52. Ezekiel / Yehezkel The Valley Full of Bones (37:1–14) As much of a pessimist as his contemporary Irmeyahu (see chapter 51), the prophet Yehezkel left Israel one of the most enduring images of hope. In his youth, Yehezkel was a priest Temple in 598 BC e.; When

The high-mountainous (1558 m) valley of the Shumak River, which is fed by several dozen mineral springs, different in temperature, mineralization and dissolved elements. The water here cures literally everything. But the path to them is difficult. You have to ford mountain rivers and storm a pass of 2700 meters. One experienced tourist even joked: “A patient who decides to be treated at the Shumak springs must have remarkable health and the dexterity of a climber and cavalryman.”

This place is mysterious and covered with many legends. According to one of them, the first person to come to these places was a hunter. He was chasing a deer and had already shot it with his bow. But the deer jumped into the spring and galloped away alive and unharmed. This is probably how the healing properties of the Valley of 100 Springs were discovered.

They also say that there is a gold mine on Shumak, which appears and then mysteriously disappears. The first time it was found by the escaped convict Dmitry Demin in the 60s of the 19th century. Following in his footsteps, the Irkutsk gold miner Kuznetsov came to the deposit, but he soon died under mysterious circumstances. Finally, at the beginning of the 20th century, after the revolution, the deposit was found by mining technician Novikov, who was shot by the Bolsheviks. The members of his expedition were unable to report the exact location of the vein. Further expeditions to search for Deminsk gold, carried out in the 50s and later, were never successful.

Geography

Shumak is a high-mountain valley of the Shumak River in the center of the Eastern Sayan Mountains, which are often called “Little Tibet”. The Shumak River is the right tributary of Kitoy.

Climate of Shumak

Places of worship for sister spiritsDolzhon and Molzhon. These girls are read as the spirits of the area. Once a hunter brought his daughters to Shumak for treatment. But a tragedy occurred and the girls died. Since then, their souls have lived on Shumak and kept order. Locals say that the spirits love it when their guests sing and have fun. And they get very angry if people quarrel, destroy the forest, and litter.

Sacred places. They are marked by pillars and trees tied with ribbons. It is customary to leave requests and thanks here. A knife left on Shumak is a request for the birth of a son, a doll is for a daughter, a wooden spoon is for good health. And in gratitude they leave entire poems, drawings, and crafts.

Neighborhood guide

Source Pearl. Thermal spring on the picturesque shore of Irkut. Its healing waters help in the treatment of diseases of the joints and nervous system.

Nilova Desert. Balneological resort one and a half hours drive from Arshan. Here they take radon baths, which have a healing effect on the body, and undergo a course of strengthening procedures. They also drink natural water enriched with silver ions. Located half an hour from the trail to Shumak.

Arshan - the most famous hydrotherapy resort Eastern Siberia. Luxurious nature Tunka Valley, clean mountain air and clear water falling from a height of many meters - all this is Arshan. And there are dozens of interesting sights.

Shumak. The magic of water.

Many people who are in one way or another interested in the places of power of Siberia have heard about the Tunka Valley, as probably the most unique place in the Baikal region. The Tunka Valley is a continuation of the Baikal depression and seems to cut the Sayan ridges, creating a convenient road to Mongolia. There are legends in these parts about healing springs that treat probably all possible diseases, from simple diseases to oncology. One of these easily accessible balneological resorts is called Arshan - “holy spring”, but you can touch the real magic of water a little further. This place is called Shumak. This is the name of a small river in the Eastern Sayan, where a Klondike of various kinds of healing springs gushing out of the ground is hidden in a small area. Although this place is located 50 kilometers from the last populated area of ​​the Tunkinskaya Valley of the Nile Desert, everyone who has already become disillusioned with the delights of official medicine and turned their attention to natural medicine dreams of getting here.A hunter from the Soyot tribe, chasing a deer wounded by him with an arrow for several days, finally overtook him in a mountain valley. He expected to see an animal exhausted from the wound and continuous pursuit, but he saw a deer rising from the mud, completely healthy and full of strength.Interested in the properties of this mud, the hunter drew attention to the springs located near this place, the water of which flowed down and collected in a small lake with mud on the banks.The hunter realized that these sources helped heal the wounded animal. This is how the first evidence of the healing power of Shumak appeared. After such a story Other hunters, and then ordinary people, flocked to the healing springs. The cases of healing and influx of strength were so obvious that soon the Shumak Valley acquired the status of Long before the advent of modern methods of water analysis, local healers correctly determined the properties of all springs and made explanatory inscriptions on the stones in Mongolian - what disease each spring cures. Scientists confirmed the correctness of their recommendations, and the ancient Mongolian inscriptions were updated in Russian. - Low-mineralized spring waters, saturated with rare microelements beneficial to the human body, can cure many diseases. The healing springs of the Shumak Valley concentrate all the best properties of the mineral waters of Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk, Tskhaltubo and Naftusya. Such a favorable combination of very valuable properties of mineral water in Eastern Siberia, and throughout Russia, is very rare.

