The current warm autumn and the Coxsackie virus in Turkey "provoked" a very tight velvet season in the resort towns of the Krasnodar Territory. And from the noisy bustle of the coast, we decided to escape to the mountains, where silence and coolness awaited us, the icy water of rivulets, through which rickety bridges were thrown, where the crowns of age-old trees close over our heads, forming a canopy almost impenetrable to the sun's rays.
Waterfall "Tears of Mamed".
This time our excursion will take place along the Mamedov Gorge in the Lazarevskoye region. Actually, there are several routes here. Since we stopped at the very first discovered entrance called “Legends of Mamed”, we got on the simplest route, which the locals call “children's”. It is better to come here early, because it is incredibly popular, and by lunchtime groups of tourists come to the ticket offices one after another. By the way, yes, the entrance is paid, since the Mamedovo Gorge has the status of a recreational zone: one hundred rubles per adult, children are free.
This time our excursion will take place along the Mamedov Gorge in the Lazarevskoye region. Actually, there are several routes here. Since we stopped at the very first discovered entrance called “Legends of Mamed”, we got on the simplest route, which the locals call “children's”. It is better to come here early, because it is incredibly popular, and by lunchtime groups of tourists come to the ticket offices one after another. By the way, yes, the entrance is paid, since the Mamedovo Gorge has the status of a recreational zone: one hundred rubles per adult, children are free.
So, from the bottom cashier, the path immediately took us up rather briskly. The noise and dust of the serpentine road, the obsessive cries of seagulls and the unobtrusive attention of the hotel maid remained behind. As always in such places, you try not to make noise, and conversations are reduced to the minimum necessary at the moment.
So, from the bottom cashier, the path immediately took us up rather briskly. The noise and dust of the serpentine road, the obsessive cries of seagulls and the unobtrusive attention of the hotel maid remained behind. As always in such places, you try not to make noise, and conversations are reduced to the minimum necessary at the moment.
The first stop on this route is the dolmen, about which there are incredible legends. As local residents say, he has a powerful healing power: after his visit, childless families became happy families with children, the hopelessly sick recovered, and even those who could not quit smoking for a long time and persistently, at one moment parted with this addiction.
The structure can be seen from the trail; it is hewn from a single piece of rock that hangs over the Kuapse River. The part of the rock facing the gorge remained untreated.
Promotional video:
A stone blockage blocks the way further along the gorge.
The dolmen itself has the status of an object of cultural heritage of federal significance, which, however, did not prevent some vandals from making traditional inscriptions in the style “Vasya was here”. The healer dolmen dates back to the III-II millennium BC. and belongs to a rare type of astronomical megaliths. The fact is that from the western side it has the shape of a pyramid, the top of which exactly points to the point of sunrise on the days of the equinoxes. An information plate is installed near the dolmen, which tells in detail about this phenomenon: “The top of the pyramid is cut in such a way that the first ray of the sun on the days of the equinox rises along its edge, and the full disk rises in the center. The first rays of the sun, having run along the edge of the pyramid, fell into the middle of the dolmen ceiling”.
A fabulous dragon lurks under the rock.
It is believed that dolmens were the predecessors of the pyramids, and after, using the existing knowledge, people began to build larger and more majestic structures, the dolmen ceased to radiate healing power. But she returned to him on May 19, 1986 - this is also indicated by an information plate: although the night was clear and calm, people living nearby were awakened by a strong hum coming from a hillock in the forest. In the morning, it was discovered that three huge trees next to the dolmen had been pulled out of the ground with their roots in an incomprehensible way, and one more was half burnt. It is believed that from that moment on, the healer dolmen came to life and again helps people to gain health.
In the forest, a local dog nailed to us - a good-natured mongrel, well-groomed and with a collar - and so, she happily drank water that had accumulated on the site in front of the entrance to the dolmen, despite the fact that just below the slope she had the purest mountain river. Who knows, maybe it's true that there is some kind of force in such structures …
Nobody could answer us how the pool appeared here.
