I came across this beauty quite by accident and couldn’t pass it by. And I decided that the readers of SUN should learn about such a man-made miracle.
This statue is called “St. George Jumping Out of the Rock.” A unique monument located in the city of Vladikavkaz. Its peculiarity is that it is located at a height of about 22 meters and is attached to the rock only by the outer part of the rider's cloak. Visually, it creates the feeling that the monument is floating in the air.
It was built with funds from the city authorities and donations from local residents. St. George the Victorious is depicted proudly looking into the distance, on his head is a helmet, on his body is armor, he is confident in himself and does not doubt at all that he will win another victory. His horse, like its owner, is fearless and brave, its front legs are bent, its head is lowered and pressed to the body. The sculpture “St. George the Victorious Jumps Out of the Rock” is depicted in dynamics - the wind blows the hero’s cloak and the horse’s mane. It is made of fine bronze and painted in a silver tone. Every year this monument attracts the attention of many tourists, everyone strives to take a photo with it. But local residents have a special ritual - to make a wish under the sculpture, which should come true within a year.
It should be noted that North Ossetia-Alania is the only republic of the North Caucasus, the majority of whose population professes Orthodoxy. And the patron saint of Ossetia is Saint George the Victorious. In the republic there are a huge number of sanctuaries, chapels, churches dedicated to this saint, places where he performed his deeds. As they say, Ossetians do not begin any business without praying to St. George.
St. George - “Uastirdzhi” From the city of Alagir, the Ossetian Military Road leads along the wide floodplain of the left bank of the Ardona River, among the mountains of the Wooded Range. Approximately 8 kilometers from the outskirts of Alagir, on the right in the direction of travel, an extraordinary sculptural composition attracts attention. This is Nykhas Uastirdzhi, as they call him in North Ossetia. This place is a dzuar - a holy place. The sculpture is attached to the rock and weighs 28 tons! Uastirdzhi is the patron saint of men, travelers and warriors. A deity that was similar in its functions to Saint George, who is also revered in Christianity as the patron saint of warriors, travelers and men.
In the Nart epic, Uastirdzhi is described as a celestial being, depicted as a formidable warrior on a white horse, wearing a white burka. It is believed that Uastirdzhi constantly carries weapons with him. Descending to earth, he checks people to see if they help each other in need and grief. HE appears among people in the guise of a beggar. Women were afraid to pronounce the name Uastirdzhi and spoke about him allegorically “lagty dzuar” - “god of men.” They did not even have the right to participate in the festivities held in honor of Uastirdzhi. He is considered the enemy of thieves, swindlers, oathbreakers, murderers; HE is the patron of honest, noble people.
Statue of St. George the Victorious in North Ossetia October 20th, 2015
I already showed you a huge HORSE STATUE and what it is, but here’s another statue...
This statue is called “St. George Jumping Out of the Rock.” A unique monument located in the city of Vladikavkaz. Its peculiarity is that it is located at a height of about 22 meters and is attached to the rock only by the outer part of the rider's cloak.
Visually, it creates the feeling that the monument is floating in the air.
Photo 2. 
It was built with funds from the city authorities and donations from local residents. St. George the Victorious is depicted proudly looking into the distance, on his head is a helmet, on his body is armor, he is confident in himself and does not doubt at all that he will win another victory. His horse, like its owner, is fearless and brave, its front legs are bent, its head is lowered and pressed to the body. The sculpture “St. George the Victorious Jumps Out of the Rock” is depicted in dynamics - the wind develops the hero’s cloak and the horse’s mane. It is made of fine bronze and painted in a silver tone. Every year this monument attracts the attention of many tourists, everyone strives to take a photo with it. But local residents have a special ritual - to make a wish under the sculpture, which should come true within a year.
Work on the sculptural composition lasted more than two years. A six-meter monument weighing 13 tons was installed on the mountainside, at an altitude of 30 meters. The opening of the monument was consecrated by the elders. St. George the Victorious is one of the most revered and beloved saints in North Ossetia. He is considered the patron saint of warriors, travelers, men and the entire republic. The figure of St. George the Victorious was sculpted by Vladimir Soskiev from bronze. According to the sculptor, this is the warmest and most living metal.
Photo 4. 
Photo 5. 
Photo 6. 
They will be kicked out of churches by force
On the day of the post-feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Ukrainian radicals from the Right Sector organization banned in Russia seized the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Bogorodchany, Ivano-Frankivsk region. This was reported by the portal “Orthodoxy and Peace”. Nationalists broke down doors, broke windows, and beat up believers.
