Kama River brief description characteristics. Interesting facts and beautiful places on the Kama for rafting and fishing, flora and fauna of the river

The Kama River is the largest tributary of the Volga. It flows through the European part of the Russian Federation and originates from the Verkhnekamsk Upland near the village of Karpushata. It is characterized by a winding channel, which widens significantly after flowing into the Kama Vishera. In this area there is a large number of islands and shoals. The river flows into the Kama Bay. Its total length is 1805 km. The river is fed mainly groundwater.

Kama River on the map

Among the largest settlements located on the banks of the Kama River are Solikamsk, Krasnokamsk, Perm, Sarapul, Nizhnekamsk, and Naberezhnye Chelny. More than 70 thousand tributaries flow into the Kama, the most significant of which are the South Keltma, Chusovaya, Vishera, Pilva, Lupya, Polrysh and others.

Fishing and relaxation on the Kama River

The upper reaches of the Kama River are inhabited by grayling and taimen. In addition to them, the waters of the river contain sterlet, sturgeon, carp, pike perch, burbot, and catfish. Fishermen are not left without a catch; perch, ruff, and ide work well on the fishing rod. Asp, bleak, chub, pike, crucian carp, and silver bream are caught. In addition, the Kama has commercial significance: its waters are home to many fish, such as bream, sturgeon, pike perch, sterlet, carp, perch and many others.

Several reservoirs have been created on the Kama River and hydroelectric power stations operate. The largest is the Kama Hydroelectric Power Station, near which the Kama Reservoir is located. The Kama is navigable: it has many ports and marinas. It is also connected by waterways to other large rivers, such as the Ob, Volga, Neva, Don and others. Numerous cruise and passenger flights pass along the river. Major sailing competitions - the Kama Cup - are also held here.

The nature of the Kama basin and the Kama River is very diverse. In the upper reaches, the mountain slopes of the Ural Range approach its banks. Then the Kama flows through the plateau and low-lying plains.

In the upper reaches the river is surrounded by the Siberian taiga and coniferous forests, in the lower reaches - oak groves and mixed forests. Deciduous forests are dominated by birch, maple, ash, linden, and aspen. Hazel, bird cherry, buckthorn, honeysuckle, and euonymus grow as undergrowth.

The fauna is represented by more than 40 different species. The forests are inhabited by martens, squirrels, and weasels. There are moose, wild boars, roe deer, wolves, and hares. The lynx lives in remote, remote corners. Chipmunks and nutcrackers are found in taiga forests.

There are many forest birds: woodpecker, cuckoo, tit, bullfinches, corncrake. Inhabited by jay owl, hoopoe, sea eagle, harrier. From rare species, listed in the Red Book, there are golden eagles, saker falcons, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and black storks.

Seagulls, mallard ducks, mute swan, and woodcock nest near the water. In spring, cranes and wild geese are found in floodplain meadows. IN winter time In open spaces you can see a polar owl.

Aquatic vegetation is dominated by yellow capsule, water lily, cattail, and reed. Aquatic vegetation is developed on the surface of the water, in the backwaters and bays of the river. Underwater vegetation is also well developed. Photo materials used from Wikimedia © Foto, Wikimedia Commons

Everyone who lives in Tatarstan, probably more than once

If not, then it’s worth doing urgently - because here the picturesque expanses of the confluence of two great Russian rivers! For tens of kilometers of water, distant shores, barges and yachts, beautiful mountains on the right bank of the Volga!
And where does one of the most deep rivers our region, the Kama, which can rival the Volga itself in terms of water content - this is what our article will be about!

Where does the Kama originate?
And also the Volga itself. We in Udmurtia know that in fact it is the Volga that flows into the Kama, and not vice versa) Because to run a greater distance before merging with the Volga, the river would be called the Kama in all respects. For the same reason, Permians believe that it is not the Vishera that flows into the Kama, but the Kama into the Vishera :)

But historically, the Volga, which was fuller at its confluence, was considered to be longer. And the beginning of the great Russian river is in the Kezsky region of Udmurtia in the Old Believer village of Kuliga. Here is the source of the Kama on the map near Kuliga.

Half an hour from Kez by car and you are there.

how to get there, where it is:

You can also get to Kez by rail. From Perm, Izhevsk and Kirov, either electric trains or passenger trains travel to Balezino.

And from Balezino you already take the train to Kez.
Kuliga is the center of Old Believer culture; it is very ancient, almost 180 years old. Every year on Peter's Day, July 12, a festival of Old Believer culture is held here.

The village picturesquely stretches for 5 kilometers. In general, Russian villages were often built with 1-2 long streets.
Previously, the village of Karpushata was a separate locality, but now she connected with Kuliga and became part of it. Just beyond Karpushaty and

Without exaggeration, at the place of origin great river There is a park with benches and gazebos. And at the very source there is a stele “Source of the Kama”. And on a large stone the inscription reads: “The Ural River Kama originates here.”
Among the birch trees, a spring breaks out of the ground and flows into a small lake. Here it is called “lyva”. The water in the spring is very tasty.

The stream rushes on its way with a cheerful murmur.

He will have to run almost 2000 km to the confluence with the Volga, a significant part of the route through the territory of Udmurtia. First, a lively, talkative stream, and then return again, but this time as a full-flowing, leisurely navigable river.
True, only a paper boat can sail here for now, but you can stand on two banks of the great river at once. And a humpbacked intricate bridge, spanning from one bank of the stream to the other, very small - a few steps long.

folk festival at the source of the Kama
There are many legends about. For example, there is a legend about the Kama hero, who dragged a large stone along the ground, and in this place a river bed was formed.
And Kama most likely got its name from the Khanty-Mansiysk “Kam”, which means clean, transparent. There is a version associated with the Finno-Ugric word “Kem” - a big great long river.
For more than a thousand years, Kama has been a natural road. The name Kama has been in Russian chronicles since 1220.
Udmurtia is a land of springs, and several of them, emerging from the ground near Kuliga, give rise to the Kama. And only here can you see the infancy of the great river, the very beginning of its life.

water prayer service at the source of the Kama
KAMA OR VOLGA
“In geography, tradition means a lot... and the development of the Kama in Rus' began with the Volga River basin.
There was no Kama River on the territory of ancient Rus'; Rus' was located on the Volga and its tributaries,
and the Volga was considered the main Russian river.
But in the 15th-16th centuries, the expansion of Russian territories began, and new lands became part of it.
The first scientific studies were first carried out in 1875, and it turned out that, according to hydrological characteristics, the Volga River is only a tributary of the Kama:

1. The Kama is deeper than the Volga.
The main part of the Kama basin is located in the taiga zone, where more precipitation falls,
which, together with the countless Ural tributaries, makes the Kama a mighty river.

first steps of the Kama River
2. The Kama is older than the Volga.
After studying the silt deposits of these rivers, it was proven that the Kama existed several million years ago
before the appearance of the Volga. First half Quaternary period, before the era of maximum glaciation, there was no Volga in its modern form.

