Alkhanay National parkAgin Buryat Autonomous Area, Duldurginsky district.
Basis history
According to the Buryat legend, there lived once the princess Balchzhin-hatun. She has married the Mongolian feudal lord and together with him has gone to Mongolia. But hatred of enemies didn't allow them to live quietly, and couple has decided to return home princesses. On the road, about a massif they were caught up by enemies and have killed the princess. Agonal shout of the woman: "Alkhana!" ("kill"), – I became the name of the mountain. And her name – Balchzhin - is kept in the name of the Balzinsky lake located nearby on the bank of which she has been buried.
Alkhanay also many other legends and beliefs are connected with the mountain. So, say that on this mountain there was Genghis Khan's patrol, and among transbaikal the Buryat the mountain is esteemed as a Buddhist shrine.
Alkhanay - the youngest national park of our country, he is created in 1999 for the purpose of preservation of valuable landscapes, nature sanctuaries, history and culture, animals and plants, and also for the purpose of the organization of rest of people. Its area – 138,2 thousand hectares.Physiographic features
The central part of park is made by the massif covered with the mixed and coniferous forests. The southern part of park located at smaller heights above sea level is occupied mainly with steppes.
Across the territory of park Il's river and her inflows, only 37 big and small streams flows. The main lakes are Balzino, Krasnoyarovo, Alkhanaysky lakes.
The national park is located in the conditions of sharply continental climate with an average temperature of January:-22,5º C; July: +18,4ºС.Variety of flora and fauna
High-rise belts in the territory of national park are presented forest-steppe which dominates at the bottom of a massif, forest, and above - a kedrovostlanikovo-listvennichny light forest of a podgoltsovy belt.
In park breeds of the Siberian pine (cedar), a cedar stlanik and the Siberian fir-tree, rare for southeast Transbaikalia, meet.
About 180 species of plants of park find application in official and national, including Tibetan medicine. It is a rhodiola pink, I astragat webby, a shlemnik Baikal, a rhubarb compact, a lofant Chinese, a vzdutoplotnik Siberian and many others.
Feature of alkhanaysky fauna is existence in east Areas of Transbaikalia of representatives of Far East Manchurian, and also European-Siberian types. In particular in Transbaikalia the most east point of finding of such look as a sailing vessel Apollo, MSOP included in Red Lists and Russia is noted.What to watch
The main sight of national park is, of course, the nature sanctuary the mountain Alkhanay. It is one of Buddhist shrines of Buryats. Her basis has a temple of the Great benefit. The most curious here – the natural grotto in which arch there is a crack going to rock depth and from her exudes water which is considered curative. Believers drink water and do gifts – grain or coins.
One more nature sanctuary – the rock the Temple of the Collar which is at the height of 1100 meters. It is a natural arch, educated