In the information and educational department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church The Moscow Patriarchate said that one parishioner received a concussion, two had their arms broken, and the rector of the church, Archpriest Vladimir Shuvar, was injured by the raiders.
Right Sector activists were noticed by parishioners near the temple. Realizing that the nationalists were going to storm the church, they rushed to its defense and tried to resist them. Eyewitnesses of the seizure said that the radicals broke into the temple through the courtyard. “Having broken into the house of God, they started a fight with the parishioners who were inside, as a result of which several people received serious injuries - two men had their arms broken and their heads smashed. The rector of the temple, wringing his hands, was kicked out into the street. Having thus expelled all the parishioners, the raiders changed the locks,” reports the press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The UOC also reports that the attack was so swift, and the nationalists behaved so aggressively, that the assault could not be captured on video. The situation at the scene remains tense. According to Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, more than 50 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate have been seized in Ukraine since 2014. “Very often this is done by people in balaclavas, members of radical nationalist movements. If you trace who is among these invaders in robes, and to whom these churches are then transferred, it is the supporters of the “Kyiv Patriarchate,” said the clergyman.
Metropolitan Anthony fears that after the “Kyiv Patriarchate” receives autocephaly, this process will continue, and “in every village, in every parish there will be people who want to seize our churches.” He stated that believers of the UOC-MP “will defend their churches if they have no hope in the law.”
Obviously, the attack on the temple in the Ivano-Frankivsk region is another symptom of the escalating church confrontation between clergy and parishioners of the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate and the autocephalous church unrecognized by Moscow, the head of which, Metropolitan Filaret Denisenko, has a chance to receive the staff of the patriarch of the independent Ukrainian church.
Not long ago, MK published a detailed article on the topic of the church conflict in Ukraine. The article presents the opinion of the famous spiritual writer and publicist Deacon Andrei Kuraev: “It is important not to deceive yourself. The fact that the majority of Orthodox parishes in Ukraine are united on paper with the Moscow Patriarchate is not a sign of their love for Moscow, but a sign of their reluctance to hang in a canonical vacuum. They just don't want to be outcasts in the Christian Orthodox world. If they are offered a canonically acceptable alternative to leaving the Moscow Patriarchate, the exodus will be immediate and massive.”
Even if the deacon is right in his forecast, the word “massive” he used does not mean “universal.” This means that believing Ukrainians who persist in their desire to remain children of the Moscow Patriarchate, after the “separatist church” receives autocephaly, will be expelled from churches by force. Which, in fact, is already happening.
Let's remember which peoples of the former Soviet Union shot at its other peoples for two and a half decades after the collapse of the country. Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenians against Azerbaijanis, let’s add the Armenian massacres in Sumgait and Baku here. The Transnistrian conflict: the international right bank against the international left. Two outbreaks of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict with an interval of almost 20 years, stopped by Russia (Georgians against Ossetians, Russians against Georgians). Ossetian-Ingush conflict. Abkhazia (Georgians-Abkhazians). Tajikistan: Civil War with the participation of a third force - ethnically close Afghanistan. Moscow-1993: shooting of parliament defenders (Russians against Russians). Separatist rebellion in Chechnya with genocide of the Russian population, suppressed Russian army(Russians against Chechens). Massacre of Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan.
More shots were fired; the list did not include terrorist attacks, hostage-takings, clashes between ethnic gangs, attacks by jihadists, and wars between corrupt clans. “Spot” clashes on ethnic grounds in Russian cities were not included in the list.
Count the conflicts and calculate how many of them Orthodox fought against Orthodox, and you will get depressing statistics: together with the war in south-east Ukraine, there are 5 such conflicts out of 10. Half.
Whether the walls of political contradictions dividing us reach to heaven is a moot point: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). And it is not so important how many of modern Ukrainians are atheists, sectarians, agnostics, Uniates, and how many are “simply baptized” and church-going Orthodox. In 988, the Ukrainian people adopted Eastern Christianity. A significant part of the inhabitants of Ukraine, who have been exterminating each other for almost five years in the Donetsk war, were born in the post-Soviet period and were baptized in Orthodox churches.
If the war between Orthodox and Orthodox in the south-east of Ukraine was caused not by religious motives, but by political ones, then the flaring “conflict of churches” will become a clash of “correct Orthodox” and “wrong Orthodox”. Their war will have a “metaphysical dimension.” We are not given the opportunity to know the day of the beginning of Armageddon, but it seems that we will soon see its “rehearsal”.
