Altai is the sacred land of the peoples of Siberia. It is Altai that some scientists consider the ancestral home of humanity, its Noah's ark. It is proved that the Altaic language family includes more than a hundred languages and dialects. Its representatives can be found in different countries and on different continents. These are representatives of the Mongolian, Samoyedian, Korean, Finno-Ugric and Japanese language groups.
Some people believe that Altai is not only an ancient center from which mankind settled throughout our planet. It is also the place that will survive in all the cataclysms of the future. In addition, some believe that it is in Altai that the sacred center of the Slavs is located - the mystical country of Belovodye. A country ruled by a Christian king, where eternal spring reigns and immortals live. This legend was once popular among Russian Old Believers. They flocked to Altai, fleeing from the tsarist persecution, and also in order to find this magical land.
The philosopher and scientist Nicholas Roerich popularized this Russian legend about Belovodye, comparing it with the Indian Shambhala. Having announced the connection between Altai, Tibet and India, Roerich was sure that all these places form a single energy system that had survived since the time of Atlantis - he ensured a constant flow of pilgrims to Altai.
Many people seriously consider Altai as the "Cradle of the World". Such an unusual status is given to Altai by its sacred mountains.
In general, Altai is a mountainous region. Belukha is the highest of the Altai mountains. It consists of two peaks. The eastern peak rises 4506 m above sea level. And the West Peak is at 4440m. Climbing Belukha is possible only in summer. Of course, Belukha is one of the sacred mountains of Altai. This is what many researchers associate with the legendary "Mount Meru". This idea belongs to N. Fedorov, a Russian philosopher.
Nowadays it is impossible to relate the ancient Indian "Mount Meru" to any mountain peak known to us. It is the true center of the Universe, whose invisible part of the peak goes deep into the Cosmos, and there the Moon, the Sun, stars, galaxies revolve around it. There is an ancient map dating back to the second millennium BC, which depicts "Mount Meru". On this map, she was located north of India, and all four oceans known then were at an equal distance from it. And according to these astronomical data, the Turkologist Murat Aji supplemented N. Fedorov's hypothesis with new scientific data. It is above Altai that you can see the Big Dipper all year round. And here, over Altai, one can observe the complete rotation of the planets. Mount Belukha is indeed located at the same distance from three oceans: Indian, Pacific and Arctic. As for the fourth ocean, it is assumed that one really existed west of Belukha at the time of Atlantis. But later he disappeared, after a series of serious cataclysms.
In addition, the very name "Meru" is consonant with the traditional name of Belukha - Uch Sumer. The last word, "Sumer", scientists produce just from "Meru".
In second place in importance after Belukha is Mount Altyn-tu. Its name translates as the golden mountain. On it, according to the legends of Altai, is the eternal throne of the creator of our world, Ulgen. Here he rests after having created heaven, earth, rivers, people and animals. He hardly interferes in the affairs of people, but this does not mean that one can test his patience with impunity.
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All Altai mountains, including Belukha, have a single master. His name is Altai-eezi. It lives, of course, on Belukha itself, but it can also be found on the tops of other mountains. Altai-eezi lives in numerous caves where the glaciers begin. The representatives of the indigenous peoples of Altai knew this, and they never agree to climb the glaciers even for a huge reward. Ice is that visible border that separated the world of people from the kingdom of spirits. And the spirits severely punish everyone who dared to break this law. They punish not only him alone, but also his entire family, as spirits always do if a person violates the prohibitions established by them. And the punishment of the spirits can be terrible. Spirits send frightening snow storms in winter, hopeless rains at any other time of the year. They can kill all the cattle in the village, deprive the hunter of luck,so that he will no longer bring a single killed animal from the taiga. Each such punishment threatens the entire ancestral settlement with starvation.
To appease the formidable Altai-eezi, rich sacrifices are brought to him. These are sweet cheese, milk and chegen (the local analogue of kefir). And a ram with special signs must be brought as a gift. He should have a snow-white coat, and his head should be red.
These commodity-contractual relations with spirits ultimately brought enormous benefits to Altai itself. It is in these places that virtually untouched nature has been preserved in its original form. Local residents are sure that the land here is able to stand up for itself, which has not happened in other places for a long time. Many times people have become victims of accidents due to improper hunting - by killing an animal that cannot be killed this season, or by killing too many animals, poisoning fish or cutting down trees. Death or serious injury was the punishment of the spirits for this.
In addition, in Altai there are a lot of sacred mountains of lower rank. These are the so-called ancestral mountains - yiyk-tu. They are so called because they are located in some kind of territory. Such mountains also have a master - tu-eezi. They also observe order so that people do not take more from nature than they need for life.
Traditionally, in the minds of Altai residents, a sacred mountain is not just a stone. It is always hollow inside, and has doors invisible to the human eye. From them in the spring animals come out into our world, and birds fly out.
Where did this view of mountains as treasures come from? Why can't you approach the sacred mountains? Who actually protects the Altai nature from human encroachments? Perhaps this prohibition has existed for a long time, and has a purely pragmatic function - to protect the artifacts of ancient civilizations from immoderate and destructive human curiosity. It is possible that inside the caves of the sacred mountains there are special tunnels that connect these mountains with the mountain complexes of Tibet, India, Tien Shan. But this is just one hypothesis.
According to another, this underground mountain world is inhabited by completely different creatures. Mysterious people-snakes or people-dragons live there, who gave a person writing, medical knowledge, laws and agricultural technologies. About this ancient patronage of highly developed reptiles, people are told in legends not only in Altai, but all over the world - India, China, Iran, Egypt, Greece. Why these creatures suddenly broke off any connection with man and no longer rise to the earth's surface remains unknown. Perhaps these mysterious creatures are still watching humans. And they even keep in touch with us through their intermediaries - shamans.