There are many beautiful places in Altai, but one of them attracts thousands of people. This is the confluence point of Biya and Katun - the two 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 powerful stream of the Ob.
Place of merger
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-Ob. Here, the Katun canal flows into Biya. As a result of this merger, the mighty river of Siberia, the Ob, appears, which is considered one of the longest and largest rivers in the Russian Federation, Asia and the fifth in the world.
It would seem, what is special about the merger of these two water arteries? Yes, at least the fact that when combined together, the two rivers do not mix for a long time. This can be determined visually. The water in Bie is bluish, clear. The water of Katun is turquoise, unclear. So they flow for a long time together with two streams, mixing gradually.
At the confluence of Biya and Katun, Ikonnikov Island is located. The administration of the Altai Territory declared this area a natural monument. It is located in the Smolensk region near the two villages of Smolensk and Tochilnoe. Two rivers flow towards each other, Biya from the northeast side, 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 is respected among the local peoples and recognized as sacred. It is considered sacred and is associated in folklore with the legendary shrine of the Altai peoples - “Golden Baba”. You can learn about it from the traditions of the Nenets, Khanty, Mansi. There is a legend that he was hidden in a secret place in the Northern Altai. This was done during the treks of Ermak.
Researchers suggest that such a worship of the indigenous peoples of Altai in front of the confluence of Biya and Katun, Ikonnikov Island is not accidental. Rites were held here. All ceremonies were carried out in the tract Vikhorevka. In this place, near the village of Verkh-Obsky, the channel of the Katun River flows into Biya, enveloping the island, and this place is considered to be the initial point of connection of the two rivers.
Whirlwind
Scientists suggest that the Russian word Vikhorevka is an adapted ancient name for this area, which is translated from Turkic as “bi haira” - the holy mouth of the river. Looking into more ancient languages, such as Sanskrit, you can see that it has the word "vihara", which literally translates as "a place of worship of deities." Russian settlers turned the name of the area into a form more understandable to their perception - “Whirlwind”.
In ancient times, it was in the Vikhorevka area that there was a convenient crossing on the way of caravans from Mongolia and China. Cossacks didn’t leave this place unnoticed. They built a fortress here, which is partially restored. The confluence of Biya and Katun has an unprecedented energy that attracts people here. The beauty of these places is mesmerizing, so the flow of tourists from all over the world who aspire here to breathe in the cleanest air, recharge with physical and spiritual energy does not dry out.
River Ob
The greatest river of Siberia, the Ob characterizes the entire power of this land and is one of the largest rivers in the world. It begins its journey in Altai at the confluence of Biya and Katun. Its length is 3650 kilometers. It flows into the Kara Sea, thus forming the Gulf of Ob.
For the first time, Russian hunters and merchants who went beyond the Urals saw this beauty in the 12th century. The area around the river was called Obdorskaya, the lower part of it was under the authority of Veliky Novgorod, and from the 15th century it was listed as a citizen of Moscow.
From the middle of the 19th century, the first steamboat began to walk along the Ob. By the end of the century, their number reached 120. Different northern peoples call Ob in their own way. Khanty and Mansi magnify the river As, Selkups - Kwan, Nenets - Salya Yam. Altaians call Ob - Tumards.
The course of the river depends on the time of year. The fastest, 5-6 kilometers per hour, happens in the spring, during snowmelt in the Altai mountains. The rest of the time, the maximum speed is 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 called:
- Upper, from the place where 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.
- Medium, 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 River, the depth of the riverbed is stable and equals 4-4.5 meters. Not far from the village Peregrebnoe river bifurcates into a large and a 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 to flow in China. After Salekhard, the river spills into vast expanse and forms an extended delta, the area of which is 4.5 thousand square meters. kilometers. Sleeves are formed: the right Nadym and the left Hamanelsky, which, merging in a single stream, flow into the Gulf of Ob.
Nutrition of the Ob River
The river is fed by melting snow. The Ob level depends on the spring flood, when the main part of the river flow is brought. The rise in the level begins when the river is covered with ice. When opening the ice cover, the rise of water is more intense. High water ends in July, but after some time (September-October), the rainy season begins, when the Ob level rises slightly. The average river ice cover lasts up to a maximum of 220 days per year.
The length of the Ob River
Scientists have no definite opinion on the length of the river. There are four versions that have a place to be. This can be explained by the difficult geographical position of the Ob.
- It is officially accepted to consider the length of the river from the confluence of Biya and Katun (coordinates 52 ° 25'56 ″ N 84 ° 59'07 ″ E) until it flows into the Kara Sea (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 mountains Belukha. In this case, the total length is 4338 kilometers.
- A number of scientists, given that the total length of the Irtysh and Ob exceeds the total length of the Ob and Katun, consider the source of the Irtysh 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. In this case, hydrological data and its low salinity are taken into account, this gives the right to argue that the Gulf of Ob is nothing but a continuation of the river.
But we will adhere to the official version and assume that the Ob river is born from the confluence of two significant Altai rivers: Biya and Katun.
Biya River
Biya owes its beginning to Lake Teletskoye, in which the water is cold and clear. Until the river Sarykoksha flows into it, it remains cold, then it warms up noticeably. Its length is 301 kilometers. The river is very popular among rafters and is of the II category of complexity. Over its length there are several rapids with a shaft height of more than 1 meter. The flow rate is up to 1.5 m / s. When rafting, kayaks and catamarans are used.
It feeds on precipitation: snow and rain. The source of the Biya River is the bridge connecting the two villages of Artybash and Iogach. Not far from Artybash there is a large tourist base "Golden Lake". The largest leshoz operates in Iogache. 34 settlements are located along the river, the largest of them is the city of Biysk, which stretches for 30 kilometers along the river and reaches the confluence of Biya and Katun.
