southern mountains met me with a cloudy front, although the weather upon arrival was not too bad. After digging through the day, I decided to go on a tour on Sunday. I decided on Saturday evening)) In general, by this time there were representatives of only one agency and only one long-distance excursion. Alanya was waiting for me! Fiagdon, Dargavs, Karmadon. It’s worth mentioning right away that some tour companies list this excursion as the “Kurtatin Gorge”. This gorge should be picturesque and offer a view of the snowy peaks. We were at the entrance to it, but we did not visit it.
We left at 6 am. The weather did not bode well, but on the way to North Ossetia, the cloudiness slowly dissipated, although the air remained not too transparent and the skeletons of the mountains were hardly visible.
Quite quickly, having overcome the traffic police checkpoint by 9 am, having previously passed Iran, we reached the village of Zmeyskaya, where breakfast was waiting for us. We had breakfast with local khychins. These are quite tasty Ossetian pies with cheese, meat or herbs. You could also use chicken soup and homemade noodles. But since there is only one hostess with a pot of soup, and there are many sightseers, it is recommended that especially hungry people hurry up, otherwise they may not get anything. I, having skipped myself ahead of a young couple with a child, did not get chicken in the soup, while the hostess, for the same reason, did not take money from me for soup))
After spending almost an hour for breakfast, we moved towards Fiagdon.
On the way, having passed several villages, whole and dilapidated towers, a bust of Stalin and buildings, apparently being crypts (and maybe cellars), we reached one of the goals of our trip.
When we drove into the village of Upper Fiagdon, the weather had already completely cleared up.
We made a stop in front of the Alansky Holy Dormition Monastery.
More up-to-date information on the topic on our website:
itonga.ru/russia/kavkaz/fiagdon-kurtatinskoe-uschelie/
itonga.ru/russia/kavkaz/dargavs-i-karmad onskoe-uschelie/
A monastery has existed on this site since the 19th century, but during the Soviet era, this cultural heritage was destroyed.
But the new monastery is impressive. It is not yet fully completed, there are scaffolding inside and work is underway. It looks more like a medieval castle))
Opposite the monastery, on the slope, there are 2 crosses. One is ancient, the other is fresh, the monks periodically tint them.
After taking a few photos, I climbed to the top, to the second tier of the monastery.
There I talked a little with a local resident. The young man, apparently Ossetian, understood Russian perfectly, but he could hardly speak. "Where are you from? From Novokuznetsk? Oh, Siberia! Hmm, Metallurgist, do you go to hockey?" I was not a little surprised. It would seem from where ?, why? a native Ossetian living far from big cities to know where Novokuznetsk is and what hockey is all about! Gentlemen from the KHL, would you like to create a team in the North Caucasus? Can you imagine hot Caucasian guys playing hockey?! Here I am...
A little above the Upper Fiagdon, on the western slope of the gorge, the slope of Mount Kariu-hokh, there are the ruins of the ancient village of Tsimiti. There are more than 30 architectural monuments in the village - combat and residential towers, crypts, etc. Again, it was disappointing not to visit this monument cultural heritage Ossetian.
From the monastery we moved up towards Karmadon. On the eastern slope, the road winded quite strongly on the ascent, and the especially impressionable ones were a little on their nerves.
On the way to Karmadon, Dargavs was waiting for us. The ascent ended and we found ourselves in a mountain hollow. This is one of the largest mountain valleys in Ossetia - its length is 17 kilometers. This is one of the most sunny places in the republic - up to three hundred days a year there is clear weather here. The Dargav Basin is protected from cloud fronts by mountains on all sides.
Shau-Khokh and Tsata glacier on the left.
Jimaray-hoh.
In Dargavs, near the store, we already met the second bust of Stalin.
Contrary to expectations, there was no security, and no one took 50 rubles from us for visiting this place.
At first it seemed to me that we spent very little time there, but now I think, given that this is still a cemetery, we spent as much time there as needed, given that in the crypts, even without much effort, the remains were visible. In total, the complex consists of a little less than 100 crypts and a tower. The period of construction dates back to the XIV-XVIII centuries.
The tombs are divided into three types. Some crypts are located above the ground, and their roof is a stepped pyramid, assembled from rectangular slate tiles. Another type of tombs is the same crypts, but topped with a gable ceiling. The third, the most unpretentious structures, are half underground and are rectangular chambers made of large, roughly processed stone slabs.
For a long time I could not understand what they resemble. Only now I realized that the roofs of the crypts surprisingly resemble the shape of the roofs of the temples of Cambodia.
It’s beautiful, original, but I really didn’t have a chance to climb around the city itself. Almost all free time it took to rise, descend and stay on the tower.
The tower has 3 bays and is quite dark. There is clearly not enough light from the loopholes; getting up and down is relatively difficult. In this light, I was surprised by a young couple who climbed to the top with the same child. The girl is 5 years old. That's who suffered the fear, and the time to get up has increased greatly.
There was a heavy cold wind at the top, but the view! The view was amazing!!! From the top, the valley of the Miagrabidon River opened (according to other sources, Giseldon),
gorge entrance,
on the southern side of the gorge rises the icy peak of Mount Dzhimarai-Khokh.
By the way, "don" in Ossetian for "water" - like that!
Next on the list, we went to the last point of our journey - to the Karmadon Gorge.
Again, I was slightly disappointed. After the Dombai glade - all this is dullness. I don’t know what I was waiting for in Karmadon, but I didn’t see what I wanted. At the same time, I can say that I don’t regret a bit that I was there, in fact, it’s very beautiful there!
The gorge is located at an altitude of about 1.5 km. above sea level, the slopes of the gorge reach 2.6 km.
There is a glacier in the gorge, but it is not visible. The top of the snow mass melted, and the earth, raised and mixed with ice, settled. Therefore, only slag is visible on the surface, and the glacier itself lies underground.
