Diamond House Trade Center in Yakutsk

As I twitted, on Tuesday I had an unique opportunity to visit EPL Diamond’s biggest diamond-cutting factory and jeweller’s store in Yakutsk. See pics and info. Read the rest of this entry…

 The Linden-Museum Stuttgart is presenting in cooperation with the Russian Museum of Ethnography (Saint Petersburg) the exhibition Shamans of Siberia. This exhibition highlights the ancient belief systems of Siberian peoples to deal with the world beyond.

Shaman Feder Poligus and his helper spirits. Evenks. Yenisei Province. 1907/1908.

(Copyright: The Russian Museum of Ethnography St. Petersburg
Photo: I. Sacharov / A. Dreyer)

Siberia is known as a land of diverse climates and extraordinary landscapes. Its widely unknown wilderness and the fascinating cultures of its indigenous peoples have always attracted researchers and visitors to learn more about that part of the world. This exhibition highlights the ancient belief systems of Siberian peoples to deal with the world beyond.In their view, spirits choose humans to become shamans to act in altered states of mind as intermediaries between the spirit realm and the human world in times of anxiety and crisis.

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Yakutsk State University / North-Eastern Federal University

Summer School: 9.08.10.-28.08.2010

 (for German Students)

Spiritual legacy of the Northern peoples has attracted anthropologists from all over the world including researchers from Germany. Their exploration of the Arctic region made a major contribution to development of the science in Yakutia, particularly in the Humanities. History of the peoples inhabiting the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), their culture, traditions and customs can be of great value for students as well as for young scientists from Germany.

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Oil leakage in Siberia

Two East Siberia – Pacific Ocean leakages in the course of one month are too much. Anxious is intensive. Read the rest of this entry…

Yakutia/Siberia Adventure Weblog Screenshot

I am very glad that my friends, Artyom (aka Werwolf) and Katya (aka Mirakly), have launched their own weblog dedicated to travel across Yakutia. Read the rest of this entry…

I have an US-based friend on Facebook. His name is Sid Korn. A few days ago he informed me that he created the slideshow using my pictures of the recent road trip to Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold. Here it is. Read the rest of this entry…

I love this video. It shows how we were really happy to be on the Pole of Cold in Oymyakon (Yakutia/Siberia). Read the rest of this entry…

Today's incident with the An 24 plane in Yakutsk

This morning, at 7:30 am, at Yakutsk Airport the incident happened to Yakutia Airlines’ AN 24 plane that was about to fly to Olekminsk, South Yakutia. When it was running up on the runway to take off, undercarriage got suddenly closed. The vessel collapsed on its bottom. No victims, praise god. Just light fright. Btw, there was also a problem with the left engine.

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In the previous post “Welcome to Yakutia Photo Exhibition at Warsaw University, Jan. 25 – Feb. 5, 2010” I have already written about Polish students, Agata Fedotov and Lukasz Grajewski, whose photographs are currently displayed in the exhibition “The Sakha Republic Photographic Guide” at Warsaw University Library till this Friday. So… hurry up!

Here is another good news from Warsaw. Read the rest of this entry…