The springs in the valley come out of the ground at the foot of the mountains on both banks of the river. The largest number of them are located on the left bank. Water from all sources flows into one channel (the total flow rate of all sources is about 10 liters per second, which is generally not much when compared with similar hospitals located in other regions of Russia. When the water cools, excess salts are released in the form of calcite, forming in the riverbed streams are stepped terraces of white calcareous tuff. The stream with mineral water below the tuff terraces ends in a mud bath. Mineral water from 42 springs flows into this natural bath. Rare substances and chemical microelements accumulate in the mud deposits of the reservoir, the healing properties of the mud formed over a long period of time. , have been poorly studied, but most visitors to the resort want to smear themselves with this healing miracle mud. The main thing is not to overdo it and not overload the heart with the duration of the procedure; the abundance of active beneficial microelements can have an extremely strong effect on the body.

has sources that cure low or high blood pressure (source No. 8), nerves (6, 36), intestines (7, 15, 34), sore throat (14, 24), ear, throat, nose (22, 23), stomach ulcers (29, 30), tuberculosis (42, 43), hangover (37), ovaries (21), heart threshold (20), bladder and liver (4), teeth (23a), cancer and stomach diseases (1). The springs have temperatures from +10 to +35 °C, carbon dioxide content - from 264 to 989 mg/l.The total flow rate of all springs in this group is 5.3 l/s.Here are sources for the treatment of headaches (117 according to the old numbering), bladder (44), gall bladder (46), kidneys (48, 49), for male strength (51) and for “male stubbornness” (52, 53) , lungs (62, 68), bronchitis (63), “female whims” (64), cardiovascular diseases (65), lungs and bronchitis (65a), heart (69), female heart (70), liver (78 , 79, 86-88). The water temperature of the sources in this zone is the same as in the first zone, but radon here is slightly higher, about 35 eman, and the carbon dioxide content is 300 mg/l.

Third zone C, located on the right bank of Shumak, andstretches for 120 m. The zone has 16 griffins. In this zoneThere are mainly radon sources and silver "Eye". Others treat eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, gall bladder. These sources, especially radon ones, have a higher temperature of 28-34 ° C, as a result of which a “Radon bath” was built here with a well-designed bath, it is recommended to immerse in it up to the heart area for 4-10 minutes.A radiometric study in the area of ​​the springs revealed an anomaly in the area of ​​the main source and radonbaths (up to 87 μR/h, background levels of up to 25 μR/h are considered normal).Radon content fluctuates from 288 to 550 eman, and the content of free carbon dioxide reaches 380 mg/l. A radon bath should be taken while sitting, without immersing the heart area in water, once a day: up to 10 minutes for adults, up to 5–7 minutes for children. The decay product of radon easily penetrates the human body through the skin and spreads to all parts of the body, providing a healing effect. The course of treatment recommended by doctors is designed for 7-12 baths. A powerful flood on July 7–9, 2001 straightened the Shumak channel, and the displaced river washed away a dozen lower springs and destroyed part of the tuff steps. But time passed, and some of the lost sources were revived. The latest comprehensive scientific work, including certification of all sources, was carried out before this catastrophic flood.