The glacier, breaking off from the top of Kolka, covered 17 kilometers at a speed of up to 250 km / h in a few minutes, in some places ripping up the ground up to 200 meters deep.
At one time, they started building a sanatorium here, but then it wasn’t a glacier that came (a glacier is bullshit), then perestroika came. The sanatorium was never completed, as were a dozen houses for staff.
In some houses, window frames were even inserted, in general, only interior finishing work remained, but they did not have time. Although one house is still inhabited. The rest of the houses are used by the inhabitants of the latter as a corral for livestock. Hay lies inside, cows roam the floors, the roofs are overgrown with trees, general impression then more)))
And a bunch of donkeys, hungry for sweets.
During the hour that we spent in Karmadon, not a single excursion arrived here, but the Ministry of Emergency Situations drove up to find out how things were going. But they drove off with difficulty, their UAZ stalled and started up only from the pusher.
On the way back, a little before reaching the Upper Fiagdon, we stopped at another dilapidated tower.
> "Dead town" Fiagdonskoe (Kurtatinskoe) gorge (20 Photos)
"Dead town" Fiagdonskoe (Kurtatinskoe) gorge
On the 22nd kilometer of the Vladikavkaz-Alagir highway, one of picturesque gorges North Ossetia - Kurtatinsky. The road first goes along the left bank of the Fiagdon River, along the foothill plain adjacent to the foot of the Forest Range.An important ancient caravan route to Transcaucasia passed through this gorge. On the opposite bank of the river you can see the village of Dzuarikau adjoining the forest. A small stream Tagardon during heavy rains in the summer of 1983, and then in 2002, turned into a formidable stream, causing a lot of destruction.
The Kurtatinsky Gorge is best known for its historical and cultural monuments.
At the ninth kilometer from Gusyr, the passing road climbs steeply. A giant multi-meter stone roof hangs over the road. Climb up the ledge and look down at the river. In a deep crack (more than a hundred meters) Fiagdon roars deafly, breaking through wild rocks overgrown with pines. This section of the gorge is called "Kadargavan" (forest pass). Nearby is the "Trail of Miracles" - a favorite vacation spot for Ossetians and tourists. Here, on a rocky spur, above the narrow gorge of Fiagdon, narrow paths are hollowed out and bridges are built, walking along which you can enjoy the splendor of the local landscape, under the roaring roar of the river. Here you can also see brown bears and a leopard, which were brought for the entertainment of tourists.
Fiagdon river. Don from Ossetian - water. And a stone got stuck above the river, could not completely fall down.
Uastirdzhi, or St. George, is the most revered saint in Ossetia. He is the patron of all men and travelers. Without a prayer to St. George, not a single Ossetian sets off even on the shortest journey. Visiting holy places dedicated to Uastirdzhi is an integral part of all wedding ceremonies. A lot of legends are connected with the cult of Uastirdzhi in Ossetia.
The cult monument of Uastirdzhi - St. George right in the rock.
fiagdon river
Fiagdon river.
The Fiagdon River, stormy, noisy, like all the rivers of North Ossetia, it seems that nature has transferred its temper to people. Stormy passions, a harsh, cold disposition, it's like the sun and ice in the mountains of Ossetia ... Two opposites perfectly complement each other.
Fiagdon river. The water is clean, now to splash! Or drink mountain purity!
One of the landscapes of Fiagdon.
evening
We pass the road leading to the Kakadur Pass, past the obelisk "Grieving Horse", in memory of the Kurtatin soldiers who died during the Great patriotic war. Before entering the village Fiagdon road passes over a bridge over a stream.
Here it is, the Fiagdon Valley ....
The architectural monuments that we can see now are not so ancient and belong to the late Middle Ages (not earlier than the 15th century). First of all, these are the towers.
remains of watchtowers
The high-mountainous Caucasus is the kingdom of stone, and the architecture of the highlanders inhabiting this country is to match the country itself. Caucasian mountains- this is a natural fortress, and as in a real fortress, everything here is made of stone. Near the banks of turbulent rivers and at a dizzying height along the rocky slopes, Ossetian villages froze - low stone huts with flat roofs, crowded together, surrounded by towers and crypts.
It is difficult to imagine the landscape of mountainous Ossetia without them - the villages are so harmoniously and naturally merged with the nature around them. National architectural monuments Ossetians are outwardly unpretentious and concise. They are devoid of any pretentiousness and excess: the aesthetic ideal was wise simplicity and rigor, which best reflected the soul of a simple and courageous people.
Kosta Khetagurov in the poem "Weeping Rock" described the construction of the battle tower as follows:
“The work quickly boiled over.
On mossy stone shoulders
The cliffs were laid boldly
The foot of the walls - let the enemy know
What an unshakable outpost
They will block his way here.
With what desperate courage
Here everyone will meet breasts with breasts!
How - fear, pity not knowing -
Here everyone decided as one,
Die bleeding
As the honor of the country, the freedom of the land
Ossetians know how to appreciate!
Rays of crimson sunset
Extinguished at the top of the mountains ...
The herd returned for the night...
The work is still in full swing.
The foot is wide and strong,
On it, like a poured wall,
And everything grew together with the rock, for sure
She grew up on the tower
There really were epidemics in the mountains of pre-revolutionary Ossetia. Here are the terrible figures: as a result of the plague that raged at the end of the 18th - the first half of the 19th century, the population of the country was reduced from 200 thousand people to 16 thousand! Ossetians were then on the verge of extinction. It is not surprising that this tragedy is so deeply imprinted in the memory of the people.
In the 30s of the 19th century, Ossetians began to move from the mountains to the foothill plain. Only then were burials in crypts stopped.
