The burial was discovered almost 30 years ago in the Valley of Death on the Ukok high plateau.
The legendary mummy was discovered almost 30 years ago on the Ukok high plateau on the border with Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. There is a version that the woman buried with special honors was a shaman who sacrificed herself to save the world from dark forces.
The place where the burial place of Princess Ukok was discovered is called Death Valley. According to legend, old people, when they felt the approach of death, went there to die. According to one of the expedition members, in 1993, when they began to open the mound with the mummy, thunder broke out and an earthquake began. The scientists were seriously scared, some even wanted to retreat, but they were not allowed. The indigenous people believe that at that moment the spirit of the ancestor of the Altai people awakened - Ak Kadyn or the White Lady. And indeed, soon after the opening of the mound, disasters hit Altai, which had never happened before - earthquakes, floods, hail from a hen's egg. A wave of suicides swept across the republic, and local residents associated this with the revenge of the awakened princess.
The mysterious story of the excavations was told by the Altai writer, researcher of shamanic culture Andrei Korobeyshikov. According to him, when they opened the sarcophagus and prepared to transport the mummy, the Gazik broke down. Another was called, but he could not take the princess away from her grave due to a breakdown. It was possible to take the princess from the Ukok plateau on the third attempt by helicopter, but one engine failed during the flight. The helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing. Only by a miracle no one was hurt then. This story was confirmed by one of the pilots.
When the mummy was taken to Novosibirsk for research, Altai shamans warned that the Ak-Kadyn (White Lady) kara would overtake everyone who was involved in the excavation of the burial ground. After that, some died for unexplained reasons, others turned out to be childless, and others were overtaken by illness.
"KP" managed to find a woman who participated in the excavations with her husband, and a few years later he died. Alexander Erokhin spent only one day at the mound, but then he could not remember how he got to the high plateau and what he did there.
Death valley
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On that day "UAZ", on which Erokhin and his wife climbed to the plateau, as if something was not allowed. The car got up twice because of a breakdown. Both bridges were out of order. Then the group even had to ask the border guards for help.
- We were not going to participate in this expedition. We had our own program, according to which we had to move deep into the mountains, where there were other burial mounds and petroglyphs, - said Nadezhda Erokhina. - When we drove to the plateau, such a darkness was! The sky seemed to be touching the ground. It was raining and it was very cold.
The Erokhins spent only one day at the excavations. Alexander made sketches of the discovered artifacts. His wife Nadezhda was engaged in field kitchen.
Alexander Erokhin.
- All archaeologists knew each other, we made a stop on the Ukok plateau. The guys have already dug up the mound with the princess and heated the cauldrons to melt the ice. In fact, we accidentally witnessed the excavation of the famous princess Ukok. Sasha wanted to help, his task was to sketch the found artifacts, - recalls Nadezhda Erokhina.
Alexander spent the whole evening at the mound, but strangely enough, an eventful day seemed to be erased from his memory.
- He could never remember, even looking at his own notes, how we arrived at the mound, and what he did during the excavation. The memory was as if blocked, - Nadezhda recalls.
After this expedition, Alexander began to get sick often. The family even turned to a healer, who argued that the cause of the disease was payback for the disturbed peace of the dead. Four years later, Alexander Erokhin, who did not even have bad habits, went to bed as usual and … did not wake up. Doctors could not really explain the cause of death.
Shortly before the death of Alexander, old friends came to the Erokhin, who traveled with them in Altai more than once, were together on the Ukok plateau during excavations, but did not approach the mound with the princess.
- I woke up at night from someone's gaze. She raised her head and was stunned with horror - in the corner of the room by the sofa, where Sasha Erokhin often slept, there was a huge woman-bird. She seemed to be about to take off, but then disappeared. No doubt it was a sign. Soon we learned that Sasha had died, - said Albina Grigorievna, a family friend.
Revenge of the dead
The well-known Russian archaeologist Vladimir K. (friends of the family asked not to name the scientist - author's note), who worked with Erokhin at the burial, a few years after the expedition, doctors discovered a tumor.
- After the excavation, a bump appeared on his head, he never paid attention to it. But then, years later, this lump turned out to be a malignant tumor - it was impossible to operate. The archaeologist died in 2011, - said Nadezhda Erokhina.
According to his acquaintances, the famous Siberian archaeologist has said more than once that he regrets his participation in the excavations. He also advocated bringing the princess back to Altai, as demanded by the locals, who believed that the misfortunes that had befallen their edge were connected with the disturbed peace of the mummy.
“He said that scientists already have all the information they need to study, so there is no reason that would prevent them from returning their mistress to their homeland,” said the historian and chairman of the organizing committee on the burial of the mummy Akai Kine.
Currently, part of the expedition is alive, but as friends of archaeologists assure, for many in life after those excavations, everything went awry. True, the archaeologists themselves do not believe in the revenge of the mummy.
Photo: National Museum named after A. V. Anokhin.
- The punishment of spirits can be reflected later, up to the seventh generation. This can result in failure, illness, and childlessness. As far as I know, some of the participants in the excavation remained childless, - says the shaman Akai Kine.
Seven sisters
In Altai, they believe that the world of people was guarded by seven sisters who voluntarily sacrificed themselves. As the researcher of shamanic culture and writer Andrei Korobeyshchikov said, there was a whole caste of "border guards" that protected the world from hostile spirits.
According to the writer, the evil forces have their adepts on earth who are trying to destroy the protective net. And archaeologists, perhaps without knowing it, are tools in the hands of evil. By the way, after the scandal with the princess, excavations were forbidden on the Ukok plateau, but now scientists are close to starting their research again.
Who knows how the excavation will end if scientists find the rest of the guardians of this world, buried on the Ukok plateau. According to one version, if this happens, the gates to the underworld will be open. According to mystics, this can lead to unprecedented cataclysms and new world wars.
By the way
Princess prophecy
As Altai shamans assure, the discovery of the mummy and the subsequent cataclysms were predicted long before the excavations. According to them, the prophecy was made by a girl from a village near the Ukok plateau. The girl said that scientists would disturb the peace of the ancestor of the Altai people. For this she will curse the entire Altai land.
hint
This is a mummy that archaeologists found in a burial mound on the Ukok plateau under a thick layer of ice. According to researchers, the remains belonged to a woman who was about 25 years old. She died about 2.5 thousand years ago from breast cancer.
According to scientists, the woman was a shaman. Four tattoos were made on the mummy's arm, including a deer with a griffin's beak and ibex horns. The deer-capricorn among the ancient Indo-Europeans symbolized the guide of the departed to the "other" world.
The mummy was dressed in a silk shirt, woolen skirt, felt stockings, boots and a fur coat. A horsehair wig with a height of about 90 cm was worn on his head. Under the princess's burial there was a wooden sarcophagus, the remains of six horses and household utensils.
Altaians called the found mummy Princess Ukok and "White Lady".
Where can you see her
Now Princess Ukok is in Gorno-Altaysk in the A. V. Anokhin National Museum. A special hall was built for the mummy, where the burial was reconstructed. The princess herself is in a sarcophagus, similar to the one in which she was found - according to the shamans, this was demanded by the princess herself, who appeared in a dream to residents and cried that people were looking at her naked body. After that, the princess's body was no longer shown in the museum. But then it was decided to open the mummy several times a month.
IVAN OLEKSYUK