Bashkortostan is a relatively small republic with just over 4 million people, but it has an unusually beautiful and pristine nature. The Bashkirs were able to save their 12,000 rivers and more than 2,500 lakes from pollution, and forests, which cover 40% of the territory, from cutting down.
Lake Aushkul is a source of mineralized water, and a place where thousands of pilgrims come every year, as it is comfortably located at the foot of the sacred mountain Aushtau.
Lake location
A crack formed a long time ago in the earth's crust became Lake Aushkul on the territory of modern Bashkiria (Uchalinsky district). It lies in the middle of the rocky steppe, two hundred kilometers from Chelyabinsk, 300 km from Yekaterinburg and 350 km from Ufa.
Places around it are sparsely populated. Nearby there is only one village, Starobairamgulovo, and the nearest city of Miass is 40km. Fishermen and pilgrims know Aushkul (lake) well. How to get to this sacred place for Sunnis by car, pointers and a map will tell you: along the Chelyabinsk highway to the turn to Miass or Kasli, and then in the Uchalinsky direction to the city of Komsomolsky. From it, turn right to the village of Starobayramgulovo, which is located on its shore.
Translated from Turkic, the name of the reservoir means “transshipment lake”, and it is associated with a pilgrimage to the sacred mountain Aushtau, located on its northwestern shore. Before climbing to the sacred relics, travelers made a h alt on its shore, from where this toponym came from near the lake, which is spread on the plain, and not on the highlands.
Description of Lake Aushkul
A bowl with the purest bluish-green water lies at the foot of Mount Aushtau. This is Lake Aushkul. Small in size, only 2 km long and 1.5 km wide, it is surrounded by a shore covered with small multi-colored pebbles. If you take the time to search, then among them you can find the famous Aushkul pale yellow jasper. In the distant 18th century, vases were made from it for the nobility and the Imperial Palace.
Lake Aushkul does not shine with bottomlessness, because the deepest places in it do not exceed 3 meters. But this does not prevent fishing enthusiasts from leaving here with a good catch.
Entering the basin of the Uy River, this lake was able to preserve a unique set of minerals in its composition, which puts it on a par with the healing hydrocarbonate-calcium-magnesium springs. Its water is soft, and the lake is filled with the Shartadm River and rains.
The only onethe island of the lake has a mysterious feature: it constantly migrates over short distances, and its heart-shaped outline gives it a romantic charm. Scientists, devoid of sentimentality, give a prosaic explanation for this phenomenon, linking it to the fact that the island lies on a peat bog, which is not firmly fixed to the bottom, and so it is carried by the winds in one direction or the other along the coast.
Lake Aushkul has become a home for common cranes and mallards, and black grouse nest in a small birch forest near the shore.
Rest on Aushkul
This lake has preserved its original appearance, purity and beauty due to the absence of industrial enterprises and tourist bases nearby. Those who travel to the Uchalinsky district to enjoy nature should be prepared to live among it in the truest sense of the word.
The shores of Lake Aushkul are gentle, so finding a place for a tent is not difficult.
Who cannot do without the blessings of civilization, they can stay either 40 km from the reservoir in a hotel in the city of Miass, or ask to stay with the locals. The second option is very attractive, as the Bashkirs are incredibly friendly and hospitable people.
Especially crowded in these places in the spring. This is due to the fact that believers come to the holy spring, which beats only a month a year on the top of Mount Aushtau. According to legend, the beheaded Saint Auliy himself climbed to the top of the mountain, where the Bashkirs buried him, and next to his grave, a spring withhealing water. By the summer it dries up and completely disappears until the next spring.
Knowing its healing properties, pilgrims climb to the top of the mountain (645 m) for water and to bow to the grave of St. Aulia.
Fishermen also frequent the lake, knowing its fish-rich waters.
Fishing on the lake
Those who fished in these places are well aware of the breathtaking sight when the reflection of Mount Aushtau becomes visible in the water surface in the first rays of the sun. This is what Aushkul lake looks like at dawn. Fishing is especially good from the east coast.
Numerous fire pits are equipped here, and mushrooms are found in the nearby forest. The slope of a small hill descending to the eastern shore of the lake looks no less tempting. Berry pickers will love the strawberry-covered hillside.
The waters of the lake abound with bream, roach, perch, pike, ripus, carp, golden and silver carp. You can fish both from the shore and by boat. Fishing with spinning requires depth, so you need to either bring a watercraft with you or rent it from local fishermen.
Unfortunately, there are frequent cases of poaching on Lake Aushkul, which leads to the grinding of fish and a decrease in its quantity. Therefore, even with a large catch, the weight of the fish is rarely impressive.
Sights near Aushkul Lake
No matter how clean and attractive Lake Aushkul is, there are places in Bashkiria for recreation that are more equipped for this, so the local population is connected, first of all, withwith shrines located on Mount Aushtau.
At its top there are graves revered not only by Bashkirs, but by all Sunnis. In one grave lies the ashes of an Arab sheikh, as evidenced by an old inscription on a commemorative plate. Saints Auliy and Divana are buried nearby.
The energy of the mountain peak has been recharged for many centuries by the belief of pilgrims that the wishes made near these graves will surely come true, which has numerous confirmations. Despite the fact that the way up is quite steep, and it is difficult for elderly or unprepared people to pass it without h alts, the path to the shrines is not overgrown with grass. A tree growing near the graves keeps thousands of ribbons on it - these are the wishes of the pilgrims.
Tours to Aushkul
When the weather on Lake Aushkul favors, which is especially common in summer, paragliders and lovers of jeep tours come here.
The former are attracted by a beautiful view of the lake from a bird's eye view, while the latter are expected by an 80 km journey from Miass with a rest near the lake and climbing the holy mountain.
Travel agencies also offer vacations to those who are used to acting on the road: day trips around the lake on ATVs and bicycles, conquering the slopes of the hills, will be a great opportunity to actively relax and test your endurance.
Lake Aushkul today
There must be something in this world that stays the same, like sunrises and sunsets. So the lake Aushkul should be untouched by civilization. The silence, beauty and holy energy inherent in this place should continue to give rest to the human soul.