The monumental crypts lined with yellow plaster, more impressive than dwellings, abundant grave goods are vivid evidence of the existence of an extremely archaic cult of the dead among the Ossetians. And with what interesting rituals and folklore stories it has acquired! The Ossetians believed in the existence of a mysterious country of the dead, Barastyr was its lord, and Aminon was its gatekeeper. A horse was dedicated to a dead man. The Alans put a dead horse or parts of its carcass in the grave of a warrior, while the Ossetians acted more rationally: they symbolically cut the horse's ear, and then circled it three times around the deceased with a special prayer. This ceremony is called "bakhfaldisyn" - the dedication of a horse.
PART 2. OLD SETTLEMENTS
The Kurtatinsky Gorge is carved by the waters of the Fiagdon River. Actually, the river becomes Fiagdon from the confluence of two tributaries - Bugultadon and Dzamarashdon. From here the Kurtatinsky gorge to the Kolota pass stretches 9 km upwards. The same can be said in another way: up to the large lateral right branch - the Dzamarash gorge, the river that forms the Kurtatinsky gorge for 9 km is called Bugultadon.
As my favorite saying goes, horseradish is not sweeter than a radish. This information is to avoid confusion. geographical names on the ground.
So, the last village in the Kurtatinsky gorge, or rather, its ruins - Kalotikau.
The tower has been well preserved to this day.
It should be noted that semi-combat (semi-residential) towers are not typical for the Kurtatinsky society. The Kaloyev tower in Kalotikau is unambiguously combat.
It differs from all the towers of the gorge with massive machicolations (from the medieval fr - “to hit in the head”) - hinged loopholes-balconies in the upper part of the tower.
The main purpose of machicolations is for vertical shelling of the enemy storming the walls and throwing stones at him. It is believed that the machicules of the Kaloevskaya combat tower are intended for pistol shooting.
In addition to unusual machicolations, the Kaloevskaya Tower has a unique flat roof made of slate slabs. In addition, of all the towers of Hilak, the Kaloev tower has best quality the buildings. It was built by people from the neighboring Zakka Gorge.
The Kaloyev tower on the high left bank of the Bugultadon River can be seen from afar.
In this place, Bugultadon has not yet become the Fiagdon River. By the way, the word "Bugultadon" means - a river flowing through the village of Bugultikau. And indeed, a little short of the confluence of Bugultadon with Dzamarashdon, there are the ruins of the village of Bugultikau - also on the left bank.
The village of Kalotikau has not existed for a long time, but its inhabitants left a memory of themselves in geographical names: the Kalota pass, the Kalota peak and the Kalota glacier.
We continue the descent along the dirt road along the right bank of Bugultadon.
However, it does not hurt to look back to admire the peaks that close the Kurtatinsky gorge like a circus.
Between the ruins of Kolotikau and Bugultikau no more than 2 km, but they pass down the road completely unnoticed. Flocks of sheep graze on the green slopes. Horses rush through the subalpine meadows, spreading their manes in the wind. Butterflies, flowers, birds - everything is in the cash register.
Along the road there are shale tsyrts. One of them stands forlornly in a subalpine meadow. Be sure to get off the road and approach him. The stone pillar of the tsyrta was occupied by bright red lichens, painting the memorial sign in iridescent colors.
The classic Ossetian tsyrt is a rectangular pole the height of a man, oriented to the cardinal points. The word "tsyrt" is translated from Ossetian as a tombstone or monument. But not necessarily a tsyrt - a gravestone, as in our case, because there is no cemetery here.
This circus stands as memorial sign set in honor of a specific event or people. Perhaps their names are carved on a flat slab lying at the base of the tsyrt.
Unfortunately, no information about this tsyrt could be found, so I don’t know in honor of what event (often sad) the tsyrt was established.
From the location of the cirta, a delightful spectacle opens up to the canyon, which was carved by the river among the moraine hills. The entrance to the canyon is preceded by an amazingly blue lake. It seems that it was formed in the riverbed due to the insufficient capacity of the narrow canyon, which stretches for 0.5 km in length.
The road abruptly went down to the bottom of the valley, which becomes wide.
Some kind of construction equipment is working in the floodplain of the river. Either they are looking for something useful fossil, or they are clearing the riverbed from stone deposits.
Seeing the equipment puffing, puffing from the effort, I immediately remembered the translation of the name of the Fiagdon River from Ossetian. Do not laugh, but "fiag" - "wooden shovel", "don" - "river". That is, it means that the Fiagdon riverbed was cleared with shovels. True, I have no idea what kind of wooden shovel you can pick boulders that the river drags from the upper reaches. Well, oh well, the Ossetian mountaineers, who cleared the area near the water from boulders with shovels, know better.
Ahead, the valley of the floodplain of Bugultadon rests on two powerful alluvial fans, which have squeezed the channel to the right and left. A sort of rock gate. In front of them is the abandoned village of Bugultikau, founded by the Bugulovs, whose surname comes from the name of Bugul.
Any surname is people. A famous people this surname is rich. First of all, we are talking about Dzaug Bugulov. Historical legend says that Dzaudzhikau (literally - the village of Dzauga) was founded by a representative of the Bugulov family. Near this aul, the Vladikavkaz fortress was built in 1784.
The traveler Yu.Klaproth (beginning of the 19th century) notes that Bugultikau was also known under the name Khilak. However, now among the people Khilak is assigned to a part of the Kurtatinsky gorge - its upper reaches from the Khilak springs to the village of Gutiatikau.
The village of Bugultikau is known for the ruins of the barrier wall, which were covered with moss and lichens - “turned green” from time to time. This wall is called chirag, where “chir” is lime, limestone, “rag” is a ridge, elevation, i.e. the name of the wall can be translated from Ossetian as "limestone ridge". The remains of an ancient defensive stone wall on limestone masonry are an architectural monument.
Researchers of these places consider the wall to be even older than the village itself, whose inhabitants used the remains of this wall for the foundations of many Bugultikau buildings. Therefore, this place in the village is called Chirag.
