Rock paintings shulgan tash. Kapova cave, shulgan-tash reserve, southern urals

Source " dead water", rock paintings of prehistoric people, the Shulgan River, emerging from a great depth near the cave, the place where part of the action of the Ural-Batyr epic takes place. All this is about a place where you can just go for the weekend to see with your own eyes what the legends are talking about and touch the ancient stones with your own hands.This place is called "Kapova Cave", or, the cave "Shulgan-Tash" (Bash. Shulgantash).

Let's take a look at these legendary depths. I will show real drawings of Paleolithic people that are not shown to tourists. I will show you the underground river and the place where Nassonov died.

First, I will tell the stories associated with the names of the cave.

Why the cave was named Kapova, tell two versions.

The first is due to the sounds of a drop, which are constantly heard in the entrance area.

The second - they say that "Kapova", because it is a "temple". And the word kapishe means temple. There is evidence that in prehistoric times the cave was used as a temple. By the way, that is why primitive people painted pictures on the walls.

In addition, there are Bashkir legends where this cave is mentioned as a place where in historical times (Middle Ages) there was a pagan temple. This is confirmed by the results of archaeological excavations.

Now about the name Shulgan-Tash (Shulgantash). These are two Bashkir words:

shulgan - sank, failed, disappeared;

tash is a stone.
Shulgan is also the name of the river that comes out of the cave and flows into the Belaya River, not far from the entrance portal. And yet, there is an ancient Bashkir word "shu-ulgan", which can be translated as "water has died, sunk into oblivion."
In addition, Shulgan is a character from the Ural Batyr epic! Shulgan is the older brother of the protagonist and the ruler of the underworld.
Here is such a play on the meanings of the word. Experts assure that the correct literal translation of "Shulgantash" will be - "the water died in the stone" or "the water went under the stone."

In the epic "Ural Batyr" it is said that the outlet of the Shulgan River is the source of "dead water", which we know about from different fairy tales. The spring, allegedly, neutralized the Ural batyr by drinking the water of the source and all the divas hiding in this water. The hero paid for it with his life. I do not risk drinking from this source and do not advise you. You can laugh at fairy tales, but what's the point of checking the veracity on yourself?

In fairness, it must be said that there is an opinion that the very exit to the surface of the Shulgan River is a source of "living water". The source of "dead water", supposedly, is nearby. This is a lake, about 6 meters deep, located right there, at the entrance to the cave.
Another interesting thing is that the water from Shulgan is UNSUITABLE for drinking! Scientists say it's because of the impurities it contains. But, it can be used for therapeutic baths.
That's a fairy tale for you, right?

2. View of the entrance to the cave from the path. The river Shulgan flows along the trail.

3. The entrance to the cave is located on the southern slope of Mount Sarykuskan and is a huge portal about 30 meters high.

The source has considerable depth. Wikipedia writes about 35 meters. I heard about the fact that when divers dived to the bottom, accurate measurements were made, which gave depth 88!! meters. The dive was carried out by Phill Shot.
By the way, interesting fact. They say that ancient horse bones were found at the bottom of the lake! The fact is that in the Bashkir legends, the winged horses "tulpars" came out of the lakes, on the banks of which batyrs caught them in order to tame them. By the way, the famous horse Akbuzat from epics was also a tulpar. Only the Ural batyr did not catch it himself, but took it from the mistress of the country of birds.
In addition, another mystery of nature is connected with the very depth of the lake. The fact is that the rivers wash away the mountains and make their own channel deeper and deeper. And there is general rule- streams flowing into the river are always above the water level of the river. And in the case of Shulgan, the riverbed goes below the white level by tens of meters !! How so? I heard that there is only one explanation for the anomaly - the river changed its course and began to flow much higher than its original channel. This could happen due to the collapse of the rock into the river, for example.

5. The water in the spring has a turquoise hue. It looks like an ordinary caveman. Meanwhile, Shulgan is an ordinary river that goes underground three kilometers from the source. The place where Shulgan went underground is known as the Ozhiganovskaya Cave.

