Auliekol ("Holy Lake") is located in Kostanai region. In folk legend they say: "This Lake in one day may become shallow and disappear, and for the night would be filled and occur again." Therefore, it is called "holy." The people did not accidentally call this lake "holy". As a rule, the water in lakes has medicinal properties, and is the subject of veneration by the faithful. On one of the lakes the Kazakh writer Olga Markova wrote a story, excerpts of which are shown below. "The lake was no more than a thousand years. Geologists claimed that once this large basin, sparingly covered with steppe thorns, was filled with water, in which lapped fish, algae grew, lived thousands and thousands of large and small living creatures. But then the water was gone, leaving for future researchers small signs of its stay, the earth was dry, dry out to a stony-hot, became a normal part of ordinary steppe. Extensive cavity on all sides was surrounded by small projections, therefore at the bottom of the former Lake subtly, almost imperceptibly changed sound and light, and incandescent firmament underfoot not only burned, but also was a reminder of our past unseen. After rare spring rains at the bottom of the depression appeared small puddle, delaying water for two or three days, until it was drunk by greedy sun. All the rest of the time was complete lack of water.” “As soon as the days become warmer, people again began to do already usual activity - monitoring the former lake. They relaxed sitting on a boulder, gazing into the glare did not exist on the water, listened as the wind whispering through the reeds and birds cried, rejoiced sudden ripples on the water surface disturbed by the fish." "Someone voluntary hermits had a vision that here was the promised place, a paradise on the Earth, which was hidden from view, and which would soon arise, only the time would come. They're just waiting to find or how it happened, to know what was in the right place."
From the collection of O. Markova "Summer Waters"
Almaty, 2005.
Translated by Raushan MAKHMETZHANOVA
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