Iremel mountain in the sacred topography of the Bashkirs

Abstract

Iremel is one of the most significant landscape objects in the sacred topography of the Bashkirs. Despite the status, there is very little specific information about the forms of veneration of the mountain in the sources. Perhaps the high level of sacredness is the reason why the local Bashkirs did not disclose information about it. In general, the few surviving information correspond to the manifestations of the cult of the mountains among the Bashkirs: you need to climb it with pure thoughts; before climbing, it is necessary to fast, read a prayer, etc. Its importance is reflected in many folklore works, including the epic Ural-batyr, which reveals the history of its appearance. In folklore, Iremel appears, on the one hand, as one of the notable locations, a geographical landmark, on the other hand, as a place of tribal gatherings-yiyin. It has been recorded many times in the sources that the veneration of the mountain is associated with the graves of the aulia saints located on it, but there is no more specific information about this. There is very little information on modern forms of veneration of Iremel by the Bashkirs, this is due to the fact that many Bashkir settlements in the vicinity of the mountain ceased to exist. Nowadays, it is better known as a tourist location, and at the same time as a popular object of worship in esoteric tourism

Keywords

• sacred landscape
• iremel
• cult of mountains
• pilgrimage
• aulia