From Moscow to the borders: Little-known world heritage sites in Russia
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International Day For Monuments and Sites or World Heritage Day has been held for nearly four decades. Russia is among the countries with the largest number of sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, experts admit that Russia is still underestimated when it comes to its natural and cultural assets that deserve to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Currently, there are 31 heritage sites in Russia that are under UNESCO protection. Eleven of them are natural landmarks, and twenty are cultural sites. They obviously include the renowned Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, Kizhi Pogost, Lake Baikal, the Historic Center of Saint Petersburg, and Volcanoes of Kamchatka, White-Stone Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, and the Lena Pillars Nature Park. However, there are many natural and man-made gems in Russia that are recognized by the international community but still little known even by the residents of our country. Let us address this gap even if partially
Virgin Komi Forests
Photo credit: Demeulenaer & Van Ginderdeuren / UNESCO
This block of taiga with an area of 32,800 square kilometers (20,381 square miles) is situated on the western slopes of the Nether-Polar Urals in the Komi Republic. This is a unique area as it features one of the largest intact northern (boreal) forest expanses in Europe that grows to the northward of 60 degrees of latitude north of the equator (and to the southward of 60 degrees of latitude south of the equator). This protected area has plain and mountain tundra, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. It is not only about pristine beauty, crystal clear water, hundreds of species of fish, birds, and animals. This corner of the taiga is extremely valuable because it is still possible to trace the original course of natural processes that have not been exposed to human activity directly.
When it comes to popular attractions, the best known are the Manpupuner rock formations or Mansi Idols, the unique weathering pillars.
Ensemble of the Ferapontov Monastery
Photo credit: Sergey Sverdlov / Wikipedia
The Ferapontov Monastery is situated 120 km from Vologda. It was founded in 1398. The monastery is set in a very beautiful environment, up on a hill between two lakes. The complex features the architecture of the 14th-17th centuries. Nevertheless, it looks absolutely integral, since it is united by a common concept. The architecture and paintings are inspired by the Incarnation of God.
The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (1490) is the oldest stone temple in the Russian North and is the gem of the monastery complex. It was painted by Dionysius, a renowned icon painter, in 1502.
Central Sikhote-Alin
Photo credit: culture.ru
The Sikhote-Alin mountain range stretches along the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai. The only pristine forest vastness of the Ussuri taiga with an area of more than 1 million hectares is located in the mountains of central Sikhote-Alin in the basin of the Bikin River. This forest is unique as both northern and southern species grow here. Cedar and spruce woods coexist with yew groves.
There are dozens of endangered plant and animal species in the Ussuri taiga. The Amur tiger is obviously the center animal of this protected area.
Uvs Nuur Basin
Photo credit: UNESCO
Uvs Nuur Basin is a natural biosphere reserve in Tuva. It is the northernmost largescale inland water basin in Central Asia. One part of its territory is situated in Russia, while the other part is in Mongolia. Its landscapes make the basin unique. Nearly all natural zones of the Earth can be found here, including mountain tundra, alpine meadows, grassland steppes, and sandy deserts.
This rich abundance forms a habitat that is breathtakingly beautiful and diverse, as well as an intricate ecosystem.
Citadel, Ancient City, and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
Photo credit: Oscar11234 / Wikipedia
The Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent have a status of a World Heritage property. This city is located in the southern part of Dagestan. Hecataeus of Miletus mentioned it in the 6th century B.C. However, the oldest structures of current Derbent date back to the 5th century B.C. The city is really ancient. The Persian fortress (Naryn-Kala citadel, 5th to 7th centuries) was founded here in 438 AD. Two walls stretch from the fortress to the Caspian Sea. The Old City is located between them. There are preserved medieval monuments, including Juma Mosque (7th century), the oldest mosque in Russia.
Derbent is deemed to be the oldest city in Russia. It celebrated its 2,000th anniversary in 2015.
Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve
Photo credit: State Wrangel Island Reserve
The polar bear is the most popular dweller of this northernmost nature reserve in Russia. No wonder the island's name means "Polar Bear Island" in the Chukchi language. The reserve territory includes several neighboring islands. There are the largest rookeries of walruses in the Arctic, as well as the largest seashore colonies in the Chukchi Sea, and the only permanent nesting ground of the snow goose in Eurasia.
Struve Geodetic Arc
Point Z in the Gogland Island in Russia Photo credit: Islander / Wikipedia
This is a chain of 265 survey triangulations in form of stone cubes or other identification marks embedded in the soil. It stretches for almost 3,000 kilometers (1864 miles) from Northern Norway to the Black Sea. This giant structure was built in the first half of the 19th century for scientific purposes with the aim of understanding the true shape and size of the globe. The arc was created on the initiative and under the guidance of the Russian astronomer Friedrich (Vasily Yakovlevich) Struve.
Currently, the arc runs through the territory of 10 European countries and has no applied relevance. Thirty-four points of the arc have survived. Two of them are located in Russia, namely on the island of Gogland in the Baltic Sea.
Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex
Photo credit: UNESCO
Ancient Russian princes frequently were at war with the Volga Bulgarians. In 1220, they burned down the capital of the state, the city of Bolgar located on the banks of the Volga River to the south of the place where the Kama River enters it. In 1236, the city was burned again during the Tatar-Mongolian invasion. However, it used to prosper during the Golden Horde era. Batu Khan shifted his headquarters to Bolgar before Saray-Batu was built in the lower reaches of the Volga. The city that became the capital of the Bulgarian nomad camp reached its golden era during the reign of Özbeg Khan (first half of the 14th century). It was then that the partly preserved stone buildings were built.
The major landmarks of Bolgar include the Sobornaya Mosque ( the 13th century), the Small Minaret, and the Khan's Tomb (the 12th century), the 14th-century mausoleums.
Landscapes of Dauria
Photo credit: N. Tseveenmyadag / UNESCO
The vast Daurian steppes with floodplains and river meadows stretch from the east of Mongolia, through Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai, and the Amur Region all the way to the northeastern border of China. Dauria is one of the vastest and well-preserved steppe expanses in the world.
Daurian cranes, bustards, and other rare bird species live in this area. About a dozen and a half of them are listed in the International Red Data Book.
Petroglyphs of Lake Onega and the White Sea
Photo credit: UNESCO
Petroglyphs are rock engravings by prehistoric peoples. As of today, more than 4,600 such engravings have been discovered in the Pudozhsky and Belomorsky districts of Karelia, on the shore of Lake Onega. Thus, this complex is one of the largest in the world. Such rock art is extremely ancient. It dates back to the fourth and third millennia B.C. and is associated with the neolithic age.
As a rule, the engravings are found in picturesque locations on smooth shoreline cliffs. There are all kinds of images, such as birds, fish, and animals, geometric figures, hunting scenes, etc.
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This is by no means an exhaustive list of UNESCO sites situated within the territory of our country. There is a good chance that it will soon be extended with other Russian heritage sites of nature and culture. So far, there are 28 sites from Russia that are included in the preliminary list. The 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Kazan this June. One of the discussions will focus on the inclusion of the historic center of Gorokhovets in the main list.