Fortresses, Scythian burials, burial mounds and much more ...

Barrow «Arzhaan-1»

Near the village of Arzhaan, the Piy-Khemskoye peat in the Valley of the Kings, 83 km from Kyzyl and 26 km from Turan, is the largest royal burial of the Scythian period in northern Asia, dating back to the 8th-7th century BC..e .During the excavation of the burial mound (1971-1974), a complex wooden structure consisting of a central frame and another 70 log houses, located around it with a log roof, was found under the mound of the earth .About 5000 massive larch logs were needed for their construction .The burial of the "tsar and the queen" was found in the central burial ground, 16 people were buried in the burial mound and more than 160 horses .All these people were buried with reputable honors in individual decks and special logs .Numerous jewels of gold and silver are evidence of the noble origin of the buried .Despite the looting, in the graves are preserved unique things, made with the canons of the Scythian "animal style" .

Barrow «Arzhaan-2»

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, scientists drew attention to the abundance of barrows of the Scythian type, stretching along the river along the river .Of particular interest were four large (80-120 meters in diameter) and relatively low (up to four meters) burial mounds, the scale of which suggested that their "royal" burials .And the result was not long in coming: in one mound there was not disturbed burial of two important persons, presumably, the ruler of the tribe and his wife .The mound was once robbed, the central masonry was broken .But when the soil from the grave pit was removed, everyday dirt, firearms and gold jewelry sparkled in the liquid mud .The value of the discovery lies primarily in the fact that for the first time the property of science was not the disturbed complex of burial of the highest social stratum of the oldest nomads of the steppe .Archaeologists date the findings to the 7th century BC .e .

"Por-Bazhyn" is an ancient fortress

About the ancient fortress on the island in the middle of the taiga lake Tere-Khol was known for a long time. For the first time the ancient Uygur monument was described in 1701 by the famous Siberian cartographer Semyon Remezov. Serious research work in the 50's conducted an expedition led by the legendary orientalist Sevyan Vainshtein. Now Port-Bazhyn is a monument of federal significance.

In the oral folk art of the Tuvan people, there is often an image of a mysterious fortress in the middle of the lake. The most famous fairy tale about her is "Khan - Donkey Ears."

The purpose of the fortress remains unclear .It was believed that this is the cult place of the ancient military order, at one time there was a Buddhist monastery .It was also assumed that this is the "eastern gate to Shambhala" .It was supposed that the fortress used to be a guard post on the Great Silk Road from China to Europe, according to another version, there lived robbers who robbed merchants .Hence the legend of some fabulous treasures hidden in the dungeons of the fortress .Most questions about the secrets of the ancient Uighur fortress still remain unanswered .

Jereksura

Similar monuments are much more common in Mongolia, if you drive along the southern slopes of the Tanu-Ola ridge to the village of Torgalyk. The Tuva Shereksur (translated from the Mongolian "Kyrgyz Nest") is immediately after leaving the village of Samagaltai, close to the highway. And they represent a large mound with an outer ring. It is interesting that under these high embankments, surrounded by a round or rectangular fence, there are no burial pits.

The road of Genghis Khan

In the north-west of Tuva, you can see the remains of the structure, which the local population calls "the road of Genghis Khan." Monumental masonry made of stone tile, well reinforcing the "road", built along steep steep slopes over the Yenisei, about 80 km long. Most of it is hidden under the waters of the Sayano-Shushensky reservoir.

The meaning of the "road" remains inexplicable, along it, on the rocks there are many ancient petroglyphs.

Kizhi-kozhe

One of the most interesting monuments of the ancient Turks of Tyva are stone statues (in Tuvinian Kizhi-kozhe) - sculptural images of soldiers with ritual vessels in their hands. In Tuvan steppes and open spaces about 200 similar sculptures, which are the object of worship. One of the most interesting specimens to this day stands in the steppe, near the mountain Bijiktig-Khaya - the figure of a mighty warrior with a broad-faced face made of reddish granite, which amazes with its size and thoroughness of manufacture. This warrior is more than 1200 years old.

Ush Kozhe

According to the researchers, stone sculptures of Us kozhe are related to the early forms of Scythian stelae, are an archaeological monument and are included in a single complex of mounds of the Valley of the Kings (Arzhaan-1 and Arzhaan-2). In itself, Ush Kozhe is a place where 17 burial mounds and 10 funeral "eight-stone" were found - even circles with stones stuck along the perimeter at regular intervals. According to local residents, these stones symbolize eight sides of the world.

The tract Mugur-Sargol

Among the petroglyphs found on the rocks of the Yenisei, rock carvings from the Mughur-Sargol sanctuary take a special place .Images are engraved on black steep rocks and boulders in the area below the Chingginsky funnel - a huge whirlpool on the Yenisei near the confluence of the Chinge River .Petroglyphs of the Bronze Age are represented in Mugur-Sargol by a huge number of masked masks, images of chariots and wild ungulates .Remarkable monuments of the fine arts of the Tuva tribes, in particular petroglyphs on the ancient sanctuary Mugur-Sargol and on the rocks of Bihiktig-Khaya, in their artistic quality and expressiveness are not inferior to the best world samples of rock art .