Message quote MAY TRIP THROUGH THE NORTH CAUCASUS. Part 3. NORTH OSSETIA ALANIA.
The highlight of this trip was a trip to NORTH OSSETIA - ALANIA, which allowed us to learn a lot of interesting things about this amazing republic, its centuries-old history and its people.
Either they were holidays, or for some other reasons, but when leaving KABARDINO-BALKARIA for NORTH OSSETIA at the checkpoint, we were very carefully checked by representatives of the police, FSB and migration service with inspection of passports and questions about the route.
In one of the Ossetian villages we certainly tasted the famous Ossetian pies. They are prepared in front of you, it doesn’t take much time. The pies are round, but closed. Size - from saucer to tray and five to ten items to choose from. For the holiday they make simply huge pies. Traditionally, Russian pies are filled with meat, cottage cheese, rice with eggs, etc. But in Ossetia, the filling is most often vegetarian or cheese. In our opinion, the most delicious are pies with beet tops and herbs. They evoke appetite just by their appearance and smell.
And among Ossetians, beer is a national drink and an integral part of all holidays. And it is really very tasty, a little reminiscent of kvass! We tasted it with pleasure.
And there was also a funny sign on the door in the store nearby!
Sanctuary of St. George
At first our path lay in Alagir Gorge.
All routes to the gorges of North Ossetia-Alania from Kabardino-Balkaria lead through sanctuary the most revered in Ossetia saint - Uastirdzhi.
Ossetian Uastirdzhi this is the synthesis of our Saint George and Patron Saint of the Alans from Nart legends.
Calls him often Saint George.
In North Ossetia, where 80% of the population is Orthodox, Uastirdzhi- patron of men, travelers, protector of the poor and disadvantaged, mentor of youth, his cult goes back deep into pagan times.
He is considered the enemy of thieves, swindlers, oathbreakers, murderers; he is the patron of honest, noble people.
Women were previously forbidden to pronounce the name of this saint; they were afraid to pronounce it and spoke allegorically about him: “lagty dzuar” - “god of men.”
They did not even have the right to participate in the festivities held in honor of this deity. The Alans addressed their prayers to the female deity - Mada Mairam.
After the Great Patriotic War this ban was softened, since many Ossetians who asked Uastirdzhi for their men brought him gifts.
In the center of the sanctuary rises figure of Uastirdzhi slaying the serpent. This is a cult place, holidays are held here, people who suffer come and come here.
Without 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.
There are many legends associated with the cult of Uastirdzhi in Ossetia. For example, this one.
Once upon a time, the Ossetian youth Khetag, who kidnapped his bride, fleeing from pursuit, prayed: “Uastyrdzhi, don’t let me die, because I did no harm!” And then the forest grew like a dense wall around the fugitive, blocking the path to pursuit. Since then, this place has been called the Khetag Grove - it is located near Vladikavkaz, and here, from the third Sunday in November, Ossetians celebrate the most main holiday - Dzheorguyba - Day of St. George the Victorious.
Inside several chapels on the territory of the sanctuary, everything is very simple and ascetic: in the middle there is a table and benches, no gold or pomp, no iconostasis or icon cases with candles; There are not even doors, there are curtains made of multi-colored beads, like large rosaries, and the donation containers are on the street.
The icons for the sanctuary, engraved on granite, are located under awnings, among picturesque flowers and pine trees, right on the street near the chapels. They were created by craftsmen invited from New Athos.
In the city Alagir inspected the Orthodox Holy Ascension Cathedral This is one of the oldest operating churches in North Ossetia.
The cathedral was built in the Byzantine style. For construction, they used gray-pink tuff stone, which was brought from Greece.
The design of the cathedral was carried out by Prince G.G. Gagarin.
In 1927, the Holy Ascension Cathedral was closed, and in 1930 a local history museum was created there.
The return of the cathedral to the church took place in 1989. In 2000, the temple was re-consecrated.
A memorial plaque was unveiled on the building of the Alagir Cathedral Zangiev Baba Kasaevich.
It was one of the most educated people of his time, deeply devoted to his native people and immensely loving Ossetia.
There were many exploits in his life. He opened the first school in Beslan, with the money he personally earned, he built and donated the Tsey health resort to people, protected the Alagirsky temple from destruction, opened a museum in it, taught thousands of people to read and write, translated and revealed to the Ossetians the immortal works of Russian and foreign classics... 74 years later After his death, grateful descendants decided to perpetuate his memory in his native Alagir.
