Kalmyks are the only Mongol-speaking people in Europe who profess Buddhism and are a representative of the nomadic culture. Central Asia is considered their homeland, their ancestors are Western Mongols, who raised livestock and roamed the steppe in search of better pastures.

The history of the people dates back to the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, when the separated part of the Oirat tribe moved to the lands of the lower Volga, to the territory of the modern Republic of Kalmykia, where they became part of Russian Empire. Kalmyks are born horsemen and successful warriors.

Currently their number is about 200 thousand.

Culture and life of the people of Kalmykia

Spiritual culture was formed for centuries under the common Mongolian and Oirat traditions, and then it was influenced and introduced new features by strengthening ties with other nationalities of Russia. Thus, the core modern culture became ancient traditions, enriched by the influence of historical transformations.

By the beginning of the 18th century, thanks to researchers, the first mentions of the epic folk art Kalmyks. The main monuments of this creativity were the epic “Dzhangar”, which reflected historical events from the life of the people, and a song about how the Mongolian Ubashi Khun Taiji fought with the Oirat tribes in 1587. According to the plan, it stands next to the song “About the exploits of the hero Sanala” and represents one of the verses of “Dzhangara”.

(Kalmyks in traditional clothes)

According to the Russian orientalist and Mongolian B. Ya. Vladimirtsov, it expresses folk spirit, aspirations, hopes and expectations of the people. The real world, everyday life is shown, but presented as an ideal. That is why it is a folk poem.

"Dzhangar" contains several thousand poems combined into independent songs. They glorify the battle of heroes with foreign enemies for the freedom and independence of the people. The feat of the heroes of this epic is to protect the country of Bumba - an illusory place where there is always a peaceful sky, a sea of ​​​​happiness and peace.

Another monument folk epic- “The Tale of Gesar.” It also glorifies the struggle for justice.

(Yurt)

The people have always glorified in their oral epic ordinary person, as unusually brave, resourceful and infinitely kind. On the other hand, the greed of secular rulers, feudal lords and representatives of the clergy who steal from their own people is ridiculed. They are presented in an absurd, comic form. And a simple person with worldly wisdom is always ready to speak out against the tyranny of the oppressors, defending those who are poor and disadvantaged. And victory will always be his.

Customs and holidays of Kalmyks

New Year

Zul - (originally the 25th day of the month of Cow) in its modern form, which became the New Year - is ancient holiday, so beloved by the people. It dates back more than 6 centuries. It is celebrated on the day of the winter solstice (December 22), when the length of the day increases. In Kalmyk “zul” is a lamp or lamp. Lights are lit everywhere on this day - in churches, houses, on the streets. It was believed that the stronger the flame, the more energy would be released to the sun. And that means it will heat up more. In the temples they used to tell fortunes using lit torches - for a successful year. Gifts to Buddhist deities were left on sacrificial stones.

The coming of spring

At the beginning of March, Tsagan Sar (white month) is celebrated. Congratulations are heard all around on the end of the cold and hungry time. Preparations are underway for resettlement to new pastures, they are waiting for the offspring of livestock. The elders take food from the younger ones. In ancient times, people gathered near the temple and waited for the dawn. General prayer was performed as soon as the first rays of the sun broke through the heavenly surface. Offerings were made.

The main holiday of summer

The unity of earth and water is celebrated by the people in June at the full moon. The deities were appeased with abundant offerings so that the grass on the new pastures would be lush and rich, the livestock would be well-fed and healthy, and therefore the people would be happy and prosperous. A ritual was performed: all the cattle gathered, and the owner sprinkled milk and kumis on their heads.

Tulip Festival

This holiday can be called the youngest. It was introduced at the beginning of the 90s by the president of the young republic. The holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday of April, when the entire territory of Kalmykia is covered with a multi-colored blanket of tulips. On this day, all the young people walk, dance groups perform. And the “Tulip” ensemble, which introduced the whole world to the beauty and diversity of Kalmyk folk dance, gives performances in open areas of the city.

Altai epics, Tuvian legends, Khakass epics, Evenki legends, Buryat legends, Nanai folklore, Udege legends;

Kalmyk myths and tales

Kalmyks (self-named Khalmg) are the people, the main population of Kalmykia (146 thousand people). In total, according to 1995 data, 166 thousand people live in Russia. Kalmyk believers are Buddhists, there are also Orthodox Christians. Kalmyk language refers to Mongolian group languages. Ancient writing is based on the Mongolian alphabet, modern writing is based on the Russian alphabet.

All works presented in this section are published based on the book “Myths of the Ancient Volga” - Saratov, 1996.

ABOUT THE ORphan BOSCH-KUBUNE
AND EVIL HANE

Once upon a time, in the nomadic camps of one khan, an orphan named Bosh-kubyun lived. He had nothing - neither his own yurt, nor cattle, nor a good robe, he only had a two-year-old black bull, a bow and arrows. And among the arrows there was one special one: the whistler-arrow; It flew with a whistle and never missed its target.

Once the orphan Bosch-Kubun went to the lake to hunt. He climbed into the reeds and waited for the birds to fly.

How long, how long did he wait, only birds, large and small, flocked to the lake - cranes, bustards, geese, waders... Bosh-kubyun took aim and fired his whistler-arrow. An arrow flew and hit fifty birds on the wings, seventy birds on the necks, a hundred birds on the backs... That's how many birds the orphan Bosh shot at one time!

“What should I do with this game? - thinks Bosch-Kubün. “I’ll take them to the khan and woo his youngest daughter!”

Bosh-kubyun saddled his two-year-old black bull, loaded all the birds on it, and sat on top. He hit the bull on the shoulder blades - the bull shrank, hit him on the hooves - he swung the bull's tail, hit him on the spine - the bull ran, so fast that it was impossible to hold him.

Bosh-kubyun arrived at the Khan's headquarters, unpacked, and began to carry the birds into the Khan's yurt. He puts it on the right and puts it on the left, the yurt is filled to the top. Khan Bosh-kubyun asks:

Who are you and why did you bring me so much game?

Bosh-kubyun answers:

I am an orphan, the Great Khan, my name is Bosh-kubyun. I have neither a yurt nor cattle, I myself live in your nomads, near the round lake. It was on this lake that I shot so much game. And I brought it to you as a gift: it will be useful at the wedding feast, because I want to marry your youngest daughter!

When the khan heard these words, he became angry, stamped his feet, and shouted:

Hey servants! Grab this ragged scoundrel! He dared to woo my daughter! Beat him brutally, and then take him far away to the steppe, to a deserted place and throw him there!

By order of the khan, the servants pounced on the orphan Bosh, beat him half to death - he barely had any breath left in him - and took him to the bare steppe.

Bosh-kubyun is lying, tossing about, groaning, his mind is clouded - death is very close... Suddenly he sees an old man walking, very old, with a white beard, leaning on a stick. He came up, examined Bosh-kubyun and began to treat him - he gave him some drink, rubbed his bruises, and set broken bones. Bosch-Kübün became completely healthy.

Well, kubün,” ​​says the old man, “now you are healthy and strong.” Go to your nomads. And so that you are no longer offended, I will teach you what to do. If you want to punish someone, just say: “Glue yourself!” And then your offender will not get up until you say: “Get up!”

Bosh-kubyun was delighted, thanked the old man and hurried to his nomadic camps.

He runs and sees the Khan’s shepherd tending a herd of calves. Bosh-kubyun wanted to see whether the old man told him the truth. He shouted:

Glue, Khan's shepherd, along with all the calves to the ground!

And immediately the shepherd and all the calves stuck to the ground - they lie and scream in fear.

"The old man told me the truth," thought Bosch-kyubyun and shouted:

Get up!

As soon as he uttered this word, both the shepherd and the calves rose at once.

“Now,” thinks Bosch-kyubyun, “I will teach the khan a lesson! So I will teach him that he will remember forever!

He waited for the evening, made his way to the khan's yurt and said:

Stick to the ground, khan and khansha, along with pillows and beds!

He said and left.

The next day, the khan and the khansha woke up in the morning, they wanted to get up, but they could not get up. They shouted to the servants:

Raise us up!

The servants came running to raise the Khan and Khansha, but they could not raise them. There is screaming and noise all around:

Khan and Khansha are glued to the ground! It's impossible to lift them! Who will raise them?..

Officials, dignitaries, elders of nomads run from place to place, shouting, waving their hands. But they can’t do anything. They ordered me to read prayers. We prayed and prayed - there was no point! Then they called udgun-be - fortune tellers and emchi - healers. They tell fortunes for Udgun-be, they treat emchi, but it’s all to no avail... They began to pull the khan and khansha by the arms and legs, but they just couldn’t lift them off the ground. All the noble people, all the old people, gathered and began to hold advice: how to help the Khan and Khansha, how to raise them?.. They talked for a long time, they talked all day, they talked all night - they couldn’t come up with anything...