There was the Kama, which, uniting with the Vishera, directly flowed into the Caspian Sea.
Glaciation led to the reformation of the hydrographic network, and the upper Volga, which previously gave water to the Don, began to flow into the Kama, almost at a right angle.

3. The channel of the Kama is located below.
At the confluence of the Volga and Kama, the bed of the Kama lies lower. Since water does not flow upward, it is logical that it is the Volga that flows into the Kama.
But…
An important criterion in understanding people is the historical cultural traditions and names.
And following these traditions, the choice of the main Russian river remained with the Volga.”

The source of the Kama River as a tourist site
In the Kez region of the Udmurt Republic, far from civilization there is a small village of Kuliga. The settlement is famous for the fact that it is home to a large community of Russian Old Believers. Another attraction of the village is natural.
It is in the vicinity of Kuliga that the source of the Kama River is located. “There, from a tiny spring - the Kama - a river grew!” - this is how the Perm poet Boris Shirshov described this place. Kama really starts from a spring.
Powerful jet of cool and delicious water bursts out of the iron pipe, and a small stream with a cheerful murmur rushes on its long path.
The source of the Kama River is refined and well-groomed. Nearby there is a cozy square and a small stone stele with the appropriate inscription: “Here the Ural River Kama originates.”
Nearby there is a tiny bridge across the riverbed. Visiting tourists love to take pictures in this place, standing with their feet on two different banks of the great Russian river. -

JOURNEY TO THE SOURCE OF KAMA
The first point of our program was the hitherto unknown village of Kuliga, located not far from the border of the Perm Territory, but already on the territory of the Kezsky district of the Udmurt Republic. The only interesting thing about this village was that on its outskirts there is a spring, which is considered the source of the Kama River, which is not the last one in Russia.

Turning off the Izhevsk highway onto Ocher, we then got to Vereshchagino, and then turned west along roads that I had never driven before. The route was laid out by the navigator, in which the “No dirt roads” setting was set. And everything was going well until, somewhere on the border of the Perm region, the girl from the box suggested that we turn onto a road that could hardly be called paved. Having sensibly reasoned that, in principle, we can always return and look for another path, we drove as the navigator ordered.

Perhaps this road was once a passable road, but now, broken by the wheels of tractors, it has turned into something indefinite. You can't drive a car here in the rain. But we have “almost a jeep”! Carefully making our way between holes and ruts, we drove through a forest, then a field, until we “sat on the tail” of some local Niva, confidently moving forward.

After ten kilometers of bumpy dirt road, a large village appeared on the horizon, which turned out to be the goal of our route. We entered the village of Kuliga, so to speak, from the “back door”, from somewhere in the fields, from the direction of the village of Buzmaki. Along the way, the poem “From Kuliga to Buzmaki is nothing but gullies” was born.

pointer to the source of the Kama
Pointer to the source of the Kama
At first we even missed the pointer to the source of the Kama in the form of a small yellow arrow. Then we found our way using the navigator, turned around and headed in the right direction, following the sign that led us to the desired place.

It is clear that the Kulizh administration is trying to do something to turn the source of the Kama into a tourist attraction. Last year, there was even a TV video saying that 2 million rubles had been allocated for landscaping.

Village Kuliga
Village Kuliga
The only visible results so far are a tiled area at the entrance and a few meters of fence on which hangs a plan for the future transformation of this place into a cultural center. There will be gazebos, a boat station, and a floating stage with an amphitheater for spectators. New Vasyuki, in a word. In the meantime, behind the fence there are unmown meadows and a path along which the Kama stream flows. After a few tens of meters it flows into a pond, the entire surface of which is completely covered with mud. On the hill there is a dilapidated wooden stage and wooden tables. Judging by the number empty bottles, here villagers celebrate happy holidays.

Source of the Kama
Source of the Kama
We were the very first to arrive and wandered around the surroundings of the spring almost alone. Before the further journey we decided to refresh ourselves with homemade tea and pies. And in just twenty minutes we could see 7 or 8 cars with the same autotourists approaching from different directions. What is noteworthy is that all the rooms were Perm. For the residents of Udmurtia, obviously, the source of the Kama means little. The river goes north and then flows through the territory Kirov region, returning wide and full-flowing to the north of the Perm region, and flowing along it from north to south.

Leaving Kuliga was less problematic. We set the next travel point - the village of Balezino, and the navigator confidently led us along a wide road (albeit without asphalt) to the regional center, the village of Kez, and then turned west, again along the railway.

We reached Balezino around noon without any worries. Here our modest goal was to stop by the station square and see the steam locomotive on the pedestal. Once upon a time, about ten years ago, I had already visited Balezino on a business trip, not to mention many times while traveling to Moscow or back. A village that lives solely on railway transport and Agriculture There's nothing particularly interesting about it.

But we are going on a day off! On a public holiday. And the center of Balezino was blocked for traffic road transport in connection with some sporting event taking place at the stadium. It's no problem! We parked on the side of the road and went for a walk. Fortunately, along the way there was just another memorial dedicated to the memory of fellow countrymen who died in local military conflicts of our time - a BMP-2 on a pedestal. They came up and took a photo. It's literally a ten minute walk to the station.

Steam Locomotive Monument
Steam Locomotive Monument
We saw the locomotive immediately, but first we went out onto the platform, looked at the trains passing through the junction station, and only then approached the locomotive monument. Naturally, there was a sign on it prohibiting climbing up and threatening a fine. But I was more disappointed historical reference. It turns out that this locomotive was built at a Bulgarian plant in 1947, i.e. already after the war. We walked around it, took photos and headed back to the car.

Departure from Balezino was remembered only by the fact that we broke the rules in the square in front of the traffic cops, not yielding to the obstacle on the right main road, but they somehow didn’t react to it. Then we meandered through the village streets, ducked under the Trans-Siberian Railway tracks, and got onto the highway that already led us to Glazov. Fifty kilometers is not a long drive, but during this time the weather managed to change. The blue sky and sun disappeared behind thunderclouds, it became gloomy and it began to rain.

We looked at the eyes through the rain-wet glass. But it made a much stronger impression - you can immediately see that it is a city, and not a “town” like Balezino. The houses are large - 9 floors. The streets are wide, there are traffic lights at the intersections.

In past centuries, the area of ​​the modern Kez region was covered with dense forests. The only way to move through these forests was through rivers. The settlement of the forest zone on the right bank of the Cheptsa River, which includes the territory of our region, was long and difficult. From the upper reaches of the Kama and the middle reaches of the Vyatka, the lands were developed by the Ananyin-Pyanobor tribes. The Volga Bulgars also began to show interest in the lands of the northern Udmurts, and subsequently the Russian population came to these lands. At the turn of the 12th-13th centuries, the settlement of the Vyatka land by immigrants from Russian principalities began. Since those distant times, the Udmurts, Russians, and Tatars have been living in peace and harmony on the territory of the Kez region.