There are two large barrier walls in the Khilak Gorge. One is in Bugultikau, the other is 5 km down the gorge.
It turns out that they defended the upper reaches of the Kurtatinsky gorge. Between the barrier walls are the ruins of three Khilak villages: Bugultikau, Andiatikau, Gutyatikau.
The maximum number of soldiers that the inhabitants of these small villages could put up was 80 people, while at least 300 soldiers are required to defend any of these two walls (based on 1 person per 2 meters of length). The creation and maintenance of such citadels can only take place in the era of statehood and can in no way be considered as communal (general gorges). After all, the Khilak villages were precisely communal, belonging to the Kurtatin society. The time of their formation and settlement is not earlier than the 17th century.
Most researchers date the construction of the barrier walls to the 7th-9th centuries. Records have been preserved of how the Bugulovskaya wall looked in the middle of the 19th century. It was considered the most powerful and massive building of this type. “A stone wall across the gorge, resting its edges against sheer high cliffs, and in the middle, over the bed of the Fiagdon River, a wide stone arch was thrown, along which the road continued, going over the walls. The wall is so thick that you can drive a wagon along it, and inside it were living quarters with loopholes. All this is made of reddish stone, which is in abundance in the Kurtatinsky gorge.
The following legend is connected with this fortification: as if one “enterprising knight” (Shah? Sultan?), who came from the direction of the “snowy mountains” (because of the Main Caucasian Range from Georgia?), Besieged Bugulovskaya fortress with a large army. The reason for his actions was a rumor about the unprecedented beauty of a girl who was hidden in the upper tower. Despite a long siege, his efforts were in vain. The fortification remained impregnable until the girl herself showed him the way to take possession of the stronghold. In the window of the tower, she hung out her trousers, and the knight guessed that the direction of both trousers indicated secret paths. There
there really were hardly noticeable steps hollowed out in the wall. And, clinging to them, suddenly attacking in the morning, the besiegers managed to capture the citadel. As the Russian officer, who wrote down this legend in the report on his inspection of the region more than 170 years ago, notes, these steps have already collapsed and access to the tower on the rock is no longer possible.
Can you imagine how already then (170 years ago) the fortification was destroyed? What can we say about today.
The name of the fortification was at that time Akhsinbadan, which translates as the Castle of the Princess, the Residence of the Empress. Perhaps this was the legendary beauty. A caravan route passed by the fortification through the passes of the Main Caucasian Range in Transcaucasia. Travelers describe these places as a high rock with traces of a building and a barrier wall, which are located above the Valsubi pasture near the village of Bugultykau.
The legend connects this fortification with the name of Queen Tamara. On the walls of the fortification there are prints of human hands. The only doubt is that the name "Akhsinbadan" is used by most of the ancient strategic fortifications in most of the gorges of Ossetia.
The central part of the fortification wall was destroyed by the settlement of the Bugulov family, which formed here around the 17th century.
The dirt road runs down to the bridge over the Dzamarashdon, a little higher than its mouth, which allows one to look into this very beautiful gorge with one eye, at least until the formidable warning on the metal counter: “Passage only with passes!” .
The bridge is unusual in design. This is a wide pipe driven into the banks of a mountain river. When there is an excess of water in Dzamarashdon, the pedestrian and automobile bridge floods, and the water is not even a high layer. But it is still more convenient to cross this crossing. And there is no other (more direct) way in the Kurtatin Gorge.
Here, on this wide semicircle of the bend of the “route”, a border post with a barrier on the road is being built. On weekends, holders of passports with an Ossetian residence permit can travel to the upper reaches of the gorge to the Khilak springs. All other mortals on weekends, holidays, weekdays - according to passes issued in advance.
Here the mountain road ends with potholes, potholes, ascents, descents and sharp turns, and begins as straight as an arrow, an almost even, well-trodden primer along the calm (in terms of terrain) Fiagdon valley.
Almost immediately we approach the sanctuary of Zarinon on the right bank of the Fiagdon near the road.
The road itself separates the territory of the sanctuary and the village of Andiatikau. Here it is worth dwelling in more detail on these objects of cultural heritage of North Ossetia.
Andiatikau is the only residential village in the Khilak Gorge. Although residential - loudly said. Standing in the middle of the ruins is a single residential building, clinging to the tower of the Andievs. The rangers live in it, who protect the peace of the wild animals of the reserve, the boundaries of which run along the left bank of the Fiagdon. It’s better not to go there without a permit - it’s better not to meddle even without a gun.
Thanks to the nearby abandoned village of Andiatikau, the Zarinon sanctuary, which still operates today, a canopy was organized near the ruins over a common table with benches for gathering members of the family and their relatives on holidays: general Kurtatin, shtetl and dedicated to their pagan gods.
The foundation of the village, as well as other villages of Khilak, dates back to the 16th - 17th centuries. It was small, with 8 courtyards, which huddled near the architectural dominant of the village - the tower of the Andiev family. Actually, the village is named thanks to this genus.
The sanctuary of Zarinon (Zarinonykh, Nonykh) was the main one for the inhabitants of the Khilak villages: Kolotikau, Bugultikau, Andiatikau and Gutiatikau.
The most interesting thing is that scientists attribute the sanctuary to the XII century. And here the question arises by itself: who built this sanctuary and used it, if the villages of Khilak were formed much later (400-500 years)? The question hangs in the air, because. Little is known about the history of the Kurtatin Gorge.
The dzuar is a quadrangular structure: 3.50x2.80x3.00 m with a quadrangular entrance in the front wall, one oblong window in the end and gable roof topped with an iron cross. The word "dzuar" in the name of the sanctuary is from the Georgian "jvari" (cross), and in the Ossetian language it has a broader concept and means "cross", "angel", "holy", "deity", "sanctuary".
