(Source: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23703992)

Starobayramgulovo is a village in the Bashkir Transurals, in the north of Uchalinsky District, on the shore of the Aushkul Lake. Until 1931 the village has been also called Aushkul or Aush until it was renamed in honor of the founder, leader’s assistant Bayramgul Gabdulzalilov.

Starobayramgulovo is a quiet place, but it is well-known among the Muslim pilgrims. They come here every year in late spring or early summer, when the holy spring of Aulia wakes on the nearby Aushtau Mountain. “Aulia” is not a name; the word refers to a godly man, a righteous person. There is an ancient tomb of Islamic missionaries located on the top of the mountain – it is the object of pilgrimage for Muslims and other people.

The veneration of the grave and the history of the village are connected with the outstanding Bashkir religious figure Zainulla Rasulev (1833 - 1917) – an absolutely legendary personality. The residents of Starobayramgulovo say that Rasulev himself installed a tombstone at the top of Aushtau to replace the old split stone and made the inscription. The residents of Uchalinsky District still call Rasulev simply “Ishan” – a Sufi saint. He was born in the village of Sharipovo, seven kilometers away from Starobayramgulovo, studied in Akhunovo and then in Troitsk where he later founded the best Bashkir madrasah of that time named “Rasuliya”. He traveled a lot, made hajj two times. Rasulev was far from limited traditionalism: a scholar theologian, an educator, an expert in Tibetan medicine, an insider of the Sufi order.

Bashkirs recognize him not only as a spiritual authority, but as a person having miraculous abilities. It is said that Ishan was able to read minds and heal people, had foresight and mastered hypnosis – so today he would be called a strong psychic, among other things. In general, Rasulev is a real folk hero, especially in Starobayramgulovo. He visited the village many times, and his cousin Gaisa Rasulev became akhun (senior mullah) of the local mosque in 1888. The memory of him is still alive. Not only pilgrims come to Starobayramgulovo on purpose.

Regardless of the spring and the tomb of “the Sheikh who came from Arab lands” on the top, the slope of Aushtau is in demand among gliders, as it is very nice and convenient for flights.