Went to the bowels of the mountain.

6. Just imagine that the same thing that you see was seen by our distant ancestors. These stones have not changed much for many centuries.

7. Look at the bottom of the cave! It's winter outside and a decent frost. And here the moss grows. We are in the "Main Gallery".

"Main Gallery" goes to the sightseeing path made of metal. In front of the path in the cave there is a place where water constantly drips. In winter, many ice stalagmites grow here. Some call this place "Stalagmite Hall". Although, on the map, it's still the "Main Gallery".

8. "Stalagmite Hall". The paintings on the walls are not real! They were painted for tourists.

Tourists who come to see the cave are waiting for artificial lighting and a stainless steel staircase. The path makes a ring along the near part of the cave.

9. View of the "Stalagmite Hall" from the excursion trail.

10. The trail hangs over the stones.

11. The monument to Nassonov is located right next to the metal firebox. The guy died while diving through a siphon in the far part of the cave.

Eat interesting story associated with the fact that they wanted to call the cave Nassonov's cave! They say that on the day of the tragedy, some famous people. They were so impressed by the death of a young guy that they gave the idea of ​​naming the caves in his honor - "Nasson's cave." The idea didn't work.

12. In honor of this guy, a caving club in the city of Ufa was named "Caving club named after V. Nassonov." That is where I myself belong.

This ends the part of the cave that ordinary visitors see. I've been to places where not everyone gets to go. Speleologists are in the closed part of the cave when their help is required by scientists or employees of the reserve.

In the far part of the "Main Gallery" there is a grating, which all visitors to the cave must have seen. It is located next to the trail. The lattice blocks the passage to the "Dome Hall", "Signs Hall" and "Chaos Hall". The lattice is heavily guarded. There are cameras and alarms. They did it for a reason! The fact is that in the closed part of the cave there are many rock paintings. They have not yet been studied. The presence of visitors will threaten their integrity.
In addition, scientists work in this part of the cave. It was here that the skeletons of beauties with skulls broken by an ax were found. It is said that they were brought and killed in this part of the cave. Most likely in order to appease the gods.

13. Drawing on the wall in the "Dome Hall".

14. "Hall of Signs". On the left is an image of a bison, on the right is a trapezoid. I will talk about the latter in detail below.

What Shulgan-Tash calls a "trapeze" is an image that looks like a supermarket cart. What it is, scientists do not say exactly.
The thing is that people of the Paleolithic times did not draw what they did not see! It turns out that they drew what they saw regularly. The grid is in different places caves.

15. "Trident" in the "Hall of Signs".

16. Drawing in the "Hall of Chaos". You can clearly see two "trapeziums" and a horse.

These drawings were discovered by opening the streaks of stone. After opening, the drawings began to disappear. That is why scientists stopped further autopsies. We decided that we would continue the work when we figured out how to save the drawings. So, there are still whole walls with unknown images waiting for us!

17. "Hall of Chaos" again. This is the same stone as in photo 16. This is its left side. There is a very strange image here. This is an anthropomorphic figure. A man with the head of an animal is drawn. Let me remind you that ancient people did not draw fiction. They saw such a creature, once they drew it!

18. "Hall of Chaos". Again we see an anthropomorphic figure! Some believe that a centaur is drawn here! The head of a man, and the body of a horse or cow.

19. An interesting sign, similar to the letter T. This image is also located in the "Hall of Chaos".

This concludes the first part of the story. Please note that all the photos in this article were taken at the very beginning of the cave! In more distant passages, we are waiting for a descent into the "Hall of the Abyss", an underground river and another famous series of rock paintings!

To be continued

Reserve "Shulgan-Tash", the smallest, but the most famous of the reserves of Bashkortostan.

