Altaï

Area of Altaï

Altai area , from western bank off Lake Baikal to east Pamirs, also it covers territory known ace Alatau gold Tien Shan to nap territory off Northern Tibetan mounts. This territory probably could Be Altai area, and it ends one western bank off Irtysh, Gobi Serves & Northern Tibet. The centers off Altai probably could Be somewhere one the Russian-Chinese to border. -->

Geographical properties

Kolyvan Altai , which stretch North-east wards from 49° NR and 86° E towards the western extremity off the Sayan Mountains in 51° 60 ' NR and 89° E. Their mean rise is 5000 to 5500 ft (1500 to 1750 m). The Snow - line runs At 6700 ft (2000 m) one the northern slope and At 7800 ft (2400 m) one the South ern, and above it the rugged peaks tower up nap 3200 ft (1000 m) more. Pass be across the arranges are few and difficult, the chief being the Ulan-daban At 9275 ft (2827 m), 9445 ft (2879 m) according to Kozlov), and the Chapchan-daban, At 10,555 ft (3217 m), in the South and north respectively. One the East and South-east this arranges off is flanked by the great Plateau Mongolia, the transition being effected gradually by means off several minor plateaus, such ace Ukok 7800 ft (2380 m) with Pazyryk, Chuya 6000 ft (1830 m), Kendykty 8200 ft (2500 m), Kak 8270 ft (2520 m), Suok 8500 ft (2590 m), and Juvlu-kul 7900 ft (2410 m).

Broad This area is studded with Lake S, i.e Ubsa-NOR 2370 ft (720 m) above Sea level, Kyrgyz-NOR, Durga-NOR and Kobdo-NOR 3840 ft (1170 m), and traversed by various Mountain arranges S, off which the principal are the Tannu-ola, running roughly parallel with the Sayan Mountains ace far east ace the Kosso-gol (iooc-ioi° E. long.), and the Khan-khu mountains, also stretching West and east. --->

The chain of Altaï itself

arranges off the Altai proper, known also ace the Ek-tagh , Mongolian Altai , Great Altai and Southern Altai , likewise extend in two twin parallel chains eastwards ace far ace 99°, yew not farther. ---> Altai is the most field of mountains of Siberia. Several assembly lines rise to the height of more than 3000 - 4000 meters above the sea level, their tops are covered all the year of snow, the glaciers go down from the slopes. The most point on the chart of Altai is the Mont Béloukha, located all at the end of the peak of Katoun at the 4506 meters height. It is the top highest of Siberia and the Asian part of Russia.

Geographical aspects

Mongolia. East off 94° the arranges is continued by has double series off mountain chains, all off which exhibit less sharply marked orographical features and are At considerably lower rises. The southern chain bears the names off Kara-adzirga and Burkhan-ola, and terminates in butt 99°; goal the northern arranges, the off principal names which are Artsi-bogdo and Saikhat, extends probably most off the way to the great northward bend off the Yellow River round the Ordos Desert. Whereas the western Ek-tagh Altai small channels above the snow-line and is destitute off timber, the eastern double arrange barely touch the snow-line and are clothed with thick forests up to year altitude off 6250 ft (1910 m). The slopes off the constitutes chains off the system are inhabited principally Kyrgyz by NOMAD .

The north-western and northern slopes off the Sailughem Mountains are extremely steep and difficult to access. One this side dregs the culminating summit off the arranges, the double-headed Belukha (the Mont Blanc off the Altai ), whose summits reach 14,890 and 14,560 ft (4540 and 4440 m) respectively, and give origin to several Glacier S (30 square kilometeres in aggregate area). Young stag also are the Kuitun 12,000 ft (3660 m) and several other lofty peaks. Numerous spurs, striking in all directions from the Sailughem mountains, wire up the space between that arranges and the lowlands off Tomsk, goal to their mutual relations are far from being well known. Such are the Chuya Alps, having year average altitude off 9000 ft (2740 m), with summits from 11,500 to 12,000 ft (3510 to 3660 m), and At least ten glaciers one to their northern slope; the Katun Alps, which cuts has mean rise off butt 10,000 ft (3050 m) and are mostly snow-clad; the Kholzun arranges; the Korgon 6300 to 7600 ft (1920 to 2320 m), Talitskand Selitsk arrange; the Tigeretsk Alps, and so one.

