The island of Vera on Lake Turgoyak is a landmark of the Urals

In the world there are many mysterious and mysterious places, shrouded in a lot of legends and the most incredible stories. They are interested in scientists and fans of everything unusual. To such, unquestionably, is the island of Vera on Lake Turgoyak. Here, myths and legends are so closely intertwined that sometimes it is impossible to distinguish one from another.

Lake Turgoyak

This unusual natural reservoir is located in the Chelyabinsk region, at the foot of the Ilmen mountain range. Chelyabinsk Turgoyak separates 120 km, and from Ekaterinburg - 230 km. The area of the mirror is about 27 square kilometers. The bottom of the lake is rocky, but the water is crystal clear.

Turgoyak is a unique lake, recognized as the most valuable water body in the world. The huge granite cup, which in diameter reaches 6 km, at a depth of 40 meters, is filled with more than half a billion tons of absolutely pure water.

origin of name

On this occasion, there are several versions. One of them is the most common and is considered more plausible. Researchers believe that the name came from the Bashkir words. "Tur" means "elevation", "honorable place", and "yak" - "side". The name translates as "a lake located on a hill" or "a lake high". This version is recognized as the most truthful, since it gives an estimate of the altitude position of the reservoir in the system of lakes in the eastern slope of the Southern Urals.

Mysterious island

Today it is scientifically confirmed that in the 19th century there was a male Old Believer skit on this island. Some researchers tend to believe that the name of the island means faith in God, and not a woman's name. Remained here are the ruined remains of a stone church, monastic cells, a refectory. The skete was destroyed at the very beginning of the 20th century. Today it is reminiscent of a memorial cross located at the highest point of the island.

In 2004, archaeologists finally recognized the stone buildings that were formerly considered monastic cells, monuments dating back to the Neolithic period. It is possible that the monks lived in these ancient buildings, but they were created long before they appeared on the island.

Island of Faith: description

The island, located closer to the western shore of the lake, is small - 0.4x0.7 km. Nevertheless, it is the largest on the lake. Descriptions of the stone structures located here were published in 1909. They belonged to the architect V. Filiansky from Yekaterinburg.

The island of Vera on Lake Turgoyak is clearly divided into two completely independent parts. They are distinguished by vegetation, climate, archaeological monuments. So, in the northeast aspen and birch grow, in the south-west - pines. Most of all ancient monuments are concentrated in the southwestern part of the island. Here was the parking of Neanderthals, the remains of the monastery of the Old Believers (the ruins of the chapel, the cells), the ancient quarries and menhirs (stones set vertically) were discovered.

Studies indicate the existence in these places in the middle of the XIX century of the Old Believer community of no more than twenty people. Later, archaeologists came to the conclusion that island stone caves are megalithic cult buildings dating back to the Stone Age.

Legends of the island

Lovers of secrets and adventures are attracted by the Chelyabinsk region. The island of Vera has always been famous for many legends that are transmitted by the local people from generation to generation. One of them says that at the beginning of the XIX century on the island in a stone dug-out settled hermit Vera, escaped from the house, fearing that her parents would marry her for an unloved person. She founded the Old Believer monastery on the island.

Faith was famous for its prayer help to people and its miracles. However, it should be acknowledged that, apart from the stories of the old-timers of the island, there is no evidence of this information, as, indeed, the evidence of her very stay on the island.

Megaliths

The most vivid and valuable monuments that glorified the island of the Faith are the large religious buildings, built of huge stones - megaliths. This is the name of such buildings all over the world. This ancient buildings of the IV-II millennium BC. E. As of today, the island of Vera has the oldest similar architectural buildings on the territory of Russia. Their age is more than five thousand years. This is a thousand years longer than the age of the famous dolmens. Analogues of such structures are in South England, Ireland.

Since 2004, archaeological excavations have been conducted on the island of Vera every summer , and researchers are making new discoveries every year. Historians came to an interesting conclusion: since most of the megaliths of the world, as a rule, are in the coastal areas, scientists suggested that the ancient builders of megaliths probably took Lake Turgoyak beyond the sea in the mountains.