At that time, a man from distant nomads passed by and said:

I heard that the famous Emchi lives in the nomadic camps of Mogoitu Khan. He removes every disease as if with his hand! Bring him!

Officials, dignitaries and elders began to think: who should they send to the nomadic camps of Mogoitu Khan for the Emchi? The place is distant, the path is dangerous, there are many enemies on the way. They say:

Apparently we need to send a whole detachment!

Suddenly Bosh-kubyun came in and said:

I will go to the nomads of Mogoytu Khan for emchi!

Everyone was happy.

Go quickly! - they shout.

Bosh-kubyun sat on his two-year-old black bull. He hit the bull on the shoulder blades - the bull shrank; hit the hooves - the goby twirled its tail; hit the ridge - the bull ran so fast that it was impossible to hold it.

Bosh-kubyun rode for a long time and finally arrived at the nomadic camps of Mogoitu Khan. I found emchi and says:

Our khan and khansha were glued to the ground, so they sent me for you, wise and glorious emchi - can you help them in such trouble?

Emchi important says:

Besides me, who will help? Is there another emchi like me? Only I can help!

Emchi put on his white hat, put on a white robe, sat down on white horse and went with Bosch-Kubün.

They drove and drove, and when they saw the Khan’s headquarters in the steppe in the distance, then Emchi began to mutter and mutter, foam appeared on his lips.

Now I know everything! - shouts. - Now I'll tell you everything! Now I will raise the khan and khansha!..

Bosh-kubyun listens to this, and thinks: “What if this emchi is really so omnipotent? I’ll have to check,” and said quietly:

Stick, emchi, to the ground with your white horse!

He just said that Emchi stuck to his horse, and the horse to the ground. Emchi got scared and shouted in a voice that was not his own:

Hey, kyubyun, pull me off the horse, I’m stuck like your khan!

Bosh-kubyun began to help Emchi - he could barely contain his laughter.

No, he says, I can’t help you, wise and glorious emchi!

Then run quickly to the Khan’s headquarters, call people here, at least let them drag me off my horse! - emchi screams.

Bosh-kubyun galloped on his black bull to the Khan's yurt.

Where is emchi? - they ask him.

Emchi is close. Only trouble happened to him: he stuck to the ground himself,” Bosh-Kubün answers. - He sent me for you, asking you to hurry to his aid!

Khan's dignitaries and elders came running to Emchi. They began to pull him. They tugged and tugged, but they couldn’t get him off the horse, he was stuck to it so tightly.

How can we help our khan, tell me, wise emchi? - the dignitaries and elders ask him.

Not up to your khan to me! - Emchi shouts. - I can’t help myself either!..

The dignitaries and elders returned to the khan and reported that the emchi himself was glued to the ground. Khan lost his mind from fear and anger.

Whatever you want, then do it! - shouts. - Just pick me up!

Then the khan's officials, dignitaries and elders of the nomads gathered again for council, thought, discussed and said:

We must shout the cry: whoever saves the khan and khansha from trouble, marry the khan’s daughter to him and give half of all the khan’s wealth.

They asked the khan if he agreed? Khan yells:

I agree to everything!

They called a cry, but no one volunteered to save the khan and the khansha. They called the cry a second time - again no one volunteered. They called the cry for the third time - Bosch-kyubyun came out and said:

I'm not udgun-be and not emchi, but still I'll try! But will the khan keep his word?

Khan says:

I'll keep it, I'll keep it! Just help me!

Bosh-kyubun says:

Bring the Khan's youngest daughter here!

They did as he ordered. Then Bosch-kubyun said:

Khan and Khansha, rise up!

Immediately the khan and khansha stood up. The khan looked at Boshkubyun and shouted:

This is that scoundrel, the ragamuffin, whom I ordered to be beaten half to death for his insolence and thrown into the bare steppe, so that he would die of hunger there! How did he get here? Apparently they beat him badly! Hey, servants, grab him, cut off his arms and legs!..

The khan's servants rushed to Bosh-kubyun, and he said:

Glue to the ground, Khan and Khansha! Glue to the ground, Khan's servants!

As soon as he said it, everyone immediately stuck to the ground. And Boshkubyun and the Khan’s youngest daughter sat on a black bull. Bosh-kubyun hit the bull on the shoulder blades - the bull shrank; hit the hooves - the goby twirled its tail; hit the ridge - the bull ran, so fast that the best horse could not catch up. He took Boshkubün and the girl far, far away, and they began to live together, cheerfully and happily.

LOTUS

Yes, the years go by, the gray centuries flow, and no one will ever stop their mighty run. As if recently my wrinkled hands were strong and young. The one lying in the Tyumen temple was also young.

Young and beautiful, like early spring, was Erle, daughter of Sagendje. And many hearts beat when they saw her, and her eyes, dark as night, were not forgotten.

Erle was beautiful, like the first glimmer of spring dawn. She spent sultry days in the tall grass near the thoughtful ilmen trees, cheerful, healthy, flexible. She imitated the cry of birds, jumped from hummock to hummock, lived the life of steppe swamps and knew their deepest secrets.

Erle grew up. And Sagendzhe wandered either near the wide Volga or along the quiet Akhtuba. Time flew, the herds multiplied. A lot of merchants came from Persia and Izdia, and the rich Sagendzhe bought a lot of goods from them for his daughter.

Often long caravans of well-fed camels rested near his tent, and the hands of slaves continually handed over expensive colored silks shimmering in the sun to Sagendzhe’s hands.

Noble matchmakers in rich, bright clothes dismounted from their horses fifteen steps away, threw themselves on the ground and crawled towards Sagendzha.

Lunar summer night breathed the vapors of the damp earth, covered with a thousand flowers, in the silence camels sighed, sheep coughed, mosquitoes sang, crickets chirped, harriers moaned, and some bird cried out sleepily. The steppe sorceress lived and rejoiced, bringing wondrous maiden dreams to the beautiful Erla. Smiling, with her dark arms outstretched, she lay on expensive Bukhara carpets. And her mother, old Chatterbox, sat at her bedside, with eyes full of tears, in deep grief.

“And why did the night sandpiper scream so loudly,” she thought, “why are the willows making such a sad noise over Erik, and what is Sagendzhe talking about in a low voice in the next wagon with a rich matchmaker?.. My dear Erle. When I carried you under my heart, I was happier than now, because no one could take you away from me.”

And at that time Sagendzhe said to the noble matchmaker:

I don’t need anything for my Erle because she is more valuable than anything in the world. Let me talk to the groom, I want to find out how reasonable he is, and let Erle herself tell him her terms.

The matchmaker was delighted, jumped into the saddle, galloped to the noyon (noble feudal lord) Tyumen and told that, apparently, Erle would soon be laid across the saddle and brought to young Bemba.

Old Chatterbox was crying at her daughter's bedside. Sagendzhe sat with his legs crossed and looked sadly at Erle.

And why did she grow up so quickly,” whispered Sagendzhe, “and why should some son of the Tyumen noyon take Erle from us, cheerful as a spring stream, like the first ray of the sun?”

Days passed, herds wandered through the lush grass of the Akhtuba Valley. Fat accumulated in camel humps and sheep tails. Mother and father were sad, only Erle was still having fun in the flowering steppe. In the evenings, the daughter wrapped her arms around her mother’s gray head and whispered affectionately that she would not leave her soon, that it was too early for her to leave her old people, and that she was not afraid of the wrath of the fierce noyon of Tyumen.

At the confluence of two rivers, the matchmakers of Noyon Tyumen and his son Bembe caught up.

Bembe did not dare to disturb Erle, he ordered to pitch tents on the other side of the dry erik and spend the night.

Bembe did not sleep, and Sagendje did not sleep either. Bolgun's eyes were red from tears.

The richly colored outfits of the matchmakers played like a rainbow in the morning sun. Ahead of everyone rode Bembe, the son of the merciless, ferocious noyon of Tyumen, whose name made the entire steppe tremble.

Let Erle herself tell you the conditions,” said Sagendzhe when Bembe declared that he needed Erle like a camel needed a rapeseed, like a duck needed elmen, like the earth needed the sun.

The steppe spoke louder and the waves in the river sang, the reeds raised their heads higher and the camels looked friendly when the beautiful Erle came out to the guests.

Bembe traveled from the great mountains to the valley of the Ili River and the deep Lake Balkhash, he saw thousands of beautiful women, but he never saw anyone like Erle.

“Ask for anything you want,” he told her, “just agree.”

Erla smiled and said:

Bembe, son of a noble Noyon, I am glad to see you and will forever stay with you if you find me a flower, the most beautiful of which is not only in our steppe, but in the whole world. I will wait for him until next spring. You will find me in the same place, and if you bring a flower, I will become your wife. Goodbye.

