What is Yamal? This is a natural reserve untouched by civilization. And if we imagine the map of Yamal, it can be compared to a deer skin hiding the silent tundra with deer pastures and berry meadows, countless calm lakes and noisy rivers, mountain ranges of the Polar Urals and submontane hills, a diversity of flora and fauna in tundra and taiga woodlands. This is a mysterious northern land with a number of natural, historical and cultural values, unusual and incompatible for an ordinary person. For example, northern lights and solar eclipse, Mount Chernaya  in the white snows of the Polar Urals, skiing in July. So you can see and observe miracles also on the “end of the earth”: this is the translation of “yamal” from the Nenets language. This is a reserved corner of the Russian Arctic, full of myths and legends, the country of the stunning northern nature, a region with a very rich historical and cultural potential, original history and ancient traditions. Salekhard is the administrative, political and spiritual center of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. This is the only city in the world located on the Arctic Circle.

The ancient Obdorsk, the present-day Salekhard, strikes by its beauty: ancient monuments, new architectural fads, neat streets, beautiful and comfortable yards, a great number of tourist attractions. When you visit our city, you will solemnly get the Certificate of passing the Arctic Circle, and you will rightfully be a member of the real polar explorer elite. The Yamalo-Nenets district museum and exhibition complex named after I. S. Shemanovsky is the Yamal title museum, the landmark of Salekhard and the autonomous district, the main keeper of the priceless heritage of our northern area. At present, the holdings of the complex include over 43 thousand storage units of ethnographic, archeological, natural science and historical collections; unique photos devoted to the history of the city and the district; over 10 thousand copies of books, among which there are rare black letter editions; about 1,000 cases in the scientific archive. Ethnographic, historical and informative, fishing, hunting, water, skiing, walking and extreme tours (from 1 to 5 category of complexity) are very popular with tourists. At present, the Polar Urals are very interesting for tourists; this is an excellent place for sports and extreme tourism and just for a rest, where all kinds of sports tourism are possible: walking, skiing, water journeys, mountain ski, angling, ascending mountain peaks, etc. The mountain ski complex of AA YNAD Yamaltur (Autonomous Administration of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District) in the area of Oktyabrsky, located seven kilometers from the town of Labytnangi, is a unique place for an active winter vacation. The visitors will find a 630-meter long route with a vertical drop of 110 meters and an average slope of 16 degrees. All those who wish to try will be taken to the top of the slope by a T-bar lift, and for small visitors there is a 200-meter baby lift.

The peculiarity of the cultural and historical heritage of the autonomous district is the absolute dominance of archeological and ethnocultural objects. As of January 1, 2010, there were 714 historical and cultural monuments under the state protection:

- archeological ones – 504;
- historical and architectural ones – 17;
- places of interest – 9;
- ensembles – 5;
- ethnical objects – 179.

Of these:
- 2 objects are included in the List of federal objects of historical and cultural heritage: Hillfort of Mangazeya in Krasnoselkupsky district, Hillfort (sacrificial place) of Ust-Poluy in Salekhard);
- 20 regional ones;
- 9 municipal (local) ones;
- 685 newly found ones. 

In particular, in Krasnoselkupsky district there is a memorial sign Center of surface of the state of Russia, an archeological complex Hillfort of Mangazeya (1601). In the Autonomous District there are 20 museums and 2 exhibition halls, 7 centers of national cultures, ethnographic complexes, a geological natural monument Kharbeysky, Khanty-Muzhevsky museum park Zhivun. The network of Gulag labor camps did not pass Yamal without a trace: it became a fixed base for the distribution of prisoners under the supervision of the Ob administration of correctional labor camps, 501 and 503 Central Administration of Prison Camps of the railway construction. The rail was built by prisoners.

Among the historical places of Yamal is the twin of the shock-work construction, the legendary BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline): the railway Chum-Salekhard-Igarka. Remembrances of the past years can still be seen in suburban forests and tundra. Railway depots were built. Trains first arrived to Labytnangi, and then a railway ferry transported them across the Ob. In winter, an ice road was built on the ice of the river – a railway on the specially panned out ice jetty. After Stalin’s death, construction sites were closed and the camps were liquidated.

“Dead road” – the name given by the locals to Stalin’s brainchild. The Yamalo-Nenets District is also famous for having the largest grazing herd of home reindeer – over eight hundred thousand animals. When you come to Yamal, you will not only be able to taste the delicious delicatessen meat, but also buy wonderful local clothes of deer hide, as well as very interesting souvenirs – products of skin, fur and bone. Among the national holidays of the District we should note a traditional holiday of spring of the northern peoples called “Vornga Hutl” (Crows’ Day), celebrated at the beginning of April in practically all the large residential areas of the District. This is a holiday when crows come to Yamal. And in this region, crows not only symbolize spring but also awakening of nature, life; the bird symbolizes a mythological heavenly virgin, patroness of women, family happiness and well-being. Tradition has it that dried biscuits (symbols of the sun) are hung on the trees as a gift to the spirits, each holiday participant can tie a ribbon on a birch tree and make a wish – and it will surely come true. The most impatiently awaited holiday on Yamal is the Reindeer Herdsman Day. The holiday program includes: deer teams and snowslip racing, competitions in the national kinds of sports (tynzyan (lasso) throwing on the khorey (a stick imitating staghorns), throwing axe at a distance, jumping over sledge, tug-of-war (using a stick), etc.), abundance of northern cuisine dishes, presentation of souvenir products and national costumes. Reindeer Herdsman Day is celebrated in all Yamal farms that deal with traditional branches, but in Nadym this holiday passed the borders of a local one a long time ago and turned into open Yamal Governor Cup competitions. Every year, Nadym gathers over 300 delegates and guests from Russia, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, USA, Alaska, Mongolia and China. The tour itineraries, including introduction to day-to-day activities, economy and culture of Yamal tundra dwellers, living in families, setting up raw-hide tents, participation in preparation of national dishes and performing rituals are very popular both with Russian and foreign tourists. “To Nenets camping grounds”, “To Khanty stock camps”, “Salekhard-Laborovaya” and many others will allow you to plunge into everyday life of nomads in the conditions of the virgin nature of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District. The Yamal fief of the prince Taishin – a natural and ethnographic complex, an open-air museum – is located 12 kilometers from Salekhard in the residential area of Gorno-Knyazevsk on the right bank of the Ob. In raw-hide tents, sitting comfortably on soft deer skins at low national tables with traditional dishes, you will feel diversity and hospitality, openness and, at the same time, fragility of the high north world, the deep folklore of the people who live there. Yamal is very interesting for foreign tourists, we received tourists from the Netherlands, Finland, France, Slovenia, Bulgaria, China. As a popular tourist region, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District is known to the audience of EU countries, Canada and USA. This territory hides a lot of other stories and mysteries. You can travel here both in summer and in winter, and you always get the impression that you managed to embrace the boundless.