The top of the sanctuary is decorated with vertically placed white stones and whitewashed on the outside, which, according to local residents, symbolizes sublimity and purity (in addition to this meaning, which is common among all peoples of the Aryan culture, white color denotes a religious cult and its ministers in the three-functional model of the world). Probably, this was the reason for the taboo on visiting dzuars by women, as beings “unclean and sinful in their essence”.
The very name of the sanctuary "Zarinonykh" ("dawn" in Georgian - "bell") is also of Georgian origin. The second wave of Christianity propaganda also came from Georgia. This is evidenced by the fact that until the 20th century, until the October Revolution, Georgians were church ministers in many mountain villages. But the religion of the ancestors of the Ossetians - paganism - did not disappear without a trace and was able to survive, having passed the tests.
The sanctuary is surrounded by a small rectangular stone fence, outside of which there are places for a ritual feast. A feature of the ritual feast at this sanctuary, in addition to the traditional three triangular pies and beer, was the obligatory presence of a fish dish on the table.
Let's look inside a small dzuar. The image of Uastirdzhi, a rider on a white horse, immediately catches the eye.
In the Ossetian religious pantheon, the cult of Uastirdzhi plays a prominent role (“uats” - a saint, “Gergi” - George, it’s not hard to guess - Saint George). The name George with the name of his holiday - George-both came from Georgia during the period of penetration of Orthodox Christianity into the territory of medieval Alanya. Endowed with the epithets “winged”, “golden”, “golden-voiced”, “golden-handed”, Uastirdzhi is a slightly Christianized image of the old Ossetian solar deity. In general, the solar cult is a feature of the Indo-Iranian peoples, including the Scythians and Slavs. And in this context, "Zarin" (gold) has the meaning of the Sun.
To the left of the entrance hangs an overhead chain - a sacred object symbolizing the "center of the world", houses - the connection between the world of gods and the world of people. In the Christian churches of Ossetia, the chain is located in the altar.
Somehow they asked a prayer in the sanctuary of the Zarinons, where did the chain come from? “She was sent down from heaven,” was the answer.
By the way, Zarina is a fairly common name among the Caucasian peoples, and is also associated with the Sun in the sense of "dawn" or "morning dawn." It is believed that the name Zarina is of Armenian origin (in this case, Transcaucasian). And it means neither more nor less - "priestess of the temple of fire"! In Armenian, Zarina can often be abbreviated as Zara. The most interesting thing is that there is a version according to which Zara is one of the variants of the pronunciation of the traditional Old Slavonic names Zarya and Zarina, literally translated as “dawn”. The name is not very common in Europe. But from what has been said above, it follows how small the world is, how intertwined and mutually enriched it is. At least on the example of the name Zarina.
Not far from the sanctuary of the Zarinons are the ruins of the village of Gutiatikau. You can even see them from the road. Against the backdrop of distant green ridges, they look like a fairy-tale castle.
The name Gutiatikau can literally be translated as "village of the Gutievs". This is the first village after entering the Khilak gorge. In our case, the latter.
According to family legends, it was originally located on the other (left) bank of the river. Only a hundred years later, the surname, which no longer fit in the old place, founded that small village, which has survived to this day in the form of the remains of buildings, a family tower and graves.
By the way, when dating the towers, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the tower culture, like any other, had to go through three stages: the birth, flourishing and decline. The construction of these structures in North Ossetia ceased by the beginning of the 19th century, which is evident from their absence in the villages that arose later than this time. So with the determination of the age of the towers in Gutiatikau, the 16th-17th centuries are in full order.
In 1924, the last resident moved out of Gutiaticau. And now the village has been abandoned for almost a century. Like any other abandoned village, the appearance of Gutiaticau is deceptive.
Where we see a green meadow around the old towers, in fact, there is grass up to the waist, which, upon closer inspection, turns out to be commonplace nettles and cow parsnip - plants that grow with pleasure on the ground manured by sheep.
The Gutievs are a remarkable surname. Having left such a small village, they settled throughout Ossetia, and now there are about 120 families. This surname was respected in Ossetia, and among the Gutievs there were many officers who took part in almost all the wars that were.
Behind the village of Gutiatikau, the Khilak descent begins for those who go to the village of Kharisdzhin, and the Khilak ascent in the opposite direction. The 6 km long descent is more pleasant than the ascent. Near the descent / ascent, 1.5 km from the ruins of Gutiatikau Khilak barrier wall. And if the barrier wall near the village of Bugultikau is called South, then near Gutiatikau - North.
This category of fortification monuments is the most archaic in comparison with the others (towers, fortresses, castles). In the scientific literature, the thesis about the confrontation between the indigenous inhabitants of the high-mountainous zone of the Central Caucasus - the Tuals and the newcomers - the Alans (Ossetians) has been entrenched.
Another reason for the emergence of defensive fortifications blocking the gorge,
associated with the economic side. The fact is that the part of the Kurtatinsky gorge (Hilaksky gorge) fenced off by walls today serves as a local pasture for livestock, where flocks and herds from all over Ossetia are brought.
This situation could have persisted during the existence of the Alanian state. And then the area, fenced off from the north and south by fortifications, could be used to protect in case of military danger the main wealth of Alania - cattle, driven into this most inaccessible part of the state, which, at the same time, with its large area, can be protected by relatively small forces.
What did the Gutiev barrier wall originally look like? The fortification was built of stones of various sizes on the strongest lime mortar. The total length of the wall, which occupies both banks of the river and abuts against steep mountain slopes subject to strong rockfalls, was about 335 m. The height of the fortification varied depending on the terrain - it reached the highest height on the upper terraces, the lowest - on the steep river spurs. In places of the greatest elevation differences, the wall was reinforced with 6 towers (3 from each bank). The main part of the defenders on the right bank was concentrated on the walls, and on the left - in the towers.