Noyon Tyumen gathered noyons and clan elders and told them:

Announce to all the people so that anyone who knows about such a flower will come without fear and tell me about it for a great reward.

Tyumen's order flew around the steppe faster than the wind. One night a dusty horseman rode up to the noyon's wagon. And when they let him into the tent, he said to the noyon:

I know where the beautiful flower your beauty Erla desires grows.

And he spoke about his wonderful country, which is called India and lies far beyond the high mountains. There is a flower there, people call it the sacred lotus and worship it as a god. If the noyon gives several people, he will bring a lotus, and the beautiful Erle will become Bembe's wife.

The next day, six horsemen set off on a long journey.

It's boring to talk about how Sagendzhe lived in the cold winter.

Northeast winds drove the cattle into the support, and he himself lay all day long and listened to the steppe storms singing sad songs behind the dugout. Even cheerful Erle yearned for the sun and waited for spring. She thought little about the fact that the terrible Bembe would one day return. Meanwhile, six horsemen were heading east and had already reached the valley of the Ili River. They slept and ate in the saddle. Bembe hurried them, and they delayed only to hunt for food.

They had to endure many hardships until they reached mysterious India. Wild steppes, tall mountains and stormy rivers met them on the way, but the riders stubbornly rode and rode forward.

Finally they arrived in India and saw a wonderful flower - a lotus. But no one dared to break it, everyone was afraid to incur the wrath of the gods. Then an old priest came to their aid. He picked a lotus and gave it to Bemba, saying:

Remember, man, you received a beautiful flower, but you will lose something even more beautiful.

Bembe did not listen to him, grabbed the lotus and ordered to immediately saddle the horses to set off on the return journey.

The fierce wind blew less and less often, and the sun remained in the sky longer and longer. Spring was approaching, and the pale, emaciated Erle was waiting for it.

In vain did the healers go to my father’s dugout, in vain did they feed it with various herbs, every day Erle melted like snow under the sun. Chatterbox couldn't cry anymore. With crazy eyes she looked at her daughter, who was leaving her forever.

And when the birds began to sing and the steppe began to bloom, Erle could no longer get up. With her thin hand she stroked her mother, distraught with grief, and her eyes still laughed quietly and affectionately.

If the birds could speak, they would tell Bemba to hurry up his horses, because soon, soon Erle’s heart will stop beating. But Bembe was in a hurry anyway. There was only a little way left. Tired horses, with bloodshot eyes, stumbled and almost fell from exhaustion.

Noble matchmakers rushed towards Bemba.

Hurry Bembe! - they shouted. Your beautiful Erle is dying.

And when Sagendzhe’s wagon appeared, everyone saw the mother and father coming out of it, backing away. The horsemen realized that Erle had died. Sadly lowered the reins of Bembe. He did not see the living, beautiful Erle, nor did Erle see a flower as beautiful as she herself.

They buried her on the banks of the Volga, and in memory of Erle built a temple for Bemba.

On a dark night, Bembe went into the reed thickets of the mouth and planted a wonderful lotus there.

And to this day, this beautiful flower grows there.

TALE OF THE NATIVE LAND

There is nothing dearer to a person than the place where he was born, the region where he grew up, the sky under which he lived. And not only humans - animals and birds, every living thing under the sun yearns for their native land.

Long ago, when the Kalmyks lived in China, they brought Chinese emperor an unusual bird as a gift. She sang so much that the sun at the highest point in the sky slowed down, listening to her song.

The emperor ordered to make a golden cage for the bird, cover it with the fluff of a young swan, and feed it from the imperial kitchen. The emperor appointed his first minister to be in charge of poultry care. He told his first minister:

Let the bird feel as good here as it has never felt anywhere else. And let it delight our ears, thirsting for beauty.

Everything was done according to the orders of the formidable ruler.

Every morning the emperor waited for the singing of a bird. But she was silent. “Apparently, the bird, accustomed to free air, is stuffy in the palace,” the emperor thought and ordered the cage to be taken out into the garden.

The emperor's garden was the only one in the world in beauty. The mighty trees rustled with transparent green carved leaves, the rarest flowers smelled invigoratingly, the earth played with all its colors. But the bird was still silent. “What is she missing now? - thought the emperor. - Is she feeling bad with me? Why doesn’t she sing?”

The emperor invited all his sages to listen to their highly learned judgment. Some said that maybe the bird got sick and lost its voice, others - that the food was not the same, others - that it probably did not sing at all. The most respected century-old sage suggested that the air exhaled by people is depressing. a bird and that's why it doesn't sing. After listening carefully to everyone, the emperor ordered the cage to be taken to the virgin forest.

However, even in the forest the bird remained silent. The wings are lowered to the floor, pearls of tears are rolling from the eyes.

Then the emperor ordered to bring the captive sage, taken along with the soldiers of a neighboring hostile power.

If you give us good advice and the bird sings, you will get freedom, - the emperor told him.

The captive sage thought for a week and reported:

Take the bird around the country... Maybe it will sing.

The emperor and the bird wandered around his domain for three years. Finally they reached a swamp. Stunted bushes grew around it, and beyond stretched dull yellow sands. Foul fumes rose from the swamps, and annoying midges flew in swarms. They hung the cage on a dry saxaul branch. They posted a guard and everyone went to bed.

When a clear morning dawn lit up in the sky and its crimson began to spread wider and wider, the bird suddenly started, spread its wings, hastily began to clean each feather with its beak.

Noticing the bird's unusual behavior, the guard woke up the emperor.

And when the age-old luminary showed its scarlet crest, the bird took off rapidly, hit the golden bars of the cage and fell to the floor. She looked around sadly and began to sing quietly. She sang one hundred and eight songs of sorrow, and when she began the song of joy, thousands of birds like her flocked from all sides and picked up her song. It seemed to people that it was not the birds singing to the strings of the rays of the rising sun, but their souls singing, longing for beauty.

This is where our bird comes from, this is its native land, - the emperor said thoughtfully and remembered his incomparable Beijing, where he had not been for three years.

Open the cage doors and let the bird out, he commanded.

And then all the birds sang a thousand songs of praise native land, a thousand and one songs of praise to freedom.

This is what native land and freedom mean; you can only sing where you found life. Excerpt from Sim's diary

Sabbath day. As usual, no one follows it. Nobody but our family. Sinners everywhere gather in crowds and indulge in fun. Men, women, girls, boys - everyone drinks wine, fights, dances, gambles, laughs, screams, sings. And they do all sorts of other abominations...

Received the Mad Prophet today. He good man, and, in my opinion, his intelligence is much better than his reputation. He received this nickname a long time ago and completely undeservedly, since he simply makes forecasts and does not prophesy. He doesn't pretend to be. He makes his forecasts based on history and statistics...

The first day of the fourth month of the year 747 from the beginning of the world. Today I am 60 years old, for I was born in the year 687 from the beginning of the world. My relatives came to me and begged me to marry so that our family would not be cut off. I am still young to take on such concerns, although I know that my father Enoch, and my grandfather Jared, and my great-grandfather Maleleel, and great-great-grandfather Cainan, all married at the age that I have reached on this day...

Another discovery. One day I noticed that William McKinley looked very sick. This is the very first lion, and I became very attached to him from the very beginning. I examined the poor fellow, looking for the cause of his illness, and discovered that he had an unchewed head of cabbage stuck in his throat. I couldn't pull it out, so I took a broomstick and pushed it in...

...Love, peace, peace, endless quiet joy - this is how we knew life in the Garden of Eden. Living was a pleasure. The passing time left no traces - no suffering, no decrepitude; illnesses, sorrows, and worries had no place in Eden. They hid behind its fence, but they could not penetrate it ...

I'm almost a day old. I showed up yesterday. So, anyway, it seems to me. And, probably, this is exactly so, because if there was the day before yesterday, I did not exist then, otherwise I would remember it. It is possible, however, that I simply did not notice when it was the day before yesterday, although it was...

This new creature with long hair is very annoying to me. It sticks out in front of my eyes all the time and follows me on my heels. I don't like it at all: I'm not used to society. Go to other animals...

Dagestanis is a term for the peoples originally living in Dagestan. There are about 30 peoples and ethnographic groups in Dagestan. In addition to Russians, Azerbaijanis and Chechens, who make up a significant proportion of the population of the republic, these are Avars, Dargins, Kumti, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, Nogais, Rutuls, Aguls, Tats, etc.

Circassians (self-called Adyghe) are a people in Karachay-Cherkessia. In Turkey and other countries of Western Asia, Circassians are also called all people from the North. Caucasus. Believers are Sunni Muslims. The Kabardino-Circassian language belongs to the Caucasian (Iberian-Caucasian) languages ​​(Abkhazian-Adyghe group). Writing based on the Russian alphabet.

