The great philosopher and painter Nicholas Roerich called Altai the cradle of peoples, the center from which mankind once settled across our planet. It is rare to find such a variety of natural phenomena and such an abundance of contrasts as here.
In these parts, the most ancient cultural monuments coexist with natural corners that have been preserved in their original form. This is a land that holds many mysteries that still await their explorers.
The dark mounds are sleeping
In the Pazyryk tract of the Ulagan region, there are five large bulk mounds. In appearance, they resemble the graves of clan or tribal leaders of the Scythian period (V-IV centuries BC).
From 1929 to 1949, several archaeological expeditions carried out their excavations. Unique items were found in the burial chambers: the oldest pile carpet in the world, lavishly decorated saddles, a chariot for four harness horses, and much more. It is interesting that at that time the Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and other peoples with a developed culture did not yet have saddles.
Also in the mounds were found musical instruments: a multi-stringed harp and a tambourine. But the main mystery was that there were no weapons in the mounds. But the Scythians considered themselves primarily warriors, who in the afterlife would definitely need swords, bows and daggers.
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Then maybe these are just similar - but not Scythian burials?
According to local legends, strange things happen here. A horse can stop near the mound - regardless of the rider's urges, it stands still for a while, and then moves on itself. Also, many later travelers saw a ghostly tall woman here, as if guarding the mounds.
Chud white-eyed
The people call these mounds "Chud graves". They are associated with the people of the Chud tribe, who once lived (and according to legend, still live here and there) in these places.
Since ancient times in Russia it was customary to call the Finno-Ugric tribes and peoples (Karelians, Khanty, Mansi, Komi, etc.) Chudyu (that is, strangers). But the problem is that the Finno-Ugric peoples, in particular the Permian Komi and Khanty, themselves tell legends about the Chudi, calling this tribe another people - dwarfs who have gone to the mountains or underground.
According to Altai legends, the people who lived in ancient times were called the white-eyed chud. People lived in holes dug in forests and natural undergrounds. There the Chud people hid their countless treasures. The tribes were famous for their craftsmen, who mined and processed iron, silver and gold. At that time, there were no birches in the coniferous forests of Altai.
And when they suddenly appeared, the Chud people decided that white people, subjects of the White Tsar, would come after the white birch, and life would be very bad. The tribes went deep underground, and the passages were closed with stones. The treasures of the Chudi remained, but they are protected by special spells and are inaccessible to other people.
Nicholas Roerich, who visited Altai in the 1920s, wrote in his book about his meetings with Old Believers. According to the legends of the Old Believers, when they came to these places, part of the Chudi, seeing them as servants of the White Tsar, went to live underground, and those who remained dug holes, put roofs over them and put large stones on top. Then, together with the pets, they climbed into these pits and cut down the racks so that they would be heaped with stones to death.
All the surviving "Chud mines" were located on rich deposits, but were shallow. The impression was that the ancient craftsmen threw them in a hurry, leaving both the ore and the tools.
By the way, the popular name Chudi - "white-eyed" - may indicate that these tribes, after a long stay underground, genetically mutated: people acquired photophobia and discolored pigmentation of the iris of the eyes.
But to what extent are the “Chud graves” connected with the mysterious tribes? The same Old Believers assert that the Chudi did not have "neither khans, nor zaisans." And if there are no leaders, then who will be buried under the mounds?
It turns out that in the V-IV centuries BC, at least two peoples lived here? Or has one of them replaced the other? And as a result, both peoples mysteriously disappeared, and their traces were lost in the Altai mountains.
Altai Stonehenge
Then, perhaps, five huge smooth slabs covered with petroglyph drawings are associated with the chudyu? They stand in the Chuya steppe, not far from the border of two ridges - Saylyugem and Yuzhno-Chuisky.
Their height is from six to seven meters. The stones are laid out in a strict circle and oriented to the cardinal points. Each stone weighs several tons and was brought from an area at least 500 kilometers away.
By analogy, these five slabs are called Altai Stonehenge. Stones have different electromagnetic charges: some are positive, others are negative, and others are zero. It turns out a kind of generator of electromagnetic waves. If you stand in the center of it, you get the feeling that you are being pulled into a kind of funnel.
The age of Altai Stonehenge presumably dates back to the 8th-6th centuries BC.
Woman with tattoo
Almost all researchers agree on one thing: in addition to the ritual purpose, Altai Stonehenge served as a road sign to the Ukok plateau, going through the rugged Teply Klyuch pass.
The Ukok Plateau is located at the junction of the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. The plateau is located at an altitude of 2200-2500 meters above sea level. For local residents, Ukok means “the end of everything”. According to legends, the pastures of Ukok lie on the threshold of the firmament. You cannot shout here, so as not to offend powerful spirits.
The Ukok plateau became known all over the world, when in 1993 archaeologists excavating the Ak-Alakh burial ground discovered a mummified body, the estimated age of which is two and a half thousand years.
The perfectly preserved find allowed scientists to conduct a DNA examination and restore the appearance of a 25-year-old woman. And here is another mystery: her features are not Mongoloid, but European. The woman's waist was adorned with a red belt - a symbol of a warrior; in her hands she held a larch wand - according to local beliefs, an instrument of "the creation of the world."
Tattoos were found on the body in the form of ibex deer, a ram with its head thrown back and a spotted leopard. Also, the woman had a high headdress with gold braids - this indicated her magical power. The find was named "Princess Ukok".
Altai shamans are sure that this is the body of the legendary progenitor of their people - Kydyn. Once upon a time in antiquity, her burial was desecrated, and because of this, all the troubles of these places began.
Bird's-eye
Another stone mystery of Altai is the so-called geoglyphs, huge images that can only be viewed from a bird's eye view. Their origin and meaning are still unclear.
The drawings themselves look like geometric shapes or animals. Some of them resemble rock carvings of mythological griffins (creatures with a female head and the body of a bird) described in ancient Egyptian and Assyrian literature. The drawings are separated by clear lines similar to spears and arrows.
Nearby, geoglyphs are trenches dug in the ground or carved in stone, one and a half to two meters deep. They resemble canals, but they are clearly unsuitable for irrigation, since they were laid without taking into account the steepness of the slopes and the presence of water sources.
Scientists have not yet come to a consensus about the time of their creation. According to various assumptions, the age of the Altai geoglyphs is from two to five thousand years.
Ancient people removed the upper dark layer of soil, under which there are lighter geological structures, resulting in a drawing. But it is completely incomprehensible why, over several thousand years, these channels, unlike the traces of any other earthworks, have not darkened?
Similar geoglyphs are found in other parts of the world - for example, in Malta and the Peruvian Nazca plateau. The main mystery is that at the time of their creation, mankind did not have any flying means, which means that it did not have the opportunity to see the fruits of its labor. For what, or for whom, then are these signs? For what purpose was the colossal work done?
Except "Why?" there is also the question "Who?" Who in Altai could have dug such canals? Scythians or people with a similar culture? But the warriors were unlikely to dig in the ground. Chud Underground Tribes? Also unlikely.
It is not surprising that some scientists associate geoglyphs with possible aliens from space - such signs could well serve them for navigation purposes.
Moreover, according to the legends, Altai is not only an ancient center from which mankind has settled throughout our planet. It is also the place that will survive any future cataclysms.
Platon VIKTOROV