Typical Ossetian houses with courtyards completely enclosed from the outside.
Having passed Alagir, we found ourselves at the mouth Ardon (Alagir) gorge.
It is formed by stormy Ardon River(translated as "Mad River"), which originates from Main Caucasian ridge and flows into Terek. It is called the main gate of Transcaucasia because the federal highway, the Trans-Caucasian Highway, runs through it.
By the way, many names of rivers in Ossetia have the ending -Don, which translated means water: Ardon, Tseydon, Skazdon, Karmadon.
By the way, the Ardon smells like many Caucasian rivers Mineralnye Vody, hydrogen sulfide, and this is very noticeable immediately upon entering the gorge. Not far from here is the only balneological sanatorium “Tamisk” in the whole of Alagir, which uses these hydrogen sulfide springs.
We came across one such hydrogen sulfur source along the way. Unusual color of water... unmixed layers of different densities are visible.
Beautiful! But it’s simply impossible to stay there for long! The smell kills......although it is clear that people are resting or being treated in the houses!?
At the entrance to Ardon (Alagir) gorge 10 minutes drive from Alagira, right after Tamisk there is another, perhaps the most famous Sanctuary of St. George - Nykhas Uastirdzhi.
Here the glorious hero, as if bursting out of the depths of a rock, riding a gigantic horse, trampling a snake beneath him, hangs over the road, as if frozen in a jump. He seems to be floating in the air above the heads of those passing by.
The sanctuary appeared in the middle of the 19th century, but the statue was installed only in 1995. The horseman was assembled at the Electrozinc plant in Vladikavkaz, and from the assembly site, already in its completed form, was transported by helicopter to the Alagir Gorge. Chief sculptor Nikolai Khodov. The statue is a gift from the group of creators to the Ossetian people. The weight of the statue is 28 tons, and the height of only one horse’s head is 6 meters. This is the largest equestrian monument in the world. One day the statue fell... but there were no casualties!
Ossetians reverence George the Victorious on a par with God; many prayer places - dzuars - were built in his honor. The ruins of old destroyed churches are considered especially sacred by Ossetians. When pronouncing the name of St. George, people take off their hats. Songs have been composed in his honor.
In the songs of St. George is called "Golden". And in one of them there are these words: “Protector of the traveler, look from the heights of the mountains and help him and everyone who asks for your protection, ask God for mercy, and fill us with the mercies of God, Golden-winged George! You sit on a white horse, be with right hand ours and direct our affairs towards the path of righteousness.”
The large bowl near the rock is just a piggy bank for collecting donations for the maintenance of the sanctuary.
Set at the foot of the mountain stone table, behind which men, with pies and beer, pray to Uastirdzhi. This place has long been a dzuar - a holy place. Here the elders solved community problems and stopped blood feuds. Only men have the right to sit at this table. A little higher on the stone there is a sculpture of an eagle tormenting a snake, which symbolizes victory over disease. The Alans have an interesting custom: during the festival in honor of Uastirdzhi, they dig up a keg of beer brewed a year ago and pour it into horns with freshly brewed beer to all participants of the holiday. If the beer in the vessel behaves peacefully: it does not foam and does not overflow, then the man has lived a righteous year, but if it bubbles and hisses, then its owner should think about how he lives.
To soften the wrath of the harsh Uastirdzhi, Ossetians hold a holiday dedicated to this deity in the sanctuary every year in June. The feasts, which begin with the slaughter of sacrificial animals, last for a whole week. However, modern holidays only vaguely resemble those that were held here, say, a century ago.
appear on the table three Ossetian pies- Not a single local festival is complete without this dish. The number three is not accidental. The three pies symbolize the earth, sun and water. When two pies appear on the table, people are going to perform a funeral ceremony on a sad occasion. This means that for the deceased person the sun has disappeared forever. Even in the shortest feast there must be three toasts. As a rule, beer is poured into glasses or the horns of sacrificial animals, which is a traditional Ossetian drink and is brewed in large copper cauldrons. Previously, the cauldrons were located near the sanctuary, and on major holidays the drink was prepared right in the clearing. Now the boilers are kept in the collections of the North Ossetian State United Museum of History, Architecture and Literature.
