour Russia. In fact, Bashkirs had been oppressed vassals of other mighty peoples for many centuries. After the affiliation, they visited Moscow and the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible presented them with special charters, which confirmed their land title and guaranteed them protection against raids in exchange for paying taxes. Bashkirs actually got their own self-government and military protection. Besides, they were released from the burden of a war tax (i.e. the obligation to provide armed cavalry, supplied with the store of food for a whole year).

Why did Russians found Ufa?

Later Bashkirs applied to the Russian tsar and asked him to found a new city, bypassing Kazan, as a token of good neighborhood between two peoples. In 1574, Russian Streltsy (riflemen) built the first fortress on the banks of the Belaya River and the Ufa River. As Ufa was almost completely surrounded by water, its favorable location guaranteed solid defence against raids. Being founded by Russians, this old city was being constantly attacked by hostile neighbours, who were displeased with the rise of Bashkirs. Ufa withstood many sieges but was never taken by enemies.

Wooden Ufa. By Stas Mikhaylov (CC,  flickr)

For a long time Ufa remained underpopulated. In the 20 ^th century the discovery of oil reserves in Bashkiria and the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway encouraged the further development of Ufa.

Modern Ufa is much bigger than the old one. Nowadays it has a million population and it is one of the most extended Russian cities.

The place where extremes meet

Salavat Yulaev Monument, Ufa. By William Veerbeek (CC, flickr)

The current population of Ufa comprises not Bashkirs but mostly Russians. However, there is the monument to Bashkir national hero Salavat Yulaev (the largest equestrian monument in Europe). Besides, one of the leading Russian hockey clubs has been named after him.

Salavat Yulaev is known for joining Yemelyan Pugachev’s Rebellion, the bloodiest uprising before the 20 ^th century, and turning into one of its authoritative leaders despite being only nineteen years old. This rebellion against autocracy was severely crushed by the Russian Empress Catherine II. Salavat Yulaev was taken captive and then was sent with other conspirators to penal labour to Estonia, where he was living for the following twenty five years.

Salavat Yulaev is also known as a poet. He symbolizes a poetical warrior from the Middle Ages, who serves as an ideal in many countries.

Фотобанк Лори

The cathedral mosque-madrasah “Lala Tulpan” is built in the form of a flower in full blossom and painted in the colour of tulip while its minarets look like two flower buds. According to the legend, the unblossomed flower bud conceals real happiness. The Russian Empress Catherine II transferred the Islamic centre from Kazan to Ufa in order to lessen its power

Things to do in Ufa

If you are going to Ufa, you should definitely have a look at the cathedral mosque-madrasah “Lala Tulpan”, walk along the Lenin Street, which is beautifully lit during the night, see the equestrian monument to Salavat Yulaev, enjoy a stunning view from the bank of the Belaya River in Park Pobedy ( Victory Park ), visit the national museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan, taste kazuluk (“kazu”, traditional and very delicious sausages made of horsemeat and popular among Turkic peoples) and explore the historical city centre.

The Capova Cave

Фотобанк Лори

The Capova Cave is located in the Urals, not far from Ufa. This karst cave is widely known not only in Russia but in other countries as well. Its Bashkir name sounds like Shulgan-Tash. The cave is famous for ancient paintings, numerous halls on three levels, corridors, galleries, shafts, underground lakes and its own Shulgan River.

The age of cave paintings is estimated to be from 14,000 to 17,000 years. Their seize reaches 122 cm. The paintings are drawn with the help of sienna and charcoal and depict mammoths, other animals and undeciphered symbols. Surprisingly, ancient people did not use torches while drawing – there are no smoke marks.

Lake Goluboe can be seen in front of the cave entrance. It has the diameter of mere 3 meters, with its depth being as many as 80 meters!

The Belaya River, which is the major waterway of Ufa, offers tourists a popular Russian route for water rafting on catamarans and kayaks.

The post Ufa, Russia appeared first on Discover Russia .

The Southern Urals have the width of 250 km (155 mi). Its total length is 550 km (342 mi).

In general, the Urals belong to one of the oldest mountain ranges on the Earth.

