On the territory of the Saraktash district of the Orenburg region there is an amazing toponym - a hill in the shape of a pyramid. The local name of the attraction is Stog Mountain. Despite the unusual shape of the object, scientists argue that the origin of the steppe pyramid is extremely natural. We went to the Orenburg region in order to find the mysterious pyramid.
The trip to Orenburg was quite busy. During the three days that our group was in Orenburg, we wanted to visit as many interesting places as possible. The trip to find the pyramid became one of the key goals of the visit.
The pyramid was located a hundred kilometers from Orenburg, in the Saraktash district, near the small village of Zheltoye.
At dawn, we left Orenburg and along a deserted highway quickly reached the first waypoint. The route of the expedition ran through a settlement, remarkable for all fans of the Strugatsky brothers' creativity, called Saraktash, which became the prototype of the name of the fictional planet Saraksh, known from the novel "Inhabited Island".
Toy mountains against the backdrop of the Orenburg steppe expanses are an amazing sight.
The Saraktash region turned out to be a rather picturesque place. The landscapes were surprising in their beauty, even despite the late autumn. Here originate the foothills of the Ural Mountains, stretching across the entire continent up to the northern seas.
The road ended already on the territory of the Zheltoye village.
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A vole smashed by tractors took us outside the village, and since we were traveling in a prepared off-road vehicle, we easily overcame the last six kilometers to the desired goal, along a winding and muddy road, at times passing through ravines and small river beds.
As a result, we drove into a huge clearing, where the object of our research was located.
The pyramid (Stog-mountain) can be seen from afar and is hard to miss. Firstly, it is the only high point for many kilometers in the district, and secondly, the unusual shape catches the eye of a curious observer. The first part of the trip has been reached.
Having found ourselves at the foot of the steppe pyramid, first of all, we hastened to climb to its top.
Having looked around, we proceeded to a detailed inspection of the object, measurements and photography.
The pyramid is located 6.5 km from the village of Zheltoye in the direction of the village of Kondurovka, 200 meters from the railway embankment.
Many of those who have ever traveled to Orenburg from the side of Chelyabinsk could watch Stog-Gora through the train window.
The plane of the base of the pyramid is oriented to the cardinal points, the deviation is no more than 3 degrees. Of course, the measurements were carried out online without the use of a theodolite and with the help of improvised means.
The pyramid has a clearly defined southern edge, consisting of a base 90 meters long and two edges (south-west and south-east), each about 70 meters long.
The edges are located at an angle of 40-45 degrees. The western edge is almost perfectly flat, and the base is also 70 meters long. However, as can be seen in the photographs, the pyramid is partially preserved.
A collapse is observed from the northwest side, and the edge is not completely filled up, but rather cut off, forming a kind of "step". No signs of collapse or dump were found, so it seemed as if part of the object had been lost during unauthorized excavations using heavy construction equipment.
If we recreate the missing part using a computer, replacing it with a copy of the image of the preserved side, then to our surprise we get an almost perfectly flat four-sided pyramid …
The unusual shape of the Stog Mountain has become the reason for the emergence of many legends. For example, you can find information that Tamerlane himself watched from the top of Stog-mountain behind the crossing of his army, following in the direction of the possessions of Khan Tokhtamysh.
Horde campaign. Drawing - reconstruction.
The great commander undertook a campaign against one of the dominant khans of the Golden Horde at the end of the XIV century.
It is quite possible that Tamerlane's army passed through these places and could force Sakmara in the vicinity.
According to other legends, Stog-Gora is a royal mound. This is the name of the burials of representatives of the Scythian nobility. As you know, the territory of the modern Orenburg region is literally dotted with ancient barrows, and since the shape of the mountain resembles a pyramid, it is quite logical to assume that this mountain appeared artificially. By the way, according to the observations of scientists, the size of the mound determined the lifetime status of the deceased: the higher the mound, the "steeper" its inhabitant was during his lifetime. If we proceed from this logic, then somewhere here the real king of the steppe nomads must be buried.
It is worth noting that Stog-Gora is included in the register of natural monuments of the Orenburg region and is protected by law, therefore, no excavations can be carried out here.
However, as we later noted, restrictions do not stop some citizens. On one side of the pyramid, we found a cut through the passage, judging by the appearance of the excavation, we can assume that black diggers have worked here for a long time: the passage crumbled and partially collapsed. Apparently, the treasure hunters tried to hack to the base of the Stog Mountain in the hope of getting hold of the ancient treasure. According to the well-established erroneous opinion, everything in the burial chamber of each tomb is covered with gold, but in reality this is far from the case.
Despite the appearance, surprisingly similar to the pyramid, scientists completely exclude the version of the artificial origin of the Stog Mountain. According to experts, the mountain appeared as a result of a long process of alluvial Neogene loam mixed with sandy loam and other bottom sediments. Stog Mountain is located almost in the middle of an old river bed, which is several millennia old. Over the long years of alluvium, according to scientists, the flows of sediments have formed such an unusual pyramid. Although, in my opinion, it would be more logical to assume that the river flow simply washed out the accumulation of bottom mud. It is unclear why this did not happen. Perhaps because the pyramid appeared after the big water left the previous channel !? Of course, arguing with specialists focusing only on the shape of the object is not correct,but nevertheless the explanation presented, personally seems to me very doubtful.