The Olguydakh (; ), is a river in Yakutia (Sakha Republic), Russia. It is a left hand tributary of the Akhtaranda, part of the Vilyuy basin. The river is long and has a drainage basin of .
The river flows across an uninhabited sector of Mirninsky District. An area where mysterious events reportedly took place lies near the abandoned Olguydakh village on the banks of the lower course of the river.Mysteries of Siberia's 'Valley of Death'
Course The Olguydakh belongs to the upper stretch of the Vilyuy basin. It originates in the northeastern end of lake Toymoku () of the Vilyuy Plateau. The river heads first northwards for a short stretch, then it bends and heads roughly southeastwards and southwards, meandering slightly for the remainder of its course. There are many small lakes in its basin. In its last stretch the Olguydakh turns to the southwest. Its mouth is at the confluence with the long Alymdya from the right to form the Akhtaranda, from its mouth in the Vilyuy Reservoir.Nature.ykt There is a bridge of the Aykhal—Chernyshevsky highway over the Olguydakh.Google Earth
Tributaries The main tributary of the Olguydakh is the long Aallaakh (Ааллаах) from the left. The river freezes in mid October and stays under ice until mid May.
Paranormal claims Claims have been made dating back to the middle of the 19th century regarding large, copper, dome-shaped objects ("cauldrons" or "boilers," Yakut: ) found in a region along the river known as the . The alleged radioactive-like sickness hunters who spent the night in these cauldrom led to the area being deemed cursed by the local Yakut and given the name of Yelyuyu Chörköçüökh (Yakut: ). A number of expeditions to Olguydakh and surrounding regions which report these stories have been made, such as those from Richard Maack and Ivan Mackerle.
See also List of rivers of Russia
References
External links
Copper boilers in the swamps of Siberia.