More than 540 million years ago the territory of the modern Southern Urals was covered with… a vast ocean. Then heavy volcanic activity caused the surface rise and it resulted in the formation of rich minerals reserve.

Later, the ocean territory became replaced with the world-highest mountains!

However, these mountains were being eroded by wind and water for many years. Nowadays, the Southern Urals are not so high any more. Their highest point is located in the mountain range Yamantau (the name means “An evil mountain”), which stands at 1640 m (5381 ft).

There is a legend about a secret underground city, which has been built in the outskirts of the Yamantau Mountains. It is believed that the building started in the USSR, but the city designated use is still black-out.

The Southern Urals are full of striking peaks, beautiful lakes and rivers with picturesque panoramas, which can enchant even seasoned travelers.

Lake Zyuratkul

Lake Zyuratkul is the most high-mountain lake of the Southern Urals (724 m/2375 ft above sea level).

The lake outskirts are especially picturesque and are often called Sinegorie (the name means “Blue mountains”). About twenty years ago the Zyuratkul National Park was opened nearby the lake. There you will get an opportunity to choose a trekking route in accordance with your skills.

The lakeshores were inhabited by ancient people (the fourteen found encampments are dated back to the Late Stone Age, i.e. 12 thousand years ago), and, more recently, by Old Believers, hiding from persecution.

Nowadays, the lakeshore is occupied by an authentic town, consisting of a Siberian prison, a mill, other wooden buildings and even several ships.

Lake Zyuratkul

Zyuratkul range

Lake Aushkul

Lake Aushkul is among the most beautiful lakes of the Southern Urals. There tourists can enjoy amazing panoramas, fish or swim (during summer).

The Aushtau Mountain (654 m/2146 ft), standing on its shore, is suitable for amateur climbers.

The lake outskirts are full of ancient burials, which are sacred to natives, Buryats.

On the shores of Lake Aushkul you can find a perfect souvenir from the Southern Urals – fine jaspers.

The Ay River

The Ay River is particularly popular among water tourists.

Its surroundings are merely stunning.

The nearest cliffs are covered with the red paintings of ancient people, which are called petroglyphes. There are many caves nearby the Ay River. The Sikiyaz-Tamak Cave is known as an ancient settlement.

Big Cliffs. The Ay River

Arkaim

Arkaim is an ancient fortified settlement, dated back to the Bronze Age. It was discovered in the late 20 ^th century.

Although few archeological details preserved (ancient people abruptly abandoned their settlement), the place attracted the wide attention of esoteric and mystic believers, including some scientists. Pilgrims from Russia and other countries make their way to Arkaim. They believe legendary Aryans originated from there.

Since the discovery of Arkaim, many other ancient settlements with richer artifacts have been found in the Southern Urals.

Lake Turgoyak

The water quality of Lake Turgoyak is one of the highest in the Southern Urals.

The best-known archeological monuments are located on Vera Island. They are ancient megalithic dolmens, tombs and stone pits, which were built 6 thousand years ago.

Some flagstones weigh 17 tones.

Village Tyulyuk in the Southern Urals

The Ignateva Cave

The Ignateva Cave is a two-storied solutional cave, located in the Southern Urals. It is famous for the so-called art gallery, comprising forty groups of ancient paintings, dated back to the Old Stone Age. Nowadays, there are only ten such caves in the world.

The cave is also rich in later artifacts.

Tourists are greatly impressed by the acheiropaeic image of “The Ignateva Holy Mother” – the distinct image of a woman on one of the cave walls.

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Although the Ural Mountains are quite old, the volcanic activity in the Southern Urals has not finished yet. Within 300 years, thirty earthquakes were recorded, their magnitude measuring from 4 to 7 on the Richter scale.

The Southern Urals represent a beautiful mountain country, where you can return again and again to discover unique natural and historical sites.

See also:

Ural Mountains divide Russia into Europe and Asia

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Photos by Andrey Grachev

Some parts of this article are based on material taken from the book about the Southern Urals written by M. Andreyeva and A. Markova.

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This period ended with massive extinction of Permian types, when from 70% to 96% of animal species, including insects, have died – the only known such case.

