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

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

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.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

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