The holy mountain of Iremel is in danger

The mountain of Iremel, considered a holy among Bashkirs, faces serious danger. In the nearest future the cross-country race to the peak of the Big Iremel is planned here (August 21-22).

“People don’t want to think that these machines are able to cause serious damage to the delicate nature of Bashkir trans-Ural” – the local ecologist Dmitry Dmitriev comments this decision – “The unique plants, young saplings and mosses fall under the wheels of the jeeps. Several decades will be necessary for their restoration”.

Dmitry Dmitriev also expressed his anxiety concerning the fire-hazardous situation, peculiar for many regions of the country this year. The territory of Iremel is not an exception. Here practically all streams dried up, the land is red-hot and the whole flora became hard. Just one sparkle is necessary to boost up the fire.

Iremel is the second by height peak of South Ural (1582 meters above the sea lel). The richness and variety of Iremel are described in many ancient national legends and in the Bashkir epos “Ural-Batyr” in particular.