2.            Perm is the name of the peoples inhabiting these places. Written records of the Perm peoples date back to the beginning of the 12thcentury.

3.            Residents of Perm used to be called “Permyak – salty ears”. The story behind this name is rather unusual. Earlier in the Perm region there was salt production. When men were loading bags of salt, some of it spilled on their ears. The ears began “burning” from the salt, turned red and increased in size. Hence the expression “Permyak – salty ears”. You could easily distinguish a resident of Perm by looking at his ears if he travelled to other parts of Russia. In Perm, there is even a sculptural composition “Permyak – salty ears”, and in the center of one of the parts of the composition there is a hole for a face, where you put your head in and get photographed with giant bronze ears. This is one of the strangest monuments in Russia.

4.            Perm is the only million-citizen city in Russia, which got this status, then lost it, and then regained again.

5.            Next to Perm in the open air there is a museum of traditional and iconic Russian wooden architecture called Hohlovka. The oldest wooden buildings in the museum date back to the end of the 17th century. In many old buildings the interiors of the time were recreated. Among the wooden buildings transferred to the territory of the museum there is a building of the old manor, a watchtower, a church (1694), a bell tower, a village fire station, hunting buildings and a windmill. There are also buildings of the salt development: a hoist tower, a salt stall, salt barns,  etc.

Wooden church of the Transfiguration (1707), the architectural museum Hohlovka, Perm

6.            You can also take a trip into the past in the Museum of Perm Antiquities. Besides the object of the Permian period, the museum exhibits many of the animals that used to inhabit the planet, such as the Jurassic dinosaurs, mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses of the Quaternary period. Some of them have been recreated in the form of assembled skeletons, others –as life-sized figures. There is also a “paleontological room of discoveries” where you can feel like a researcher of the ancient world.

7.            Perm Museums contain many excellent collections, such as, for example, the archaeological collection of Perm that includes more than 250,000 objects. Perm museums have remarkable collection of natural history, ethnography, numismatics, science and technology, art, rare books, stunning wooden sculptures and so on. In the museum House of Menshikov, you can see a unique pastoral staff of Stephan of Perm (1345 – 1396) which was used to baptize the Perm Region.

8.            Perm is the most notable place in Russia, where most UFO sightings were recorded. A real  mecca for ufologists from around the world is Molebka village. Many travel agencies of Perm  organize inexpensive trips to this place, including an overnight stay in the open air (in a tent). Do you want to see aliens?

9.            Grateful Venice. 400 thousand wooden piles on which Venice stands were made of larch from Perm. It seems that the wood instead of rotting as if turned to stone in seawater. Perm larch was delivered to Venice through Astrakhan and the Black Sea. Sometimes larch was transported through Arkhangelsk. The wood was called differently: “Permski”, “kargalski”, “Russian”, “Arkhangelski”, and even “Siberian” and “Ural”.

10.          “The Great Tea Road” – this was the name of the route used to transport tea in caravans from China to the European part of Russia. The greatest development of the Great Tea Road took place in 17th-19th centuries. It went across the territory of three current countries: Russia, Mongolia and China. The most famous place on the Tea Road in the Perm region is the city of Kungur.

11.          Recently, a married couple in Perm, despite all protests, called their newborn baby … Lucifer.

12.          On the territory of the Perm region you can find such unique natural places as the mountain plateau Karkush, the Orda cave on which we already have an article, as well as accessible to ordinary tourists the ice Kungur cave (the best time to visit in terms of the size of ice build-up – February-March ).

Tundra on Karkush Plateau, Perm region, Russia

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фото-фотобанк Лори

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A little bit of reference information.

Regions of the Urals

Polar Urals

Located on the north, the slopes of the Polar Urals run into the Arctic Ocean. The mountains are covered with mosses and lichens. The maximum height of the mountain is 1472 meters.

Subpolar Urals

This part of the Urals is characterized by the highest mountain ranges, the terrain of which was formed largely by glaciers during the period of glaciation. The slopes of the mountains represent typical tundra. Here, you will find the highest peak of the Urals – Mountain Folk – 1895 meters high.