The reserve "Shulgan-Tash" was created in 1986 on the site of one of the sites of the Bashkir reserve. The main object of protection in the reserve is the native population of the Bashkir wild bees. This is the only reserve in the world with such an original object of protection. An important task of the reserve is also to preserve the mountain-taiga ecosystems of the foothills of the Southern Urals.
His total area is 22.5 thousand hectares.

The reserve is located in the western foothills of the Southern Urals at an altitude of 400-600 meters. The relief is formed by low ridges 100-300 meters high, dissected by numerous streams and rivers, the main of which is Belaya.
On the territory of the reserve there is a unique karst Kapova cave, which was formed by the underground river Shulgan. The length of all its passages is more than 2.7 km. Three tiers with numerous halls were formed in the cave, in which drawings were found ancient man.
The climate of the reserve is continental, with sharp transitions from warm to cold, late spring and early autumn frosts. The average monthly temperature in January is -16°С, in June and July +16°С.


By a whim of Nature, here, only on 22.5 thousand hectares, there are corners characteristic of northern, central and southern Bashkiria. At the behest of History, traces of many ancient tribes have been preserved here. On a whim of Geography, the ecological reserve was in the center of the "reserve" national culture Bashkir people.

The reserve is located in the Burzyansky district on the western foothills of the Southern Urals. Its relief is a chaotic interweaving of low ridges, dissected by numerous streams and rivers. From the south and northwest, the territory is bounded by the canyons of the Belaya and Nugush rivers. Landscapes - a mosaic of areas of pine-larch taiga, relic spruce forests, broad-leaved and small-leaved forests, upland and floodplain meadows, limestone and shale rocks, mountain steppes.
Each visitor is shocked by the grandiose karst complex of the Shulgan-Tash (Kapova) cave, the length of the explored part of which reaches 2.8 km, and the volume exceeds 85 thousand cubic meters. m. The world famous cave brought colorful drawings of mammoths, horses, rhinoceroses, magic symbols depicted by unknown artists 14 millennia ago.
The originality of this corner of Bashkiria has long attracted the attention of scientists.


Bashkortostan has long been known for its caves - references to them are found in folk epics and travel notes Arab merchants, on the territory of modern Bashkiria there are about 700 of them - a third of all the caves of the Urals and the Urals.

Here is the deepest cave in the Urals - Pobeda, the longest - Sumgan, and the most famous - Shulgan-Tash, or Kapova cave.


The first Russian explorer of the Kapova Cave can be considered State Councilor Rychkov, who included an article about it in the collection Monthly Essays for the Benefit and Amusement of Employees. The article was called "Description of a cave located in the Orenburg province near the Belaya River, which of all the caves located in Bashkiria is revered as the most glorious and greatest." It was the first Russian publication about caves. In addition to a vivid description and emotional characteristics, Rychkov mentioned in his article that he found a “dry human head” in one of the passages of the cave.

The Kapova cave gained its fame in 1959, when zoologist Alexander Ryumin, having gone underground in search of bats, discovered colorful wall images of various animals - horses, rhinoceroses and mammoths with mammoths.

It became a real world sensation - scientists of that time believed that the drawings of fossil animals of the Paleolithic era were typical only for Western Europe - so ancient rock painting found in the world only in France and Spain.

From that moment on, Kapova Cave acquired the status of an important historical and cultural complex, which has no equal in Eastern Europe.




In the middle and upper tiers of the cave, scientists counted more than 30 drawings painted on the walls with red ocher. These are not only images of animals, but also stylized geometric figures in the form of stairs, huts, triangles and oblique lines, the drawings of the upper tier date back to the early Paleolithic era, and their authorship is attributed to an ancestor modern man- Cro-Magnon. The drawings of the lower floor are later, they were probably drawn at the end ice age. The drawings are quite large - their size ranges from 44 to 112 centimeters. In total, about 173 drawings were studied.

For a long time, scientists were tormented by the question - why is there so little soot on the ceiling and walls of the cave, because in order to complete the drawings, light was needed, and only torches could be its only source. Not so long ago, Ufa archaeologists solved this riddle by finding a fat lamp used by ancient people.