Mineral waters, collected in a stream from the first and second zones, feed the health baths, and at the end of the stream of zone A, after the health bath, a mud bath is organized, which helps against various articular osteochondrosis. Only adults can take a mud bath for no more than 20 minutes.Shumak's ethics. At the Shumak mineral springs, as in many other similar places of religious significance, there is a certain set of rules and norms of behavior that are cultivated in relation to visitors. Many centuries ago with

You couldn’t speak loudly or use foul language; you were instructed to think only about good things, so as not to offend the spirits - the owners of the valley. On the stones at the springs there were inscriptions about their purpose in the Mongolian and Buryat languages: “heart”, “teeth”, “stomach”, “eyes”, etc. And I think that it was precisely from these recommendations that modern scientists proceeded to substantiate the healing properties of the source for a particular organ.

After the Oka-Shumak tourist base began operating, the valley became noticeably cleaner. All garbage was collected and removed by helicopter.

- In recent years, the Shumak Valley in Buryatia has been increasingly mentioned in various media as a unique and mysterious natural object that has a strong impact on human health. diseases, including cancer, as well as the appearance in some cases of a strong euphoric state? This is either very difficult or impossible.

Formed at the beginning of the Quaternary period, the Shumak field was the result of the tectonic fault of the Tunkinsky Goltsy. The Shumakh springs themselves are considered the youngest mineral waters on earth. This is generally a unique phenomenon for Eastern Siberia. In addition to mineralization, the Shumak mineral waters are saturated with gases: they contain oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and rare gases. The Shumak springs emerge from the depths in three groups: the first (70-meter) consists of 42 springs with water temperatures from 10°C to 35°C, the 175-meter second group has 50 springs (from 10°C to 35° C), 120-meter third - 16 outlets with temperature (from 28°C to 34°C). The springs themselves are located at an altitude of 1558 m.