Buildings of the island

The island of Vera (photo you can see in the article) has the characteristic features of the building. All buildings are oriented around the world. In the representation of ancient people, the north and west were associated with sunset, cold, the side of the dead, the south and the east, respectively, were the embodiment of the sunrise and the beginning of life. Each structure was built taking into account the knowledge of the days of the solstice and equinox.

It should be noted that it is rather difficult to accurately determine the equinox in mountainous areas. However, the ancient builders managed to calculate everything. Therefore, in the days of the equinox and solstice, the sun's rays pass through the crevices of megaliths and windows in a special way.

In the center of the island is the largest megalith. Its length is nineteen meters, and the height of the walls is more than two meters. It consists of several side chambers, as well as a main hall with five windows.

How were the caves built?

Scientists could understand how these stone caves were built. In the beginning, the foundation pit was digged, the walls were erected from stone blocks, then the ceilings were installed from inside the tree and the roof was rolled in the completion of the work. On the outskirts of the island was discovered a quarry and a kind of copper smelting furnace. This discovery confirmed the scientists' assumption that the ancient builders had already developed metallurgical production and had the necessary tools. For this reason, in the construction they used not only natural blocks of granite, but also individual blocks carved out of them.

Megalith No. 2

In the neighborhood with the main is located megalith, received number two. It is very small - it seems that it is built for dwarves. However, if you creep inside this stone box, a man of short stature will easily stand there in full growth.

Cave of the Holy Faith

This megalith (or dolmen) is an underground room, covered with a stone slab. If you believe the legends, it was here that Vera lived. The megalith consists of three small chambers and a corridor, the dimensions of which are quite impressive. Under his arches a man of medium height can easily stand upright. It is oriented strictly to the west.

The scientists noted an interesting feature: at sunset, on the day of the equinox, the sunbeam peers into the cave, passes through the entire room and stops on the opposite wall. All the tourists who come to the island of Vera are surprised how the semicircular vault is kept from collapse. The slabs of the structure are laid with an inlet, in this connection the load is redistributed at an angle of 45 degrees.

Another amazing fact: the ancient builders knew about geology. The cave is built exactly between the cracks that appeared in granodiorites (deep rocks) with natural movements. The mound, which equals the structure with the earth, is built of sedimentary rocks. At the same time, the builders took into account the direction of the discharge, apparently, they knew the nature of the materials and the terrain very well.

Traces of civilization

Researchers of the Russian Academy of Sciences have discovered traces of different cultures of many millennia on the site of archaeological excavations: masonry and ceramics of the Bronze Age are adjacent to jasper plates, which ancient people used to make sticks, knives, arrowheads. The technique of splitting the material indicates its belonging to the Stone Age. Found on the island and fragments of pottery from the time of Gamayun culture.

Excursions

Today there are many who wish to visit the island of Vera. Excursions to this mysterious land site are conducted in the summer from Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk every weekend. The tour costs about 2000 rubles. This amount includes a trip to the lake, accommodation in a hotel (recreation center).

People like to come to Lake Turgoyak and children. For them, tours with interesting excursions and entertainment were created. The cost of such a trip is quite affordable - about 900 rubles.

Hostels and hotels

On the coastal strip of Lake Turgoyak, many modern recreation centers, children's camps and sanatoria have been built. The most comfortable travelers consider the recreation center "Silver Sands", "Golden Beach", the boarding house "Turgoyak", the hotel "Krutiki". Here guests are offered a variety of entertainment: lake tours, yacht and boat trips, diving, surfing, bicycle and quad bike rental.

In addition, you can spend the night in a tent on the shore of the lake. Some hostels provide special places for this. Local residents rent out rooms.

Faith Island: how to get there?

The easiest way to get to the lake as part of the excursion group, but if you are planning an independent trip, then you need to go along the Ufa highway (via Miass). The destination is the village of Turgoyak. The length of the road is 120 km.

The lake can be reached by rail. From Ufa and other cities that are on the Trans-Siberian Railway, you can reach any long-distance train to the Miass station. Here you need to change to a fixed-route taxi number 38, which will take you to the place.

In summer, a tourist boat on the island of Vera goes from Mias. Its capacity is 30 people. In the dry and hot season you can go on foot through the isthmus.