Altai Republic.

History

People have lived in these mountains since ancient times: in 1993 a team led by archaeologist Natalia Polosmak found, on the Ukok Plateau, the grave of a Pazyryk woman from the 5th century BC, now known as the Siberian Ice Maiden, with deer tattoos in the 'animal style'. The lands became part of the Russian Empire in 1864–1865 under the Treaty of Tarbagatai. In 1922 the Oyrot Autonomous Oblast was created; it was renamed Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast in 1948 and became the Altai Republic in 1992.

Culture & traditions

About 37 per cent of residents are Altaians and just over half are Russians. Traditional Altai spirituality blends shamanism, Tengrism and Burkhanism, the 'white faith' that arose in 1904, and much of the culture is handed down orally, including through throat singing. Southern Altaians long herded livestock as nomads while northern groups hunted in the taiga, and many families still keep a yurt in the yard as a summer kitchen or spare room. Since 2012 the Ice Maiden has been kept at the A. V. Anokhin National Museum in Gorno-Altaysk.

Nature

Belukha rises to about 4,500 metres, with glaciers on its flanks. Lake Teletskoye runs for 78 kilometres and plunges to 325 metres; Altaians call it Altyn Köl, the Golden Lake, after a legend of a traveller who threw his gold into the water. In 1998 the Altai and Katun nature reserves, Lake Teletskoye, Belukha and the Ukok Plateau were inscribed by UNESCO for showing the most complete sequence of altitudinal vegetation zones in central Siberia, from steppe to alpine meadow. These mountains shelter the snow leopard, the Altai argali and the Siberian ibex.

Sport

Belukha is the great mountaineering challenge: the Tronov brothers first climbed it in 1914, and most ascents of the eastern summit still follow their southern route. The area is remote, so reaching the mountain takes careful planning.

Food & drink

Traditional Altai food is built on meat and milk: horse or mutton soups, blood sausage, cream skimmed from boiled milk and fermented dairy. Kumis was traditionally distilled into a strong drink called aryki.

Practical information

Flights arrive at Gorno-Altaysk Airport; there is no railway, so many travellers drive the Chuysky Trakt via Biysk. Local time is four hours ahead of Moscow (UTC+7). The climate is temperate continental, with short summers and long cold winters, so summer is the best time for the mountains. Border-zone areas, including the approaches to Belukha, require a border-guard permit arranged well in advance.

What to see

• Lake Teletskoye — the deep 'Golden Lake' inside the Altai Nature Reserve
• Belukha — the glaciated highest peak of the Altai
• Ukok Plateau — the high plateau where the Ice Maiden was found
• Chuysky Trakt — the republic's main paved road through the mountains
• A. V. Anokhin National Museum — Pazyryk treasures in Gorno-Altaysk

Cities on the map

• Gorno-Altaysk 64,508