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Shihan mountains (Shihan in Turkic languages means solitary hill) were once reefs in the late Paleozoic, at that time the ocean was splashing in place of modern Bashkiria. Still the one can find 300 million years old corals, sponges, echinoderms and algae in clusters of fossils. The four Shihans (mountains) on the right bank of the Belaya river form the high ridge of the southern Urals. Torah-Tau is the holy mountain of ancient bashkirs, it was the site of their accomplishments of rites. Uraktau, or Heart mountain, is known for its springs on the north slope and for the lake Moksha at the mountain foot. On the eastern slope of Kush-Tau, or Bird-The-Mountain there is a ski resort. One of the Shihans, Shah-Tau, or Czar-Mountain was digged up to mine limestone, so today almost nothing remain from it. Now there is a geological museum in its place. Scientists from around the world visit Shihan to study the paleontological treasures that lie there under the feet.
{oziogallery 955}