More than three thousand of the Russian population living in the Kezsky district are Old Believers. Despite its almost 400-year history, the Old Believers have preserved their original faith, culture, rituals and traditions. And the ancient centers of the Old Believers that have survived to this day are of great value for the study of the traditions of Russian culture. In understanding the past, an important role belongs to historical and cultural monuments, which reflect the material and spiritual life of past generations. In the village of Kuliga, enthusiasts have created a museum of Old Believer culture, the only one in the Republic that is registered with UNESCO.

The Kez region has a surprisingly rich history. Unique historical, architectural and cultural monuments have been preserved in the area. These are 4 settlements and 10 burial grounds, studied by archaeologists and allowing us to imagine the way of life of our ancestors.

The Siberian Highway - the “great sovereign road” - is timeless. The history of this route goes back five centuries. The emperors of the Russian state - Catherine II, Alexander I and future king Alexander II accompanied by his mentor, the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. Along the Siberian Highway, with the ringing of shackles, prisoners and exiles walked, who were driven along the stage to hard labor in Siberia. In the village of Polom, a transit point has been preserved, remembering political prisoners, Decembrists and revolutionaries within its walls. Radishchev, Herzen, and Chernyshevsky walked along this road to Siberia at different times.

The construction of the railway in the Vyatka province in 1899, which connected the center of Russia and Siberia, led to the next stage in the historical development of our region. In a remote forested and swampy region, a place was chosen for a station near a river with the aim of constructing a water pumping station for refueling steam locomotives with water. This is how the Kez station arose on the Lyp River. On November 1, 1899, the railway was put into operation by a special commission. This date is considered to be the birthday of the station and the village of Kez.

It is difficult to imagine a person who would not have an idea of ​​such a Shishkin painting as “Morning in pine forest", who would not know Shishkin's "Rye" or "Ship Grove". On a number of his canvases, the painter depicted the surroundings of his native Yelabuga. At a short stop, go to the local museum. The museum has exhibitions of local history and a stand dedicated to the heroine of the Patriotic War

War of 1812 to Nadezhda Durova. The extraordinary fate of the “cavalry girl” attracted writers and playwrights at different times. After retiring, Durova settled in Elabuga and wrote my own here

memories that Pushkin highly appreciated. Durova's grave is located in the old city cemetery.

The Belaya River comes to the Kama between the low-lying banks of the floodplain, and perhaps from a steamship the mouth of the tributary would be poorly visible if not for the color of the water. Here the difference in color is especially sharp and noticeable. The waters of the Belaya River crash into the Kama River and crowd them with its wide stream, over which seagulls circle. The length of the Belaya, the main tributary of the Kama, is 1,420 kilometers. Starting in the mountains Southern Urals, Belaya then rushes to the plains of Bashkiria, connecting a number of cities of this autonomous republic and its center Ufa with the Kama. Essentially, almost the entire flat part of Bashkiria is located in the Belaya basin. A lot of timber, grain and oil are transported along the river.

The steamer goes under the bridge of the Kazan railway, and almost immediately you can see the still distant Sarapul. The low island initially covers the low-lying part of the city. But then the island ends, and the whole of Sarapul is visible. This is one of the most attractively located cities in the Kama region. Against the backdrop of a dense green forest, the white blocks occupy the slopes of the valley of the Sarapulka River, which crosses the city. The central part of Sarapul is built up with stone houses, among which the buildings of the City Council and the vocational school, facing us with their facades, stand out. All this is dominated by a mountain with steep slopes, ending in a sharply defined cape. Sarapul arose at the end of the 16th century. The riverine part of the city has preserved to the greatest extent the features of the distant past.

Here you can see traces of an ancient settlement, ancient monastery walls. By the way, the very name of the city in the language of the ancient inhabitants of the Kama region meant “yellow fish,” that is, sterlet, which, obviously, was found here in abundance. When walking around the city, you should pay attention to the wooden carved decorations of window frames, gates and even the walls of houses: Sarapul craftsmen were especially famous for wood carving.

In two hours the ship will complete its voyage at the Molotov River Station, but the proximity of the big city is clearly felt.

Here is the Zakamsk pier on the left. This is already the Kirovsky district of Molotov across the river. It goes far along the coastal ravine Pinery. But take a closer look: pine trees remain only near the shore, and further inland, everything is occupied by blocks of residential buildings and workshops of enterprises. In some places the pine trees are denser; under them there are either dacha-type houses or light buildings pioneer camps. Overflights clearly loomed over the Kama

railway bridge, built more than half a century ago. Both before it and immediately after it, to the right of us, the coast is occupied by the berths of industrial enterprises. Smoke from factory chimneys spreads over the river. The elevator rose up like a cliff. The cranes are visible again - this is one of the sections of the old Molotov port.

In this area there are still many unsightly houses and warehouses built by Kama steamship workers. But then the Molotov berths for suburban traffic began. The tower of the art gallery and standing at

at the very edge of the slope, a tall building with columns is the Hammerwood office. The city of Molotov, the largest industrial and cultural center of the Kama region, is much younger than many Ural cities.

The lock world of the Kama River. The ship goes to the lock. It doesn't look like any of the buildings that

meet on the way from the capital. The fact is that the Kama is the first sluice river in the country with a huge rafting of timber. A conventional gateway could never allow those 10-12 million to pass through for navigation.

cubic meters of wood that go through the “stairs” of the Kama hydroelectric complex. The right downstream, or, as it is called, the “Western thread” of the lock is intended exclusively for launching rafts along the Eastern, or left; Depending on the need, both ships and rafts are allowed through. All gateway structures stretch over 2.5 kilometers in length. Our ship is heading to the left "thread".

NIZHNEKAMSK - PRISTAN - RED KEY

LEGENDS ABOUT THE KAMA RIVER

This was in those distant times, when in the space from White Sea The ancient Vedic Gods lived to the Ural Mountains and from the Ural Mountains to the Black Sea. They were born, developed the land, enlightened people, and replaced each other. And what happened in heaven necessarily left traces on Earth. The time has come when Zlata Maya and God Vyshny, born from the rays of the Golden stars, had a son, Kryshen. The Star Book of the Vedas shone in his forehead, and in his hands. He revealed a lot of knowledge to the Gods and did many good deeds in heaven. The goddess of Waters Vodynya and the Sun God Ra raised a beautiful daughter, Rada. Kryshen and Rada met and fell in love. When their son Kama was born, all nature rejoiced, flowers bloomed, nightingales sang, there was a great feast in heaven. Once Kama was riding along a pole - the rider Oka sees in the field, the horse is playing, the helmet is sparkling, there is a nightingale on her arm. They began to shoot love arrows at each other. And in a love match, both died. Where the blood of the Kama flowed, the Kama River flows, where the blood of the Oka flows, the Oka River flows. In heaven, God Kama became the God of love. The star book of the Vedas was accepted by the Magi and passed it on to people. The roof appears in the sky as a light, golden cloud, the Rada turns around and brings joy to people. The Kama River has become a source and symbol of pure water, giving strength and pleasure. In the old days in Rus', a shaman was called Kam. Kamlanie is a ritual action of a shaman. Now there is a debate among scientists about where the Kama really begins. Some claim that in the neighboring village of Zhernokovo, others have found that the first right tributary of the Kama, the Kamka, is fuller and longer. But in Kuliga there is the most turbulent spring (a 6-meter well fills and flows out like a stream).

