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The ancient phone system is just one sign of the general state of affairs
in Yakutsk. A city of 187,000 people,
Yakutsk
consists mostly of dilapidated, Soviet-style buildings, including huge
square apartment blocks designed by planners without an aesthetic
thought in their heads. Since the entire city sits on
permafrost
, buildings must rest on concrete pilings sunk deep into the ground.
Otherwise, the weight of the structures would cause the thawing ground
to give way, and the buildings would topple in spring.
Yakutsk is also home to the world-renowned
Permafrost Institute, where research is
conducted on the constitution, depth, and
preservative qualities of permafrost. Archaeologists like Bill
Fitzhugh do much of their digging in the frozen earth, where the
physical remains of ancient man are found intact.
  
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