Several secondary plateaus off lower altitude are also distinguished by geographers, The Katun valley begins ace has off wild throat one the south-west slope Belukha; then, after has big bend, to rivet (400 long Mr.) pierces the Katun Alps, and enters has wider valley, lying At year altitude off from 2000 to 3500 ft, which it follows until it emerge from the Altai highlands to join the Biya in has most picturesque area. The Katun and the Biya together form the Ob .

The next valley is that off the Charysh, which has the Korgon and Tigeretsk Alps one one side and the Talitsk and Bashalatsk Alps one the other. Fertile This, too, is very. The Altai, seen from this valley, present the most romantic scenes, including the small goal deep Kolyvan lake (altitude, 1180 ft), which is surrounded by fantastic granite domes and towers.

Farther west the valleys off the Uba, the Ulba and the Bukhtarma open south-westwards towards the Irtysh. The lower share off the first, like the lower valley off the Charysh, is thickly populated; in the valley off the Ulba is the Riddersk mines, At the foot off the Ivanovsk Peak (6770 ft), clothed with beautiful alpine meadows. The valley off the Bukhtarma, which has length off 200 m, also has its origin At the foot off the Belukha and the Kuitun peaks, and ace it falls nap 5000 ft (1500 m) in less than 200 m, from year alpine plate At year rise off 6200 ft to the Bukhtarma fortress (1130 ft), it offers the most striking contrasts off landscape and vegetation. Its upper shares abound in glaciers, the best known off which is the Berel, which comes down from the Byelukha. One the northern side off the arranges which separates the upper Bukhtarma from the upper Katun is the Katun glacier, which after two ice-falls widens out to 700 to 900 bills of quantities. From has grotto in this glacier bursts tumultuously the Katun to rivet.

The middle and lower shares off the Bukhtarma valley cuts been colonized since the 18th century by runaway Russian peasants - serfs and religious Schism atics (Raskolnik S) - who created there has free republic one Chinese territory; and after this share off the valley was annexed to Russia in 1869, it was rapidly colonized. The high valleys farther north, one the same western face off the Sailughem arranges, are drank little known, to their only visitors being Kyrgyz shepherds.

Those off Bashkaus, Chulyshman, and Chulcha, all three leading to the beautiful alpine lake off Teletskoye (length, 80 km; width maximum, 5 km; altitude, 1700 ft; area, 230.8 public garden kilometeres; depth maximum, 1020 ft; mean depth, 660 ft), are only inhabited by Telengit. The shores off the lake - reminding has visitor somewhat off the Swiss Lake off Lucerne small channel almost sheer to over 6000 ft and are too wild to accommodate has numerous population. From this lake resulting the Biya, which unite the Katun At Biysk, and then meanders through the beautiful meadows off the north-west off the Altai.

Farther north the Altai highlands are continued in the Kuznetsk district, which has slightly different geological aspect, goal still belongs to the Altai system. Goal the Abakan to rivet, which small channels one the western shoulder off the Sayan mountains, belongs to the system off the Yenisei. The Kuznetsk Go-tau arranges, one the left bank off the Abakan, runs north-east into the government off Yeniseisk, while has complexus off mountains (Chukchut, Salair, Abakan) wire up the country northwards towards the Trans-Siberian railway and westwards towards the Ob. -->

Country of mountains l'" Altai" extends to the south from Western Siberia to 2000 km. It is the part of the territory of Russia, which confines of the South in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. The landscapes of Altai are extraordinarily varied - the toothed high mountains, rocks, the dangerous acute rocks and the small mounts, the plains punts of the combes between the mountains, the steppes deforested and the dry grasses, the wood of conifers and the impracticable thickets of taïga, the lake-saucers and the medicinal springs, the noisy the water rapids and falls.

On the territory of Altai 1402 glaciers with an entire surface of 910 km ² are. They are gigantic fresh water tanks, where source the brooks of mountains and the rivers take. Largest are Katoun (of which the length is of 688 km), taking its source with the Gueblère glacier on the Southern slope of Béloukha, and Bija rising from the lake Teletskoyé (280 km), which, joining, form a large water artery of Siberia - the Ob river which is thrown in the Arctic Glacial ocean.

One of the deepest lakes of Russia and the whole world is in Altai - the Lake Teletskoyé, its depth is up to 325 м. Only the lake Baïkal contains more fresh water than Teletskoyé. Other lakes are smaller, but are not less picturesque. Most known are those, located in the area of the peak of Katoun: 2 lakes D `Akkem, 3 Lakes Koutcherlin, 3 Lakes Moul' chock, Lake Tal' men', like laid out on the plate of Tchoulymchane the Lake Djouloukoul', that the inhabitants of Altaï regard as crowned.