MOUTH RIVER ZAY- TATARSTAN

Myths and legends of the Slavs - Ra, Oka, Kama and Alatyrka

When the god Ra grew old, he said to the Heavenly Cow: “I live, only my heart is tired of living... Lift me up on your horns! I will become a heavenly river - the one that separates Yav and Nav.”

And it flowed like the Ra River from the mountains, which were later called the Ural Mountains, because they are located near the Ra River. Nowadays this river is called the Volga, in the upper reaches - the Belaya Volozhka, in the lower reaches - the Don (in ancient times Volga and Don converged near the Volga-Don Canal).

On Sunny Island, Rada and Kryshn had a son - the god of love Kama. Black Raven stole Kama and carried him over the sea, and then dropped him from a height.

God Kama was swallowed by a whale, but Kama asked for help from the Almighty and was heard. The Almighty commanded, and the whale cast out the god Kama to Earth. And Kama went to Iriy. All the gods greeted him there.

Kryshen gave him a bow and stirrups,

Rada brought him a horse,

I Svarog gave Kama a ring.

Mother Lada - scarlet rose.

If Kama shoots in the heart -

the heart will flare up with love passion.

Kohl puts a ring on his finger -

This means they will have a wedding soon.

If he gives you a scarlet rose -

love will bloom forever!

“The Book of Kolyada”, 11th

One day, while driving through a clear pole, Kama met the beautiful goddess of love Oka. They fell in love with each other. And soon they got married.

At the wedding, Kama and Oka argued - whose love spell is stronger? Then Kama suggested going to the pole and shooting arrows at each other in order to find out who would kill whom with a love arrow. Their spell turned out to be so strong that as soon as the arrows, and they were scarlet roses, struck the hearts of Kama and Oka, they fell to the ground and died of love. Streams of blood flowed from their hearts and became the rivers Kama and Oka.

And the Alatyrka River was formed like this. One day Kryshen rode to Alatyr Mountain on a White-maned horse. Suddenly he saw that the Black Raven was sitting on Alatyr. Kryshen took out a golden arrow and pulled his bow. But Raven told him:

Don't hit me, don't shoot me! Listen to my message! The Almighty is calling you! The water has flowed out of the roof - and the time of the roof has ended! Another time is coming! The wheel of heaven has turned.

Kryshen did not listen and shot an arrow, but the arrow turned around and hit Kryshen’s heart. The blood flowing from the heart of the Roof became the Alatyrka River.

And when Rada and Maya came to Alatyr Mountain, they saw Kryshen ascending the mountainside to the throne of the Almighty.

Ra - ancient Slavic name God of the Sun, as well as the name of the Ra River (Volga) in the “Book of Veles”, the Vedas of India (Rasa) and the Avesta (Rankha), in the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans (Ra, Ros).

The myth about the god Ra and his son Horse was most fully preserved by Egyptian mythology (“Book of the Cow”), which speaks of the common source of this myth for the Slavs and Egyptians, which lies in Atlantis. Ra was married to Amelfa when he flowed into the Black Sea, then flowed into the Caspian (Khvalyn) and became married to Volyn. The Wedding of Ra and Volyn (Vyalkani) is described in the “Veda of the Slavs” (I volume)

Kama and Oka are rivers flowing into the Volga. The text about Kama and Oka was restored from various accounts of epics about the Danube (option - Don) and his wife. Note that the Don in ancient times was also often called Ra-river, for there was a time when the Ra River flowed not into the Caspian Sea, but into the Black Sea. This means that the epic about the Don-Danube is related to the Volga, and to the Kama (the old name is Belaya Volozhka), and to the Oka. In ancient times, the source of the Ra River (Volga) was considered not to be a source near Lake Seliger, but to the Urals. That is, the Kama was then called the Volga (in the Avesta, the Rankha River flows from Mount Khukarya, that is, from the Urals), and the Kama was then called the river flowing from a source near Seliger.

In India, Kama is revered as the god of love. Oka is similar to the Indian Lakshmi (on the Klyazma, which flows into the Oka, today there is a city of Lakinsk).

MOUTH OF THE IZH RIVER Kama River

HISTORY OF NAVIGATION ON KAMA

Since ancient times, man has inhabited its shores, used it as a profitable and convenient transport route, and, finally, created legends and traditions about the Kama. Guides to the Kama of famous shipping companies not only invited gracious gentlemen to go on a trip along one of the most beautiful rivers East European Plain, but they talked about the history of the Kama cities, large villages and small towns. In these guidebooks they called the Kama the river of past legends, a formidable rival of the Volga...

“The Kama argued with the Volga for a long time - it didn’t want to flow into it. At first she wanted to beat off the water, she beat off half of it, but she couldn’t continue. Kama decided to use cunning. I made an agreement with the kite: “You, kite, shout when I’m on the other side so that I can hear, and I’ll fight near the Volga and come out somewhere else.” “Okay,” the kite answers. So Kama began to rummage under the Volga. She rummaged and rummaged, and meanwhile the golden eagle noticed the kite and chased after it. He got scared and screamed just above the middle of the Volga. Kama heard this cry, thought that she was already on the other side, jumped out of the ground and landed straight in the Volga.” This is how the Kama carries its waters into the distance, towards the Volga, just like hundreds of years ago.

RAF ON ROCK

The settlement of the region, the development of its riches - all this is inextricably linked with the river. Ancient chronicles mention that fourteen centuries ago, trade caravans from the Middle East sailed along the Kama to Perm the Great and Perm Vychegda. Although who can now say with confidence that this was precisely the beginning of navigation on the Kama. For the river itself is much older.

In Arabic sources it was usually called Kama - Agi-del. You can also come across the statement that in the old days the Kama bore the name Idel, and, moreover, hardly for the length that it is given now, that is, before meeting the Volga, but until the very end, until it flows into the Caspian Sea, where there was a famous city of the same name.