Further the road winds along wooded slopes along the riverbed Ardon River, passing through tunnels made in the mountains, and leads to Tseysky Gorge. But we are planning a trip there another time. And we go back a little to city of Alagir and turn to the side Vladikavkaz.
At the 22nd kilometer highway Vladikavkaz-Alagir one of the picturesque gorges of North Ossetia begins - Kurtatinskoe (Fiagdonskoe). Its length is more than 50 km.
An important ancient caravan route to Transcaucasia passed through this gorge. The Kurtatinskoye Gorge is best known for its historical and architectural Ossetian monuments.
The gorge was formed as a result of the Fiagdon River breaking through rock massifs. The road first goes along the left bank Fiagdon River along the foothill plain adjacent to the foot Wooded Ridge.
Here, in the most densely populated area, a large number of watchtowers and defensive towers that attract the attention of the traveler with their appearance, originality of forms, its location. They so merged with the surrounding landscape, so complementing the ordinary picture, that without them the landscape would lose some of its wild originality.
In this sense, the village is very interesting Dzivgis, occupying an almost flat terrace between the river and the cliffs of Mount Kariu-khoh.
The first thing that catches your eye is the ruins of houses and towers, crowded into a small space. Only five or six residential buildings stand in Dzivgis today. There are a lot of interesting things in Dzivgis. But Dzivgi Fortress, Undoubtedly, it is one of the most powerful fortifications in Ossetia. This unique rock fortress is the only one preserved in the world.
To be honest, we didn’t even notice her from the road right away!
The fortification consists of six towers attached to the entrances of natural caves, at various heights. The main fortification, which is significant in size, is located at the lowest level, at the foot of the mountain. Behind its stone wall is a large Dzivgis Cave.
There was a passage to the remaining towers from the neighboring ones - along paths carved into the rocks and hanging stairs, which were removed if necessary.
Near Dzivgisa There are through caves and camouflaged guard posts, which since ancient times have been used by people for defense and hidden movements from one edge of the cliff to another.
Scientists have long raised the issue of taking such a unique monument under UNESCO protection... local authorities They are quickly handing out building plots... And when we arrived, two houses were already being built on plots directly under the fortress itself. And there was only a narrow passage left to approach it...
And on the southern outskirts of the village, near the very bank of the river, there is an interesting religious complex "Dzivgisy dzuar". It consists of Christian temple and a purely pagan sanctuary, surrounded by a common stone fence - a combination common in mountainous Ossetia. The time of its construction is not reliably known, but in literature the church is usually attributed to XVII century. But we didn’t have time to visit him.
Having passed the overhanging rock massif, we encounter another of the small natural wonders. Ossetians call this place "Kadargavan". Seething far below Fiagdon cut a narrow gap in the ridge here, like a sword blow. And in this huge crevice, blocking it from rock to rock, a huge boulder was stuck.
Beneath him, Fiagdon rushes with a roar. The picture is rare even for the Caucasus Mountains!
Nearby is "Trail of Miracles"– a favorite vacation spot for Ossetians and tourists. Here, on a rocky spur, above the narrow gorge of Fiagdon, narrow paths have been carved out and bridges have been built, walking along which you can enjoy the splendor of the local landscape, accompanied by the thundering roar of the river.
On the path, a stylized "Sword of the Bloodlines". Legend has it that in the vicinity of this place in ancient times, on a narrow path over an abyss, a hunter saw a traveler in trouble, to whom he was a blood enemy, and from whose sword he could die. But the honor of the mountaineer turned out to be higher than the reluctance of the meeting and did not allow him to refuse help to the traveler. The hunter saved the traveler from death. After this, the traveler forgave him and, as a sign of reconciliation, they stuck the sword of enmity into the stone and became brothers. Here you can see brown bears and leopards in cages, which were brought for the entertainment of tourists.
Between Dzivgis and the town Fiagdon at the entrance to the latter, two monuments rise on a small hill. One - monument to Stalin, Ossetians respect him and consider him not a Georgian, but a native of their people. And there are a lot of such monuments and busts in Ossetia. And next to Monument to Soviet soldiers, fellow Kurtat residents who did not return from the war. Very lively and deep in content: a slender, handsome horse under the saddle lowered his head low, mourning his rider who had fallen in battle.
Further the road goes through the miner's Fiagdon town. But, seeing how the weather begins to deteriorate, we decide to first climb the mountains through the pass and see two more gorges, and on the way back we’ll see everything in Fiagdone.
From the fork about quite unusual monument to Lenin the difficult crushed stone road begins in Dargavs river gorge.