Most researchers date the construction of the Gutievskaya and Bugulskaya walls to the era of the Caucasian wars of the 7th-9th centuries. Therefore, J. Klaprot, who traveled around the Caucasus in 1807-1808, describes the Gutiev fortification as "an old collapsed wall, protected by one tower." In fact, this is how it is today.
Traditions connect the construction of the Khilak wall with the name of Uats-aldar (Aldar - prince), who was characterized as a noble and "punisher of rapists". It was believed that the wall was built simultaneously with Tsymyt, the oldest village of the Kurtatinsky society, and was erected by the method of "transferring a stone from hand to hand along a chain."
The ancient buildings of the Khilak Gorge are covered with many legends. For example, they say that this wall, and indeed the entire Khilak gorge, was guarded by the so-called "red ten" - 10 thousand soldiers, whose leader wore a red cloak. But, given that the traditional Ossetian counting system was twenty-digit, then we can only talk about 200 warriors.
According to other Ossetian legends, recorded in 1836, the brothers Kurta and Taga, the great-grandchildren of Sidamon (Nart, about which there are many legends in the Nart epic), having moved to the Kurtatin Gorge, built this stone wall against the invasion of Georgians. In general, the grandiose ruins of no less grandiose barrier walls in the Khilak Gorge are waiting for their explorer.
On the way to the village there are many more interesting things. Behind the checkpoint of the border guards, which is located in a narrow part of the valley 3 km from Kharisdzhin, the Tsazgidon River flows into Fiagdon with waterfalls. At the entrance to the Tsazgi gorge, the white tower of Ualamasyg stands out on the ridge, behind which the legend is fixed that the guards of the Khilak lands were sitting here and that there was a golden cauldron in the tower.
We continue the descent and in a small clearing we see a stone-monument on which the image of an aksakal is engraved, who, as the inscription testifies, lived for 167 years (1746-1913). At first we thought that we made a mistake with arithmetic calculations, after all, in the age of calculators, counting in the mind is not handy. Counted - that's right, 167 years!
Marzaganov Giso Gigoevich - a long-liver, a material confirmation of the uniqueness of the climate of the Kurtatinsky Gorge, a man who lived in three centuries! Unfortunately, what else he became famous for is not known, but is life at 167 years old not a feat?
After standing near this uncomplicated monument, we continue our way to the village of Kharisdzhin, the towers of which already loom high on the left slope of the gorge.
In mountain settlements, family towers were erected haphazardly in the most convenient areas. Only not in the village of Kharisdzhin.
The system of arrangement of towers in it differs from all the villages of the Kurtatinsky gorge with great perfection. The five towers of Harisjin are arranged crosswise and are built close to each other. They are oriented along the north-south and west-east axis, that is, they are well protected from all directions of the world.
The towers of Harisjin are unique. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the laying of the upper tier of the tower was carried out "dry" in order to be able to push stones on the head of the besiegers.
Also in the village there are castle complexes (galuans) and outposts, and on the rocky ledges - the remains of masonry in the form of small walls.
The landscape surrounding the village is beyond words of praise. In the background looms the massif of Mount Karyuhokh. Along the valley of the Kora River, which merges with Fiagdon right in the village, the road to the Arkhon Pass leading to the Sadono-Unalskaya basin rises in serpentines. And towers, towers all around...
From Harisjin, which is the last locality in the Kurtatinsky Gorge, there is a bus to Vladikavkaz. On this you can walk along the gorge and finish.
The third day of the blog tour in North Ossetia has come. Since there were a lot of interesting things, I will divide this day into three entries. In the next you will see the Midagrabinsky waterfalls and the Dargavvsky necropolis. Let's not put things off indefinitely, let's go :) Do not scold for a vertical photo, it's intended :)
I can't help posting this shot, I love walking around Vladikavkaz and seeing Table Mountain. Now it looks inconspicuous, but when it is covered with snow, the feeling of looking at it is completely different.
We drive into the Kurtatinsky gorge. His total length- about 50 km. The Kurtatinsky gorge is one of the main centers of the formation of the Ossetian people and its national culture since the early Middle Ages. Traditions say that the Kurtatin society was founded by two Alagir brothers - Kurta and Taga. The descendants of Tag moved to live in the neighboring gorges and founded the Tagauri society there.
Kadargavan canyon is one of the most remarkable natural monuments not only the Kurtatinsky gorge, but the whole of North Ossetia. On this section of the rocky ridge of the mountains, the Fiagdon river, as if with the strongest blow of a sword, cut the rock into two parts ... Here you need to be very careful, because the wind is very strong. Such that it may well knock down the unlucky traveler.
Above Fiagdon (Don, by the way, in Ossetian is translated as "river") hung a huge stone.
About this canyon exists beautiful legend(of whom there are very, very many in Ossetia - I would have listened all my life!).
In ancient times, there was no road near the rocks of Kadargavan... People moved along a very narrow dangerous path passing in the rocks high above the seething mountain river. At that time, blood feud in the Caucasus senselessly killed many worthy people. Once, on this narrow road, two bloodline Ossetians from warring families met. The riders recognized each other from afar, but both wanted to avoid bloodshed. One of them steered his horse towards the abyss, towards the roaring Fiagdon.
The frightened horse seemed to obey a strong master, and soon they found themselves safely on the river bank. Without thinking for a second, the dzhigit sent his horse into the boiling Fiagdon. Fortitude and courage fought against the furious current, and the rider defeated the river. The dzhigit traveled far around his bloodline, and tired collapsed on the grassy shore to rest. Then the sound of the hooves of the second rider was heard, who galloped across the bridge to his enemy along the adat.
He did not raise his weapon, but extended his hand for a handshake. Both happily looked at each other and took off their hats. And they saw that they both turned gray. The first - when he struggled with the abyss and the river. The second - when I watched the duel of man and the elements. Thus, steadfastness, courage and Kadargavan reconciled the bloodlines...
Natural beauty.. a fragile flower against the background of a rumbling Fiagdon..