Along the Kama from the north, Novgorod and Moscow people came to the forest region. In Russian chronicles, the name “Kama” was first mentioned in 1220, when “Vasilko Konstantinovich from Rostov sent an ambassador’s regiment, and others from Ustyug to the top of the Kama.” But the most ancient settlers in the upper and middle reaches of the river were the Finno-Ugric tribes, and in the lower reaches of the Kama - the Bulgars.

bsp; KAMA RIVER NEAR THE GREAT BULGARS

Thanks to the Kama, the Urals, starting from the 14th century, supplied the Russian state with furs, and later with salt. With the fall of the Kazan Khanate in 1552, a through route along the Kama was opened. This contributed to the expansion of trade relations between the Urals and other Russian lands. And from the second half of the 16th century, the banks of the Kama began to be actively populated by the Russian population, largely thanks to the Stroganovs, who founded their saltworks here. In the upper reaches of the Kama, “towns” and “fortresses” appeared, and along with them monasteries (Pyskari Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, founded on the site of the old Stroganov monastery in the city of Kangor). The founding of several monasteries in the middle and lower reaches of the river also dates back to this time. Thus, in the 17th century, the Assumption, formerly Likhotin, monastery was founded in the village. Yaromaska.

However, sailing on the Kama in the 16th century was fraught with great dangers. Robbery was commonplace at that time, as can be seen from the “Life of Saint Tryphon,” written in the 17th century: “Ships are robbed along the Kama River and merchants of all ranks are killed...” The voyage of Saint Tryphon took place on a plow in 1572 up the river to Pyskor. And the ships, which were then used mainly for transporting goods, were not self-propelled. The already mentioned plows, boats, planks, and belyans became widespread. And they were built here, on Chusovaya and on the Kama.

ARROW AT THE CONFERENCE OF THE KAMA AND CHUSOVAYA RIVERS

The river itself determined the nature of the rafting vessels: short period navigation - only six months a year, and the shallow waters of most of the Kama's tributaries. The most advanced type of cargo ship for its time was well adapted for navigation on the Kama and Volga, both with and against the current, and was called the bark. The bark was spacious and carried from eight to twenty-five thousand pounds of cargo.

The ships went downstream under sail and oars, and upstream they were pulled by tow barges. The coastal inhabitants of the Volga and its tributaries were engaged in barge hauling. In large cities such as Perm, Chistopol and others, there was even something like burlatsky bazaars. Usually the owner of the ship hired barge haulers based on the total weight of the cargo. And for every thousand poods there were from two to six barge haulers, depending on the rafting conditions. And if the ship was large, then the size of the artel of barge haulers reached 60 - 100 people. The barge haulage industry received its greatest development in the first half of the 19th century, especially before the introduction of shipping.

MOUTH OF THE SHESHMA RIVER - TATARSTAN

Emergence and development in the 17th - 18th centuries. large factories and industries, the lack of other types of cargo transportation - all this forced talented engineers and mechanics to look for a way to mechanize the movement of ships. So, back in 1804 I.P. Kulibin proposed the idea of ​​a “navigable vessel”, the driving force for which would be the force of the river flow. However, this idea has not found practical application.

At the same time, the foreman of the Ogurdinsky sawmill on the Kama A.I. Durbazhev designed and built a “horse-drawn machine”. This “horse-drawn machine” is popularly called “horse-drawn machine”.

The “horse guide” consisted of a flat-bottomed vessel, in the middle of which a gate was installed in a vertical position. At the level of the lower deck, levers extended radially from the gate shaft, each of which harnessed several horses. Continuously moving in a circle, the horses rotated the shaft, on the upper end of which a rope was wound. The line was pulled up by the rope to the anchor, and at this time the second anchor was brought in. It was in this way that the ship moved upstream almost continuously. “Horse guides” often led a caravan of ships, and the number of horses they carried reached two hundred.

The invention of “horse wires” was also attributed to the French engineer Poudebar, who served at the Vsevolozhsky factories. Thus, in the “Chronicle of the provincial city of Perm” compiled by F.A. Pryadilnikov, it was said that in 1816, “during the rafting of salt caravans, horse-drawn vehicles appeared for the first time.”

However, the harnesses were soon replaced by capstans, in which steam (forty-power) gates replaced horse traction. The speed of movement of the capstans against the current was 2.5-3 versts per hour, which was only slightly more than the speed of the “horse guide” (on average about 2 versts per hour). The use of capstans also did not solve the problems of navigation and turned out to be short-lived.

The first half of the 19th century was marked by significant development of shipping. In 1815, the first steamship in Russia appeared on the Neva, built in St. Petersburg at the Berda plant. In 1817, the first steamship was built in the Volga-Kama basin at the Pozhevsky plant V.A. Vsevolozhsky. In the spring of 1819, residents of Perm were surprised by the appearance of two steamships from Vsevolozhsky on the Kama. It was V.A. Vsevolozhsky became the first builder and owner of steamships on the Kama and Pozhva. This event overturned the entire system that had existed before and marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of shipping.

The first Pozhevsky steamship had a narrow wooden hull. The car's power was only 24 horsepower. The use of steam vessels has proven an advantage over horse guides and capstans. Soon two more steamships of 36 and 6 horsepower were built.

The first voyage of these ships (“steamboats” or “steamboats”, as they were called then), however, was unsuccessful. In August 1817 they set off on a voyage to the Volga. It was understood that they would reach Nizhny Novgorod and proceed further to Moscow. But the early onset of winter forced the ships to return to the Kama, where they spent the winter. And in the spring of 1818 they were cut off by ice drift.

SOROCHI MOUNTAINS - THE LONGEST BRIDGE IN TATARSTAN

Often the pioneers of the steamship business were the merchants. Merchants and factory owners sought to have ships to provide their own cargo transportation. So, in 1839, one of the merchant Kiselev’s steamships with a load of goods rose from the Volga to the Kama to the city of Perm, and went back to the Volga. Kupets A.V. In 1841, Tatarinov carried grain on his steamship “Opyt”. Together with Tatarinov, his relative, the Sarapul merchant I.S., entered the company. Kolchin. And together they built the ship “Vera”. However, during the construction of the third steamship, the partners failed, as a result of which Tatarinov went bankrupt, and the contract he took to deliver 150 thousand bags of flour to Kronstadt by water was not fulfilled.

In 1846, the Perm Steamship Partnership was formed in Perm. This fact became significant because this steamship partnership built the Perm steamship, and an announcement was made about the opening of regular service down the Kama. IN further education Shipping companies were just gaining momentum. Not a single year passed without a new shipping company or company appearing on the Kama. At the end of the 40s. XIX century opened their own shipping companies - I.S. Kolchin and P.A. Savage.

