Buryatia opens nature trail featuring Dashi Namdakov sculptures

A 4.5-kilometre nature trail featuring works by sculptor Dashi Namdakov opened in Tapkhar, Buryatia, on October 11. The route had previously been announced as awaiting its opening.

Twelve bronze sculptures depicting animals of the eastern calendar stand along the trail. Its centrepiece is the nine-metre Guardian, topped by an eagle.

Namdakov said he imagined the Guardian as a huge stone discovered in the steppe. The sculpture carries texts in Old Mongolian. The artist said the route was developed with care to preserve the landscape's natural appearance.

The trail was created under the Trails of the Far East programme, run by Russia's Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic with support from the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation.

The programme covers 18 routes across nine regions, with a combined length of 127 kilometres. Funding of 1.8 billion rubles has been allocated to the programme as a whole.