On October 30, workers of the Argun Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve visited the ancient settlement of Vilakh (Yalkhora Society) of the Galanchozh District of the Chechen Republic.
The expedition was attended by the senior researcher of the Argun Museum-Reserve Khizar Yakhyaev, the head of the ChRO of the Lam-Berd off-road club Umar Masaev, the correspondent of the art programs of the ChGTRK Grozny Chechen Republic Raisa Sadaeva, the operator Akhmed Abazov. They discovered unique historical finds from ancient times of underground grottoes and caves previously unknown in the region.
The members of the expedition traveled most of the way from Grozny to Galanchozhsky district by transport, and then moved on foot.
In a conversation with a Grozny-Inform correspondent, Raisa Sadaeva shared her impressions and feelings about the campaign.
- We made a hike to see places of cult monuments of the times of paganism, where there is a 4-meter statue of the goddess Tusholi - the goddess of spring and fertility in the pagan religion and mythology of the Chechens and Ingush). There are also legendary caves from ancient times. Moving on, Khizar Yakhyaev said that there were still places to be explored and offered to go further, along the rocks. It took two hours to go there and back. We hit the road, capturing everything we needed for photography and filming. I admit it was not an easy road. We helped each other to get around, otherwise it would be very difficult. Fortunately, there were no injuries, - said Raisa Sadaeva.
Moving in this direction, they found two dolmens - ancient burial and cult structures made of large stones, weighing half a ton, dilapidated (possibly during military operations).
Promotional video:
- In the Chechen Republic nothing was known about them. During the expedition, we found 200 caves and grotto burials. There we also found the remains of human bones and teeth of adults and children. We moved on and found more and more graves. Khizar Yakhyaev told us that these caves have not been recorded anywhere. It was something incredible, something we have never seen before. There are all known in the scientific world Yalkhoroevsky burial complexes numbered 1 and 2. They want to define this third one as a common Vilakhovsky burial complex, - said Raisa.
According to Raisa Sadaeva, the expedition also found more than 20 arches of the settlement.
- It was a sacred place. If we went even further, we would find large arches, as in Nashkha. (This is the famous stone arch of Nashkh in the Chechen Republic). By the way, this unique find has not been recorded anywhere in the world. In this expedition, we made two important discoveries, - she emphasized, and said that it was planned to conduct another expedition to capture all this in the scientific world.
On the way back, the group split up: some went up the slope, others down.
- In Yalkhoroi we came across an ancient burial place. Perhaps these were the graves of people buried before the adoption of the religion of Islam. Further we climbed a high rock, and saw large bones of burnt people. The height of the rock was 4 and a half meters from the ground. As soon as we climbed this rock, we found just a sea of human bones. There were several huge caves, but they were empty. We returned back until evening. It was the most difficult expedition that I have passed in the last 5-6 years, - said Raisa.
It is worth noting that Raisa Sadaeva has repeatedly taken part in research expeditions with employees of the Argun Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum of the Reserve.
reference
Galanchozhsky region is a disbanded region in the mountainous part of Chechnya. It existed from 1925 to 1929 as part of the Chechen Autonomous Region, from 1935 to 1944 - as part of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Galanchozhsky district bordered: in the north - with Urus-Martan and Achkhoi-Martanovsky districts, in the east - with Itum-Kalinsky and Shatoi districts, in the south - with Georgia, in the west - with the Republic of Ingushetia.
Before the deportation of 1994, the district was densely populated and one of the largest in the Chechen-Ingush ASSR, in which 140 villages were located, which were part of 12 local self-government bodies (Akkinskoye, Yalkhorayskoye, Baloyskoye, Galanchozhskoye, Peshkhoyskoye, Nashkhoyskoye, Bavloyskoye, Terloevskoye, Melkhyistinskoye, Meyerzhistinskoye rural settlements).
In February 1944, the Galanchozhsky district was abolished and disbanded, its territory became part of the Achkhoy-Martanovsky, Sunzhensky, Itum-Kalinsky districts.
Galanchozhsky district is one of the ancient historical Chechen districts, from where, according to legend, the indigenous teips originated, which later formed a single Chechen people.
On the territory of the Galanchozh district, there are monuments of the early and late Middle Ages, which are of historical and spiritual value for the Chechen people - these are ancient military and residential towers, castles, crypts and Lake Galanchozh and Mount Yerdi-kort, especially revered among the people.
In 2012, the Parliament of the Chechen Republic adopted a bill restoring two mountain regions within the Chechen Republic - Galanchozhsky and Cheberloevsky, which were liquidated in 1944 in connection with the deportation of Chechens.