Soon, following the towing shipping company, in 1858 a passenger service was opened between Perm and Nizhny Novgorod, and in 1860 upstream the Kama - from Perm to Usolye. But it was difficult to find passengers on these ships. There was a belief that it was a sin to sail on such a “fiery self-propelled vehicle.” They didn't even agree for free. One of the first passengers to return to Sarapul in 1858 from a pilgrimage trip to Kyiv was the Sarapul merchant D.G. Izhboldin and tradesman V.I. Smagin. They traveled on the ship of the Caucasus and Mercury company.

By the way, the first passenger ships were not particularly comfortable. Up until the 70s. In the 19th century, steamships were built without a second deck. All cabins of both first and second classes were located in the building: one common for men and the second for women. The cabins were heated with iron stoves and lit with candles. It was more difficult for third class passengers - the ships did not provide any amenities for them. Passengers were accommodated on the open deck both in the summer heat and in the pouring rain. But perhaps the most significant inconvenience was the sparks, soot and small pieces of coal flying out of the chimney, burning through the hats and dresses of passengers. And only starting from the navigation of 1856, iron roofs began to be used on passenger ships, and at first they tried to cover the sides of steamships with canvas curtains, and later to block them with slats.

Constant competition between the owners of shipping companies and shipowners led to the improvement of the fleet, and, consequently, the creation of comfortable conditions for passengers. Over time, the wooden hulls of steamships were replaced by iron ones; firewood, used as fuel and previously loaded at almost every pier, was replaced by fuel oil. The total capacity of such ships was already about 80-100 passengers.

KAMA - NIZHNEKAMSKY - CHISTOPOLSKY AREAS

More and more large three-story steamships, illuminated by electricity, sailed along the Kama. These giants already offered their passengers the maximum possible range of services and necessary comfort at that time. Premises of classes I, II and III were heated with steam during the cold season. The most comfortable cabins of classes I and II, in addition to common rooms, also had separate single, double and triple cabins. Class IV, which appeared on passenger ships, provided accommodation for workers traveling on artel tickets. First class passengers were offered a piano as a service, which passengers could use from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The new ships already had baths and showers.

The buffets of the steamships of that time are worthy special attention. Typically, passengers were offered a 2, 3 and 4 course lunch with a choice of seven dishes on the daily lunch menu (including: 2 hot, 1 sauce, 2 fries and 2 cakes). And the menu was capable of surprising the most sophisticated gourmet. No less interesting is the fact that passengers who brought their own drinks to the buffet were charged...for each cork. And quite significant. Thus, passengers paid 2 rubles for a cork of foreign champagne, 1 ruble for Russian champagne, and 50 kopecks for a bottle of vodka. And this is at a cost of 1 ruble for a set lunch of 4 courses with a cup of coffee. 10 kopecks They also paid a fee to the buffet for playing cards with their own deck. This pleasure cost 40 kopecks.

KAMA - PERM REGION

Kama River

But all this did not mean that all the efforts of shipping companies were now aimed at developing only passenger traffic. Rafting of goods, especially timber, remained an important type of transportation. They tried to float round timber on rafts, and other types of timber (timber, boards, etc.) were transported on ships (belyans, nasads, barges).

Marinas were part of the entire shipping life of the Kama River. As on other rivers, they were simultaneously intended to serve river transport, and sometimes became centers of trade and fishing areas. There were both small marinas, which operated, as a rule, in the spring, and large marinas, which had multi-million dollar turnover. Over the long winter period, such piers accumulated a significant amount of goods intended to be sent with the beginning of navigation to Nizhny Novgorod, Rybinsk, Yekaterinburg and Siberia.

This was the Sarapul pier.

...They talked a lot about her, more often they scolded her. They were scolded for the dirt, lack of infrastructure and inattention of the city society to the needs of a large navigable river, which actually did not distinguish Sarapul from a number of other similar port cities.

Closer to the bank of the Kama there were wooden storage sheds, stone warehouses and shops, canvas tents, taverns, rows of fish and other food. In the summer, the fair was noisy, hawkers were scurrying around, a carousel with wooden horses was spinning, which delighted the local children. Here, on the pier, sailors and passengers stocked up on Sarapul-made black bread, which has rightfully gained the reputation of being the best in this region, and quite well-written open letters with views of the city and its environs. The Sarapul public flocked here when the ship approached.

The plan of the pier itself was approved by the Kazan District Administration of Communications in 1847. However, back in 1816, the documents of the range keeper Mungalov stated that the pier in Sarapul not only existed, but had the largest cargo turnover of all the piers included in the distance. Consequently, the pier existed before.

WINTER ON THE KAMA RIVER

According to the approved plan, the pier was located above the Yurmanka River, opposite the Opolzino settlement. Previously, on the site of the settlement, there were residential huts of fishermen, barge haulers, and longshoremen - all those whose lives were closely connected with the river. Here, almost right next to the water, there are also private piers (berths) with offices of shipowners and agents of shipping companies. Thus, forty fathoms of shore were allocated to each private pier. The Kamensky Brothers shipping company, the Lyubimov and Co. joint-stock company and others located their representative offices here. A little below the Yurmanka River there were four public berths and city transportation.

Throughout the history of the pier, the topic of its improvement was the most important. In 1872, the Sarapul district police officer, Mr. Volkovich, addressing the City Duma, wrote: “The passage of the pier is cluttered, clogged, not leveled and not paved, the impassable dirt along the cluttered road and the stench unpleasantly affects every passenger who sets foot on the city land of Sarapul...”

And it will not be difficult for the respected reader to imagine all the dirt and disorder that characterized the city pier. Shipowners and merchants, who received significant capital from cargo transportation, were nevertheless in no hurry to invest in the improvement of the very pier on which they were so dependent. Until, finally, in 1878, the City Duma decided to “level the entrances and fill them with gravel and sand, and build two-board sidewalks for pedestrians.” From that moment on, at least its relative improvement began. Already in the 1890s. The entrances to the pier were partially paved with stones and the banks from the Yurmanka River to the carriage were strengthened with piles.

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SOURCE OF MATERIAL AND PHOTO:

Nomadic Archives

Wikipedia website

http://www.geocaching.su/

http://www.uraltravel.com/

http://nordural.ru/article/reka_kama/

http://clubs.ya.ru/

http://www.trip-guide.ru/

http://www.legendy.net/

photo by Mikhail Plotnikov, Vladimir Prokoshin, Dmitry Shchukin.

http://club.foto.ru/

http://fotki.yandex.ru/

http://mozhga18.ru/

http://www.pronk.ru/photo/

http://images.esosedi.ru/panoramio/

The Kama River flows through the European part of Russia and is the left and largest tributary of the Volga. Its length is 1805 km. The pool area is 507 thousand square meters. km. The source of the river is located on the Verkhnekamsk Upland at an altitude of 330 meters above sea level. This is Udmurtia, the village of Kuliga. It is within its territory that springs flow from the ground, which give life to the great Ural river. And your long haul it ends at the Kuibyshev Reservoir on the Volga.