It immediately rises steeply, the mountains cover themselves with caps of clouds and clouds, and the city below looks very small... The higher you go, the blooming spring turns into an earlier one. On some bushes, fluffy buds are just appearing, and only in sunny meadows do primroses appear!
Having overcome the pass, we find ourselves in DARGAV GORGE with a small mountain village Dargavs.
This is one of the most beautiful and mysterious places in Ossetia, also called Gizeldon or Koban gorge.
In the past, Dargavs was considered one of the largest settlements Ossetia. Now there are only about a dozen houses here.
This is all due to the collapse of the Kolka glacier, which occurred in September 2002. He destroyed the road leading to the village, but now communication has been restored.
There is a good highway from Vladikavkaz to the Dargavskaya Basin. Having overcome simple passes, you can find yourself on the streets of a high-mountain village.
The village is located on the banks of the Gizeldon River in the very center of a mountain basin, which arose thousands of years ago under the influence of melt water from the surrounding glaciers.
Today this is one of the largest valleys in Ossetia - its length is sixteen kilometers, and one of the sunniest places in the republic - the weather is clear here up to three hundred days a year.
The gentle slopes of the gorge are relatively calm rivers, a lot of flat land where you can build a house, nearby pastures for livestock.
It is in this place that the true flavor of the history, art and life of Ossetians is found, with which every stone of local monuments is imbued.
Excavations show that the Dargav Gorge began to be inhabited by Alans: Alan burials of the 8th-9th centuries were discovered on the outskirts of the village, and a burial ground from the 1st millennium AD was recently discovered.
According to legend, it was in Dargavs that Tsarevich Taga, the legendary Ossetian ruler and the mythical ancestor of the “upper class” of Ossetia, lived. Dargavs was one of the centers of the Tagaur mountain society of the Ossetian people.
To this day the village is surrounded by powerful ancient fortified houses and family towers noble Ossetian families.
Family towers are both multi-story defensive structures and residential premises.
They held defenses against external enemies and hid from blood feuds.
The construction of these bastions was only possible for large and wealthy families: they say that for one hewn stone for the corner masonry of the tower one had to give a sheep.
Such ancestral towers were revered as shrines, since they were the habitat of the holy spirit.
Family towers are a stronghold and guarantor of the integrity and continuity of the clan and surname.
The role of the towers in Ossetia was so important that over time they even became objects of cult.
The ancestral 15-meter Mamsurov tower, the highest in Ossetia, the construction of which cost a whole flock.
It, like most similar buildings in North Ossetia, has 4 floors, connected to each other using stairs and hatches in the interfloor ceilings.
The arched entrance is at a height of two meters, and in case of danger, people climbed there using an attached wooden ladder, and then dragged it behind them and locked the entrance with an iron-bound door.
The Mamsurov Tower is shining example Ossetian stone architecture.
Not far from the village Dargavs, on grief Rabinaragh, visible CITY OF DEAD- one of the most mysterious archaeological sites in the Caucasus.
This mystical structure consists of multi-story crypts made of stone, and constitutes a single complex of material culture, the age of which is calculated not in years, but in centuries, dating back to the 14th-18th centuries AD.
From here you have a stunning view of the entire valley. On the southern side of the gorge rises an icy peak Dzhimarai-Khokh mountains. A cool wind constantly blows from the glaciers. Running below river Gizeldon.
And an unexpected contrast: it is in this beautiful place that there is a gloomy and grandiose CITY OF DEAD.
"The burial complex consists of 99 above ground crypts four types.
The richer the family, the larger and more impressive the crypt. There are three-story crypts, with each floor having a separate entrance.
When another family member died, the boat with his body was placed with the others and the door was closed.
Some floors were so filled with bodies that it was impossible to penetrate there.
Crypts, built in the form of family tombs, were intended for the funeral of entire families and served as a unique means of collective burial of loved ones.
Inside the skull and bones. These burials are between 400 and 900 years old. The crypts were family crypts. If the lineage ended, the entrance was sealed with a millstone.
The stone was taken nearby; it didn’t even have to be cut into the rocks.
The necropolis is a whole town with streets and even wells. The roof of the crypts is a stepped pyramid assembled from rectangular slate tiles.
This tile was chipped from the rock surface. It served as tiles.
During the construction of the crypts of the Dargavsky Gorge, the same construction techniques were used as in the construction of defensive structures.
