Karmadon Gorge

We will make our first stop at the Uastyrdzhi monument.
This is one of the main attractions of North Ossetia. The monument is located in the Alagir Gorge, carved right into the rock. A beautiful, huge, majestic monument that cannot be overlooked.

Uastirdzhi is a real historical figure. Tall, stately, strong mountaineer, with a gray beard, who loves stormy feasts and military campaigns. The real Ossetian soul is brave, dashing, powerful. Uastirdzhi was identified with the patron of Ossetia, George the Victorious. He is considered the patron of men, warriors, travelers.

Women cannot be on the territory of the sanctuaries, even the name of Uastirdzhi cannot be pronounced. In each sanctuary there is a table, as a symbol of feasts, on which it is customary to leave water and simple food.

Dzivgis rock fortress — is a small abandoned rural village in the mountains, a defensive complex of 6 caves of different sizes, to which stone fortifications are attached.

The caves were built from natural cuts in the rock, which were formed from water and wind. The fortifications are made of stones. The whole structure looks from the side like a part of the rock, as if merged into a single whole, so you can’t see it right away. Inside the caves are lined with stones fastened with a strong mortar. All entrances in the rock are made at different heights, in a chaotic manner. Some of the caves are so large that up to 100 people can fit in them.

From the height of the fortress, an amazing view opens up, you can admire the almost untouched nature and be filled with inspiration.

Kurtat and Tagaur. The legend tells of two brothers, Kurtate and Tagaure, who once settled in this picturesque gorge and founded a village here. Once it consisted of 25 families. The brothers were engaged in hunting, and for the time being lived together. But one day there was a conflict between them and Taga moved to a nearby gorge. Thus, the two largest societies in Ossetia and the names of the gorges — Kurtatinsky and Tagaursky — were born.

To date, in Ossetia, more than 100 surnames come from the brothers Kurt and Tag.

Under the influence of time, the tower began to collapse, as if moving down the mountain, and could completely collapse at any moment. But they carried out construction work and strengthened the tower. In the future, it is planned to restore the entire complex and make an open-air museum.

Dargavs. This place, completely shrouded in secrets and legends, is of great importance in the history of the Ossetian people, their way of life and culture. This is a whole complex of 99 stone crypts. The external beauty of the necropolis, the mountains, the breathtaking view and the difficult emotional perception of the place are fascinating. Feelings are strong.

A green hill completely strewn with white crypts plus a half-ruined watchtower — this is the view that travelers have. According to legend, the watchtower is designed to guard the souls buried here. It is said that in the past, people were afraid of this place, and it was believed that anyone who went there would never return alive.

Today, for the City of the Dead, the biggest danger is tourists. It is visited by hundreds of travelers. This open-air museum has no security, and sometimes negligent tourists manage to steal a skull or bones from the crypts. But this is not an artificial imitation, these are real human remains.

Unfortunately, the Karmadon Gorge is not only one of the most beautiful in North Ossetia, but also the darkest. The closer you get, the narrower it becomes. 15 years ago, the Kolka glacier descended into the gorge. Everything happened instantly, people did not have time to orient themselves, 125 people died, including the film crew of Sergei Bodrov. It was unrealistic to save someone in this powerful stream of mud, ice and stones. As well as finding someone alive after the destruction. Search and rescue operations were carried out for several weeks, but without result.

At the entrance to one of the tunnels of the Karmadon Gorge there is a monument to Sergei Bodrov and his film crew. The hero of the film «The Messenger», which they filmed here, according to the script, was supposed to die from a glacier. By a fatal accident, that is exactly what happened.