Gorny Altai, Ukok Plateau

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Have you ever heard of the Ukok Plateau? Maybe you have already managed to go to this amazing and in its own way unique place? Unfortunately, in most cases the answer to both questions will be negative. It so happened geographically that this natural object is located quite far from popular tourist destinations. Charter flights are not organized on the Ukok plateau (Gorny Altai), cafes and restaurants are not landscaped for a certain season, new hotels are not opened annually, but, nevertheless, it is worth visiting here at the first opportunity.

This article will tell you about this amazing object on the map of Russia. The reader will receive all the necessary information in order to one day, in spite of everything, pack up and go to the Ukok plateau. How to get there, what places to visit first and what to look for before and during the trip? We will try to give the most detailed answer to all these questions. So…

The Sacred Ukok Plateau. General Description

First of all, we note that this geographicthe facility is located in the south of Altai, high in the mountains, in the place where the border between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia passes.

Today, the plateau is included in the UNESCO list. And the prerequisites for being included in the famous list were actually more than enough. Let's list some of them. Firstly, this area attracts tourists with its pristine view and harsh wildlife. In general, the Ukok plateau, a photo of which can be found in almost every atlas dedicated to the Russian Federation, is considered inaccessible. And, by the way, it was the lack of human activity here that contributed to the preservation of nature in its virgin form.

Secondly, now this area will open a lot of interesting things for tourists. For example, here you can find healing radon springs, wander among the walls of the once prosperous, and now almost destroyed, meteorological station of the times of the USSR, climb the Princess Mound, admire the four-thousander mountains and stand on the shores of the purest lakes inhabited by grayling.

Location Features

As mentioned above, the Ukok Plateau (Altai Republic) lies high in the mountains and has a rather harsh climate. It is known that this territory in ancient times served as a place of worship for heavenly powers. It was here that monks ascended, sorcerers hurried and shamans rushed in search of answers to their age-old questions.

Now, any trip to the Ukok plateau is a chance to visit the most beautiful and hard-to-reach place. And at the same time, this object is open to everyone.nationalities, because it is considered an area of intensive interaction between the cultures of various Eurasian ethnic groups. That is why, by the way, it was called the altar of Eurasia.

In the central part of the plateau, at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, there is the Bertek basin, and from the north, the plateau is bounded by the ridge of the same name. It should also be noted that there is absolutely no forest on the Ukok plateau, but there are many streams, rivers, swamps and glacial lakes.

The main river with the complex name Ak-Alakha flows through the Bertek hollow. From the south, the plateau is framed by a majestic massif called Tabyn-Bogdo-Ola. Glaciers feed the most important rivers in the region: Katun, Irtysh and Khovd.

The Ukok plateau is the geographical and cultural center of the Eurasian continent.

What does the name of this place mean?

It's hard to say for sure. For example, translated from the Mongolian "ukok" means "a massive mountain" or "a large hill with a flat top." But in the Kyrgyz language, the word "ukok" is used to refer to all plateaus without exception.

Locals call the Ukok plateau a kind of "end of everything." The belief says that the pastures of the plateau are located on the very threshold of the sky, already beyond the limits of human influence. By the way, the Altaians also believe that it is not allowed to shout and talk loudly here, because it would be sacrilege and an insult to the spirits.

Ukok Plateau. How to get to. Transport interchange

First of all, it should be noted that difficult roads lead to the plateau through high mountain passes, to which the valley of the river. Kaluga can be reached along the Chuisky tract. However, further this path becomes passable only for specialized vehicles.

By the way, one should take into account the fact that most of the year the passes are in an avalanche-prone state and are covered with snow, and rockfalls often occur here.

Section 5. Getting there on your own by car

In principle, you can get to the village of Kosh-Agach by any type of car, and at an acceptable speed it’s really possible to get to the Warm Key on your own. The pass itself can be overcome by car only 2 months a year.

Only cars with four-wheel drive, mud wheels, power kit, winch, jack, two spares, a full tank and 60 liters of fuel will be able to reach the plateau.

Besides, seasoned travelers recommend going to the Ukok plateau, photos of which are often found in modern guidebooks around the country, in teams of 2-3 cars.

Section 6. What is the "Ukok Quiet Zone"

"Zone of Quiet" is a new geological formation that has no analogues in the world, which serves as a kind of reserve of natural resources of this territory. The international classification refers the neoplasm to temporary category VI, denoting a purely given resource reserve.

Such a gradationwill be used until the area is assigned a permanent category.

The current tasks of the "Quiet Zone" include not only the conservation of natural resources, but also a ban on any economic activity that, one way or another, can damage the protected area.

