Olkhon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olkhon (Ольхон, also transliterated as Olchon) is by far the largest island in Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia, with an area of 730 km².
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Olkhon has a dramatic combination of terrain and is rich in archeological landmarks. Steep mountains line its eastern shore. Mount Zhima is the tallest point on the island at 1,276 m above sea level, which is 818 m above Lake Baikal water level. The island is large enough to have its own lakes. Other areas are a combination of taiga, steppe and a small desert. A deep strait separates the island from the land.
The island's appearance is a result of millions of years of tectonic movement, resulting in the hollowing of the channel between the land and the block of stone forming the island. The steep slopes of the mountains show the vertical heave of the earth.<ref>Olkhon Island. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.</ref>
[edit] Population
The population of the island is less that 1500,<ref name="one"/> mostly Buryats, the island's aboriginal people. Most people are fishermen, farmers, or cattle-ranchers.
There are several settlements and five villages on the island: Yalga, Malomorets, Khuzir, Kharantsi, and Ulan-Khushin. The tiny village of Khuzir is the administrative capital of Olkhon, designated as such April, 1987, when the Soviet government issued a comprehensive decree protecting Lake Baikal.<ref name="two">Olkhon island. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.</ref>
[edit] Culture
Olkhon is full of legends and holy places.
The indigenous Buryats believe the island to be a spiritual place. On the western coast, close to Khuzhir, is Baikal's most famous landmark, the Shamanka, or Shaman's Rock. Natives believe that Burkhan lives in the cave in this rock. Burkhan is a modern religious cult figure of the Altai peoples. The rock is one of nine Asian Most Sacred Places. The museum of Olkhon named after Revyakin has a great exposition on the nature and ethnography of the island including smoking pipes and samovars collections.
Olkhon is one of the sacred shamanist center and also considered a centre of Kurumchinskay culture of VI-X centuries.
[edit] History
The history of the island is very old. The original indigenous people were the Kurykans, forefathers of two ethnic groups: the Buryats and Yakuts.<ref>Description of Olkhon island. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.</ref>
Russian explorers first visited during the 17th century.<ref name="two"/> During Soviet times deportees were taken to the island, especially Lithuanians after their country was occupied by the Soviets. The island was therefore part of the Gulag system, and many deportees perished.
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] External links
 | This Siberia location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