In one of the halls with rock paintings, skulls were found, one of which, according to scientists, belongs to a girl.


Ancient people buried the heads of especially revered people separately from their bodies - as a token of gratitude and admiration. These findings are of great interest to science.

Today, Kapova Cave is part of the Shulgan-Tash nature reserve and is its main attraction.


Kapova cave is located 7 km north of the village of Irgizly, Burzyansky district of Bashkiria, at the foot of the right slope of the Belaya River valley, the entrance to it is located on the southern slope of Mount Sarykuskan and is a tunnel that goes deep into the mountain.

The huge entrance arch has a height of about 20 and a width of 40 m, to the left of it there is a lake, from which the turbulent river Shulgan flows.

By age Shulgan-Tash can be ancient cave: geologists believe that its formation began at least 3-5 million years ago.

The origin of the name "Kapova" is not exactly known, in last years the historically established local name Shulgan-Tash was assigned to it. The first part in translation from Bashkir means "disappeared", and the second - "stone", "mountain". 2.5 km north of the entrance to the underground cave in sinkhole"disappears" the river "Shulgan".

Flowing further underground and dissolving the oldest limestones, the river formed huge corridors and halls of the cave, and then Shulgan appears in the form of a turbulent spring flowing from deep lake next to the entrance to the cave - as if the cave gives birth to a river with clear, purest water...

The water in the lake, by the way, is undrinkable due to impurities, but is used for therapeutic baths.






Shulgan-Tash is one of the ten longest and deep caves Ural, this is the most significant multi-storey horizontal cave of Bashkortostan: in terms of volume and area of ​​cave passages, it ranks third in the republic.


When approaching Kapova Cave, you can see the Mammoth Grotto, located in a separate rock, while the cave itself is a three-story speleological system with a length of about 3 km and a height of about 260 m, with large halls, galleries and corridors.

In galleries and halls located on different levels, a diverse internal cave microclimate has been formed. Each tier has its own mode of temperature, humidity and air circulation.

The first floor stretches for three hundred meters in length, the second is still almost unexplored, since traveling through the halls and passages of the second floor is very unsafe: unexpected deep crevices and cliffs lie in wait at almost every step. To climb to the second floor, one must overcome a high vertical well - how the ancient man did it, scientists are still unclear, perhaps at that time the cave had another entrance.

The Shulgan River flows on the lower tier.

The largest “bellows” in Europe (a cavity completely filled with water) was found in the cave, which has a diameter of 400 m.

There are many wide corridors and halls in Kapova Cave: Hall of Chaos, Hall of Drawings, Hall of Signs, Diamond and Dome Halls. In the Hall of Signs, a place of permanent residence of a person was found: stone tools of labor and life, ocher, charcoal and ash 15-17 thousand years ago were found.


Perhaps the most popular hall of the Kapova Cave is the Dance Hall. So they called it once a round shape and a perfectly flat surface of the clay floor. Here people are looking for salvation from allergies and other diseases: there is not a single microbe in the ideally clean cave air, and the very atmosphere of the cave (twilight, ancient stone vaults and the incessant melodic splash of a droplet) removes all stress from the overloaded nervous system of a tired inhabitant of the technogenic world.


Many traditions and legends are associated with the Shulgan-Tash cave, at one time it was a real mythological center: it was believed that the spirit of the Urals lived here - a batyr in the guise of a huge rider on a winged horse Akbuzat. Whoever sees it will be lucky.

There is also a belief that an underground people lived here, led by the owner of the cave - a diva. The underground people kept a lot of gold, their mills were powered underground rivers, and they also made excellent weapons. According to legend, if you render any service to the Owner of the cave, then in gratitude you will receive luck from him in life.

It is believed that it was in these places that unique monuments of Bashkir folk art were born: "Babsak and Kusyakbey", "Ural Batyr", "Akbuzat".