The Dzivgis fortress is one of the most powerful fortifications not only in Ossetia, but also in the Caucasus. The fortress consists of six buildings attached to the entrances of natural caves, located in the same plane at different heights. The main fortification, which is very significant in size, is located on the lower level and access to it is possible through a staircase made of stone. There was a passage to the rest of the buildings from the neighboring ones - along paths carved into the rocks and hinged stairs, which were removed if necessary. Therefore, during the battle, communication between the fortifications was impossible, and each of them was an independent, autonomous center of defense. The function of these small fortifications, built at a height of 10-20 m and containing up to a dozen soldiers, was to cover the main fortification on the flank - the only place from which an active defense could be carried out. The Dzivgis fortress was seriously damaged during one of the punitive expeditions of the tsarist troops.
Fortresses and other monuments of the village have always fascinated the traveler, as well as the surrounding untouched nature, a special breath of antiquity. For example, F.I. Grebenets, who visited the Kurtatinsky Gorge in 1913, was struck by the nature (“a strikingly beautiful picture” - in his words) and the architectural monuments of Dzvgis. “It was with sadness that I had to leave these marvelous places,” he admitted.
This view opens from the loopholes of the fortress. Imagine how many enemies were killed here.
And this is a cave inside the fortress. After walking a path about 65 meters long (or 75, I don’t remember exactly), you can find yourself in another gorge.
Yeah .. built in those years for centuries. You know, I also want to note the cleanliness around and inside the fortress (although your narrator (that is, me) stepped into NATO once :)))
A little beauty won't hurt :) Really Vika? :) by_victoria
Timur Agirov at the exit from the fortress. timag82
Often I come across rarity trucks in the mountains. And this one is no exception :)
William Gagiev: "Wow, such eagles fly here in the mountains"!
Dzygysy Uastirdzhi dzuar, consisting of Christian temple St. George (Uastirdzhi) XIV-XVI centuries and the sanctuary. It is still maintained in good condition to this day. This cult complex has always had the status of a great shrine for the inhabitants of the Kurtatinsky gorge, and not only: at one time, two ancient temple bells with inscriptions in Georgian, as well as the royal gifts of a small rural church, attracted special attention of scientists.
In addition to the Dzivgis fortress and the temple, we also managed to see soil burial grounds, crypts - semi-cave, above-ground, semi-underground. small " City of dead"consisting of 8 crypts of various architecture..
Nabi Gitinov gnabi
Zakri Tsurov tsurov
The most beautiful view of the Fiagdon valley.
Watch on your monitors! Squad of special purpose bloggers! In the frame of Ismail Denilkhanov denilkhanov
, Ibragim Zaurbekov benomen
and Konstantin Farniev farniev_kostya
There is a car near the fortress, here you can buy simple souvenirs as a keepsake :)
Looks like a scene from a Hollywood movie :) timag82
Fiagdon glacier in the clouds
Wind and time slowly wear away the remnants ancient tower in Fiagdon...
Our company climbs to the remains of the towers..
It is impossible to imagine mountainous Ossetia without towers.
Kosta Khetagurov in the poem "Weeping Rock" described the construction of the battle tower as follows:
“The work quickly boiled over.
On mossy stone shoulders
The cliffs were laid boldly
The foot of the walls - let the enemy know
What an unshakable outpost
They will block his way here.
With what desperate courage
Here everyone will meet breasts with breasts!
How - fear, pity not knowing -
Here everyone decided as one,
Die bleeding
As the honor of the country, the freedom of the land
Ossetians know how to appreciate!
Rays of crimson sunset
Extinguished at the top of the mountains ...
The herd returned for the night...
The work is still in full swing.
The foot is wide and strong,
On it, like a poured wall,
And everything grew together with the rock, for sure
She grew up on the tower.
And if I'm not mistaken, this is a view of the tower village of Tsymyti.
Razhap Musaev wild_che
: "I sit high - I look far!"
10 seconds before this shot, a huge eagle flew right in front of the camera. As soon as it appeared, it disappeared. It's a pity, such a frame would have turned out .. But even without it it turned out beautifully :)
View of the village of Fiagdon.
And we went even higher to stop on this beautiful plateau. As always, there was a desire to visit here with an overnight stay :)
I have said more than once that you can just go crazy from the air in such places. It is a pity that it is impossible to convey to you the smells of mountain flowers that were on this plateau through the monitor.
Ossetian Spiderman-photographer Konstantin Farniev :) farniev_kostya
Finally, a few more portrait photos. Marina Totoeva, correspondent for the Gradus.Pro portal. She wrote a surprisingly good article about our blog tour:
http://gradus.pro/articles/blogery-v-osetii.html
William Gagiev. Man and ship. In fact, his position sounds very formidable - the head of the tourism and resorts department of the Ministry of Tourism, Entrepreneurship and Investment Policy of North Ossetia-Alania. That does not prevent him from being an excellent conversationalist and a very good-natured person.
Azamat Gagloev. Amazing energy and kind people.
General partner of the blog tour - JSC "Resorts North Caucasus"
Organizer - Association of Journalists of the North Caucasus with the support of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasian Federal District
Communication partner - Megafon
Partners: Ministry of Tourism, Entrepreneurship and Investment Policy of North Ossetia-Alania, Association of Media of the North Caucasus Federal District and CSKP "Kavkaz".
Fiagdon River project
MBOU secondary school with. Michurino
2012 - 2013 academic year
Goals and objectives:
to form the concepts of "source", "channel", "mouth", "tributaries", "shores", "fresh water bodies", "artificial reservoirs", "natural reservoirs" and to assimilate their main and essential features.
the ability to plan their activities when working with information material;
enrichment and complication of students' vocabulary through the introduction of new and development of previously formed concepts;
develop the ability to generalize and systematize educational material;
develop the ability to pose and solve the problem of environmental protection.
to form a comradely, friendly attitude towards classmates, responsibility for the results of their work in the process of work;
to cultivate a sense of duty to future generations for the preservation of the environment.
