There are many beautiful places in Altai, but one of them attracts thousands of people. This is the confluence of the Biya and Katun - two of the most beautiful Altai rivers and the formation of the largest Siberian river Ob. This place strikes with unprecedented beauty and powerful energy of two wayward rivers, connected into a single mighty stream of the Ob.
Confluence
The beginning of the connection of two large rivers of Altai: Biya and Katun, takes place in the Smolensk region, near the village of Verkh-Obsky. Here the Katun channel flows into the Biya. As a result of this confluence, the mighty river of Siberia appears - the Ob, which is considered one of the longest and largest rivers in the Russian Federation, Asia and the fifth in the world.
It would seem, well, what is special about the confluence of these two water arteries? Yes, at least the fact that when united together, two rivers do not mix for a long time. You can determine this visually. The water in Bie is bluish and clear. The water of the Katun is turquoise, cloudy. So they flow for a long time together in two streams, mixing gradually.
Ikonnikov Island is located at the confluence of the Biya and Katun. Administration of AltaiThis region has been declared a natural monument. It is located in the Smolensk region near the two villages of Smolenskoye and Tochilnoye. Two rivers flow towards each other, the Biya from the northeast side, the Katun from the southeast, flow around the island and merge in the area of the village of Sorokino. It is in this place that Biya, Katun and Ob form a single whole.
Golden Woman
The birthplace of the Ob enjoys reverence among local peoples and is recognized as sacred. It is considered sacred and is associated in folklore with the legendary shrine of the Altai peoples - the Golden Woman. You can learn about it from the legends of the Nenets, Khanty, Mansi. There is a legend that it was hidden in a hidden place in the Northern Altai. This was done during Yermak's campaigns.
Researchers suggest that such worship of the indigenous peoples of Altai in front of the confluence of the Biya and Katun, Ikonnikov Island, is not accidental. Rituals were held here. All sacred ceremonies were held in the Vikhorevka tract. In this place, near the village of Verkh-Obsky, the channel of the Katun River flows into the Biya, enveloping the island, and this place is considered to be the original junction point of the two rivers.
Vikhorevka
Scientists suggest that the Russian word Vikhorevka is an adapted ancient name of this area, which is translated from Turkic as "bi haira" - the holy mouth of the river. Looking into older languages, such as Sanskrit, you can see that it has the word "vihara", which literally translates as "place of worship of deities." Russian settlersturned the name of the area into a more understandable form for their perception - "Vikhorevka".
In ancient times, it was in the Vikhorevka area that there was a convenient crossing on the way of caravans from Mongolia and China. The Cossacks did not leave this place unnoticed. They built a fortress here, which has been partially restored. The confluence of the Biya and Katun has an unprecedented energy that attracts people here. The beauty of these places is fascinating, so the flow of tourists from all over the world does not dry out, who come here to breathe the cleanest air, recharge their physical and spiritual energy.
Ob River
The greatest river in Siberia, the Ob characterizes all the power of this land and is one of the largest rivers in the world. It begins its journey in Altai at the confluence of the Biya and Katun. Its length is 3650 kilometers. It flows into the Kara Sea, forming the Gulf of Ob.
For the first time, Russian hunters and merchants who traveled beyond the Urals saw this beauty in the 12th century. The area around the river was called Obdorskaya, while the lower part of it was under the authority of Veliky Novgorod, and from the 15th century it was listed as a subject of Moscow.
From the middle of the 19th century, the first steamboat began to sail along the Ob. By the end of the century, their number reached 120. Different northern peoples call the Ob in their own way. Khanty and Mansi name the river As, Selkups - Kvan, Nenets - Salya-Yam. The Altaians call the Ob - Tumardy.
The flow of the river depends on the season. The fastest, 5-6 kilometers per hour, happens in the spring, during the snowmelt in the Altai Mountains. Otherwise, the maximum speedis 3 kilometers per hour. According to the main parameters - the formation of the water regime, nutrition, the nature of the formation of the river network - the river is divided into three main parts. They are named:
- Upper, from the place where the Biya and Katun merge to the mouth of the Tom River. The Ob in this part is approximately 1020 kilometers. The depth of the river is from 2 to 6 meters.
- Middle, from the confluence with the Tom River to the junction with the Irtysh River. The length of this part is 1500 kilometers. The depth of the Ob River in this section is from 4 to 8 meters.