Northern Urals

If more to the north the Ural Mountainsare rather taluses, which are not very high, then here the mountains are real mountains. Forest appears on the slopes of the mountains more to the south. Here one of the largest rivers on earth, Ob, originates.

Middle Urals

Middle Urals are represented by mostly two parallel ridges, where the western ridge is lower than the eastern, but it is the western ridge that acts as the watershed between Europe and Asia.

The highest peak is the Konzhakovsky Stone – 1569 meters high.

Southern Urals

South Urals consist of the main ridge and several parallel ridges. The highest point is Mount Yamantau – 1640 meters high.

It’s amazing if you get a chance to visit the Urals – this famous mountain range that separates Europe and Asia!

The article used some of the materials by N. Arkhipova and E. Yastrebova.

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The Ural Mountains begin where the East European Plain ends. Immediately east of the Urals begins Siberia.  The western slopes of the mountains are still in Europe, but from the foot of the eastern slopes of the Urals starts Asia. The length of this mountain range is about 2000 km and the width is in the range of 150 kilometers.

The Ural Mountains were formed simultaneously with the Altai, around 350 million years ago, in the place of collision of two continental plates. But the forces that raised the Altai Mountains to a considerable height, in the case with the Ural Mountains were weaker and that is why the Ural Mountains are twice as low as the Altai Mountains. But there is also a positive aspect of these weak forces: there are fewer earthquakes in the Urals.

The Ural Mountains do not simply divide Europe and Asia, but they also act as a border between the different climatic zones: a milder continental climate of the East European Plain in the west of the Ural Mountains and a continental climate of the Western Siberia from the eastern side of the mountains with temperatures down to minus 40 degree Celsius or even minus 50 degrees.

People came to inhabit these places much later than other regions of the earth: during the early Paleolithic period, about 75,000 years ago. The Ural Mountains, for most of their length are still today not the most accessible place to visit.

One of the most famous and highest peaks of the Ural Mountains – Mount Manaraga

Mystical Ural Mountains

Ancient people considered the Ural Mountains to be a mystical, mythical place. It is a place of legends, a place where the world ends and there the land of gods begins.

Somewhere among the peaks of the Urals the Kama River begins, which flows into the Caspian Sea. Ptolemy put the river on the map, and nearby depicted mountains. Maybe this was the first look of the ancient people at the Ural Mountains? Or maybe the Urals are famous Hyperborean mountains?

Today, we can speculate together with scholars of antiquity, who were wondering whether there was any truth in the stories of travelers, based on which scientists created their maps. .

Arab travelers a millennium later managed to describe the “land of darkness” in a little more detail, as a land where you should bring with you not only supplies but also firewood for cooking food and keeping warm. This description is very similar to the Ural Mountains.

But only Russian merchants and adventurers in the 11 ^th century sent caravans to the Ural Mountains. The goal of the merchants in this harsh land was to obtain the most valuable fur. Russian merchants resold fur to Europe at a great profit.

For several centuries all expeditions were “private.” Starting from 14 ^th -15 ^th centuries Russia moved to the east. Soon the Ural Mountains were explored pretty well, and Russians continued exploring Siberia towards the Bering Strait and the Americas…

Priceless treasure trove

The Ural Mountains are lower than most of the famous mountains such as the Himalayas, for example. But they have a distinct advantage: they are extremely rich in minerals (over 200) and commercial deposits (48 types). Among them there are deposits containing iron, copper, titanium, nickel, chromium, gold, platinum, asbestos and others. The Urals are rich in coal, oil, gas and a variety of other commercial deposits.

Furthermore, the Ural Mountains are abounding with precious and semiprecious stones. It is believed that the best Russian diamonds are mined in the Ural Mountains.

Semiprecious Ural stone malachite

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фото-фотобанк Лори

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You have to see it with your own eyes.

Orda cave is one of the thirty largest gypsum caves in the world, but it is the largest gypsum underwater cave in Russia and in the world.

The length of this underwater gypsum cave is 5,150 meters. And this is not the limit – the research is ongoing. It is full of big grottos, some of which are the size of a soccer field. Inside the cave resembles maze.

The water temperature in the cave is 4-7 degrees Celsius. The water in the cave has a unique transparency. And what is especially nice for divers that it almost doesn’t get blurred when diving.