Since ancient times, people have known the great importance of water. Calling it the substance of life. Life on Earth cannot exist without water. In nature, you can find water everywhere.
In what reservoirs a droplet lives, you will find out by guessing riddles.Slide #2
Slightly shaking in the breeze
Ribbon in space
Narrow tip in the spring,
And wide in the sea. (river)
He has no arms, he has no legs
I was able to get out of the ground.
He us in the summer, in the heat,
Ice drink water. (spring)
He is powerful, he is huge.
Waves roll over it.
Washes the entire planet ...
Guess what it is! (ocean)
Among the mountains or among the forest,
Like a princess mirror.
Very smooth water
Instead of a frame - the coast. (lake)
I'm running to my mother-river
And I can't be silent.
I am her own son
And I was born in the spring. (Creek)
You will always recognize him.
It has salt water.
And the color in the names is different -
Black, white, red. (sea)
Everyone bypasses this place
Here the earth is like dough;
There are sedges, hummocks, mosses…
No leg support. (swamp)
Let's look at the next slide, what reservoirs do you not find?
Slide #3
(Ocean, sea)
What does the water in these reservoirs taste like? (Salty).
And in others?
(Unsalted)
What is unsalted water called?
(Fresh)
Of all the water available on Earth, only 3% is fresh. The rest of the water is salty. 2/3 of all fresh water on Earth is contained in frozen form in glaciers and polar ice. The remaining third is concentrated in rivers, lakes, as well as in groundwater.
Slide #4
What two groups are water bodies divided by their origin?
What reservoirs can be classified as natural (artificial)?
Why do people create artificial reservoirs?
Reservoirs for hydroelectric power plants, water supply.
Channels for navigation, and in agriculture for irrigation of fields. Canals connect rivers.
Pond - for breeding fish, a place of rest for people and other purposes.
slide number 5
River. Parts of the river.
We are with youlet's talk in detail about the river, its parts.
I wonder where the rivers originate?
Where do rivers start?
It turns out that it can be a stream from a spring, from the snowy peaks of the mountains, or even from a swamp.
The beginning of the flow of rivers is called the source.
slide number 6
Look at the slide and find the beginning of the river.
Let's see what other parts of the river there are.
Let's read the definitions of the parts of the river and remember.
slide number 7 (Rivers of North Ossetia)
slide number 8
In the world there is no stronger
In the world there is no freedom for her.
Can't hold it in your hands
And do not overtake on a horse.
slide number 9
Many rivers flow on the territory of North Ossetia. The main river of North Ossetia is the Terek, which originates outside the republic, in the glaciers of Mount Zilga-xox at an altitude of 2713 m and has a length of approximately 623 km (including 110 km in North Ossetia). The Terek has many tributaries, of which the largest are Urukh (104 km), Ardon (101 km), Kambileevka (99 km), Gizeldon (81 km) and others. Terek, Urukh, the sources of the Ardon originate in the mountains and have glacial food.
slide number 10
GIFTS OF THE TEREK M. Yu. Lermontov
Terek howls, wild and vicious,Between the rocky massesHis cry is like a storm,Tears spray.But, running across the steppe,He pretended to be wickedAnd, affectionately caressing,The Caspian Sea murmurs:
"Part apart, O old sea,Give shelter to my wave!I walked in the openIt's time for me to rest.I was born at Kazbek,Nurtured by the breast of the clouds,With the alien power of manI'm always ready to argue.I, your sons for fun,Ruined native DaryalAnd boulders to them, for the glory,He brought the whole herd."
slide number 11
The Terek is a river in the North Caucasus, which originates on the slope of the Caucasus Range and flows into the Caspian Sea. The name of the Terek River in translation from the Karachay-Balkar language means "fast water". In its upper course, the Terek makes its way through mountain gorges and slopes. Here it is very fast and furious. But, approaching the sea, the Terek flows already along the plain, where it becomes calm and wide.
slide number 12
We live in the village of Michurino, where the Fiagdon River flows.
Fiagdon (Oset.Fyiyagdon ) - a mountain river in North Ossetia, the right tributary of the Ardon (Terek basin). The mouth of the river is located 4 km along the right bank of the Ardon River. The length of the river is 75 km.
The gorge through which Fiagdon flows is called Kurtatinsky and belongs to the Alagir region of North Ossetia.
On the river are: the mining village of Upper Fiagdon, the Orthodox Alanian Holy Dormition Monastery, several villages, including now uninhabited.
The construction of the Fiagdon hydroelectric power station has begun.
slide number 13
A giant multi-meter stone roof hangs over the road. Climb up the ledge and look down at the river. In a deep crack (more than a hundred meters) Fiagdon roars deafly, breaking through wild rocks covered with pines. This section of the gorge is called "Kadargavan" (forest pass).
slide number 14 "Mountain Gorge" movie
slide number 15
Fiagdon river.The water is clean, now to splash! Or drink mountain purity.
slide number 16
It was in the mountains, where there is still no violent human activity. And here is what we will see in the village of Michurino.
slide number 17
A river can carry massive amounts of rainwater in seconds.
slide number 18
Fiagdon river during the rain
slide number 19
Rivers are the wealth and decoration of the Earth. They are of great importance. They must be protected and protected so that we can continue to admire their unique beauty.
What is detrimental to water bodies?
What contribution can we make?
Do not pollute waterways with household waste.
Household garbage is a problem for animals and plants living in a pond.
Slide #20 Let it remain clean in them forever
Cold and delicious water.
May it never overgrow with mud
The shore where I stand...
Big uncles, grown men,
Keep my bright river!
slide number 25 (Conclusion)
Water is a precious gift of nature. And we must protect it. There is no life without water. All living things will die without water.
“Water is life!"
