Kholat Syakhl

Kholat Syakhl, a transliteration of Mansi Holatchahl meaning "dead mountain"^[1] or "silent peak", is a mountain in the northern Ural region of Russia, on the border between the Komi Republic and Sverdlovsk Oblast near the northeast corner of Perm Krai.

Kholat Syakhl
Kholat Syakhl Location relative to European Russia Show map of Komi Republic Kholat Syakhl Kholat Syakhl (Sverdlovsk Oblast) Show map of Sverdlovsk Oblast Kholat Syakhl Kholat Syakhl (European Russia) Show map of European Russia
Highest point
Elevation	1,096.7 m (3,598 ft)
Naming
Native name	Холатчахль (Russian)
English translation	Silent Mountain
Geography
Location	Komi Republic and Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia
Parent range	Ural Mountains

On February 2, 1959, a group of ski hikers led by Igor Dyatlov [ru] mysteriously perished on the east shoulder of Kyolat Syakhl (not Otorten, as is sometimes erroneously reported). This Dyatlov Pass incident is the main reason that people outside the immediate area in Russia have heard of this remote peak.

Nomenclature

The name of this mountain simply meant a "lack of game"^{[citation needed]} for native Mansi hunters. The word kholat (meaning "death") is a relatively common placename element within Mansi territory, and it is a part of at least 3 other local geographic names.

In Russian, the Mansi name can be translated as myórtvaya vershína (мёртвая вершина), literally "dead peak".

Note that this article's Russian-language version (especially the Этимология/Etymology section) has much more detail about the origin of, and disputes about, the mountain's name.

Historic references

In documents related to the investigation into the Dyatlov Pass ski-hikers, Kholat Syakhl is often referred to as "height 1079" ^[2] — its height on topographic maps issued before 1963. On more modern maps, however, the height of the mountain is indicated as 1,096.7 metres (3,598 ft) above sea level.^[3]