From the source, the water flow moves to the northwest, and after 125 km it turns to the northeast. In this direction it flows to the village of Loino, Verkhnekamsk district, Kirov region. This is about 200 km. And after this, the river makes a sharp turn to the south and carries its waters across the territory of the Perm Territory. At first, the water flow does not make an impression. It is narrow and winding. It overflows and becomes a high-water river after the confluence of the Pilva River, which carries its waters from the Komi Republic and has a length of 214 km.

Downstream, the Vishera River flows into the Kama. This, like the Pilva, is a left tributary. It originates on the border of Komi and the Sverdlovsk region. The length of its waterway is 415 km. At the mouth of the Vishera it spills up to 900 meters wide and makes the mighty Ural river even more full-flowing. Further, the left bank becomes elevated and steep, while the right bank remains low.

Kama River

Reservoirs

There are 3 large reservoirs on the river. The first one is Kamskoye. It originates from the confluence of the Urolka River. This is a small river stream 140 km long. It is a right tributary. The dam of the Kama Hydroelectric Power Station itself, which forms the reservoir, is located in the city of Perm. The length of the Kama Reservoir reaches 350 km. Its width is 14 km, and greatest depth is 30 meters.

Next comes the turn Votkinsk Reservoir. It is formed by the dam of the Votkinsk hydroelectric power station. It is located in the city of Tchaikovsky. This is an administrative-regional center with a population of about 100 thousand people. The length of the Votkinsk reservoir reaches 365 km. The width is 9 km, and the maximum depth is 29 meters.

The next and last reservoir is called Nizhnekamsk. It is formed by the Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power station, located near the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. Its length is 185 km. The width is 20 km, and the maximum depth reaches 22 meters. In May 2010, an accident occurred at the hydroelectric power station. As a result of the explosion in the turbine room, 2 people were killed and 10 more people were injured. This did not affect the operation of the hydroelectric station in any way.

Before the creation of the cascade of hydroelectric power stations, the flow speed in the mighty Ural river was 1.5 times higher than it is now. The reservoirs also changed the color of the water. She became darker. It is usually compared with Volga water, which is much lighter.

Kama River on the map

Mouth of the Kama

Before the Kuibyshev reservoir on the Volga was created, the Kama River at its confluence initially flowed parallel to the great Russian river. It was separated from it by a rocky ridge, the length of which reached 12 km. Nowadays there is no Kama estuary as such. The waters of the Kuibyshev Reservoir splash in this place. At the junction of two mighty rivers, it reaches its greatest width, which is almost 40 km.

Only after the confluence of the right tributary of the Vyatka are separate branches into which the Ural river will break up. But then they are absorbed by the waters of the reservoir. Thus, we can only talk about the lower reaches of the river, and not about its mouth, which in former times exceeded the Volga in width. And in general, it should be noted that the Kama is fuller. But it is not it that flows into the Caspian Sea, but the Volga. This is how it happened historically. Barge haulers and peasant uprisings are associated with the Volga. Therefore, the Ural river faded into the background, and the green street was given to a narrower and less full-flowing river.

Hydrological regime

The river is fed by snow, rain and underground. High water in March-June. It includes 60% of the annual flow. Freeze-up usually begins in the first ten days of November. The river is covered with ice until April. Spring ice drift lasts 2 weeks.

Shipping

The river is navigable from the mouth to Solikamsk. The official shipping route is considered to be the village of Kerchevo. It is located 60 km upstream from Solikamsk. Previously, this was the world's largest timber raid. It ceased operations in 1995. From Perm you can get by water to Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan. The Kama River is famous for its picturesque banks. This attracts many tourists who want to experience wild nature. But the pristine environment is now heavily polluted by industrial waste.

“Discovering” a word means not only penetrating its meaning, but also at the same time comprehending the world of its ancient brother. “Kama” is a non-Russian word. But whose? What is the meaning behind it? Here's what the researchers write. The name of the word “Kama” in its origin comes from the tribes that lived in ancient times in the Kama region. The Komi-Zyrians call the Kama “Kama-Yas” - “bright river”, the Udmurts - “Bujim-Kama” - “long, big river”, the Chuvash - “Zhord-Adyl”, the Cheremis - “Chelman-Vis”, the Tatars - “ Cholman-idel” and so on.

Geographical information about Kama

The Kama is a river in the European part of Russia, the left and largest tributary of the Volga River.

It ranks 6th in terms of length in Europe. Its length is 1805 km, the basin area is 507 thousand km². It originates in the central part of the Verkhnekamsk Upland from four springs near the former village of Karpushata, now part of the village of Kuliga, Kezsky district of the Udmurt Republic. Through the territory of the Perm region it flows in an easterly direction, and then turns south. More than half of its path the Kama flows through our region. It flows mainly between the heights of the High Trans-Volga region along a wide, sometimes narrowing valley. In the upper reaches (from the source to the mouth of the Pilva River) the channel is unstable and winding, on the floodplain of an oxbow lake. After the confluence of the river, the Vishera becomes a high-water river; the banks change: the right one remains low and is predominantly meadow in nature, the left one almost everywhere becomes elevated and in places steep. There are many islands in this area, and there are shoals and rifts. Below the confluence of the Belaya River at the Kama, the right bank becomes high and the left bank low.

Photo active tours

In the lower reaches of the Kama flows in a wide (up to 15 km) valley, the width of the channel is 450–1200 m; breaks into sleeves. Below the mouth of the Vyatka River, the river flows into the Kama Bay of the Kuibyshev Reservoir (the backwater from which sometimes reaches the mouth of the Belaya River).

There are 73,718 rivers in the Kama River basin, of which 94.5% are small rivers less than 10 km long. The main tributaries on the left are South Keltma, Vishera with Kolva, Chusovaya with Sylva, Belaya with Ufa, Ik, Zai; on the right - Kosa, Obva, Vyatka. All the right tributaries of the Kama (Kosa, Urolka, Kondas, Inva, Obva) and some of the left ones (Veslyana, Lunya, Leman, South Keltma) are lowland rivers flowing from the north. Mountain, cold and fast-moving rivers originate in the Ural Mountains and flow into the Kama River from the left (Vishera, Yaiva, Kosva, Chusovaya and a number of their tributaries).

3 reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations have been created on the river: from the mouth of the Urolka River (996 km from the mouth of the Kama) the Kama Reservoir (Kama Hydroelectric Power Station) begins, immediately below it is the Votkinsk Reservoir (Votkinsk Hydroelectric Power Station), followed by the Nizhnekamsk Reservoir (Nizhnekamsk Hydroelectric Power Station).

