Shamora

This word became known to Russians with the release of the 1998 album by the group Mumiy Troll called "Shamora" the uninitiated place the emphasis on the second syllable, not really understanding what the word is all about. But in Vladivostok, the emphasis is placed on the "sha" Shamora is a favorite vacation spot.

Strictly speaking, Shamora, a small cove in Ussuri Bay about 30 km from Vladivostok, is officially called Lazurnaya (meaning Azure). Its old name was changed during the campaign in 1972 to rid Primorye from all Chinese and non-Russian names, a kind of philological echo of the fighting in 1969 on Damansky Island. However, even more than 40 years later, it is only called Lazurnaya in official documents. But to the people it is still Shamora.

It is believed that the word Shamora means "sandy desert" There is truly a great deal of sand there, but in the summer Shamora is far from a desert. The beach is filled with vacationers, cars, cafes (the famous "U Grachika" and many others). Here people fly planes and gliders, jump on trampolines, and go windsurfing.

The bay does not freeze in the winter, and is half-open to the Sea of Japan, which brings Shamora serious ocean groundswells with regularity. It is host to "Primorskie Struny" a string festival, and subsequently, "ShamRock".

In the wintertime, Shamora is nearly empty but the winter recreation base Komet operates nearby. For history lovers, the dugout of Sergei Lazo is hidden in the woods, where he concealed himself from the White Guards and the Japanese.

Shamora is praised not only by main Vladivostok mythologist, Ilya Lagutenko. For example, it is mentioned by another known local musician, Ivan Panfilov, in the song "Lubimaya Maya" (my love), which is dedicated to the Toyota Celica. Moreover, Shamora even appears in the song "Plach" (cry) by the group Alisa, having nothing to do, it would seem, with Far Eastern toponymy: "A rolling stone, from Shamora to Moscow ..."

So it is not really surprising that Shamora is a song.