Prominently standing out of the landscape (akin to buttes) they are notable local landmarks.
In the Western Urals, the shihans geologically are reef residues left by ancient seas and are composed of sedimentary limestone.
The ridge in Bashkortostan consist of four isolated mountains: Toratau, Shakhtau, Yuraktau and Kushtau, forming a narrow chain stretching along the Belaya River (Russian: Белая река) for 20 km.
The mountains are located nearby Sterlitamak, Ishimbay and Salavat cities and are remnants of Fringing reef that formed in warm seas of early Permian period.
Shihans are characterized by mildly angled slopes of about 30° degrees and by having scree towards the bottom.