Food is predominantly snow, as well as underground and rain; During the spring flood (March - June) more than 62.6% of the annual flow passes, in summer and autumn - 28.3%, in winter - 9.1%. The range of level fluctuations is up to 8 m in the upper reaches and 7 m in the lower reaches. The average consumption at the Kamskaya hydroelectric station is 1630 cubic meters. m/sec, at the Votkinsk hydroelectric station about 1750 cubic meters. m/sec, at the mouth about 3500 cubic meters. m/sec, the largest is about 27,500 cubic meters. m/sec. Freezing is accompanied by abundant formation of inland ice and ice drift for 10 to 20 days. Freeze-up occurs from early November in the upper reaches and late November in the lower reaches until April. Spring ice drift from 2–3 to 10–15 days. The creation of reservoirs improved navigation conditions. The Kama is navigable to the village of Kerchevsky (966 km) - the largest raft roadstead, and in high water - another 600 km. Navigable depths on the lower Kama are maintained by dredging.

Main ports and marinas: Solikamsk, Berezniki, Levshino, Perm, Krasnokamsk, Tchaikovsky, Sarapul, Kambarka, Naberezhnye Chelny, Chistopol. From Perm there are regular passenger flights to Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan and Ufa. The picturesque banks of the Kama attract a large number of tourists.

The river is inhabited by sterlet, sturgeon, bream, carp, crucian carp, asp, silver bream, ide, chub, bleak, pike perch, perch, ruff, pike, burbot, catfish, etc. In the upper reaches (and in places in tributaries) taimen and grayling are found. Aquatic vegetation is well developed, especially in numerous bays and backwaters.

Origin of the word "Kama"

Many languages ​​of the world have the word "Kama". For each nation it has its own meaning. It is known for certain that “Kama” is a non-Russian word. Let's try to analyze different points of view on the origin of this word and a connection with the name of a large European river.

The origin of the name Kama is lost in the same unimaginable depths of human history, when peoples and their languages ​​were united. Kama – in a number of Finno-Ugric languages ​​means “river”. With the same meaning, but in a slightly different vocalization - kem, a whole series of hydronyms and toponyms are known on the territory of Eurasia. For example, there is a river called Kem in Karelia and Eastern Siberia. The Kema River flows into the protected Beloozero in the Vologda region. But with exactly the same “river” meaning, this root base is used by the Chinese and Mongols. Tuvans and Khakassians also call the Yenisei - Kem. In Altai Ak-Kem (“ White water") is a tributary of the Katun, and in the vicinity of the sacred Belukha Mountain there is a whole complex with the same name: two lakes, a melting glacier, a pass...

Similar hydronyms are found in Central Asia and Europe. At the same time, linguists claim that the root “kem” is of Indo-European origin. In this case, the name of the Ural Kama not only accidentally coincides with the name of the ancient Indian god of love Kama (after whom the treatise “Kama Sutra” is named), but also certainly has a common source of origin. One cannot help but remember Kamchatka...

Moving mentally in the footsteps of the ancient Indo-Europeans to Europe, we find similar place names here too: Cambridge (“City on the River”, and this river is called Cam) - in England; Quimper (from the Old Breton name meaning "Confluence of Rivers") - in France; Kemeri is an ancient settlement (and now a famous resort) on the site of a healing spring in Latvia. It is no coincidence, apparently, that one of the self-names of the ancient Egyptians - Kemi - is associated with the flood of the Nile. But that's not all. It is known that in the old days a shaman in Rus' was called kam. The word was borrowed from the Polovtsians, who professed shamanism. Hence the word kamlanie, which has survived to this day - a ritual action of a shaman. Perhaps the ancient Aryan god of love Kama was once a shaman?

Humanity has compiled myths, fairy tales, and legends about the origin of the names of many geographical objects. The legend of the Komi-Permyak people is interesting.

About the origin of the main water artery of the Perm region - the Kama River, the legend says that once it rained all summer, and there was not a single sunny day. The rivers all overflowed, their banks collapsed, and the earth became liquid. People, animals and animals were saved on high mountains. Only Kama the hero (mythological hero of the Komi-Permyak) people could move through the area flooded with water. He walked around all the surroundings and discovered that the flow of the rivers was blocked by a mountain that had collapsed from erosion. The hero lassoed a huge stone and dragged it through the dam, plowing the ground like a plow. A new channel was formed, water poured into it and a new river appeared - the mighty Kama, named after the hero.

The word “Kama” is also found in the ancient Indian language and means “love”. In ancient times, there were huge connections between the Kama region and Iran and India. Perhaps the word “Kama” was brought from there.

Kama, the most significant river in the Urals, a left tributary of the Volga. It was first mentioned in Russian chronicles in 1220. There are many explanations, and among them, for example, Kama is from the Old Russian “kama” - “stone”.

From the Zyryan-Permyak language it is translated as “fell strongly,” that is, “water that has a strong fall” (originally Kamva). But the Kama River is flat. Therefore, this assumption can be considered absurd.

It is no better to assume that Kama from the Udmurt “kam” means “long”, “long”, if only because in Udmurt “long”, “long” is not “kam”, but “kema”.

In the middle XIX century it was suggested that Kama is of the same origin as “Kommu” - “Komi Country”. This version was later repeated by many, but Professor V.I. Lytkin proved that the word “Komi” is related to the Mansi “hum”, “kum”, that is, “man” and has nothing in common with the hydronym Kama.

There are several other possible ways to explain this word. The Kama, like the Volga, is called by the Turkic peoples Idel - “river”, and since the names big rivers often simply mean “River”; perhaps this is the meaning hidden in the toponym Kama. Then the name Kama is very ancient and is associated with some unknown language. The name of the Kama River also has the following interpretations: “Kama” is derived from the Udmurt word “kam”, which means “water”. According to another version, the name Kama is based on the Ob-Ugric (Khanty) “kam” - “transparent”, “pure”, that is, Kama - “Pure”.

The reasoning of Academician N. Marr is close in meaning. He suggested that the river was called ancient tribe who inhabited its shores. And translated into Russian, Kama means “white, bright, long and big river.”

Translated from Bulgarian “Kama” means “love”. But such an interpretation is unlikely to be connected with the name of the river.

Such reasoning cannot be ignored. Kama (German, singular Kamm, literally – ridge) are hills and ridges in areas of anthropogenic continental glaciation. They are found singly and in groups, mainly in the north-west of the European part of Russia (Karelia, Baltic states, Leningrad region). Height from 2–5 to 20–30 m. Composed of sands with lenses and interlayers of clays with inclusions of individual boulders and their clusters. It is characterized by enveloping layering, approximately following the contour of the transverse profile of the Kama River; the top is often covered with loams, often with boulders. The question of the origin of Kama is not entirely clear. According to one of the most common hypotheses, the Kama arose as a result of the accumulating activity of streams that circulated on the surface, inside and in the bottom part of large blocks of dead ice during the period of glacier degradation. Glaciers played an important role in soil formation and the formation of the relief of the Perm region. Therefore, the origin of the word “Kama” from the German “Kama” is quite plausible.