- Lower, from the mouth of the Irtysh to the formation of the Gulf of Ob. The length is 1160 kilometers. After the confluence of the Irtysh, the depth of the riverbed is stable and equals 4-4.5 meters. Not far from the village of Peregrebnoye, the river bifurcates into the large and small Ob, the distance from the surface to the bottom is 2.5-3 meters. After the confluence, the depth of the Ob River increases to 10, and in some places up to 15 meters.
The river flows only through the territory of Russia. Its largest tributary - the Irtysh River - begins its course in China. After Salekhard, the river spills into a huge expanse and forms an extended delta, the area of which is 4.5 thousand square meters. kilometers. Branches are formed: the right Nadymsky and the left Khamanelsky, which merge into a single stream and flow into the Gulf of Ob.
Feeding the Ob River
The river is fed by melting snow. The level of the Ob depends on the spring flood, when the main part of the river flow is brought. The rise in the level begins even when the river is covered with ice. When the ice cover breaks, the risewater flows faster. The high water ends in July, but after some time (September-October), the rainy period begins, when the level of the Ob rises slightly. The average period of ice covering the river lasts up to a maximum of 220 days a year.
The length of the Ob River
Scientists have no definite opinion about the length of the river. There are four versions that take place. This can be explained by the difficult geographical position of the Ob.
- Officially, it is customary to consider the length of the river from the confluence of the Biya and Katun (coordinates 52°25'56″ N 84°59'07″ E) to its confluence with the Kara Sea (the Gulf of Ob). It is approximately 3650 kilometers.
- Some scientists consider the beginning of the river along the longest tributary - the Katun River, which originates in the glaciers of the Altai Mountain Belukha. In this case, the total length is 4338 kilometers.
- A number of scientists, given that the total length of the Irtysh and the Ob exceeds the total length of the Ob and Katun, consider the source of the Irtysh to be the beginning of the river. In this case, the total length is 5410 kilometers.
- The fourth version of the length of the river is considered taking into account the Gulf of Ob and is 6370 kilometers. At the same time, hydrological data and its low salinity are taken into account, which gives the right to assert that the Gulf of Ob is nothing more than a continuation of the river.
But we will stick to the official version and assume that the Ob River is born from the confluence of two significant rivers of Altai: the Biya and Katun.
Biya River
Biya owes its beginning to Lake Teletskoye, the water in whichcold and transparent. Until the Sarykoksha River flows into it, it remains cold, then noticeably warms up. Its length is 301 kilometers. The river is very popular among rafters and has the II category of difficulty. Along its length there are several thresholds with a height of shafts of more than 1 meter. The flow velocity is up to 1.5 m/sec. When rafting, kayaks and catamarans are used.
It feeds on precipitation: snow and rain. The source of the Biya River is considered to be a bridge connecting the two villages of Artybash and Iogach. Not far from Artybash is a large tourist base "Golden Lake". The largest forestry operates in Iogach. There are 34 settlements along the course of the river, the largest of them is the city of Biysk, which stretches for 30 kilometers along the river and reaches the confluence of the Biya and Katun.
Katun River
The source of the river is on the south side of Belukha mountain. The length of the Katun is 688 kilometers. According to its characteristics, Katun is divided, like the Ob, into three parts:
- Upper, 210 kilometers long. The length from the source to the confluence with the Cox River. It is characterized by the greatest slope and water speed. It is on this site that many tributaries flow into it from the slope of the Katunsky ridge. The forests here are formed by black taiga.
- Medium, 200 kilometers long. It starts from the mouth of the Koksa to the confluence of the Sumulty River into the Katun. This part of the Katun flows among high mountain ranges. In this section, the river receives the main tributaries, which are fed by glaciers. The main current passes in rapidsgorge. Larch forests cover this section of the Katun riverside.
- Lower, its length is 260 kilometers. It is considered from the mouth of the Sumulta to the confluence of the Katun with the Biya River. In this section, the course of the river passes through the middle mountains, turning into a plain. The shores are covered mainly with larch forests. A pine tree appears after the Sumulty River. The speed of the water flow in the lower reaches remains high, 5-6 meters per second.
The Katun River is a favorite place for rafters. Throughout the year, the river repeatedly changes its color from cloudy milky in spring and summer to turquoise in autumn. Due to the fast current, the upper reaches of the river are covered with ice in December, which is much later than the flat lower part, on which ice formation occurs in mid-November.