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and St. Petersburg). The Kazan Kremlin is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

“Sarafan”, “brake”, “attic”, “closet”, “pencil”, “lighthouse”, “hard labor”, “money” - these words came into the Russian language from Tatar.

In modern Tatarstan there are two equal languages ​​– Russian and Tatar. Until 1927, Tatar writing was based on the Arabic script, from 1927 to 1939 it developed on the basis of the Latin script, and from 1939 to the present - on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet. The Tatar language has three dialects: Western (Mishar), Middle (Kazan-Tatar) and Eastern (Siberian-Tatar).

According to the results of the 1897 census, the Tatars turned out to be one of the most literate peoples of the Russian Empire - this is due to the ability to read and write in their native language and, often, in Arabic or Turkish.

The modern cities of Tatarstan - Kazan and Yelabuga were founded as border fortresses.

Catherine II gave Sviyazhsk her gilded carriage. After some time, the carriage was taken away for restoration, but was never returned.

In 1926, there was such a snowy and prolonged winter in Tatarstan that the snow began to melt only in May, the Volga overflowed its banks, and flooding began. It lasted for almost a month. Kazan turned into Venice; people moved around the city exclusively by boats.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, each resident has the right to receive a passport of a Russian citizen with an insert in the Tatar language and with an image of the state emblem of Tatarstan.

In the 1930s, some churches and monasteries in Sviyazhsk were destroyed. One of them was used as a branch of the Gulag, and after the death of I.V. Stalin's buildings became a psychiatric hospital.

Kazan holds the record for the number of victories in team sport competitions.

Karboz (Kar - snow, boz - ice) is the name of the well-known berry - Watermelon (distorted name). The Tatars were the first to bring watermelon to the territory of present-day Russia in the 13th century. XIV centuries and began to grow this delicious berry.

In 1552, Kazan was taken by storm after a seven-week siege by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. In the second half of the 16th century, Kazan turned into a Russian city.

Volga Bulgaria was the first in Europe to smelt cast iron.

The brightest Tatar holiday is Sabantuy - the festival of the plow, which is celebrated in June. The most spectacular events at this celebration are national wrestling (koresh) and horse racing.

QIP (ICQ) was created by Tatar Ilham Zyulkorneev from Kazan in 2004.

Kazan bears the title “The Third Capital of Russia”. This title is not named, but official. Kazan received this title for its cultural heritage and more.

The total damage caused to the Republic of Tatarstan as a result of the harmful influence of the waters of the Nizhnekamsk reservoir (washouts and destruction of the banks) amounts to more than 400 million rubles per year.

In the Raifsky section of the Volzhsko-Kama Nature Reserve, the age of trees in pine forests can reach 210 years, while their height is 38 meters and width is 76 cm.

Gabdulla Tukay is a Tatar national poet, literary critic, publicist and translator. For Tatar
people he has the same important like Pushkin for the Russian people.

The Kazan Powder Plant sent more than a million Katyusha charges to the front.

In penitential collections of the 14th century, a kiss with an open mouth and the use of the tongue was called Tatar. And only in the 18th century such kisses began to be called French.

In the waters of the Kuibyshev and Nizhnekamsk reservoirs, on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan, there are 124 sunken and abandoned ships.

Interesting facts about the Ulyanovsk region

Your name Ulyanovsk region received in 1943, in honor of its most famous resident - Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - Lenin.

On the runway of the airport named after N.M. Karamzin (formerly Ulyanovsk-Tsentralny) in the summer of 1973, they filmed an episode from Eldar Ryazanov’s comedy “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia” - a plane landing on a highway.

Ulyanovsk is one of three cities in the world where a huge musical instrument– 7-meter wind organ.

Ulyanovsk is home to one of the largest aircraft manufacturing plants in Europe, Aviastar. It produces cargo-lifting aircraft AN-124 "Ruslan" and passenger planes TU-204. The Ulyanovsk region ranks first in Russia in the production of civil aircraft and fifth in the production of cars.

"Lower Terrace" – the only place in Russia, which is below the water level of a nearby reservoir. At one time, this area was supposed to fall into the flood zone of the future Kuibyshev reservoir on the Volga. Therefore, a dam was built and now a whole area with 40,000 inhabitants lives 6 - 10 meters below the level of the Volga.

In the Northern Hemisphere, due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, all rivers wash away their right bank. The Volga flows from north to south, and Sviyaga flows from south to north, therefore, their banks are being washed towards each other. The rivers are converging at a rate of 4 mm per year. The minimum distance between the rivers is now 2 km, so they will meet only after millions of years.

Ulyanovsk is the most multinational city in the Volga region. Representatives of more than 80 nationalities live here.

In the basement of the Ulyanovsk Drama Theater, under the small stage, from October 1 to October 25, 1774, Emelyan Pugachev was imprisoned.

Ulyanovsk is the “city of seven winds”. Despite the high development of industry, the air in the city is always clean.

165 species and varieties of algae thrive in the Sviyazhsky Bay, including representatives of all major groups of freshwater algae.

In Ulyanovsk there is an unusual monument - “Oblomov’s Divan”.

The Kuibyshev Reservoir, according to many scientists, has brought more troubles and losses than benefits. The quality of water in the Volga, with the advent of the reservoir, has deteriorated and continues to deteriorate, the banks of the mighty Russian river have been subjected to erosion and landslides, the balance of natural systems is disrupted, fish are dying, and sliding banks are destroying buildings and residential buildings. After the creation of the Volga reservoir, in this area it began to freeze almost a week earlier and become free of ice later. The conditions for the growth of coastal and aquatic vegetation, and the habitat of birds and fish have changed. At the bottom of the Kuibyshev reservoir today, a huge amount of bottom sediments containing heavy metals and oil products has accumulated, which poses a serious threat to the ecology of the Volga.

Ulyanovsk is a port of five seas: along the Volga and canals you can get to the Caspian, Azov, Black, Baltic and White seas.

The most remote place in the region is located on the border with Chuvashia, 10 kilometers northwest of Bolshoi Kuvay. Bears constantly enter this area, therefore, it can be safely called the bear corner of the region.

The Volzhanka confectionery factory ranks 6th in Russia in the production of confectionery products, producing more than 140 products - caramel, sweets, chocolate, cookies, waffles, marmalade.

275 million years ago, the territory of modern Ulyanovsk was flooded by a warm tropical sea.

Capacity of the Volzhskaya HPP named after V.I. Lenin, the dam of which forms the Kuibyshev Reservoir, is 2315 MW; average annual output – 10.5 billion kW/h.

The largest beluga caught within the city limits of Ulyanovsk was 5 meters long and weighed 1,400 kg.

Interesting facts about Samara region

The Samara region is not one of the earthquake-prone zones, but spring earthquakes in Togliatti are now often talked about. During the spring flood, the Volzhskaya HPP begins to discharge large volumes of water from the upper pool to the lower pool. The flow falling from almost 40 meters height causes big wave, which destroys the coast, and micro-earthquakes occur in the areas adjacent to the hydroelectric power station.

Who hasn't heard of the famous Zhiguli beer? The beer factory, built in 1881 in Samara by the Austrian nobleman Alfred von Vacano, still operates today and is one of the symbols of the city.
Those who wish can still admire the ancient buildings built in the style German Renaissance, buy beer-themed souvenirs in the factory building and, of course, try the freshest Zhigulevskoye.

The name of the revolutionary Valerian Kuibyshev in the years Soviet power was given to several cities at once: Samara, Kainsk in the Novosibirsk region, Spassk in Tataria. Kuibyshevka was the name of Belogorsk in the Amur region. The vast reservoir in the north-west of the Samara region, on the banks of which Tolyatti is located, also became Kuibyshevsky.

Blue Lake, located in the Sergievsky district of the Samara region, has been known since ancient times. A powerful hydrogen sulfide source comes from the bottom. There is no life in the lake, which explains its transparency.The beauty of the lake is mesmerizing; you want to look into its transparent depth (about 17 meters) again and again. But the luckiest ones are those who know how to dive. According to divers, if you dive and look up, then, as in the picture, you can see clouds floating across the sky, trees growing on the shore, and comrades waiting for you.Local residents believe in the healing power of the lake and associate many legends with it. They say that in the old days a horse and cart allegedly fell into the lake, they were allegedly never found, and also that sometimes tarred boards with mysterious writings float to the surface...

In 1859, traveling along the Volga, Samara visited French writer A. Dumas, upon returning to his homeland, he publishes a book “from Paris to Astrakhan”, in which he dedicated pages to the Samara province.

