A city of the dead near the village of Dargavs in North Ossetia
Located on the edge of the village Dargavs in the Republic of Northern Ossetia, Russia , is a cemetery (or a cemetery) necropolis Ancient. Dargavs is often called "City of the Dead" . This is impressive because of the large number of mausoleums and its absolutely magnificent setting. The cemetery is located on the slope of a hill overlooking the green valley of the Fiagdon River, with several cliffs and peaks at 4000 meters above.
The cemetery has nearly 100 old stone crypts (99 to be precise) in which people living in the valley buried their loved ones and their clothes and personal effects. The tombs are shaped like huts with roofs curved inside in several layers, with a pointed peak, typical of Nakh architecture . Some of these crypts are high from 2 to 4 floors.
The small crypts have flat facades on the front and back but the sides are curved inside and the smaller ones do not have a roof at all. The walls are made of stone and cemented most save to lime. The walls have a square opening allowing to pass the bodies.
The first traces of the Cité des Morts dates back to the beginning of 14th century . The ancestors of Ossetians settled on the five mountain ranges, but the land was so expensive that they were forced to choose the most windy and steepest place to build their cemetery.
There are many myths and legends around the place. In the past, the premises tried to avoid going to the city of the dead because it was believed that anyone who dared to walk there would never come out alive. Even today, there are almost no tourists in the area, although this is due to the difficulty of coming to it rather than to the curse.
According to a legend, the plague ravaged the Ossetia in the 17th century. To isolate themselves from the village, the victims voluntarily quarantine themselves inside the walls of these huts waiting patiently for their fate. They survived with meagre bread rations brought by the friendly inhabitants. When they died, their bodies were left there to rot inside the huts.
It's hard enough to get to Dargavs. It takes 3 hours since Vladikavkaz to go on narrow and steep roads. The village is located just north of the border between Russia and Georgia.
Photos : Sergey Mukhamedov . Sources: Wikipedia , RT , MyTripJournal , AmusingPlanet
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