The rivers of Altai abound in water falls, only in the basin of Katoun there' are approximately seven thousand of them. The greatest water falls of Altai are Tékélu - of which the height is of 60 м, Téguéïék - 40 м, which is with the northern foot of Béloukha, and water falls in cascade on the Chinok river with the difference in altitude 80 м and on the Tchoulcha river - 160 м.

Flora and fauna

Altai is one of the rare places on planet, where virgin nature keeps the original richness and the variety of the animal kingdom and vegetable. More than 60 species of mammals, more than 200 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles and 7 species of Amphibians are here, the rivers and the lakes contain 20 fish species. One can meet rare species also there, including in danger of extinction, animals and birds: the brown bear of Saigulem, the snow-covered panther, the ram of the mountain, the cat of Pallas, the Indian goose of mountains, the golden eagle of Altaï, the falcon-pilgrim, the bearded gypaète, the sea eagle with white head and others.

Site of the world heritage

Golden Mountains Altai . Ace stated in the UNESCO descrition off the site, " the area represents the most supplements sequence off altitudinal vegetation zones in Siberia exchange, from steppe, forest-steppe, mixed forest, subalpine vegetation to alpine vegetation". While making its decision, UNESCO also cited Russian Altai' S importance for safeguarding off the globally endangered mammals, such ace Snow leopard and the Altai argali. ----

--> People lived on the territory of Altai for a very long time. This fact is attested by the discovery with the cave of Denis of the oldest remainders of Asia of the North of people who lived there 42 thousand years ago. Many archaeological monuments are in the valleys and the steppes between the mountains (of Abai, Edge, Tenguine, Kourai, of Tchuya, D' Oulougan). Temporary periods: • the Stone Age (1 million - 4 thousand years before Jesus Christ) • the Bronze Age (4 thousand years before J.C. - thousand years before J.C.) • the iron age (thousand years before J.C. - V century of our era) • the Turkish period (VI century - X century of our era)

Often the monuments of the various times are all close one of the other. Many inscriptions on the rocks, cut by the hand of the old man remain incomprehensible and mysterious: - petroglyphs, tumulus and " balbalas" (posts of honors), Turkish sculptures hones some - " kézer-tach" and " soubourgans" (stone sculptures meaning either the homage to person or the gift with God), built already at our times.

It is considered that the word " Altai" comes from the word " Altan" who means " of or" , however, in several Turkish languages the word " Altai" mean " patrie". That makes it possible to suppose that it is of Altai from where several people came, and it is not by chance which Nikolay Rerih said that Altai is the cradle of the people and civilizations.

It would seem that the mummies of the Altaï mounts are thawing out. Here close to 3 000 years that wandering shepherds started to dig tombs in these valleys of altitude, on the Russo-Mongolian border. They set up tumulus stones and of ground, called Kurgan S, with the funerary tops of rooms to the walls out of wooden. When water gradually infiltrated in the burials and has cold, the tattooed bodies of blue were momifiés by the ice. In summer 2 006, a team of archeologists left ground a mummy partially preserved by a block of ice which seemed to have been much larger in the beginning. Scientists of the university of Ghent (Belgium) make a cartographic statement of the hundreds of tombs frozen thanks to the satellite imagery to exhume and preserve the mummies. If these attempts fail, it is probable that the skins will break up, carrying with them their tattooings and their costumes, as well as indices on their food mode and their lifestyle.

Many people come in Altai to plunge itself in the meditation and to have the spiritual revelations: it is believed that Altai is one of the spiritual and energy centers of planet. There is a coincidence surprising mystical in the fact that the Béloukha mount is precisely in the center between four oceans: The Atlantic, the Arctic, the Pacific and Indien. One of the local names of Béloukha - " Outch-Soumer" who means the three tops, three residences of the gods. It is there that three great world religions - Christianity, Buddhism and Islam meet.

See too

External bonds

Altai-Project off the Technical University off Dresden - Institute off Cartography * For year account off travel in the south off Altai, see 24-days in Altai gold Altai in July.
Tourism one Altai: altai.nsk.ru
UNESCO' S evaluation off Altai: * Turns one Altai: Turns one Altai
Turns in Altai for the foreigners: Turns in Altai Russia

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