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KALMYKIA
If
you have never been to Kalmykia - do not loose your chance. One who
visits Kalmykia once, sees its amazing steppes, feels the breath of
its dry but fresh and bracing wind, will not stay indifferent to the
beauties of this marvelous semi-wild land, and will yield to the
charm of its spaces. Just imagine a very large space, full of water,
where you can see nothing but the water and the sky - this what
these lands looked like in the ancient times, when Great Caspian Sea
was laying here. Nowadays, millions years later, majestic Kalmykia
steppes are spread all around here. By the way, steppes take more
than 80% of the whole territory of Kalmykia.
In
8th century the Khazars settled down here. Many
investigators believe that it is here that the capital of Khazar
caliphate - Al-Beida was founded, which was destroyed by the Arabs
in the later centuries. This capital remains unfound till nowadays.
Since
16th century this land has been called the Kalmyk
steppes, after the name of its main inhabitants, the Kalmyks, whose
ancestors were Mongolian people from Jungaria, South of Siberia. In
15-16th centuries the ancestors of modern Kalmyks
assimilated the lands on the right side of Volga and subdued all
local nomadic tribes. In the very beginning of the 17th
century the Kalmyk lands had become a member of Russian state, and
in a century the Kalmyk Khanate was founded at the territory of
present Kalmykia. That Khanate had always been a reliable guard of
the Southern Russian border-lines.
“Master
Rallye” participants will be surprised to know that the Kalmyk
nation is the only one in Europe confessing Buddhism. Nature of this
region, of course, has greatly influenced its inhabitants. If you
were lucky enough to visit a real endless steppe, then you should
know that nature of the steppe itself disposes to pensiveness,
contemplation, calmness, coolness, leisure, unhurriedness in making
decisions. And it is the nature that has been forming the way of
life and culture of the Kalmyk people. Main Buddhist principles such
as restraint, peaceful disposition, high moral principles became the
main features of the national Kalmyk character.
Nowadays
previous connections with the Buddhists of the whole world, that had
been destroyed before, are being actively restored: young Kalmyk
monks can now get education in the biggest Buddhist centres in
India, in 1991 and 1992 Dalai-Lama 14 visited Kalmykia, and in
October, 1996 the biggest Buddhist temple in Kalmykia was opened.
A
Kalmyk steppe leaves an unforgettable impression to everyone without
exception. Nature-lovers and view-lovers will be able to enjoy
wonderful sights - sunrise and sunset. You will have a unique
opportunity to see fresh, washed by early-dew and caressed by sun
awaken morning steppe, that revives only for coming to a standstill
in a few hours till evening under the rays of hot and incinerating
sun. You will also be happy to meet evening that will bring you
pleasant evening freshness and light breeze, you will admire unusual
beauty of sunset and spaces lighted by the sun. With great pleasure
you will inhale astringent, saturated flavor of feather-grass, that
will fill you with vital cleaning power and give you energy
necessary for successful finish of the race.
“Master
Rallye” competitors will spend the next night in bivouac in
comfortable cottage settlement, close to Kalmykia’s capital -
Elista, where in 1998 World Chess Olympic was held. The town of
Elista was founded in the place of forest plantation in 1865, and
its name comes from the Kalmyk word “elstya” meaning
“sandy”. Elista is a town with modern conveniences, with high
level of cultural life, political, administrative, cultural and
economical centre of Kalmykia. Elista has its own State University,
motor-road technical secondary school, medical college, culinary
college, specialized school of arts, humanities lyceum, commercial
lyceum, technical lyceum, 3 professional specialized schools, large
number of ordinary schools and kindergartens.
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