IN mid-19th century, Samara became the first city in the world where a kumiss clinic was opened for the healing of consumptive patients. Nestor Postnikov, while practicing medicine, noticed that sour mare's milk helps in the treatment of tuberculosis. After this, the doctor in 1858, with his own money, six miles from Samara, built a kumiss hospital. Very soon the Samara kumiss clinic gained great popularity. The establishment was visited by members royal family, came from England for treatment, Germany, France , Italy, Portugal. For his service to medicine, Nestor Postnikov was awarded two degrees of the Order of St. Anne and the Order of St. Vladimir. In addition, Postnikov became a nobleman, and his name was entered in the Noble Genealogy Book. Now the Samara Regional Clinical Tuberculosis Dispensary named after Postnikov is located in the former kumiss hospital.

The Samara embankment is a cascade of beautiful terraces leading down to the Volga beaches. In summer, the embankment becomes a favorite vacation spot for city residents; numerous city holidays and festivals are held here. Fountains, flower beds, sports grounds and areas for creativity, cafes, attractions, rollerblading and bicycle rentals - everyone will find something to their liking!

Samara has the most high building railway station in Europe. The total height of the station, including the dome and spire, reaches 101 meters. The railway station has an observation deck. This is a large balcony around the dome of the station complex. The site is located at an altitude of 95 meters. This is equivalent to the level of the 18th floor. On the 2nd floor in the Samara station building there is historical Museum Kuibyshevskaya highway.

On the night of July 21-22, 2005, circles mysteriously appeared in a buckwheat field near Togliatti.
with a diameter of about 200 meters. A variety of theories have been expressed regarding the appearance of these circles: from the landing of aliens to a PR campaign by the city administration.

The city-forming enterprise of Togliatti is AvtoVAZ, because of which the city is often called the “automotive capital of Russia”, as well as the “Russian Detroit”. Tolyatti is considered by ecologists to be a region of the third of four possible pollution classes. The main source of pollution is road transport and factories.

The writer Alexei Tolstoy spent his childhood and youth in Samara, Maxim Gorky began his literary career here, working at Samara Gazeta, I.E. lived in this city. Repin, V.I. Surikov, I.K. Aivazovsky.

The ancient adits in the village of Shiryaevo are considered one of the most mysterious and full of secrets tourist sites in the Samara region, where not only Russian but also foreign tourists strive to get to. This is a real underground city with galleries of tunnels through which a double-decker bus can easily pass. To this day, in the caves you can see traces of narrow-gauge railway sleepers, and there are even miraculously surviving pieces of rails. Under your feet you come across stones of various sizes, sometimes entire mountains of prepared limestone. Some piles of such boulders appeared as a result of landslides, therefore, although walking through the dungeons is interesting, it is unsafe.

Samara was the capital twice. In 1918, from June to October, it was the capital of the Russian Democratic Federative Republic. The Russian Republic was one of the short-lived “white” states that were created on the territory of the country shortly after the October Revolution. And also, in October 1941, Kuibyshev (as Samara was called from 1935 to 1991) became the reserve capital of the USSR for almost two years. Due to the difficult situation at the front, part of the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Party, a number of people's commissariats, embassies, military and diplomatic missions of 22 states, many industrial enterprises, and a troupe were evacuated here Bolshoi Theater. The writer Vasily Grossman called this period in the life of the city “a mixture of state-owned community with evacuation bohemianism.”

Kuibyshev Square in Samara is the largest square in Europe. It occupies an area of ​​17.4 hectares. There are only four central squares, larger in area than Samara's - in Cairo, Havana, Beijing and Pyongyang.

The Big Irgiz is considered one of the most winding rivers in the world. In some areas, the distance between points along the riverbed is three or even five times greater than in a straight line.

“Stalin's Bunker” is one of the most interesting and mysterious museums in Samara. It was built specifically for the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Armed Forces, Joseph Stalin, in case Moscow was occupied by the Nazis during World War II and the capital had to be moved to Kuibyshev. The bunker is located at a depth of 37 meters. Built in 1942, declassified in 1990. Currently, the structure is one of the largest bunkers in the world. It maintains a constant microclimate. The air temperature is constant and equal to +19°C. Located in the bunker Personal Area Stalin, which has many false doors and secret exits. According to Samara residents exploring the dungeons, this is not the only bunker in Samara.

Interesting facts about the Penza region

Residents of Penza are called Penzatsy or Penzyaks, residents of Penza are called Penzenkas or Penzyachki.

The Penza Circus is the birthplace of the Russian circus, founded by the Nikitin brothers on December 25, 1873. Initially, the Nikitin Brothers built a circus in Penza on the banks of the Sura River; performances took place on ice. One of the main features of this circus was that only Russian circuses performed in it.

The Penza Planetarium is the only wooden planetarium in the world; there are no others like it.

In Penza, V.I. Lenin’s parents met and got married: Ulyanov and Blank.

Interesting facts about the Saratov region

In 1903 - 1906, the Saratov governor was P.A. Stolypin. At that time it was one of the largest and most revolutionized provinces in Russia. Here Stolypin could show his tough temper and ability to pacify unrest. For suppressing a peasant uprising in the province in 1905, he even received the gratitude of Emperor Nicholas II.

Yuri Gagarin landed on Saratov soil after his legendary flight into space. The second person to be in low-Earth orbit, German Titov, was also greeted by the Saratov region upon his return.

In Saratov, the outstanding geneticist and botanist Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov tragically ended his life in a prison hospital.

Saratov is an old theater city. The first fortress theater appeared here back in 1803. Currently there are nine theaters in the city.

In 1901, “platinum water” was discovered in the vicinity of Rtishchev. Since 1907, water was supplied to the royal court. The water was considered medicinal and had anti-cancer properties. The entire process of bottling and delivering water was kept secret. After the 1917 revolution, the source was lost.

During its history, the city was repeatedly moved from one place to another. The settlement, founded slightly higher along the Volga than modern Saratov, completely burned down in the winter of 1613 - 1614, and the garrison that made up its population went to Samara. In 1617, Saratov was rebuilt again, but on the left bank of the Volga - at the confluence of the Saratovka River and the Volozhka.

Until 1992, Saratov was a city closed to foreigners, since several large defense industry enterprises operated here.

Saratov became the third city in Russia to begin using telephone communications.

In the second half of the 18th century, Empress Catherine II invited residents European countries move to Russia and settle on the banks of the Volga. Thousands of residents from European countries responded to the invitation, but most of all from the German states: Hesse, Baden, Saxony, Mainz and others. In 1764 - 1768, after the invitation of the Empress, 106 German colonies were formed in the territories of modern Saratov and Volgograd regions, in which 25,600 people settled. German colonists turned the settlement into a large point for storing, processing and trading bread.

Engels is the birthplace of the famous composer Alfred Schnittke. He is the author of music written for more than 60 films.

On August 15, 1670, Stepan Razin and his army entered Saratov, and the residents greeted him with bread and salt. From that moment until July 1671, Saratov became one of the centers of the Peasant War in the Lower Volga.

The only one born and studied in Saratov Russian laureate Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the third of the Russian scientists who was awarded the Nobel Prize - Nikolai Nikolaevich Semyonov.

Near the city of Balakovo there is the Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant, built in 1977 - 1985. Today it is the largest electricity producer in Russia. Every year it produces about 30 billion kWh of electricity, which is more than any other power plant in the country. Balakovo NPP is a recognized leader in the nuclear energy industry in Russia; it has repeatedly been awarded the title “Best NPP in Russia”.

Interesting facts about the Volgograd region

In the north of the Volgograd region there is the Medveditskaya ridge, where hills 200 - 380 meters high stretch along the Medveditsa River. The entire territory of the ridge is penetrated by underground tunnels. No one knows by whom and when they were dug. Eyewitnesses say that real miracles happen here: springs with radioactive and distilled water gush out, and ball lightning bursts out of the ground, flying along the same “routes” every day. And in the sky above the ridge, according to the stories of local residents, luminous triangular-shaped objects often appear. They hover over the entrance to the tunnels, and then move away from north to south.

The Khoper River, flowing through the Volgograd region, is one of the cleanest in Europe, and, according to UNESCO, the cleanest among small rivers in Europe. Its age exceeds 10,000 years.

The Tsimlyansk Reservoir is called the sea because its area is huge and amounts to about 3,000 km². The Tsimlyansk reservoir is very elongated in length, but its width is also significant and, on average, is 38 km - the opposite shore in many places is not visible or barely visible, and the sky seems to dissolve in the Tsimlyansk waves. The water of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir is quite clean; its quality, according to experts, ranges between classes II and III. This fact is especially impressive if we remember that Baikal water is assigned class II, and Baikal is recognized as the cleanest lake in Russia. In addition, the Tsimlyanskoye Reservoir is the most productive reservoir for fishing in Russia: bream, blue bream, pike, carp, and silver bream are caught here. To maintain this honorable status, in recent decades Active measures are being taken to replenish the fish wealth of the reservoir. Numerous bays of the man-made sea are the most important spawning grounds for valuable fish species listed in the Red Book.