Kapova cave today

Previously, the cave was famous for its rich sinter formations - stalactites, stalagmites, flags, calcite flowers, baths, cave pearls...

Unfortunately, our New Neanderthals broke off and took away almost all the stalactites (it's so romantic!), with the exception of those that they could not carry away, and in return they decorated the halls with masterpieces like "Valya and Petya from Uryupinsk were here." Because of this, since 1971, visiting the cave by "wild" tourists has been prohibited, and the reserve has begun to guard it around the clock. But there is no barrier that will deter adventurers - the metal bars were unbent and broken, and modern savages gained access to ancient treasures. Of the surviving riches - a giant stalagmite, which is located on the top floor and has a height of 3 m, and a width at the base - 8 m, and in the farthest parts of the cave, calcite deposits, corals and other beauty are still preserved.

But limiting and streamlining the flow of tourists to the cave does not solve the problem - the reserve workers have to regularly spend “prophylactic days” in the cave, raking out from the ancient sanctuary what the “grateful” tourists left behind.

Few people think about the fact that if you throw a twig, a rag, a piece of paper and other garbage, then organic matter will appear in the cave - which means that microbes and the cave will cease to be the way nature created it ...


Shulgan-Tash is still a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world, which has the most negative impact on the condition of the rock paintings. Scientists believe that in order to preserve the drawings, it is necessary to maintain a constant microclimate of the cave, which is incompatible with human visits to the cave. Recently, the drawings have begun to fade, and there is a fear that they will disappear altogether. One way to keep unique monument ancient culture- application of the system of "conservation" of frescoes.


Today, in the area of ​​the Kapova Cave, the construction of a normal road and access roads is in full swing. The entrance to the territory adjacent to the cave is paid.

One of the largest karst caves , is a unique attraction of the Southern Urals, located on the right bank of the Belaya River on the territory of the Pribelsky branch of the Bashkir state reserve. The uniqueness lies in its three main aspects: speleological - the cave is rare natural object Ural; archaeological - it preserved the painting of an ancient person; ethnographic - acts as an object to which the actions of many legends and beliefs are attached.

Until recently, this natural monument was better known as " Kapova cave", and only in recent years has the original local name caves - "Shulgan-Tash". Regarding the origin of the name "Kapova", there is a version according to which it owes its appearance to water. Drops of water dripping from the ceiling vaults create an inappropriately loud thud. This could attract people's attention and cause the name - Kapova. The name "Shulgan-Tash" is local, Bashkir. "Shulgan" means, translated into Russian, "sank", "failed", "disappeared"; "Tash" - stone (mountain). Apparently, this refers to the river, which is also called Shulgan. It is to this river that the cave owes its origin.

Cave is a system of galleries and corridors located on three levels, over 2.5 km long. In galleries and halls located at different levels, a diverse internal microclimate (own temperature regime, humidity, air circulation). Previously, Shulgan-Tash was rich in sinter formations (stalactites, stalagmites, calcite flowers and many others), especially its upper floor, but at present they for the most part destroyed or plundered tourists". Only what they could not carry away remained untouched. So, on the upper floor there is a giant stalagmite, the height of which is 3 m, and the width at the base is 8 m. white calcite streaks, corals, flowers, etc.

However, the main speleological attraction lies in the huge size and perfect form of its galleries, corridors and halls. Being in a cave it is difficult to imagine that all this was created by a small underground river Shulgan. Shulgan flows at the lowest level, the source of which is 12 km from the cave. Approximately at a distance of 2 km from the cave, the river goes underground with noise and appears in the form of a spring already at the entrance, forming small lake 3 meters in diameter.

Shulgan-Tash cave and Lake Shulgan from time immemorial were the object of constant worship for the peoples of the Southern Urals. Enough evidence has been found that it was a kind of sanctuary for the local population, where various initiation rites were performed, for example, the initiation of young men into warriors or hunters. In addition, the cave has long been a kind of refuge for people during periods of wars and foreign raids. It is likely that she could serve as a refuge from natural Disasters and disasters.

