Shartash stone tents

Shartash Stone Tents is a granite rock outcrop on the eastern shore of Lake Shartash in the Kirovsky District of Yekaterinburg, Russia, one of the city's most picturesque natural landmarks and a regionally protected nature monument.

The Rocks

The granite outcrops stretch along the lakeshore for about 80-100 metres and are split into the Large and Small Tents, with individual formations standing 5 to 20 metres high. Their mattress-like shape was carved by wind, water and temperature swings that have worn down the Shartash granite massif, roughly 300 million years old, for ages.

History

Up to 10 ancient settlements and campsites of different eras, dating back to the 3rd millennium BC, have been found near the rocks: stone tools and arrowheads, Itkul pottery and casting moulds, and copper points from the early Iron Age. The settlements were linked to ancient religious rites and craft (metalworking) production, and the rocks themselves were considered a center of ancient cults and sacrifices; the finds are kept in museums in Yekaterinburg and Helsinki. Archaeologists have studied the Tents since the 19th century. According to legend, robbers once hid near the rocks in those same years, and treasure hunters searched for their hidden loot.

Between 1905 and 1917 the site hosted illegal workers' meetings and May Day gatherings, one of them addressed by Yakov Sverdlov, and later it was used for Young Pioneer rallies. In 1960 the rocks were given the status of a geological, archaeological and historical-revolutionary nature monument, and in the 1980s they were absorbed into the city limits of Yekaterinburg, remaining a favorite recreation spot for city residents ever since.

Visiting and Getting There

Today Shartash Stone Tents is a popular destination for walks, picnics and time with friends and family, drawing townspeople of all ages on any given day. It can be reached by tram to the "Kamennye Palatki" stop or by car along Malysheva and Vysotskogo streets, about 3 km from the center of Yekaterinburg. Shartash Stone Tents remains a symbol of Yekaterinburg's natural and cultural heritage, attracting the attention of both residents and visitors.