The Iset River - a fishy river with a dog smell

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

In the Urals, many different rivers, large and very tiny, flow or originate. Starting from springs, flowing from swamps or lakes, they are completely different from each other. And each has its own story, its own secret, its own beauty.

One of the longest rivers in the Urals is the Iset River. Its length exceeds 600 km. The river begins in the Sverdlovsk region and, flowing through the territory of two more regions (Kurgan and Tyumen), flows into the Tobol River. The Iset has many tributaries: Lattice, Sysert, Patrushikha, Brusyanka, Kamyshenka, Kamenka, Kanash, Sinara, Techa, Ichkina, Barneva, Ik, Miass, Mostovka, Tersyuk, Iryum. With an average depth of about 2 m, the width of the Iset is from 30 to 70 m. The flow of the river is on average 2.5 m/s. Below the city of Shadrinsk, the river becomes navigable.

There is no clear opinion about how the Iset River got its name. There are several options, the most ancient of which: from the Tatar "is et", which translates as "dog smell". However, there are two more versions: from the Ket “fish river” (“Ise set”) and Vogul “a lot of fish”. There are indeed a lot of fish in Iset: dace,ruff, crucian carp, carp, bream, perch, tench, minnow, roach, pike perch, silver carp, bleak, chebak, pike, ide.

The Iset River has been inhabited by people since antiquity. The remains of ancient settlements discovered by archaeologists indicate that people settled here more than nine thousand years ago. And until now, scientists have found rock paintings, stone tools, ancient altars, arrowheads. More than 140 archaeological sites have been found in the upper reaches of the Iset alone.

Iset was a waterway connecting Siberia with Europe. An ancient coin found here is considered proof that the Iset River was one of the links of the Great Silk Road.

The Iset basin is rich in various minerals, although over time these reserves have been depleted, and significant damage has been done to the environment. From ancient times, gold was hunted here, and in the 19th century, in the gold-bearing placer near the n. n. Maly Istok discovered diamonds. In addition, rubies, topazes, aquamarines, chrysoberyls, aquamarines, and iron ore were mined here.

The banks of the Iset are extraordinarily beautiful. There are many famous natural monuments here - bas alt rocks, stone gates and caves (the most famous is Smolinskaya cave). What are the names of rocks worth: Three caves, Dinosaur, Elephant legs, Seven brothers, Owl, Stone pillar, etc.

Ural is a favorite place for fans of extreme sports. Climbers and watermen are very attracted to the Iset River. The threshold of Revun (locally - Burkan) is considered to bethe most famous place among lovers of rafting on water on various kinds of watercraft.

Cutting through a volcanic rock ridge, the Howler is graded from Category 2 to Category 5 in difficulty, depending on the water level and the category of boats used. There are almost all local obstacles here: shafts, clamps, barrels, plums. No wonder it is called the Mecca of water workers, and not only at the local level. Located just 20 km from the place where the Iset River created this miracle, Kamensk-Uralsky is a major railway junction. He made the Revun available to thrill-seekers from other regions as well.

The bewitching element of stone and water, which is the Revun rapids, and the entire Iset River as a whole, attracts nature lovers. And those who have just been here once will certainly strive to return here again.