Selitrennoye and the History of Saray-Batu

Selitrennoye attracts interest above all through Saray-Batu: the village in Astrakhan Oblast is home to an archaeological heritage associated with a former capital of the Golden Horde. This gives the place a clear focus on cultural history. If you want to understand historic sites not just through their names, but also through their dating and archaeological classification, several names here lead to a shared history.

Saray-Batu and Its Names

The “Saray-Batu” settlement site in Selitrennoye is a monument to the Mongol nomads’ capital from the 13th to the 15th century and is considered the largest of its kind. Its dating gives your exploration of Saray-Batu a historical framework: it spans several centuries and makes the site interesting as evidence of a long era.

Saray-Batu was once the capital of the Golden Horde; the place was also known as Saray-al-Makhrusa or Old Saray. If you come across different names, they can help you connect them to the history of the former capital.

The “Selitrennoye Settlement Site” archaeological museum complex is also located within the village of Selitrennoye. Guided tours at the former site of Saray-Batu take place directly at the unpreserved excavations. If you are planning a tour, check the dates in advance.

Nature in Astrakhan Oblast

Looking beyond Selitrennoye to Astrakhan Oblast, you will find other landscape highlights. The Astrakhan Nature Reserve covers 67,920 hectares and consists of three widely separated sections in the lower reaches of the Volga Delta: Damchiksky lies in the west, Trekhizbinsky in the centre, and Obzhorovsky in the east. All three sections are in Astrakhan Oblast.

In the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain of Astrakhan Oblast, wetlands, floodplain meadows, and forest ecosystems shape the natural landscape. One of the world’s largest bird migration routes runs through the area. More than 860 plant species and 242 bird species have been recorded there; in addition, around 50 fish species, three amphibian species, ten reptile species, 33 mammal species, and more than 1,500 insect and other invertebrate species have been documented. These figures give an idea of the diversity of this regional natural environment.

Lake Baskunchak offers another kind of landscape and is considered a recreational area. Its salt concentration is similar to that of the Dead Sea, but its mineral composition is different. From the summit of Bogdo, the highest point of the Caspian Depression at 149.6 metres, the panorama stretches across the salt lake Baskunchak and the Sharbulak area.

When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first decide what you want to focus on: should Selitrennoye take centre stage because of the history of Saray-Batu, or would you rather give more weight to the nature and landscapes of Astrakhan Oblast? This will help you shape your search around the kind of trip you are planning.

Discover more destinations: Chagan, Ilyinka, Rynok, Kamyzyak, Parygino, Obraztsovo-Travino, Znamensk, Samoylovskiy.

Return to the regional travel overview: Astrakhan Oblast.