We set off further: not far from the dolmen, that very charred tree, a human face clearly appears on its black trunk - I really don't know if this is a freak of nature or someone's handiwork …
We move higher and higher along the gorge, in some places we have to cross the river along shaky bridges, in front of which there are signs with strict warnings: "Pass one by one, distance 2 m!" Even under the weight of the mongrels accompanying us, the bridges vibrate and creak, but fortunately they can withstand everyone.
From time to time along the route there are homemade log benches and even fully equipped recreation areas where you can sit for a picnic. The fabulous color of the recreation area is given by the figures of different characters carved from wood: a bear; a woman with a ball in her hands; a dragon, either asleep under a rock, or crushed by its weight; an amazing carved throne chair made of a single stump of a huge tree, with wooden snakes crawling along the back and arms. It should be noted that here, in contrast to a similar site in the Svirsky gorge of the same Lazarevsky, it is clean, trash cans are installed everywhere.
And here is the next stop worthy of attention - the waterfall "Tears of grandfather Mamed". Of course, no such place is complete without its own legends, and told in various variations. Personally, I liked this one: “In ancient times, all the men from the Adyghe village, except for the old and the weak, went to a neighboring settlement for a wedding, women and children remained at home. And at that time the enemies landed on the shore. Grandfather Mamed ordered all the women to hide their property, drive the cattle into the forest, and take the children themselves and hide. When the enemies entered the village, only grandfather Mamed himself remained there.
Despite the torture, the elder did not betray his fellow villagers. He pretended that the pain broke him, and promised to lead the enemies to the hidden people. But in fact, he took them along a winding path along the gorge. When the enemies realized that their grandfather had deceived them, they walled him up in a moss-covered rock. Since then, people sometimes hear moans coming from behind the stone walls."
The waterfall "Tears of Mamed" really resembles the crying face of an old man. The water is barely visible on a rock overgrown with moss. It is not surprising, because no one should see real men cry …
Even higher up the river there is a stone block, in front of which water has accumulated in a stone bowl. Our card, bought at the checkout, said that it was the "Font of Youth and Health". Of course, we went into it: the water of the mountain stream refreshes and invigorates. It is so transparent that it is not immediately clear how deep the bowl of the font is. As it turned out, in the deepest place it almost reaches the waist of an adult.
And further the road is blocked by the "Devil's Bridge" - a fallen tree, next to which a warning sign says that there is no further way.
In fact, you can still get there if you go up the road that goes along the walking path a little to the side from it, and enter the route from another section.
The pointer to a cascade of three waterfalls leads a little to the side. The first of them is the 12-meter "Happiness", then the 10-meter "Youth" and, finally, the 13-meter "Love". Traditionally, it is believed that after swimming under a specific waterfall, you will get what you want. And, in spite of the icy water, for the sake of happiness, youth and love, many dive here right with their heads.
But after the waterfalls, it is worth returning to the main route and walking through an impromptu gate, washed in limestone with water for many years. Behind them opens the "White Hall" - the light, almost white walls of the gorge rise 10 meters in height, it seems as if they glow from the inside. And here the silvery streams of water falling from the slope form the waterfall "Beard Mamed".
We returned back along the other bank of the Kuapse River and, to our surprise, found several dilapidated buildings of unknown purpose: semicircular, built of stone, overgrown with moss and lianas, they look almost as mysterious as an ancient dolmen, although by all indications they belong to XX century. And on the same path we came across a real pool, lined with small blue tiles, though long abandoned. Maybe once a spring gushed in this place, and they wanted to install the pool as a font, or maybe there are other reasons for its appearance here …
Actually, the routes, although not difficult, are a little confusing due to the large number of entrances and exits. But in general, they are worth a walk on them, recharge, if not mystical health from a dolmen, then with energy and vigor from icy water for sure.
Natalia Ardalina