Time and history of creation

The need to include the plateau in the list of specially protected areas is caused by an increase in aggressive anthropogenic interference. The first steps to preserve all the resources of the Ukok Plateau (Gorny Altai) were made back in the 60-70s. 20th century Then the local authorities adopted a special resolution that controlled pasture load, river pollution, hunting and fishing. In addition, several natural sites of the plateau have been declared natural monuments.

In general, it is worth noting that Ukok has a large concentration of archaeological sites of different chronological periods, from the Paleolithic to the present.

Animals and flora

To our time, the flora of the "Zone of Quiet" has not been fully studied. Although it is known that the bulk are alpine steppe species. Forest and alpine features are very weakly expressed. With the high originality of the flora of the Ukok plateau, reviews of which are not as common in guidebooks as we would like, its connection with Asian vegetation can be traced.

Yearly, many species of rare plants appear here: astragalus, hollywort, Altairhubarb, low onion, larkspur, frosty Rhodiola, etc.

In the "Zone of Peace" is also very diverse fauna. Invertebrates here are such Lepidoptera, quite rare in the wild, as the common Apollo, Apollo phoebus, Mongolian jaundice, Kefershtein's nigella, etc. Only two species of fish are found in the reservoirs of Ukok: grayling and Altai osman.

Until our time, no reptiles and freshwater have been found here, but many birds live here. There are a lot of Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, there is a tundra and a white partridge, which belong to the family of Galliformes.

In total, more than 20 species of mammals live in the Quiet Zone.

Many species of animals and plants are listed in the Altai Red Book.

Ukok - the edge of permafrost

The development of icing phenomena in the western basins of the Ukok determines the shallow occurrence of permafrost due to weak filtration of precipitation.

The role of numerous ice formations is mainly to redistribute surface runoff from autumn to the warm season.

The ice is often planted on faults formed by groundwater. Their seasonal appearance increases the intensity of the springs and frost weathering. In addition, due to them, waterlogging of the adjacent territory occurs, conditions are created for the development of moisture-loving vegetation in these areas.

Archaeological finds

In the 90s of the last century, sensationalfinds. Burials of cultures that existed in the 3rd-2nd millennium BC were found here. e.

Excavations of the Scythian mounds gave scientists the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture of the Iron Age. The discovery of the burial of the “Ukok princess” in the rest zone was a worldwide discovery.

In addition, a huge number of burials, stone calculations, ritual complexes and rock paintings were found in this region.

In general, the Ukok plateau (reviews of inquisitive travelers will not let you lie) is a truly magnificent natural and cultural treasury of Eurasia that requires care and protection.

Who is Princess Ukok?

This name began to be called the mummy of a woman, which was discovered during excavations by Russian archaeologists at the end of the 20th century. This discovery became one of the most important in the scientific field.

The mound in which the princess was buried, at the time of excavations in 1993, was in a dilapidated and devastated state. The excavations were carried out by N. Polosmak, Doctor of Historical Sciences and an archaeologist from Novosibirsk.

Initially, the princess was not found in the mound of the Ukok plateau. There was discovered a parking lot that could be attributed to the Iron Age. At the site of one of the ancient burials, archaeologists discovered a deck with a woman's body filled with ice. The burial chamber was opened very carefully, trying not to damage the contents. Archaeologists had to gradually melt the ice over several days.

Inside they found 6 horses with harness and saddles, a wooden block, boarded upbronze nails. All this pointed to the burial of a noble person of the middle strata of society. In the course of research, it turned out that the mummy belongs to the 5th-3rd centuries. BC e. The princess was 25 years old.

Today it is stored in the Novosibirsk Museum. At the moment, a building is being built to store the mummy, resembling the mound in which it was found.

Problems of the region: Ukok and gas pipeline construction

Today, a serious problem has matured in this region. Gas workers and officials want to lay a gas pipeline along the Quiet Zone.

A special campaign sheet in support of the construction of the gas pipeline has been posted on the blog of the Head of the Altai Republic. This document allegedly emphasizes the importance for Altai of Gazprom's agreement with a certain Chinese oil and gas company. He also reports that the construction of this facility will allow gasification of the most remote areas, thereby providing new budget revenues and jobs.

The Ukok Plateau is a unique, most important natural heritage and heritage of mankind. Its importance can be compared to the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. It is extremely unworthy to sacrifice such a magnificent natural park for the coming billions. Now the indignation in connection with the destruction of unique monuments of the past is growing in full swing in the world, so the gas attack on Ukok is becoming even more unattractive.

The construction of a gas pipeline that is detrimental to the environment by Gazprom violates not only Russian legislation, but also many international agreements, in particular those related tothe UNESCO World Heritage List compiled over the years.