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Description of Olkhon island Olkhon is Lake Baikal biggest island. Situated at the geographical center of Baikal, Olkhon is also an important shamanist center and a prime destination for eco-tourists. Despite of its remoteness, the island has been inhabited for centuries. Its first indigenous people were the Kurykans, forefathers of two ethnic groups: the Buryats and Yakuts. The present Olkhon population - about 1500 - consists mainly of Buryats, Russians and Tartars. The remains of an ancient Kurykans' Stone Wall (fortress?) could be seen at the first part of the island but it has nowadays only one or two stone layers. In 1960s when the harbor was being built, stones from ancient walls went to the foundation of this current construction. To learn more about the island's history, visit a museum of Local Lore in Khuzhir. Mr.Revyakin, who was a school teacher, organized a group of pupils to learn history of the area and search for ancients archeological sites. A great enthusiast, Mr.Revyakin and his young colleagues discovered and marked over 20 ancient sites, fragments of tools and weapons of ancient people. The island has a combination of all Baikal vegetation zones:relict steppes, alpine fields and boreal forests (its northern part only). The climate is dry. The vegetation season has a shift in compare with Irkutsk. For example, people on the island seed and harvest potatoes ('second bread' in Siberia) two weeks later than people of the main land. The islanders' needs are provided by fishing and farming their own land. Tourism is becoming a big deal: more and more local people provide with a homestay or driving tourists around on their rough 4WD military type vehicles. |
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