These springs have been known since ancient times; according to legend, even during the time of Genghis Khan, their water was supplied to his troops.
So we decided to visit this amazing place. It’s not the first time I’ve gone there myself, but on this trip I played the role of a guide for the first time. Initially, the route was planned for 10 days. Nilova Pustyn - Shumak - Nilova Pustyn. Later, already on Shumak, we decided to go down the river. Kitoy and get off in Arshan. Which increased the duration of the journey to 16 days. A little information - Arshan is a completely civilized spring with sanatoriums and boarding houses. Shumak, in contrast, is a wild and little-known place. At least that’s how it used to be, until commerce got there too. But for now this is a completely wild corner. So, Shumak is the name of the river and valley, where about 100 mineral springs are located in a small area. With different water temperatures, tastes and medicinal properties. The place is quite famous among the local population, but for some reason it is little known to others. Although judging by the geography of those we met, they know about him not only in Russia. The fastest way to get to the springs is (if you do not decide to fly by helicopter) from the Nile Desert through the pass. The route to the springs takes from 2 to 4 days, depending on preparation and free time. So, we traveled from Irkutsk to the Nilova Pustyn by bus. Further our path lay along the Ekhe-Ger River to the foot of the pass. At the first ford we were lucky - the truck dropped off the team until the first winter hut, which was about 3 hours of walking. Cars do not go any further, only on foot or on horseback. The group traveling with us stayed to rest in the winter hut, but we moved on before it got dark. The first overnight stay took place in the valley before the pass. It was starting to rain. The tent was secured with stones and we, tired but happy, fell asleep under the beginning of the rain. Day two turned out to be a little cloudy and wet. Well, we are no strangers to this. We prepare breakfast, pack our things and go ahead - today we have to conquer the Shumak Pass, 2760 m high. We walk through the valley all day, there is no firewood here, so it is better to go through it in a day or have a burner with you. It was getting dark, and we, being confident that we would have time to both ascend and descend to the lakes where the Shumak River originates, which is on the other side of the pass, set out to climb.
At the top of the pass there is a pile of sacrificial stones - obo, which is dedicated to the spirit of the taiga Khangai, the owner of the area and the patron of animals. Along the trail there are dense thickets of sagandayli, Kuril tea, honeysuckle, and currants. But the time should have been calculated better. The descent from the pass began at 9 pm, which led to a very unusual situation - spending the night right on a rocky slope. As luck would have it, it started raining with fog, visibility dropped to several meters in all directions, we safely strayed from the path... in general - we wanted extreme sports. The smartest thing that came to our minds was to put up a tent on the rocks, and not jump over the boulders and try not to break our necks. And how to put it... here we had to tinker. It's okay to rain and the weather isn't exactly warm, but finding a flat surface on a rocky slope is a thankless task. As a result, for half an hour they simply covered a more or less suitable area with stones, leveled it, and laid everything they could. The result is quite smooth and relatively tolerant in terms of hardness. We also managed to get some sleep. And in the morning... in the morning, 10 meters from our tent, a cliff to the lake was discovered... We were really lucky that we didn’t go there... And in the light of day it wasn’t very difficult to find the path. In general, we are on the road again. We arrived at the springs on the morning of the 4th day. We managed to almost immediately find a free winter hut, where we lived for 7 days. At the springs there are spontaneously built winter huts, a bathhouse, a radon bath, and, accordingly, the springs themselves, which have become significantly smaller since my previous visit. Appeared tourist complex with well-equipped houses and a new radon bath, of course everything is paid. Helicopter communication has been improved, a store has opened where you can buy necessary products, as well as charge your existing equipment. Usually the day looked like this: a walk through the springs, a radon bath, breakfast, a day outing to some attraction, again the springs, dinner, and then whatever came to mind. The weather was changeable, so we didn’t have time to explore all the surroundings. We visited three places: 1. "Pillars" Nature education from crumbling rock. But the strangest thing is that although everything around has crumbled, the pillars themselves, for some unknown reason, continue to stand. Next to them is a women's datsan, a place quite revered by the local population, which is of great importance to them - they say it treats infertility, and judging by the stories, quite successfully. 2. Golden Lake. We pursued two goals - to look at the lake itself and to collect golden root along the way. Unfortunately, they never found the root... either they didn’t look well, or they had already dug it up there. But the lake itself made a strong impression. Mountain, with scalding cold water, falling into the valley beautiful waterfall and surrounded by sharp and high mountains, from a distance reminiscent of the walls of a fortress. 3. Cascades of waterfalls. Just a 15-minute walk from the winter huts is one of the local wonders - giant cascades of waterfalls, the largest of which, according to my estimates, is about 30 meters in height. I didn’t even begin to count how many there were. I just stood and marveled at the extent to which nature can be perfect and skillful. From below, it looks like a long staircase of rushing water flowing from high mountains. And as soon as you rise higher and stand on the cliff above the waterfalls, your heart skips a beat. Huge streams of water that made this rock amazing road. Sheer walls, raging streams... Admiration and fear mix together, forming a completely different feeling of the power of nature... As was said, we decided to leave through Arshan. There were two reasons for this, the first was a rumor that the pass was covered with snow, and the second was “Where should we rush?” And this means descending along the Shumak River to the place where it flows into the river. Kitoy and along Kitoy, 4-5 days to the Fedyushkina River, from which the desired pass is just a stone's throw away. The road was calm, except for the incidents that the only girl in the group, carried away by photographing, went down the wrong path, and we happily looked for her all day. As it turned out later, for half of that day, she was waiting for us at the confluence of two paths in front of a river, about 20 kilometers from the place of her disappearance. At the confluence of Fedyushkina and Kitoy, on the opposite side of the river, there is a tour. a base and a store, where we decided to replenish our quickly melting provisions. The process of crossing the river is as follows: On the other bank there is a sad little man sitting in a boat; if you run along the bank and wave your arms, he swims across the river and, for a fee worthy of Charon, transports you to the other side. When climbing to the Arshan pass, a spontaneous incident arose. It was at that moment when we were cheerfully climbing it that a good 8-magnitude earthquake occurred on Baikal. For the first time I saw a real wave rolling along the ground. It shook, my friend and I ended up on the ground, and the third comrade was found with all his limbs wrapped around the tree trunk. After the pass, descent along Kyngarga and, finally, civilization. One more night and we're home. And so this fascinating journey to the Valley of 100 Springs ended. And, although now there is a constant helicopter connection, comfortable houses and other delights of civilization, such wild tourism still evokes in me much more sensations, feelings and thoughts.

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