Altai is called the "Cradle of the World", meaning that it was from here that humanity began its journey. This sacred land keeps many mysteries to this day.
The meaning of the Turochak writings
In 1975, on the steep cliffs near the left bank of the Biya River, seven kilometers from the village of Turochak, amazing two-meter rock paintings were discovered: more than two dozen walking moose.
The stylistic analysis of the images made it possible to attribute them to the Bronze Age and, with a high degree of probability, associate them with the Karakol culture that existed in the II century BC. e. But how these rock paintings, unique for Altai, appeared, is not completely clear. The distinctive features of the Turochak writings were not only the choice of characters, but also the material with which the drawings were created - red ocher, atypical for Altai petroglyphs.
The researchers were also impressed by the dynamics and expressiveness of the images, which were applied on a steep and difficult to access surface. But their meaning remains the main mystery. What did the ancient "artists" try to tell the descendants?
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Woman with tattoo
The sacred Ukok plateau in the south of Altai is a place that attracts both daredevils who decided to test themselves and numerous researchers. The world scientific community began to discuss its main secret relatively recently, in 1993, when archaeologists under the leadership of Doctor of Historical Sciences Natalya Polosmak discovered a mummified body at the Ak-Alakh burial ground, the estimated age of which is 2.5 thousand years.
The perfectly preserved find allowed scientists to conduct a DNA examination and restore the appearance of a 25-year-old girl. Her features were not Mongoloid, but rather resembled European ones. Princess Ukok's waist was adorned with a red belt - a symbol of a warrior, in her hands she was holding a larch wand - an instrument of "creation of the world", and her head was crowned with a high headdress with gold braids - an attribute of a woman who possesses magical powers and keeps the secret of immortality.
On her body were found tattoos made in the Scythian "animal" style of deer-ibex with the beak of a griffin, a ram with his head thrown back and a spotted leopard. All this, as well as a deciduous block, similar to a shaman's boat of a rotyk, and six "heavenly" horses buried here, indicated that not an ordinary person was found in the mound. Altai shamans are sure that this is the body of the legendary progenitor of their people - Kydyn, with the "desecration" of whose burial all the troubles of Altai began.
Academician Vyacheslav Molodin, under whose leadership a large-scale study of the high-mountainous Altai was carried out, is convinced that “this is not a princess, but a representative of the middle stratum of the Pazyryk society” of the 6th-3rd centuries BC. e. Perhaps she was a magician or a healer. However, who the Altai princess really was, as she was named, will remain a mystery.
The eighth wonder of the world
The Ukok plateau also has other secrets. For example, mysterious geoglyphs were discovered here - huge images that can be viewed only from considerable distances, usually from a bird's eye view. It is not clear for what purpose they were created.
The age of geoglyphs is another controversial issue. For a long time it was believed that they appeared 1.5-2 thousand years ago, but the latest research has shown that the time of their origin is the III-II century BC. e. Scientists are also trying to figure out why geological processes have not destroyed geoglyphs over such a long period of time?
Finally, they have yet to understand the meaning of the "messages." Although the outlines of many of them are easy to "read", the idea of ancient artists is still a mystery. Scientists rightly call geoglyphs the eighth wonder of the world and continue their search, while ufologists are trying to prove their theory about the location of alien airfields in these places.
Altai Stonehenge
Thousands of tourists visit the Chui Steppe to see the Altai Stonehenge. Five huge boulders up to seven meters high are decorated with petroglyphs - drawings from the times of the Pazyryk culture. One of the blocks differs from the rest by the crossbar placed on it, the other is made in the form of a throne chair.
Researchers are sure that ancient shamans used this place for rituals. In this case, most likely, the stones were specially brought from other places. The study of their structure showed that the material is not found in the nearby mountains. According to legend, the boulders were brought by the ancient Scythians from afar, 500 kilometers away.
The age of the Altai Stonehenge presumably dates back to the 8th-6th centuries BC. e. The stones are installed in the direction of the cardinal points and, according to observations, have differently charged electromagnetic fields. Tourists who ventured into the center of the "stone fence" said that they seemed to be sucked into a funnel. People still speculate about the true purpose of the Altai Stonehenge and its magical power.
"Denisovets" or "Altai man"
Denisovskaya Cave is located in the valley of the Anuy River, which the keepers of Altai traditions call "the path to the mysterious Belovodye". Many cultural and historical monuments have been discovered in this world-famous archaeological site. In 2009, among other finds, a phalanx of a little girl's finger was found, and a little earlier - a molar tooth of an 18-year-old boy.
The artifacts were sent to the M. Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. The analysis showed that their owners were representatives of a new ancient human population. So far, Russian, American and Canadian scientists find it difficult to give an exact answer: whether we are talking about a new species or a subspecies, therefore they use a neutral one - “Denisovan” or “Altai man”.
Presumably a million years ago, he "moved away from the branch of general human development" and evolved in an independent and, as it turned out, a dead end path.
Denisovans' genes were not found in any representative of modern civilization, with the exception of the Melanesians, whose ancestors, according to scientists, could have contact with the Denisovans in East Asia.
The find completely destroyed the stereotypical idea of the ancient inhabitants of the planet and suggested that 50 thousand years ago, Neanderthals lived in the western part of Eurasia, and Denisovans lived in the eastern part. Whether they could interact and what caused the disappearance of the "Altai man" are questions, the answers to which have not yet been found.
Center of the universe
Many researchers correlate the highest Altai mountain Belukha with the sacred mountain Meru. In particular, the Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorov tried to confirm this theory. With the help of a map depicting the sacred Mount Meru, dated to the 2nd century BC. e., the Turkologist Murat Aji developed a popular hypothesis.
One of the arguments was the similarity of the location of ancient Meru and modern Belukha. At an equal distance from Meru there were four oceans known then, and Belukha is equally remote from the Indian, Pacific and Arctic oceans. Where did the fourth ocean go? It may have existed west of Belukha at the time of Atlantis, but later disappeared. Other "proofs" include the opportunity to observe the Big Dipper over Altai all year round and the consonance of the ancient name of Belukha - "Uch Sumer" - with the toponym "Meru".
In search of freedom
In the Russian mind, Altai is inseparable from the legendary and mystical country of Belovodye, the abode of freedom and immortality. It is customary to associate the popularization of the legend with the Old Believers-runners who flocked to Altai in search of a better life and showed the way to all who were thirsty with the help of “guidebooks”, which described the way to Belovodye in allegorical form. The Russian scientist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich associated the Slavic idea with Buddhist legends about Shambhala. He announced the unity of Altai, India and Tibet and was sure that they are components of one energy system that has survived since the time of Atlantis. Is it possible today to find a way to the Land of justice and virtue? The search for an answer to this question lies, rather, in the field of spiritual knowledge.