Sterlitamak is the second-largest city in Bashkortostan, a chemical and industrial center on the Belaya River about a hundred and twenty kilometers south of Ufa. It was founded in 1766 as a salt-trading pier on the Belaya, close to the mouth of the Sterlya river, and the name comes from that stream. The city has some two hundred and sixty thousand people, and its industries include soda, synthetic rubber and engineering. It is a place for work more than for tourism, and its charm lies in its plainness and in what surrounds it.
The area has one of the more interesting geological stories in Russia. South of the city rise the shikhans, isolated limestone hills that are the remains of coral reefs that grew in a shallow sea about three hundred million years ago. Yuraktau, Tratau, Shakhtau and Kushtau are the best known, and they stand out from the steppe like steep, rounded loaves. Some have been quarried for the soda industry, and one, Tratau, was almost entirely destroyed, while others have been protected as natural monuments. Rare plants, including feather grass and steppe flowers, grow on the slopes. The nearby town of Ishimbay was the site of the first big oil strike in the Urals-Volga region, in 1932, and was nicknamed the second Baku.
For riders, Sterlitamak is a gateway to the south Urals and to the Nugush reservoir. The roads leaving the city head across rolling plains and then climb into the foothills, with gentle bends and wide views. Surfaces are generally good on the main routes, with some patchwork repairs, and traffic is light outside town. Summer is warm and sometimes hot, with strong sun, and autumn is the best season, with clear air and golden fields. Winter is cold and the roads can be icy.
Services are plentiful. The city has fuel stations on every main road, supermarkets, cafes and hotels, and it is the best place to stock up before the quieter country to the east. Ishimbay, about twenty kilometers away, has more of the same.
Eat a plate of beshbarmak or a few chak-chak, the sweet honey pastry, before you go. They are well suited to a long day.