Ufa



Ufa

Name: Ramil Sitdikov

Age: 29

Profession: Photojournalist

City: Ufa

How long have you been doing photography? Six years.

What style or genre most interests you? Documentary photography and sports.

Can you give us a short description of your city? Where is it located? What is it famous for? Ufa is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan. It is situated on the banks of the Belaya (White) River and is one of Russia's largest cities in terms of area of land covered. During the time of the Mongol occupation, their largest city was located here, Bashgirdt. A fortress was built in 1574, and in 1586 Ufa was officially given the status of city.

What are some things that only locals would know about the city? Ufa is the union of sky and water. The main reason to come here is not for cultural sites, but more for the authentic atmosphere. The monument to Salavat Yulaev [a Bashkir national hero] is placed on a high spot over the Bely River and it offers a truly regal view, with forest stretching to the horizon. 

Old Ufa is small and compact. Rare wooden homes live alongside massive palaces that once belonged to rich forest merchants.

Which places or sites are a must for someone to see if they visit your city? You must visit the House Museum of the writer Sergei Aksakov, and you should walk down Lenin Street to the Children's Palace named for VM. Komarov, where Rudolph Nuryeyev took his first dance classes.

There is a unique atmosphere to be sampled in the now marginal region known as Chernikovka (it's name has been officially changed, but locals still call it this). It maintains the triumphal spirit of the post-war era – in the faces of the homes, for example, in the Pobeda movie theater. There is also some very expressive architecture in the Museum of Military Glory, built by Dmitry Vinkelman in 1998, and comprised of a harmonious collection of prisms, cubes and smooth cylinders.

Anything else? You should definitely take a tour to Shulgan Tash Nature Preserve, home to some of the oldest caves of human habitation, to see the wall drawings made 15-16 thousand years ago, including over 50 images of mammoths, horses, rhinos, bisons, and geometric symbols. Most of the images were made with red ochre. It is one of the greatest mysteries of the art world. For such drawings have often been found in France and Spain, but it was entirely unexpected to find them in Russia.

Website: http://ramilsitdikov.com/

Instagram: @ramilsitdikov



Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955