The firmament is supported by thousands of snow-capped peaks. To some they seem to be petrified giants, while others see in their sharply outlined broken silhouettes a mystical staircase leading straight to the palaces of the gods. Mountains seem to be eternal and timeless. Probably because they existed on Earth before us and will remain on it when we are no longer …
Himalayas
The highest peaks of the Earth are in Asia. This is the Himalayas - a mountain system that stretches between the Tibetan plateau in the north and the Indo-Gangetic plain in the south. The name of the mountains is translated from Sanskrit as "abode of snows". A remarkable image of a mountainous country can be found on the 1996 Indian 100 rupee banknote. These are the so-called Lesser Himalayas. The figure perfectly conveys not only the play of light and shadow, but also the grandeur and inaccessibility of the stone giants, which arouse superstitious awe among believers, and genuine respect and admiration among atheists.
Looking at the seemingly unearthly landscape, you begin to understand the inhabitants of the foothills, in whose view on the peaks of the Himalayas are the dwellings of the gods. For example, Hindus believe that on Mount Kailash (Tibet) there is the house of the great Shiva, and their neighbors - the Tibetans - call it the center of the world. At the very top, the artist depicted moisture-laden clouds, subtly noting one important feature of the Himalayan ridge. Being on the cross path of powerful air currents, it is responsible for the descent of precipitation over a vast territory. Thousands of streams run down the slopes of the ridge, where such famous rivers of Asia as the Indus originate. Ganges and Brahmaputra.
Mother earth
The average height of the mountains in the Himalayas is 6000 m, and there are fourteen eight-thousanders. The highest peak in the world - Chomolungma (Jumulangfeng) - rises to the sky at an incredible 8848 m. The name of the mountain is translated as "mother of the earth" or "mother of gods". Chomolungma is located on the border between Tibet (China) and Nepal, where it is called Sagarmatha. Therefore, only these states have the right to depict the highest point of the planet on their money. However, China has used its right only once so far. In 1980, a 10-yuan note with a view of the famous peak appeared in circulation. But it is this image that collectors consider the most expressive. Nepal has immortalized Sagarmatha with money more than once. And the last drawing of the giantess mountain even took the place on the Nepalese banknotes, which was previously intended exclusively for the portrait of the king.
Promotional video:
On May 29, 1953, the highest peak in the world was conquered. Sherpas Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary became the lucky winners of the palm. Since then, more than a thousand climbers from all over the world have visited the highest point on Earth.
Heavenly Mountains
The name of the second largest mountain system of Central Asia after the Pamirs - Tien Shan - translated from Chinese means "heavenly mountains". This mountainous country is located on the border between Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan and China, and the territory of China accounts for almost 1200 km of the ridge. One of the first banknote images of the Tien Shan mountains appeared on the currency of Kyrgyzstan in 1997.
Geologists attribute these mountains to the old ones. On their slopes, erosion processes are intensively developing, talus is formed, rockfalls and landslides occur, and in the gorges there are mudflows dangerous for all living things. The most beautiful peak in the Central Tien Shan is the peak located in the Tengri-Tag ridge. Mountain climbers and guests of Kyrgyzstan know the world's northernmost seven-thousander (6995 m - excluding the ice thickness) under the name of Khan-Tengri ("lord of spirits"). The landscape with its famous pyramidal peak was adorned with a 100 som bill of 2002.
At the foot of the peak, you can see a powerful glacier resembling a highway. This is the largest glacier of the Tien Shan - South Inylchek with a length of 60 km. And if you look closely at the drawing on the banknote, then just below the snow-capped peak you can easily distinguish … an angry face. What is it? Is it a play of imagination or is the spirit of Mount Khan Tengri making itself felt? In any case, the artists of the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic were so impressed by the “face” in the photographs taken for development that they decided to keep it on a future banknote (first-hand information!).
Sacred peaks
Many different religions coexist in China. People believe in Buddha, Christ, Shiva and Allah. They worship multi-armed and multi-headed deities and wonderful animals. They are afraid of demons and ask for protection from good spirits. They deify animals and birds and are sincerely convinced of the sacredness of mountain peaks. The cult of mountains in the Celestial Empire has its roots in hoary antiquity, and their views have adorned more than one Bon of the PRC. For example, 5 yuan in 1999 depicts Mount Taishan.
From time immemorial, the Chinese have climbed the mountains in the hope of meeting their divine inhabitants and asking them about the mysteries of life. Not only mere mortals, but also emperors did not shy away from exhausting and dangerous ascents. Among them were those who conquered all the main sacred peaks. For many Chinese, the mountains became a second home, and they themselves became hermits. Among them there were shamans, holy people and even exorcists, to whom they turned for help in driving out evil spirits. According to legend, the teacher of the first fighters against evil spirits was Lao Tzu himself - the legendary philosopher and one of the founders of Taoism. He came to one of the hermits and gifted him with a magic sword that could defeat any ghost and demon.
Chinese pilgrims are sure that the ascent to the holy peaks should not be easy. A person who has chosen a dangerous path sharpens his senses. He begins to perceive things that he would not have paid attention to before. And having overcome the difficult ascent, spiritually ready for contact with any manifestation of the magical and mystical.
The cult of the sacred mountains is widespread in Korea as well. At the beginning of the 20th century, out of 520 sacrificial rituals, almost 200 accounted for the veneration of Saaksin - the spirits of the four peaks. For many Koreans, the snow-capped mountains were and remain the habitat of the spirits of mythical ancestors.
Where did Noah's ark go?
The biblical legend about how during the Flood people wandered around the planet on a huge wooden ship in the company of all kinds of animals is familiar to everyone. Thanks to the Book of Books, it is well known where the would-be seafarers eventually went ashore. The Bible claims that it happened on Mount Ararat (5165 m).
From the middle of the 20th century, scientists, usually distrustful of ancient legends, began to look closely at the top. And all because the American pilots managed to see a strange object on the western slope of the mountain. Its outline resembled the skeleton of a huge ship. For a long time, the opportunity to explore that place remained a cherished dream for scientific expeditions, because Turkish military bases are located on the northern slope of Ararat.
However, decades later, such a case still presented itself. And at once several groups of researchers went in search of the ark. True, to everyone's disappointment, no evidence of biblical events has yet been found there. According to those who have visited the top of the mountain, this is not an easy task. However, if you look at the Turkish 100 lira banknote of 1970, it will immediately become clear why. The slopes of the mountain are dotted with deep cracks. And the top is chained in an ice shell, movement along which without special equipment is far from safe.
For a long time, there has been a dispute between Armenians and Turks over who should own the legendary two-headed peak. And if the solution to the problem depended on the number of images of the famous mountain in the national currency, the Armenians would undoubtedly win the litigation. Indeed, on their money, the snow-capped peaks of Small and Big Ararat were first depicted back in 1919. And after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the symbol of national pride of the Armenian people has not left the banknotes. Silhouettes of Ararat, dear to the heart of every Armenian, are found on bonds of 10, 50, 100 and 500 drams.
Magazine: Secrets of the 20th century №50. Author: Rolf Meisinger