In 1959, a researcher at the Pribelsky branch of the Bashkir Reserve A.V. Ryumin discovered inside the Paleolithic drawings of an ancient man. These drawings brought world fame to the cave. Upper Paleolithic age of wall painting Shulgan-Tash caves now it can already be considered reliably established (14-15 thousand years). According to the arrangement and content of the drawings, it can also be argued that Shulgan-Tash cave in ancient times it was a sanctuary with which myths and mythological representations of Paleolithic people are associated. Each room with drawings in the cave was part of this sanctuary and performed its own function, although scientists have yet to find out exactly what.

To date, more than 50 different types of colorful images. Among them are drawings of animals, various symbols and blurred red spots. All images are made on very dense limestones. Probably for this reason, it does not contain engraved drawings, which are not uncommon in Western European caves. For the bulk of the images used red ocher. There are drawings made with two colors - red ocher and black paint (charcoal or manganese oxide). Colorful images of animals Shulgan-Tash caves in general, they are distinguished by a realistic character, although they are not without primitivism and schematism. In particular, mammoths are well recognized - the most popular animals among the animalistic drawings of this cave. The horses are conveyed with great expressiveness. It can be recognized in the images of a rhinoceros and, apparently, a bison. However, there are drawings and incomprehensible animals.

The most important and numerically predominant component of painting Shulgan-Tash caves are conventional signs of a purely geometric appearance. Previously, they were associated with schematic representations of various kinds of products or residential buildings of Paleolithic people. Now geometric figures are perceived by many researchers as signs of gender. It should be noted that conventional signs are peculiar and have no direct analogies among the geometric forms of images in the Paleolithic wall painting of Western Europe.

Shulgan-Tash cave, as he calls it local population, located in the Tut valley, a research station has been equipped, a museum has been opened and a speleological laboratory is planned to be opened. For those who wish to take a look at this miracle on their own, it will be useful to visit special excursions.

Kapova Cave is a huge three-tier gallery of underground halls, created in karst rock by the bed of the Shulgan River. Mount Sarykuskan hides an amazingly beautiful entrance. The dimensions of what you see are amazing: the height of the arch is 22, and the width is 40 meters. To the left of the giant gate is a lake that serves as the source of the Shulgan River. The depth of the lake is 35 m, and its diameter is only 3 meters. This is where you can meet speleologist divers. Lake water is saturated with minerals, therefore it is not suitable for drinking, but due to its composition it is extremely useful for wellness baths.

In Shulgan-Tash, a river flows on the lower floor, huge halls are located on the middle level, a transparent lake with a diameter of as much as four hundred meters, and the upper floor, which is located at an altitude of about 40 m above the level of the Belaya River. In total, scientists have 2250 m of underground passages, 9 halls and a large number of grottoes. It will be most interesting to see the Hall of Signs, the Hall of Chaos, the Diamond and the Dome Halls. In the cave, many of which were dismantled by vandal tourists for souvenirs were found. This hooliganism stopped only after the place was given the status of a reserve.

Kapova Cave in Bashkiria is of historical interest. Wall images of mammoths, horses, rhinoceros and bison, dated to the Paleolithic period, were found here. In addition, drawings of geometric figures, huts, stairs and oblique lines were found, most of them are made in ocher, some in charcoal. The age of the cave is millions of years old, and the first settlers appeared here 18 thousand years ago. Finds of tools made of limestone and calcite, fragments of primitive hunting tools made of flint and jasper in the Hall of Signs allow us to draw conclusions about the site of ancient people. In difficult periods associated with bad weather, they drove cattle to the lower tier, they themselves were located on the second. The stay in these places is evidenced not only by the drawings on the rocks, but also tools and weapons.

Such an ancient dwelling is surrounded by legends. Kapova Cave gave rise to many legends and myths. The Bashkir epic describes the people living here as the guardians of gold, a kind tribe that has and manufactures weapons. Other legends mention the demon Shulgen, who went under water after losing a fight with a hero.

