In the Altai Mountains people have lived since time immemorial.They seemed to attract these incredibly beautiful places with special energy. So far, local residents say that the Altai land is not accepted by every person. After all, the most hidden traits of character appear here, and in some places of power the traveler can even personally see, as in a mirror, a reflection of his own fears and illusions. To forget the experience is not possible to everyone, so many tourist routes are not available to ordinary people. Even the local people will not take you to any places for some money, behind which the glory of bad lands stretches. This category includes numerous ancient burials, which are very interesting for historians and archaeologists. The fact is that many of the burial mounds and cemeteries have been preserved in very good condition and can give the world a huge number of unique exhibits. One of the most mysterious burial grounds of Altai is Pazyryk burial mounds. Scientists became interested in them even in the Soviet times and until now, the finds, extracted from the ground by archaeologists, are considered unique and are investigated by different specialists. Today we will tell you in detail about the Pazyryk burial mounds, their location and how to get to these amazing historical monuments of ancient culture.
Ученые и местные жители утверждают, что Pazyryk burial mounds are burials of ancient tribes of the Scythian period. Historians date the burial grounds around the fourth or fifth century BC. It was during this period that the Altai Mountains were inhabited by a large number of nomadic tribes, whose cultural traditions are still a mystery for specialists, despite the abundance of excavated burial grounds.
Unfortunately, not all of us have reached our timesfinds from the Pazyryk barrows. The Hermitage stores today the most valuable exhibits brought from Siberia, but many of them because of improper storage during excavations have been lost, which was "helped" by wild animals and local residents. The appointment and skilful execution of some objects amazed archaeologists and historians so much that they introduced even such a special term as "Pazyryk culture," of which very little is known.
Pazyryk burial mounds are fivemounds located near the village of Balyktuil in the tract Pazyryk. The settlement is about four and a half kilometers from the cemetery, therefore locals are often forced to pass and pass past ancient burials. This path does not give them any pleasure, moreover, it is associated with a number of anomalous phenomena, the description of which we will devote one of the sections of the article. It is noteworthy that there are a lot of ancient cultural monuments around the village that eventually turned into landmarks of the natural boundary. In addition to burial mounds, Aragol irrigation system is of great interest to tourists and scientists.
We think that even from such a brief description you could understand that the place about which we are going to tell you today is truly unusual and has an incredibly strong energy.
Фото Пазырыкских курганов, которые можно найти в Internet, immediately show that these burials are extremely interesting. Almost all of them are located in pairs in the north of the tract. The exception is the fourth burial ground, it stands alone from all groups and is located at a sufficiently large distance from them.
Interestingly, in the translation from the Tuvinian language, the name of the tract means “barrow”, therefore the phrase “Pazyryk barrows” is a tautology.
Four years ago, the burial grounds were given underthe jurisdiction of the museum-reserve. The Ak Cholupsha Natural Park occupies vast territories, which include settlements and historical monuments, many of which have no resemblance anywhere else in the world.
For a long time, a construction project was developed.the museum itself is near the mounds. But all the time in the way of enthusiasts there were serious obstacles, so it was decided to open a museum in the regional center. The main reason for the abandonment of the original project was the lack of water at the burial grounds and a long distance to large settlements. It is easy to guess that the museum staff would not be able to agree to work and live where they once found their rest in the knowledge of Pazyryk culture.
Excavations of the Pazyryk mounds began at twenty.the ninth year of the last century. Literally after the first days of work, the burials were called "royal", because the number of items found simply amazed archaeologists. Despite the fact that the local population was categorically against the excavations and considered it a sacrilege, research continued for twenty years.
In the process of work, objects were brought to light.life, decorations, transport, mummified bodies of horses and people. It is noteworthy that the mummies were in such good condition that the ritual drawings made during their lifetime were perfectly visible. Scientists managed to sketch almost all unique tattoos. In Pazyryk kurgans, things brought from Persia, as well as jewels made of small shells that cannot be found on the territory of Altai, were found.
Interestingly, all five mounds were looted.even before the start of scientific work, but archaeologists are lucky. The permafrost layer hid a huge number of unique items from marauders, which after the inventory were almost immediately sent to the Hermitage.
Pazyryk kurgans are also known for theirburials of horses were found, which are preserved in excellent condition. On some of them, scientists found leather masks with horns and harness elements. Unfortunately, many mummified bodies of animals were eaten by wild animals after being removed from the burial ground intact.
At the very beginning of the research work on the Pazyryk kurgans, scientists were amazed at how thoroughly the ancient tribes approached the burial of their relatives.
Also, archaeologists could not fail to notegiant sizes of burial grounds. The diameter of the mounds, made of large stones, ranges from twenty to fifty meters. Above the ground, the burial grounds rise on average by five meters, there are burial mounds and lower ones - up to two meters. The burial ground itself goes underground at seven meters, while the burial chamber in some cases reaches fifty square meters. It is even difficult to imagine how such monumental buildings were erected in those days.
