On the territory of Russia, more precisely, in Kabardino-Balkaria, one of the most beautiful places in the country is located - the Chegem Gorge. Here you can see picturesque waterfalls and ancient monuments, old buildings and the remarkable “Town of the Dead”. In the Chegem gorge there is a volcanic massif of Kum-Tyube, better known as the anomalous zone "Alpha". Crop circles are often found here, within which all vegetation perishes, at night you can notice a mysterious glow and other inexplicable phenomena …
It was the Chegem gorge that became the next object of research of the Armavir branch of the Russian Geographical Society. The attention of scientists was paid to the stone buildings of the local Town of the Dead, which were concentrated behind the settlement of Eltyubu. These are simple structures of rough stone, some of which have the shape of an octagonal cone, and the rest are made in the form of a quadrangle.
Local historian V. N. Kotlyarov claims that the tombs and other structures of the City of the Dead were erected between the 13th and 18th centuries. The majority of geographers are of the same opinion. The “City of the Dead” every year attracts many tourists visiting the Chegem Gorge. A large number of mysterious stories, ancient legends and unexplained facts are associated with this area.
Chegem legends
There is a legend about the origin of local waterfalls, which every local resident can tell tourists. According to legend, in ancient times in the Chegem mountains there was a Balkar settlement in which unusually beautiful girls lived. Once enemies attacked a peaceful village to take young women into slavery. Fleeing from their pursuers, the girls rushed to the rocks. One after another, the young beauties fell into the abyss. Women's hair caught on rocky ledges, and became streams of waterfalls.
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In the settlement of Eltyubu, fragments of the ancient tower of the Balkarukov princes, better known as the "Tower of Love", have been preserved. According to legend, it was erected by order of Akhtugan Balkarukov. The prince used this building to fend off the angry relatives of a girl named Kerime, whom he kidnapped in Dagestan.
In the Chegem Gorge, there are dilapidated fragments of Greek temples. Local legends say that at one time Christian relics were kept here, which were later lost. Nearby, in the rocks, there are two massive defensive stairs, along which the inhabitants of the aul went to the mountains when the enemies attacked the settlement.
Land of eternal youth
Like many other auls, the Eltyubu settlement is famous for its long-livers. But this is far from the only feature of this area. Many tourists note that wristwatches and other chronometers begin to lag behind as soon as they enter the territory of the aul. One gets the impression that time here flows much slower, and sometimes even stops altogether …
Another oddity has to do with food. For example, a bottle of mineral water exposed outside on a frosty night remains unfrozen in the morning. And in the warm season, meat and milk remain fresh for a very long time, even despite the summer heat.
Fans of mysticism claim that the anomalous phenomena of the Chegem gorge are explained by the unusual location of this area. The fact is that the aul is surrounded by rocks resembling a pyramid in configuration. Moreover, the faces of these mountain formations are oriented strictly to the four cardinal directions, and one of the rocks points to the North Star.
However, the members of the expedition of the Armavir branch of the Russian Geographical Society were not lucky enough to become eyewitnesses of any mystical phenomena. So, it is simply impossible to confirm or deny the existence of the Chegem anomalies without additional research.
Photo materials and initial data were provided by Sergey Frolov, member of the Russian Geographical Society