The cave is located in the Perm region in Russia (the capital – the city of Perm).

The cave was formed in gypsum during the Permian period (yes, Permian period or simply Perm is the period of the Paleozoic era –and got its name in honor of the Russian city of Perm).

Very few people have seen the beauty of this cave, because low temperatures and the complexity of the dive screen out inexperienced divers. Besides the cave was only discovered in the middle of the last century, and people started visiting it only recently – about 20 years ago.

The cave has small living inhabitants. For example, a blind sand hopper – amphipod Crangonyx chlebnikovi Borutzky.

The cave is equipped for year-round diving. You can also be trained on location. It is believed that those who have received special training in Orda cave, afterwards will feel very comfortable in any underwater cave anywhere, though a training course seems to be the same everywhere.

Of the advantages of the cave – you can be as far as 5 kilometers from the entrance, but you will still not get on the decompression, because the depth of the dive is usually in the range of 15 meters, and there are no significant currents.

Of the disadvantages – the fragility of the walls and the ceiling (sulfate rocks), and limited due to the cold time of diving: from 30 minutes to 2 hours (depending on equipment), in side aisles there is a thick layer of silt.

How to Get to Orda Cave

Not far from the cave there is the airport of the city of Perm (direct flights from Moscow). Next, you can get by car to the village of Orda or the city of Kungur where you can stay overnight. From the village of Orda to the cave entrance – just a few hundred meters.

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The world’s first spherical panorama of the underwater cave, made by ​​extreme Russian photographer Viktor Lyagushkin (supported by the team of PHOTOTEAM.PRO – see the link below); preparation for the spherical panorama – the team AirPano. Ordacave, main route:

And one more video:

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All photos – Viktor Lyagushkin / The team that is engaged in extreme media projects phototeam.pro

The post The Largest Gypsum Underwater Cave in the World – Orda Cave in Russia appeared first on Discover Russia .

And these places are located in the European part of Russia!

Seven Strong Men Rock Formations

Indeed, these amazing rock formations in the Urals resemble giants that suddenly stopped.

The rock formations of Manpupuner are better viewed in different lighting and at different angles. Each time you will get a new impression.

Weathering rocks of Manpupuner are the remnants of solid rock. In soft rock in ancient times the blotches of solid rock turned up. Soft rock during millions of years was destroyed by water and frost, and the wind swept the dust of soft rock around the surrounding areas. And only the “fingers” of hard rock of highly unusual shapes remained.

One of the pillars, 34 meters high is standing alone, as the leader of the giants.

Six other pillars from the Seven strong men are standing in a row like soldiers –on the edge of the cliff Little Mountain of Idols.

The height of the rock formations ranges from 30 to 42 meters.

What You Should not Do When Visiting the Rocks of Manpupuner

Even if you are a born climber, leave your habits and aspirations at home.

Small Russian people, Mansi, believed that these natural sculptures are sacred. And climbing these rocks is a great sin and a violation of ancient customs.

In any case, be ready, that in such an unusual place you might experience unusual sensations.

Mansi Legend about the Origin of the Manpupuner Rocks

According to a legend, Mansi used to be big strong people.

Mansi leader had a beautiful daughter. And she had a lover – a fearless young Mansi man. Once, one of the very influential Mansi men wanted to marry her. But she refused him. Then the influential Mansi and his brothers decided to attack the boy and kill him during a hunting trip.

The girl learned about the horrible plans, and the two lovers decided to run away and ran all night.

But the terrible brothers caught up with them at dawn.

Then the young man called for help the powerful spirits of Mansi, to whom he always brought trophies after each successful hunt.

The spirits thanked the young man – the rays of the rising sun reflected off the youngster’s shield and turned the influential warrior into a stone. His six brothers tried to flee, but they could not go very far, and they, too, were turned to stones by the spirits of Mansi where they still stand to this day.

Virgin Komi Forests of the Urals

There are not that many primary forests in the world.

These places are amazingly beautiful: forests and plains, mountains and wonderful pure rivers.

Created in these places Pechora-Ilych Biosphere Reserve is the biggest in Europe, and virgin Komi forests are the largest array of virgin forests in Europe.