The well-known sculpture “The Motherland Calls!”, which rises on Mamayev Kurgan, is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest statue in the world. Its height reaches 52 meters, and the length of the sword that the Motherland holds is 29 meters, the total height is 85 meters. Its construction lasted 8 years. In its design there are direct analogies with battle. The number of steps from the foot to the top platform is 200, the same number of days the Battle of Stalingrad lasted. The silhouette of the monumental Motherland is taken as the basis for the images on the coat of arms and flag of the Volgograd region. For comparison - other world famous giant statues: the Statue of Liberty (New York, USA ) is 46 meters high, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ) – 38 meters.

The Tsimlyansk hydroelectric power station, together with the builders, was erected by GULAG prisoners (Tsimlyansk forced labor camp).

The Tsimlyansk Reservoir poses a serious danger to residents of coastal areas.
Strong winds, rearing up the waters of the artificial sea, collapse on the shore and flood thousands of hectares of land. The waters of the artificial sea flooded many villages, including the village of Tsimlyanskaya, which gave its name to the reservoir. Rising water levels lead to gradual erosion of the shores, and strong northern winds also contribute to this. During the year, the reservoir captures up to 12 meters of land. To protect the coast, measures are being taken to strengthen them.

The pride of the natural park, located on the banks of the Tsimlyansk Reservoir, is the herds of mustangs that have found shelter and well-fed food in these protected areas.

Volgograd has the largest length among the cities of Russia. It is located along the Volga at a length of 100 km. Sometimes residents from one end of the city never visit the other end of Volgograd in their entire lives.

In the Krasnoarmeysky district of Volgograd, at the entrance to the Volga-Don shipping canal, a giant monument to the leader of the October Revolution, V.I. Lenin, was erected; its height is already 27 meters, plus the height of the pedestal is 30 meters. So this Ilyich waved 57 meters! The monument is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest monument erected to a real living person.

E.Ya. was born in Uryupinsk. Dzhugashvili, grandson of I.V. Stalin. Also, the city is the birthplace of oil geologist D.V. Golubyatnikov.

Uryupinsk is famous for the unique breed of the Lon silver goat. Its durable fluff up to 10 cm long has a shade gray with a blue steel tint. Externally, Uryupinsk scarves and shawls are similar to sable fur capes. Scarves made from straight fleece are especially prized.

The Volgograd metro has its own peculiarity. In the 70s, the construction of a metro became a necessity, but Volgograd’s status was not a “million-plus” city, which means that a metro was not expected to have that status. The city government ordered the digging of 3 underground stations and launched a “high-speed tram” along them under the busiest transport network, and the tram ran on regular rails, both above ground and underground. It is still called the “metrotram”.

Mamayev Kurgan is a mass grave of the city’s defenders who fell in battle. 11,000 Soviet soldiers and commanders are buried here. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, on every square meter land Mamayev Kurgan more than 1,000 shell and mine fragments were found. For more than 10 years after the war, not even grass grew on the mound.

The Volgograd Reservoir is the longest of all Volga artificial seas; it stretches for more than half a thousand kilometers from Saratov to Volgograd. This is a great place for fishing. Here you can find bream, pike perch, carp and fish coming from the Caspian Sea.

In the dam of the Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Station, one of the largest fish lifts in Russia is operated, that is, a special lock, like a fish elevator, lifting at certain intervals the “passengers” that have accumulated in it - valuable species of fish from the Caspian Sea, which in the spring rush up the Volga and its tributaries to their traditional spawning grounds.

Streets with the name "Stalingrad" exist in many cities of the world. There is also a metro station "Stalingrad" in Paris.

To this day, in Volgograd, military personnel and volunteers are discovering several dozen unexploded bombs and hundreds of shells preserved in the city and its environs from the time of brutal battles with German occupiers. Such is the heavy legacy of the legendary Battle of Stalingrad.

Water exchange in the Volgograd reservoir occurs 4 to 10 times a year.

In 2003, the city of Volzhsky was recognized as the winner in one of the categories of the competition “The Most Comfortable City in Russia.”

In Volzhskoye there is a double numbering of houses and repeating street names in different microdistricts. And on Pushkin Street there is a single house with double numbering of apartments.

The Second Longitudinal Highway (or simply known to townspeople as the Second Longitudinal) is recognized as the longest street in Russia. Its total length is more than 50 km! However, for convenience, this giant highway was divided into 16 streets and avenues, which received different names.

Many of our compatriots are in a hurry to go to Israel to see the famous Dead Sea, without even suspecting that its analogue is located on Russian territory. Lake Elton is the largest salt lake in Europe, surpassing the waters of the Dead Sea and Essentuki in its healing properties. It can rightly be called one of the wonders of Russia.

Lake Elton is an elite balneological resort. The bottom sediments of the lake are represented by layers of salt alternating with deposits of clay, silt and mud. This mud is highly radioactive. It contains impurities of iodine, iron salts, hydrogen sulfide, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and amine bases. The mud of Lake Elton has therapeutic and cosmetic properties. It has a complex effect on the functions and systems of the body. Salts with water make up a saturated brine solution, called brine, containing elements of bromine, sodium, magnesium and other macro- and microelements. The mineralization of brine ranges from 200 (spring and autumn) to 400 (summer) g/l.

Pelotherapy (mud therapy), in addition to thermal effects, has a chemical effect on the body, irritating thermo- and chemoreceptors embedded in the skin. As a result of the penetration of some chemical substances Through the skin, dirt increases blood supply to the skin, enhances metabolism, regenerative and reparative processes, and has an analgesic, absorbable and relaxing effect.

Many are convinced that the Dead Sea mud is the best on earth in terms of quality and effectiveness.
However, having studied the healing properties of Lake Elton, Russian scientists came to the conclusion that its mud and brine significantly exceed all analogues in the content of iron sulfides, water-soluble salts, bischofite, boric acid, humic acids and their salts, lipids, various vitamins, minerals, enzymes and hormones. The air of Prieltonye also has healing qualities. Its ionization concentration is much higher than in most lowland forest resorts in Russia.

Not far from the lake is the sanatorium "Elton", where they offer different kinds medical services. Here you can take mud baths and swim in the salty waters of the lake. The sanatorium receives 260 patients per visit. And in half a year, up to 2,000 people are cured on the shores of the lake. There is a legend that once upon a time, at the sanatorium, there was a museum of “Abandoned Crutches”. Allegedly, people who came there on crutches, after a month or two no longer needed them and left them in the sanatorium. Soon, so many crutches accumulated that it was decided to liquidate the museum. One of the village residents made a fence for his garden out of these crutches.

Even in ancient times, people noticed medicinal properties Lake Elton. The first medicinal baths were dug in coastal soil layers, where the patient lay down and became covered in mud. After an hour, he plunged into the lake. After several such procedures, the disease subsided.

Lake Elton is called Altan-Nor by the Tatars and Kalmyks (which translates as “golden bottom”) - from the purple-red color of its water. The Polovtsian khans considered the lake sacred and worshiped it, and the Cossacks believed that at sunset the heavenly ruler descends into the waters of Elton and prolongs the life of all swimmers. And they were partly right, because the waters of the lake really have extraordinary healing powers.

The Volga is the fifth longest river in Russia and the largest river in Europe. This is the most important and most Russian river. It connects Central Russia with the Volga region, the Urals and the Caspian Sea. The Volga basin is extremely diverse in terms of physical and geographical conditions: taiga and mixed forests in the north, forest-steppe and steppe in the center, semi-desert and desert in the south. Volga connects with Baltic Sea Volga-Baltic waterway; with the White Sea - the White Sea-Baltic Canal; through the Volga-Don Canal - with the Azov and Black Seas. Bread, timber, machine tools, oil, salt are the main types of transportation on the Volga.

Every second near Volgograd, the Volga carries 8,130 m³ of water. Below Volgograd, water flows in the river decrease, since it does not receive tributaries in the semi-desert and desert, it loses a lot of water to evaporation.

During the spring flood, the amplitude of water level fluctuations in the Volga reached 17 meters (at the mouth of the Kama). With the construction of the Kuibyshev Reservoir, the Volga's flow began to be regulated, and fluctuations in water levels decreased.

The Panama Canal (81 km long) took 34 years to build, the Suez Canal (161 km long) took 11 years, and the Volga-Don Canal (101 km long) took 4.5 years.

During the construction of the Volga-Don Canal, 150 million m³ of earth was removed, 3 million m³ of concrete was poured, 14,000 tons of metal structures were installed, and 8,000 machines and mechanisms were used. In 1950, a group of engineers received the Stalin Prize for developing a project for the construction of the Volga-Don Canal.