Kapova cave is very popular among tourists. Many sightseers visit bizarre grottoes, admiring ancient drawings. The guidebook for Bashkiria indicates the Kapova cave, how to get to it and what sights you can see. In addition to the cave itself, on the territory of the Shulgan-Tash reserve, a museum of nature and a museum "Bee Forest" are open for visitors. Everyone can visit the phytobar, observation deck, baby playgrounds. There are also specially equipped places for swimming.

In all corners of the earth they know that the Shulgan-Tash reserve is located in Bashkiria. The cave, which is located on its territory, brought world fame to this area. Every day you can meet about 1000 tourists here. But what makes the Shulgan-Tash cave so famous and why do so many travelers flock here?

Description of the cave

In the Bashkir Southern Urals, Shulgan-Tash is considered the largest among all. It was formed four kilometers from the Burzyansky district. The entrance resembling a large arch is located on south side slope of Saryuskan. Shulgan-Tash cave has official name, which appears in scientific literature. This is Kapova cave. Its height is 260 m, and the length of the object reaches 2,640 m.

Journey inside the cave

This cave is truly an awe-inspiring structure of nature. Her big entrance(48 m - width and 18 m - height) opens the way to a long corridor, in which there are many halls and galleries. The Shulgan River flows two kilometers from the cave, but suddenly it disappears. The fact is that the river falls into and continues its journey underground. It was her waters, eroding centuries-old limestone, that formed halls and corridors. But the waters of the river reappear as a stormy spring from under the cave on the left side of the entrance.

The Shulgan-Tash cave has three levels (some say four). Flow through the first floor river waters. You can get to the third tier from the second floor through a well with steps. To see the lower floor, you need to go down the steep slope of the third tier.

There is something to see on every floor. For example, on the third there is a huge stalagmite, the width of which is 8 meters. In the most remote halls and corridors, you can see snow-white calcite deposits, corals and more. But the Shulgan-Tash cave is most impressive precisely in the shape of the premises, especially if you think about the fact that they appeared as a result of the activity of a small river. The most favorite halls among tourists are the Hall of Drawings, the Hall of Chaos, the Diamond Signs.

Age of the cave

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash) is an ancient natural formation. It began to form about 3-5 million years ago. The entrance to the cave is considered modern, and of all three tiers, its middle floor is the most ancient. It is assumed that it began to grow actively three million years ago. The lower tier is the "youngest", it was formed about 15,000 years ago. This age is enough for ancient people to inhabit the cave at a certain period. Interestingly, primitive weapons and tools were found inside. The remains of small rodents and even a large bear were also found.

historical landmark

Many tourists are especially interested in looking at the drawings and signs that were made by the ancient inhabitants. Images of animals predominate here: horses, rhinoceroses and especially mammoths, there are unknown animals, signs, common spots. Also, judging by some images, it can be concluded that the Shulgan-Tash cave was once a sanctuary. In total, about 50 colorful drawings of various types were found in the halls and corridors.

Images are on two tiers - middle and upper. To see the first drawing, you need to move 170 meters from the entrance. On two floors, wall applications differ in composition, but most of them are located low from the floor. The smallest drawing is 6 cm, and the largest is 1.6 m.

Archaeologists who conducted research here suggest that many ceremonies took place in the cave, and among them is the process of initiation, that is, the transformation of a boy into a man. Perhaps it was here that ancient people became real warriors or hunters.

Such discoveries have made the reserve and the Kapova Cave a world heritage site. If earlier such valuable objects were only in Western Europe, now Bashkiria has entered these ranks.

The Shulgan-Tash cave still presents surprises, because quite recently archaeologists discovered the skulls of several ancient people in it. This does not contradict the generally accepted opinion that earlier the heads of revered persons were buried separately from the body. This fact also proves that it used to be a holy place where rituals and ceremonies were held.