Seven wonders of

Bashkortostan

SHULGAN-TASH CAVE

The cave is one of the largest karstic caves in the Southern Urals, where

about 30 rock paintings (mammoths, bangtails and rhinoceroses) of

paleolith epoch, were discovered. The Shulgan-Tash is the only cave in

Eastern Europe, where color paintings of Stone Age were preserved in a

good state. Such ancient rock paintings can be seen only in France

and Spain.

Shulgan-Tash is more than two kilometers long and the river Shulgan flows inside of it. The largest in Europe sylphon (400 meters in diameter) – the cavity, filled with water and without air, was discovered here. The age of the cave is about one million years

The entrance into the cave looks like a huge 40-meters high arch.

The first level of the cave is about 300 meters long. The second level has not been investigated yet. Speleologists and archeologists went inside only for a distance of 1,5 kilometers.

The cave’s walls are decorated with various calcite sinters of the most fanciful forms and colors. The site of the human habitation was discovered near the entrance: stone tools, ochre, ash and

charcoal, of 15-17 thousand years old.

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Wild-hive beekeeping

Bashkortostan is the only place in Russia, where people are still engaged in the ancient business of wild-hive beekeeping. This is the most ancient form of apiculture, when honey is gathered not at bee-gardens but on the trees! At that bees are kept in pine-tree hollows.

The first information about Bashkir apiculture is known from the XVII century and the peak of wild-hive beekeeping falls on the XVIII-XIX centuries. Bashkirs kept their own hollows with bees and every bee master had

its own sign (“tamga”) on his hollows. The hollows were gouged out in trees at the height of 6-8 meters and 60-90 cm in diameter. Every bee family in such hollows had 2-5 swarms. Strong bee-families are able to bring up to 10-12 kg of honey per day.

The border of Europe and Asia

The memorial stele, symbolizing the boundary between two continents – Europe and Asia – stands in the Ural Mountains. The climate here is unpredictable – one may cross the small pass from Asia to Europe and meet heavy rains here after sunny weather in Asian part. Besides, scientists discovered

the ancient observatory here and in accordance with one of the versions, it was built in the third millennium B.C

Irendyk Bear

This amazing gold nugget is called Irendek Bear and its form really reminds a bear. This invaluable nugget weighs nearly five kilograms! According to local legends Bashkirs intended to present this nugget to Ivan the Terrible in 1557 but on the way

the string of sledges was robbed. Somebody from the string guardians managed to bury this nugget and it has lied in the ground for nearly 400 years. The nugget was discovered by a tractor driver from the state farm “Irendek” while ploughing the field in 1992 near the Kuseevo village. The length of the nugget is 31 cm, the width is 18,5cm and its thickness is 1,5cm. The color is bright yellow and its total volume is 310 cubic centimeters

Bashkir Sheehany

Sheehany are the isolated peaks in Bashkir Trans-Urals. Sheehany are considered the unique geological monuments of nature and consist of four peaks, standing separately near Sterlitamak city and forming a narrow string, stretching over 20 km along the river Belaya. These mountains represent the highest mountain mass of Middle Ural and one of the most beautiful Ural lakes – Arakuhl – lies at the foot of the peaks.

The monument of Salavat Yulaev

The monument of Salavat Yulaev – national Bashkir hero and poet – was erected in 1967. This is the biggest horse statue in Russia, nearly ten meters high, weighing 40 tons. It is considered the best work of Soslanbeck Tavasiev, sculptor, who has been working over the monument during 30 years. It is known that Salavat Yulaev with his squadron was sent to support governmental troops, which were directed to defeat Pugatchev. But Salavat Yulaev decided to join Pugatchev and thus to support the national rebel

Iremel

Iremel is the second in size mountain of the Southern Urals. Two famous rivers spring from the foot of Iremel– the river Belaya- and the river Ural. The mountain has two peaks where the snow doesn’t melt till June. It is considered swimming in the streams, coming from Iremel, takes tiredness away and brings energy.

Real taiga bears live there and as some people say, the ancient spirit of mountains also lives in those places. Here ginseng, which is considered the elixir of life and youth, grows.