If you start moving along the Volga-Don Canal from Volgograd, then ships must first climb 88 meters along the Volga Lock Staircase, then descend 44 meters along the Donskaya Lock Staircase. During the entire journey you will have to go through 13 locks: 9 on the Volga slope and 4 on the Don slope.

The architecture of the structure of the Volga-Don Canal is curious. Thus, the entrance lock of the shipping canal from the Volga side (lock No. 1) is decorated with an arch 40 meters high (the height of a 16-story building). Monuments to the heroes were erected near the gateway No. 10 civil war A. Parkhomenko, N. Rudnev and F. Sergeev (Artyom). The control towers of one of the locks in the Don region are decorated with equestrian statues of Red Army soldiers with swords drawn. At lock No. 13 there is a monument "Connection of Fronts" by sculptor E. Vuchetich. It recalls that in November 1942, Nazi troops were surrounded here by troops of the Stalingrad and Southwestern fronts.

Interesting facts about Kalmykia

Many generations of Kalmyks were deprived of the opportunity to practice traditional religion. It was only in 1988 that the first Buddhist community was formed in Elista, although interest in Buddhist religion and philosophy was practically lost. It took time to revive again cultural traditions ancestors In Elista in 1995, a branch of the International Buddhist Institute of the Karmapa was opened (New Delhi, India ).

Kalmyk language belongs to the Mongolian group of Altai language family. The Kalmyk alphabet was created in the middle of the 17th century on the old Mongolian graphic basis. In 1925, a new alphabet based on Russian graphics was adopted. The Kalmyk language is included in the UNESCO list of endangered languages.

In Kalmyk, the name of the Republic of Kalmykia sounds like Khalmg Tangch: khalmg - separated, and tangch - people, nation, region.

The greatest monument ancient culture Kalmyks - the heroic epic "Dzhangar", containing several tens of thousands of verses, is performed by Dzhangarchi storytellers.

The Great Silk Road once ran through Kalmykia.

Kalmykia is the most treeless region of Russia.

Believing Kalmyks profess Lamaism, which is a branch of Buddhism, and some Kalmyks are Orthodox.

The Kalmyk family has always had many children; in the past, each couple had at least 10 children, but they were often sick, and only 3-4 children survived. Adult children lived with their families, separately from their parents. The marriage was concluded by agreement of the parents, and the daughter was given outside her home. The Kalmyks did not have kalym, but the gifts were often very generous.

The main drink of the Kalmyks was a kind of “jomba” tea: it was prepared from milk and butter, salted, seasoned with nutmeg and bay leaf. This drink quenched thirst on hot days and warmed on cold days.

The patron saint of saigas among the Kalmyks is the White Elder, a Buddhist deity of fertility and longevity.
And the Kalmyks were forbidden to shoot saigas during the hunt, which were huddled together: it was believed that at this time the White Old Man himself was milking them.

The Golden Horde built cities and mounds here - the remains of the second capital are still preserved ancient empire Saray-Berke.

In ancient times, Kalmyks baked animal carcasses in a huge earthen pit, into which the air supply was blocked; it was covered with earth in a special way. This dish was prepared all day long.

The ancestors of the Kalmyks are considered to be the Oirats, who came to the Caspian steppes at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th centuries. Until this time, the Oirats were in close contact with the Turkic and Tungus-Manchu tribes, which influenced the emerging culture. According to one of the hypotheses, the Oirats separated from the Mongol tribes; they did not accept Islam, for which they were called Kalmaks by the Turkic peoples, which meant “breakaways”, “remnant”.

The largest Buddhist temple in Europe operates in Kalmykia. The temple was opened in 2005.

Kalmyks have all the features of the Central Asian anthropological type Mongoloid race: short stature, defined cheekbones, Mongolian eyes, dark skin, black straight hair. There are other features characteristic of nomadic peoples in the past: acute hearing and excellent vision, endurance, the ability to endure both summer heat and icy winds.

It is in Kalmykia that the Great Historical Crossroads is located - the geographical center of Eurasia.

December 28, 1943 – tragic date in the history of the Kalmyk people. On this day, a decision was made to forcibly deport Kalmyks to the regions of the Far North, Siberia and Kazakhstan . Kalmyks were declared a people who helped the invaders. The Kalmyk ASSR was liquidated and restored only in 1957. After the eviction of the Kalmyks, Elista was renamed the city of Stepnoy and was called so until the return of the Kalmyk people.

Elista is considered the “chess capital of Russia”. A town was built here for chess players from all over the world. Even in all schools of the republic, chess has been introduced as a subject of study.

In 1991, Elista was visited by His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV.

The Kalmyk steppes, through which the chain of Sarpinsky lakes stretches, turn into a real desert in dry summers. The temperature in July reaches +45°C in the shade (!), hot dry winds blow. But when the sun disappears below the horizon, a rather cold night sets in. During the long autumn, lakes are often covered with a shroud of fog, and rain turns the dust into impassable clay. It can hit in winter real frost to -25°C, but the salt content in the water of the lakes does not allow them to freeze.

When the lake dries up, the fish burrow deep into the silt and enter a state similar to suspended animation. There are known cases when, when digging a well at the bottom of a dry lake under a crust of hard silt, sleepy tench and crucian carp were found at a depth of 2 - 3 meters. Fish can be in a state of suspended animation long time– from 1 to several years, but for this it is necessary that the sludge in the depths be liquid.

The Black Earth Nature Reserve is home to the bustard, one of the largest (by weight - up to 15 kg) flying birds in Russia. And the symbol of the reserve is the saiga antelope, one of the few antelopes in Russia.

Interesting facts about the Astrakhan region

With the capture of Astrakhan, Stepan Razin's famous campaign up the Volga began. Arriving in 1670 with an army after a campaign in Persia, the Cossack chieftain besieged the city and took it by cunning - while in one place an assault was imitated by drumming and noise, in another the main part of the army calmly entered the city.

The main industry in the Astrakhan region is fuel. Here is the Astrakhan gas condensate field, the largest in the European part of Russia.

In Astrakhan souvenir shops you can buy products made from fish skin.

The Astrakhan region is rightfully considered a “bird interpreter”. More than 260 species of birds live here, many of which are listed in the Red Book. Including the majestic white-tailed eagle, graceful pink flamingo and the “Caspian hummingbird” rezun.

The pearl of the Astrakhan region is the lotus. It has been known in the Volga delta for more than 200 years and is called the Caspian rose. From mid-July to September, these strange flowers, intoxicating with their beauty and aroma, bloom, attracting hundreds and thousands of tourists. For Kalmyks who profess Buddhism, the lotus is a sacred flower.

The Astrakhan Kremlin is one of seven Russian cities that have preserved their fortress walls.

Wild hemp grows well in the Astrakhan region and is controlled every year.

It was from the territory of the Astrakhan region into the upper atmosphere that on July 22, 1951, for the first time in the history of the earth, two earthlings flew into space - the dogs Dezik and Gypsy. The rocket rose to a height of about 101 km, reaching the Karman line (the conventional boundary of the Earth's atmosphere and space). The flight lasted about 20 minutes, the container with the dogs landed safely a few kilometers from the launch pad.

The Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is one of the greatest river valleys on the globe and the only section of the Volga that has preserved its natural structure. The floodplain is covered with 40-meter alluvial deposits. In terms of the scale of the alluvial process, it can be compared with the floodplains of the Nile and Amazon.

Covered with a dense network of channels and branches of various lengths and widths, the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain is almost completely filled with water during spring floods. The water spill can reach 20 - 30 meters. At this time, large schools of fish from the Caspian Sea and from the lower reaches of the Volga enter the flooded meadows and channels to spawn. In rapidly warming shallow water, juvenile fish develop well. At one time, this area produced about 80% of the world's production of sturgeon and gourmet fish. Today, the situation, unfortunately, has changed - rivers no longer give such a catch. After the descent of the water, a layer of very fertile silty deposits remains on the floodplain. Local residents have adapted to grow the famous Astrakhan watermelons, rice and tomatoes on these soils.

Bactrian camels are bred in the Astrakhan region. They reach up to 1.5 tons in weight and are the largest camels on Earth. In October, an agricultural exhibition is held where camel racing is held. Most of the camels in Russia are grown in the Astrakhan region.

At the beginning of the 20th century, belugas weighing over a ton lived in the Lower Volga; caviar in females accounted for up to 15% of their total body weight. Such specimens can now only be seen in local history museums.

Under Peter I, a Wedding Riot occurred in Astrakhan, when 100 weddings were played on one day. The reason was a rumor about the forced extradition of girls for foreigners.

Astrakhan is located at a mark of minus 25 meters from the level of the World Ocean.

The filming of such famous films as “My Friend Ivan Lapshin”, “It Can’t Be”, “We’ll Live Until Monday” took place in Astrakhan.

A little over 100 pairs of white-tailed eagle nest throughout Russia, and 24 residential nesting sites of these giant birds are known in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain alone.