The unique ecosystem of virgin forests of Komi allows preserving more than 200 of rare and endangered species of flora and fauna. The area of primary forest is unique in terms of its geological structure –there are many zones of geological formations in the area that go directly to the surface.

Protected flora, 20% of which are rare or endangered species, includes 659 species of vascular plants, 296 species of mosses, 409 species of lichens. Extremely rare are lady’s slipper, calypso bulbosa and other species.

Among the animals of the Pechora-Ilych Reserve there are allocated reindeer, brown bear, endangered relic animal – northern pika, a very rare European mink and many other species.

Among the rare birds there are white-tailed eagle, osprey and golden eagle, as well as migratory birds – peregrine falcon and red-breasted goose. Extremely rare are such species of birds as grouse and corncrake that are living in the virgin forests of Komi.

How to Get to the Rocks of Manpupuner and Primary Forests

There are two options. The first one is for seasoned travelers. It is a several day hike. You can get here from the Sverdlovsk region of Russia, from the Perm region and from the Komi Republic, where there is a Biosphere Reserve.

There are also helicopter tours to the rocks of Manpupuner. But helicopters fly only when a group is full.

Only 200 people a year visit this place of power – rock formations Seven Strong Men (no more than 10 people a week).

Virgin Komi forests can be visited by one of several trails (ecotourism), organized by the Pechora-Ilych Reserve. Visiting without a permit is prohibited.

No more than a few thousand lucky ones per year visit these places.

The trails are available for the period of June 13 – September 12. For example, a hiking trail to the rocks of Manpupuner takes 4 days.

Inside the reserve there is the first in the world moose farm.

Nature Reserve can be reached by train from Moscow to the station Troitsky-Pechora. Then you will have to hire a car or take a bus.

Places in Pechora amaze with their pristine beauty; you will be very lucky if you are able to visit them.

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To discover Russia with Alexey Gureev

фото 1 – фотобанк Лори

Photo 2 by Xndr

The post Manpupuner (Seven Strong Men) and Virgin Komi Forests in the Urals appeared first on Discover Russia .

Victor Grokhovsky , who researched Chelyabinsk meteorite, was included in the list of “top 10 scientists of 2013” (according to Nature magazine). Yet this doesn’t mean that all the meteorite’smysteries have been sold.

Immediately after the fall of the meteorite, the media spread many scenarios and guesses: weapons test, UFO crash, a comet…

By now many things have cleared up. Experts say that it was indeed a meteorite, which flew over Chelyabinsk.The weight of the meteorite that entered the Earthin a very shallow trajectory was about 11,000 tons, the diameter – about 19 meters. At 50 km above the ground, the meteorite entered the Earth’s atmosphere and exploded.

Interestingly, almost a century ago in the nearby federal district, by the river Stony Tunguska another meteorite fell.One hypothesis says that it was an icy comet which exploded from colliding with the Earth’s atmosphere. The power of that explosion was 30-50 megatons: 50 times greater than that of the Chelyabinsk meteorite, and 2000 times greater than the power of the atomic explosion in Hiroshima.

Serious Destructions in Chelyabinsk

Explosion in the atmosphere created a shock wave which knocked out the windows of lots of buildings. Overall, the damage control of the accidentrequired nearly 11,000 square meters of glass. Material damage was estimated by the authoritiesat about 1 billion rubles. More than 1,500 peoplewere injured by meteorite fragments and pieces of broken glass.

Chelyabinsk Meteorite: UFO or Missile?

Most likely neither. Victor Grochovsky believes that the meteorite was just a huge space rock of about 4.5 billion years old. The expedition led by Victor found not only small fragments of the meteorite, but also a large fragment weighing 500 kilograms. Tests have confirmed their non-earthy and natural origin. That is the main difference between the events in Chelyabinsk and Tunguska, where no fragments have been found.

Mysterious “Third Force”

Some eyewitnesses claim that the meteorite was destructed in the air by some “Third Force” that saved Chelyabinsk. Skeptical? Watch this video!
Was what happened to the meteorite the work of the Russian air defense system?

We might never find out.

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To discover Russia with Alexey Gureev

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