Unknown, would have reached our times uniqueobjects from these burial grounds, if not thieves. Opening the mound, they launched processes that led to the formation of vast layers of permafrost. Thanks to this, scientists were even able to prove that the geometric patterns in the objects of the Pazyryk barrows are very similar to the patterns found on the Ukok Plateau. Some experts believe that they were made by the same master, despite the fact that the mounds share a distance of one hundred and fifty kilometers.
Having excavated all five burial grounds, scientistscame to the conclusion that representatives of the Pazyryk culture paid special attention to the construction and arrangement of the burial chamber. At a depth of at least five meters, they erected log cabins from thick logs. Sometimes the burial chamber even had double walls and a ceiling covered with a large number of dried plants.
The inner chamber was usually no more than the heightone and a half meters, in it archaeologists found sarcophagi. They were cut from a single piece of wood. This was done with a small bronze hatchet. The sarcophagus was usually richly decorated with images of animals, most often they were roosters and deer.
Usually on the roof of the funeral "house" builderslaid kuril tea, larch and birch bark. Scientists have found that they had sacred significance for the nomadic tribes of Altai. For example, birch symbolized eternal purity, but the larch was considered a special tree that connects two worlds - the light heaven and the dark underground. Thanks to the bark of this tree, the departed could easily go to another world.
Fifth Pazyryk mound, discovered by archaeologiststhe latter is considered one of the most unique. Two mummies were found in his burial chamber. A man and a woman were buried; the approximate age of the departed does not exceed forty years.
The bodies of noble members of the tribe are very preservedgood not only thanks to the permafrost, but also careful processing after death. Presumably the man was a noble warrior during his lifetime and his skin was almost completely covered with tattoos. A woman could be his wife or concubine. This is evidenced by the rich decoration of the sarcophagus and the remnants of clothes made of cotton and fur.
Thanks to the bodies found, scientists were able to find outhow the shamans and ancient doctors mummified the bodies of the nobility. First of all, they made a small hole in the deceased's skull and extracted the brain from it with special tools. Instead, dried fragrant herbs were placed in the skull box.
The body was cut, it was completely deprived of its internal organs, tendons and muscles. After these manipulations, the empty space was filled with herbs and sutured with horsehair.
In order to around the mounds did not spreadthe smell of rotting flesh, next to the sarcophagi was a large dish filled with hemp seeds. They absorbed all unpleasant odors. In the fifth mound, this dish was found covered with a thin silk cloth.
The burial ground, opened last, is known not only for two well-preserved mummies of people, but also for other unique finds revealing the culture of the nomadic tribes of the Scythian period.
Outside the walls of the log house, archaeologists were able to findburial of several horses. According to some reports, there were originally fourteen. Surprisingly, in addition to the well-preserved harness, the scientists found a whole harness, leather masks, scraps and chariot. Some horse carcasses were classified as Mongolian breed, characterized by low growth.
Historians have been greatly interested in two carpets,which are well preserved until the opening of the mound. The first one is supposedly made by Pazyryk craftsmen. He covered the walls of the burial chamber and was made of white felt. He was distinguished by bright appliqués; in one of the fragments a fantastic character combining the features of a man and several animals (some of them were not found in the territory of Gorny Altai), fought with Phoenix.
Another carpet is nap and is considered one of the most ancient and valuable exhibits. It is made in the knot form of knitting and brought from Persia. Similar finds in the Altai have not yet done.
Surprisingly, scientists still do not know howthere was this culture, where it came from and how long it existed. Some historians believe that the Pazyryks came to Altai from Western Asia and maintained strong trade relations with different tribes.
According to one data, they existed as onepeople no more than fifty years and then completely dissolved among the locals. Other scientists claim that the Pazyryk culture lasted more than two hundred years in Altai.
If you find yourself in the Hermitage, be sure to check out the department of primitive culture. It is here that the most valuable specimens brought from burial grounds are exhibited.
Также несколько предметов находятся в local history museums of two cities: Biysk and Gorno-Altaisk. Of course, there is not too rich exposure, but still the exhibits will provide an opportunity to appreciate the uniqueness of a civilization sunk into eternity.
Тем, кто планирует отправиться следующим летом на inspection of the burial grounds, it is best to start your journey from Biysk. From here it is necessary to go along the Chuisky tract, the distance is just over five hundred kilometers.
At the village of Aktash travelers need to turnleft to Ulagan. Then the road goes to Balyktulyulya, and from there to the Pazyryk barrows go no more than fifty kilometers. Orient tourists can follow the signs.
Конечно, сюда приезжает множество людей, но не it is worth forgetting that locals always warn about anomalies of mounds. Often cars are in front of them, and horses refuse to go further, sometimes stumbling for a few hours. It is impossible to force an animal or car to move at such moments. After a while, everything passes, and travelers continue their journey as if nothing had happened.
Often locals see high and sada woman in rich robes who roams around the mounds and laments over their destruction. And sometimes a red-haired beauty appears right before the eyes of the witnesses, coming straight from the burial ground. She easily takes off over the graves and disappears in a flash of bright light.
Who knows what these ghosts are. Perhaps it was their bodies that were once buried here, and modern historians and archaeologists are still trying to uncover their secrets.
