Kushtau () – is a
shihan
is a Japanese term that is used in many Japanese martial arts as an honorific title for expert or senior instructors. It can be translated as "master instructor".
The use of the term is specific to a school or organization, as is the process o ...
hill located in
Ishimbaysky District
Ishimbaysky District (; ) is an administrativeConstitution of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Article 64 and municipalLaw #126-z district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of the Republic of Bashkortostan, fifty-four in the Republic ...
along with
Sterlitamak
Sterlitamak ( rus, Стерлитама́к, p=stʲɪrlʲɪtɐˈmak; ; ) is the second largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya ...
city's border, Russia. The mountain is a reef of an ancient tropical sea of the
Lower Permian
The Cisuralian, also known as the Early Permian, is the first series/epoch of the Permian. The Cisuralian was preceded by the Pennsylvanian and followed by the Guadalupian. The Cisuralian Epoch is named after the western slopes of the Ural Mount ...
(
Late Paleozoic) period formed over 230 million years ago.
Mining controversy
In 2018 the mountain was intended to be developed as quarry to extract chalk by local authorities. The Bashkir soda company was interested in buying mining rights, but the development plan was protested by a group of local eco-activists, who prevented it from getting access to the mountain. Despite an outcry of the Bashkir public, the Shihan's rights of mining were transferred by
Radiy Habirov, at the time the head of Bashkortostan, to the Bashkir soda company. In 2020 however after long confrontation between local activists and authorities the latter suspended their mining plans and formally called sides to make a compromise over the mountain's future by offering a new plan to designate the mountain as
national reserve
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
for the
nature conservation
Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...
purpose.
Physiographic characteristic
Length - 4 km, width 700–1400 m, height - above the soil level - 251 m, the absolute height above the sea level - 357 m.
References
{{Reflist
Mountains under 1000 metres