This is due to the fact that both buildings were created at approximately the same time, taking into account local building traditions, but what is unusual is that
that in appearance the Ossetian crypts with a pyramidal-stepped ceiling are very reminiscent of the towers of the famous Angkor temples in Cambodia. How to explain this similarity remains a mystery to scientists.
Here, according to the cult of ancestors, the dead were buried in clothes and with favorite household items. They were usually placed on boat-shaped wooden stocks or blocks.
Burial in a boat is a fact not noted among neighboring peoples. Boats were found in Dargavs more than once, and near one of them there was even... an oar!
The growth of the necropolis in Ossetia is due to the plague epidemic, which reduced the country's population from 200 thousand people to 15 thousand.
In many of these crypts, entire families died from the plague. They came here from their homes in the valley so as not to infect their neighbors.
Nowadays, the preserved bones are completely harmless. The clothes were well preserved; archaeologists found that part of the clothing was made in Astrakhan. There are also mummies.
There is a special climate here - the valley is surrounded on all sides by mountains, and the rains fall beyond its borders.
Three hundred days a year - sun. The climate is dry and fresh. Therefore, many bodies simply dried up.
The largest necropolis in the Caucasus still holds many mysteries and is shrouded in mystical legends.
Ossetians are sure that the souls of their ancestors are immortal and there is a constant connection with the dead. "
Visiting such mystical places affects everyone differently.
No matter how ancient such a monument may be, it is still a “cemetery”!
And it was a little creepy to see how some visitors almost looked headlong into the openings of the crypts... well, what can you see there besides skulls and bones?
And more photo sessions against the backdrop of the crypts... no words! I was horrified to imagine similar photographs in our cemeteries... although in Egypt they take photographs against the backdrop of the pyramids...
And now a village is visible below in the gorge. And next to the building border outpost with a blue roof.
Only contract soldiers from the local population who know these mountains well serve on it.
Through these mountains it is only 8 km to Georgia...
In the highlands village of Karmadon now there is only one five-story house and a dozen families.
The rest of the village was wiped off the face of the earth by the Kolka glacier along with its inhabitants.
Dilapidated buildings gape with empty windows sanatorium "Karmadon"...
Local residents are slowly dismantling it into bricks.
Before the tragedy, it took about 30 minutes to get to Karmadon from Vladikavkaz.
Now, residents of mountain villages, like us, have to wind their way for two hours along a narrow road through two passes.
September 20, 2002 irreversibly changed the history and appearance Karmadon Gorge.
Until this day - one of the five most beautiful Ossetian valleys, picturesque mountains and mineral springs.
Afterwards - a landscape mutilated by the elements, a deserted highway and a kind of mournful silence.
Until 2002, there were two villages with the name Karmadon - Upper Karmadon and Lower Karmadon.
The first was completely destroyed by a mudflow that came down from the Kolka glacier.
The glacier covered it with an eighty-meter layer of ice.
The only one left Karmadon, where it is still very beautiful: luxurious landscapes, snow-capped mountain ranges, just like on the mineral water label.
You can immediately see what the avalanche turned the gorge into: a huge gray-brown mass stretches for many kilometers...
On September 20, 2002, as a result of a gathering in Karmadon Gorge Kolka glacier length 5 km and the volume of ice mass is about 21 million cubic meters formed 16.5 km mudflow.
This mass of sand, water, stones and ice with speed of more than one hundred kilometers per hour rushed through the valley, destroying everything in its path.
No one escaped from Karmadon's pit. Not even any remains were found. Although those who believed in the opportunity to see their relatives, even if not alive, cleared away the rubble for another year and a half.
Died 134 people, including 42 people from the film crew of Sergei Bodrov Jr., who filmed the film “Svyaznoy” in North Ossetia.
Sanatoriums and recreation centers were destroyed by the elements. Several settlements in the Karmadon Gorge were cut off from the outside world.
There could have been more casualties if the avalanche had not stopped twenty kilometers from the large Gisel village. Perhaps they helped Karmadon tunnels, which took on the main force of the mudflow.
Below, where the glacier passed, sweeping away everything in its path, there used to be an elite holiday village where many people loved to relax famous people. Sergei Bodrov’s group worked there.
Local residents say that the glacier's descent was accompanied by a terrible roar and shaking of the earth.
How long did it last just 2 minutes, which, however, was enough to bury so many people!!!
For 10 years, outsiders were not allowed into Karmadon... After all, the gorge became a large mass grave for many people...
It’s scary to imagine everything that happened in those few minutes of the tragedy...