Lake Baskunchak is the largest deposit of self-planting salt. Baskunchak salt makes up 80% of all Russian salt and is considered one of the best in the world.

Many people associate Astrakhan with black caviar, but now you can officially buy it at almost the same prices as in Moscow. True, they sell there mainly caviar from Dagestan and Kalmykia, obtained from fish illegally caught in the Caspian Sea. The highest quality caviar is mature, it looks light and very large. It is obtained from fish that have already come to spawn in the river, which is why the best caviar is Astrakhan caviar.The most valuable caviar is beluga, then sturgeon, then stellate sturgeon, differing in color and size.

Almost all the leaders of the USSR and the Russian Federation were avid hunters and fishermen, therefore, they often spent their vacations in the Volga Delta. Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin were also here.

Lake Baskunchak became the “author” of a curious cartographic incident - on all maps of the region the lake is drawn, and a railway track runs right along the water. In fact, the tracks lie on a small embankment, and even if there were no embankment, the trains would probably run smoothly on salt - that’s how hard most of the surface of the lake is. Baskunchak does not even contain water, but brine (a saturated aqueous solution of salt), which appears mainly in winter and spring. The brine level varies depending on climatic conditions and ranges from 0.1 to 0.8 meters. The thickness of the surface of the salt deposits in the lake is 10 - 18 meters in the center and 1 - 4 meters near the shores.

Astrakhan is located on 11 islands. There are more than 50 bridges in the city.

You can and should (extremely good for the skin) swim in Lake Baskunchak without fear of drowning. Only after water procedures it is necessary to plunge into fresh water.

In the Astrakhan region, the American prickly pear cactus grows in the wild.

The uniqueness of the Baskunchak salt deposit is that, due to its natural features, it is capable of restoring lost reserves over the years due to the numerous springs flowing into the Baskunchak along its northwestern shore. It was this quality that, at one time, gave rise to the myth about the inexhaustibility of the lake and the infinity of its reserves. During the day, more than 2,500 tons of salts enter the lake, and more than 930,000 tons per year. In addition to this salt, which is continuously brought into Lake Baskunchak by springs, a huge amount of salt has accumulated in the basin itself over the past geological times, the thickness of which is 20 - 50 meters, and in the bowels of the earth in place of the lake, deposits of rock salt were discovered, going to a depth of 10 km ( !).

Big Bogdo is the most revered mountain of Buddhists. According to legend, three Buddhist monks carried this mountain through the air by force of will. Seeing a beautiful girl, they lost their composure and dropped the mountain, but were unable to lift it again. Scientists still cannot unravel the mystery of the origin of the mountain, claiming that according to all scientific calculations, Bogdo should not exist.

Astrakhan standard time is 1 hour ahead of Moscow, although in reality it is only 42 minutes.

In the Volga delta, the water is very clear; the reeds growing in abundance here act like a giant filter. You can see how fish swim in the water, this is especially striking in comparison with the water upstream, when you put your hand in the water and you cannot see your own palm.

For almost 200 years, the only tools used by salt workers were a shovel and a pood ice pick (special iron scrap). Standing almost waist-deep in the skin-corroding brine, the workers manually loosened the salt layer with a heavy pick and loaded the salt into carts drawn by camels. Thus, the supply of over 10 million pounds of pure Baskunchak salt to the Russian market was ensured by the hard labor of almost 40,000 hired workers. With the advent of Soviet power, the active introduction of mechanization began. By 1934, there were already 3 salt pumps operating on the lake. In 1972, a new salt factory was put into operation with a capacity of 800,000 tons of salt per year, producing ground, packaged and briquetted salt.

Astrakhan is known as one of the largest centers of the fishing industry. The Caspian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography operates here.

Astrakhan watermelons brought all-Union fame to the region, but one must take into account that we are talking about varieties bred by local plant breeders; unfortunately, they are now being replaced by foreign varieties that are more productive, although inferior in taste. Previously, watermelons were not only eaten fresh, but also salted. Local scientists were able to cross watermelon with melon, resulting in “moon watermelons” - with yellowish flesh and a pleasant taste.

Several centuries ago, the Khvalynsk Sea approached the Astrakhan region several tens of kilometers closer, and the Volga passed much closer to the Astrakhan Kremlin.

Over the last century, the land area in the Volga delta has increased 10 times.

5,000 hectares of the territory of the Astrakhan Nature Reserve are occupied by thickets of nut-bearing lotus. Its rhizomes and fruits are the favorite food of geese and swans. Perhaps it was these birds that brought lotus seeds to the Volga delta during their flights.

Rice is grown in Astrakhan and it is quite tasty.

Among the birds listed in the Red Book, in the Astrakhan Nature Reserve you can see the Dalmatian pelican, Egyptian heron, and little cormorant.

Sights of the Republic of Kalmykia. The most important and interesting sights of the Republic of Kalmykia - photos and videos, descriptions and reviews, location, websites.

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Golden Gate in Elista

In the very heart of Elista there is the Golden Gate in Elista - a unique exotic monument of Buddhist architecture, the most recognizable and beloved landmark of the city, installed in the 90s. of the last century, illustrating the entire life history of the Kalmyks.

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Manych-Gudilo

Every normal lake has its own legend. Manych-Gudilo frightened people with his roar. Residents of nearby villages quickly came up with different spirits: they will hum and leave. In fact, there were no traces of any spirits, but the wind was raging, which makes frightening sounds in these places.

The Republic of Kalmykia is located between the deserts of the Astrakhan region and the fields Stavropol Territory. The endless steppe, the dominant Kalmyk landscape, is the main attraction of the Republic. In the spring, before the heat sets in, the steppe turns green: poppies, irises, and silver feather grass bloom. However, with the onset of June comes a merciless heat, drying out all living things, and with it the steppe fires. About the gusty wind, the culprit of many kilometers of fires, the Kalmyks say that it blows twice a year: six months in one direction, six months in the other. If from the east, it will bring dust storms from the Astrakhan sands, if from the west, expect blessed rain.

On the map, the republic resembles a horse rearing up, which is very symbolic for the nomadic people, for whom sitting in the saddle is no less familiar than walking on foot. There is also a breed of horses here - Kalmyk: stocky, hardy, unpretentious. They are bred in the village of Tsagan-Nur in the Oktyabrsky district. Such horses are suitable for work, and as a landmark of Kalmykia at numerous races, the republic presents stately, handsome Akhal-Teke horses bred at stud farms in the Yashkul and Tselinny regions.

On the map, the republic resembles a horse rearing up, which is very symbolic for the nomadic people, for whom sitting in the saddle is no less familiar than walking on foot.

The natural attractions of Kalmykia include the Sarpinsky lakes - oxbow lakes of the ancient bed of the Volga. The largest of them are Sarpa and Tsatsa, however, even they, filling with water in the spring, often dry up in the summer heat. Notable on the steppe landscape are the Baerovskie mounds in the Caspian lowland - oblong hills of extremely regular and uniform shape. There are several versions of their origin, one of the most popular of which is that the space they occupy was once the bottom of the Caspian Sea, which, due to some ancient cataclysms, became very shallow.

The Yashalta Salt Lake is well known far beyond the borders of the republic: its mud has unique healing properties that are superior in importance to the mud of other equally famous lakes. Today, on Lake Yashalta there is a health resort “Salt Lake”.

No less noteworthy is the Chernye Zemli Nature Reserve in Kalmykia, founded in 1990 to study steppe, semi-desert, desert landscapes and the Kalmyk saiga population. On its territory there is a unique salt lake Manych-Gudilo (Big Manych), in the swamps near which there are nesting and wintering grounds for many waterfowl. The total territory of the reserve exceeds 120 hectares, its secured territory- over 90 hectares. The reserve has the official biosphere status of UNESCO.

Another natural attraction of Kalmykia is the lotus. Near the Caspian Sea, in Lagan, you can see whole lotus fields. Besides, White Lotus- a traditional Buddhist symbol, and Kalmyks are the largest Buddhist ethnic group in Russia and throughout Europe. There is an opinion among Buddhists that Buddha Maitreya will be reborn in Kalmykia. To prepare for this event, in Elista they plan to set up a Maitreya park, erect a statue of him, and the XIV Dalai Lama himself came to consecrate the site for the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni khurul. In general, Buddhists are very tolerant and peaceful - tourists can freely visit the khurul and observe their rituals. Those who are close to Buddhist culture and the spirit of the East should like Syakusn-Syum, Elista and Tsagan-Aman.

As for other national Kalmyk customs, much was lost due to the resettlement of Kalmyks in Siberia in 1943. To date, the ability to dance traditional dances, sew national clothes, they are best able to speak and write in their native language in the Ketchenerovsky district, in the villages of Tuktun and Evdyk, on the Shin-Mer farm.

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