Kristina Makeeva, a Russian photographer went on a trip to Earth’s oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake. Lake Baikal, situated in south-east Siberia.
Makeeva decided to capture the UNESCO World Heritage listed-lake during the spring season when the lake is freed from ice, and seals bask in the sun when the rosemary blooms.
Known as the ‘Galapagos of Russia’, it contains 20% of the world’s total unfrozen freshwater reserve, its age and isolation have produced one of the world’s richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science.
The lake is home to around 60,000 freshwater seal population, is reducing in numbers due to hunting, poaching, and pollution.
Ice on Baikal is there till May. But in April no one drives on it. The bubbles in the ice are developed from the gas methane that is produced by algae. The only river in the world that flows from the lake is the Angara that flows from Baikal. All other rivers flow into the lakes.
The lake has its own legend, which claims that the ‘Father’ of Baikal had 336 rivers – sons – and one daughter – Angara. All sons were flowing into Baikal to restock the water, but the daughter fell in love with Yenisei (one more river in Russia) and started to take everything from the father’s water to her lover. In response, the father Baikal threw a huge rock into his daughter and cursed her. This rock is called Shaman-Stone, and it is situated in the springhead of Angara and is considered to be it’s beginning. Baikal is the most beautiful place in the world.