It seems that even now there is a frozen energy of horror and fear hanging in the air...
And I didn’t want to talk there at all...
We didn’t even go to the two monuments erected at the site of the death.
The monument, representing a young man in a block of ice, was erected on a plain seven kilometers from the village of Gizel - it was to this place that the glacier reached.
The second monument “Grieving Mother”: a 25-ton block of stone brought by a glacier, and next to it is a sculpture of a woman waiting for her child - on the site of a former volunteer camp in Karmadon.
You can see what it was like in the gorge then here
Even after ten years the valley looks like a place natural disaster: various-sized stones, sand, remains of destroyed concrete coastal fortifications.
And now at the bottom of the gorge still rests a huge multi-meter black and gray mass of ice, mud and stones. It is forbidden to approach it - there is a lot of empty space inside and therefore collapses often occur.
Most of the ice rubble has already melted. Only boulders taller than a man, brought by the elements, remind of the power of the flow... and small puddles of melt water from above.
The height of the ice block can be imagined by the young shoots that grew only after part of the glacier melted...
In 2010, the road through the Karmadon Gorge began to be restored. It is being laid along a new route, through the village of Koban.
The former route is part of the “red zone”, where construction is prohibited.
Glacier meltdowns in these places occur once every half century, or even more often.
The new route will be built in such a way that the next avalanche will not destroy it.
But the local mountaineers don’t even think about settling here, because during this period Kolka has already gained a tenth of its critical mass.
This is where the trouble came from KARMADON gorge.
Behind the snow-capped mountains is Kolka glacier.
There is also the legendary mountain - KAZBEK- one of the five-thousanders in the Caucasus and a dormant two-headed volcano, attracting with its strength and beauty. But on this day it was covered with clouds.
Scientists still argue about the reasons for the collapse of Kolka. And one of the versions is that it was caused by the collapse of hanging glaciers from Kazbek by small earthquakes.
Monument to Uastirdzhi, Russia, Ossetia, Alagir Gorge.
The Trans-Caucasus Highway is one of the main roads connecting Russia with the Transcaucasus. It runs along the picturesque Alagir Gorge in Ossetia. The highway either presses against steep cliffs, or dives into a tunnel cut through the thickness of the stone. Not far from the city of Alagir, around the next turn, one of the most grandiose monuments of Ossetia hangs over the road - a multi-ton statue of Uastirdzhi, the most revered saint of Ossetians. This monument amazes with its power, strength and energy. Uastirdzhi, riding a horse, seemed to freeze, jumping straight out of the rock.
The monument to Uastirdzhi was created in 1995 according to the design of N.V. Khodov. as a gift to the people of Ossetia. One of the largest equestrian monuments in the world. Its weight is 28 tons. A person can easily fit in the palm of Saint Uastirdzhi. The sculpture was transported to the installation site by helicopter. 
A few years after installation, the entire sculptural composition leaned heavily to the side and threatened to collapse. A team of climbers was hired to carry out restoration work.
Uastirdzhi is the most revered deity in Ossetian mythology, patron of men, travelers, but most of all warriors. In the Nart epic, Uastirdzhi is depicted as a mature bearded man, a formidable warrior in battle garb, riding a white horse.
With the advent of Christianity in Ossetia, the image of Saint Uastirdzhi began to be associated with Saint George, who was also revered by Christians as the patron saint of warriors and travelers. But, apart from similar functions, these two saints have nothing else in common. 
According to legend, many peoples of the Caucasus, including Ossetians, descended from the mythical heroes of the Narts. Starting from the distant 8-7 centuries BC, legends about the Narts, their origins and their adventures gradually formed into the Nart epic. Uastirdzhi is one of the main characters of the Nart epic, a celestial inhabitant who often visits the Narts, helping those who deserve it. In the legends, Uastirdzhi has magical power, can even resurrect the long dead. In addition, he is a very strong and agile warrior. Nartam often appears incognito, sometimes in the form of a simple old man. Uastirdzhi helps not only travelers and warriors, but also farmers, sailors, and even lovers. When the Narts rebelled against God, Uastirdzhi openly came to their defense. Until now, every festive feast, and often an ordinary meal among Ossetians, begins with the glorification of Uastirdzhi. The first toast is raised to the Almighty, the second to Uastirdzhi.
Women do not have the right to pronounce the name Uastirdzhi; they can only call him “Patron of Men.” Uastirdzhi himself, according to legend, had two wives.
