Lake Itkul has received very controversial responses. One it seems to be the most beautiful place in the South Urals. Others are sure that you should not approach the reservoir: it is too dangerous. And Itkul owes its celebrity to the Shaitan-Stone towering above the water surface.
Local legends tell about the huge Ajah snake that lived here. Usually the monster is depicted as a giant fire-breathing serpent with several heads. To the famous writer Pavel Bazhov, he served as a prototype for one of the heroes of the Ural tales, the Great Snake.
Mysterious place
The mysterious lake is located in the Chelyabinsk region, near the town of Verkhniy Ufaley. Itkul is surrounded by picturesque low mountains. Previously, on the highest, Karabayka, the Bashkirs made sacrifices so that the horses remained healthy and beautiful.
The depth of Itkul reaches almost 17 m. The water of the lake is clear and clean. The reservoir became famous for its fish. The banks are decorated with multi-colored pebbles. There are even garnet crystals among the beautiful stones. A deposit of amethysts was found in the northwest of the reservoir in 1912.
This place is often visited by archaeologists. They managed to find many artifacts on the shores, confirming the existence of a mysterious people here in antiquity.
Findings
Translated from Bashkir "itkul" means "meat lake". There are versions that the name of the reservoir is due to the manager of the Demidov factories. They say that earlier the name sounded like Yyiikul, which means Sacred Lake. The third theory mentions the famous among the Bashkirs Itkola or Etkola. The reservoir is named after him. Be that as it may, every legend has a right to exist.
Archaeologists have found traces of at least 30 ancient furnaces in one area. This was confirmed that in the South Urals, already in ancient times, they were engaged in heavy metallurgy. Bronze was the main material for the gunsmiths.
Scientists have not been able to answer where the inhabitants went from the shores of the reservoir. Having reached a very high level of development over hundreds of years, the population simply evaporated. Both mines and settlements were abandoned. After the termination of work with metal, all furnaces were extinguished.
The reality of local myths
The lonely Shaitan-Stone envelops a lot of mysticism. There is a lonely rock in the southern part of the lake, famous for dangerous cliffs of considerable height. Opposite one of them is a local landmark.
Many daredevils died next to her, who dared to study a mysterious artifact. And today tragedies do not stop: enthusiasts do not want to stop searching. Statistics show that almost always people drown near the Shaitan Stone.
According to local beliefs, Ajakha found refuge under a rock. Surprisingly, the cave itself has now been found, which served as the monster's home.
In the seventies of the last century, it was decided to install a pumping station on the shore to pump out water for irrigation. Because of her work, the reservoir has become shallow. As a result, a crevice was exposed under the Shaitan Stone. Thus, the local myth was confirmed, albeit in part.
