Kugsky “Aeolian city. Aeolian city c) Find out what the word “Aeol” means

That is why we sometimes hear the sad voice of the nymph Echo in the forest. And Pushkin, captivated by the poetry of the forest echo, created wonderful poems about it:

Does the beast roar in the deep forest,

Is the horn blowing, is the thunder roaring,

Is the maiden behind the hill singing?

Every sound has its own response in the empty air

You will give birth suddenly.

This was in 1907. Academician Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev - then just a young scientist - walked with his party of geologists through the deserts and mountains of Central Asia, not far from the border of Kazakhstan.

One day, when the sun was already setting, the caravan unexpectedly found itself on some deserted street of an unknown city, which Obruchev had never heard of. Strange... This is probably one of the ancient cities, long ago destroyed and abandoned by its inhabitants. Here are the ruins of an ancient castle, a fortress, round cannonballs of ancient cannons are stuck in the massive walls, and broken glass lies underfoot.

Vladimir Afanasyevich would very much like to examine these ruins more closely, but the sun was already setting, and a place for spending the night had not yet been chosen, water was needed, the horses needed to be watered. No, you can't linger!

And when the next morning came, I had to move on, not to go back for the sake of some ruins, because the purpose of the expedition, its tasks are not archaeological at all, but geological... Still, I would like to... However, Vladimir Afanasyevich did not have time to think through his idea to the end, when I saw ancient ruins ahead again, very similar to yesterday’s! I saw it and immediately understood everything!

So that's it! This means that before him lay a city that had never been a city, people had never lived in it, and it was not built by human hands. The city that he saw last night was the same... It was created by the forces of nature: wind and water, heat and cold!

...Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there stood here mountains of the most ordinary shape, mountains like mountains, and they didn’t resemble anything but mountains. They were composed mainly of soft rocks, soft sandstones, sandy clays, yellow, pink, greenish. These rocks are easily weathered.

In ancient times, the climate here was more humid, mountain rivers and streams rolled their waters with a roar; they made their way through the yielding rocks and ground them down. Centuries passed, the climate became drier, and fast-moving rivers gradually dried up.

And, as if in memory of themselves, these rivers left the channels they had laid. These channels later turned into the streets of the dead city.

Meanwhile, other forces of nature - heat and cold - were working hard. During the day, the sun strongly heats the stone, it expands, at night it cools down greatly and bursts with a noise and crack, like a hot glass bursting if cold water is poured into it. Cracks form in the rocks, they cover it everywhere, becoming wider and deeper from the constant change of heat and cold. And in winter, when the sun stops heating, or rather, it warms very weakly, water and ice get to work. Since autumn, all the cracks are filled with droplets of water; in winter, the water turns into ice and pushes the cracks apart. After all, when water freezes, it is distributed.

Try filling a bottle with water, cap it tightly and leave it in the cold. The water will turn to ice and break the bottle.

So, from year to year, from century to century, heat and cold, water and ice destroy the stone.

But the final finishing is done by the wind. He gets into all the cracks and crevices, forcefully sweeping away crumbled fragments and sharp grains of sand. The undermined rocks, ready to crumble, are finally destroyed by the wind, and the stubborn, harder rocks he sharpens and polishes with sharp grains of sand.

This is where the round cannonballs of ancient cannons came from, stuck in the walls of the dead city.

The wind sweeps away veins of white transparent plaster, and then it seems as if shards of broken glass are lying on the ground.

The wind is the main builder, the main architect of bizarre rocks. That is why Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev called the amazing city he discovered Aeolian, that is, a city created by the wind. Aeolus is the poetic name for the wind; it came to us from Ancient Greece, as the god of the winds, the lord of the winds, was called there. The venerable academician was never a stranger to a subtle sense of poetry and therefore gave his quaint city the name of the god of the winds - Aeolus!

In different places of the globe there are rocks that look like giant mushrooms with caps on tall thin legs; sometimes these caps are jauntily tilted to one side and it is impossible to look at them without smiling. Sometimes the rocks take the form of pyramids or some kind of giant needles; sometimes they look like towers, like castles... But it’s rare to see such a cluster of weathered rocks, reminiscent of a real city built by human hands.

The diligent Eol did a great job here. Over a large area, he created not only castles and fortresses, but also various sculptures. You might think that real sculptors got down to business, carving various works of art from stone. Here is a statue that resembles an Egyptian sphinx. Here is a chair, and in the chair sits a man, only Aeolus has not yet had time to sculpt his head. Here is a gigantic figure of a kneeling woman in a wide skirt and a hood on her head.

And on the outskirts of the Aeolian city, the god of the winds created like an ancient cemetery with mausoleums, giant coffins, sarcophagi, like the ancient Egyptians, and even erected a small chapel house, as they once did in ancient cemeteries.

The aeolian city is a dead city, there is no greenery, no animals, no birds, you will never see fast lizards, even small insects - unless the wind accidentally carries some bug.

The Aeolian city seems like an enchanted sleeping kingdom on clear nights, when the two-horned silver moon floats among the stars. Quiet. Silently. But... what is this? It rustled and rustled... Small sand tornadoes rushed through the streets and alleys.

This is ruled by the ancient Aeolus, the lord of the winds, the main builder of the quaint city discovered by Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev.

Once upon a time, the famous Russian traveler and geographer, a student of the famous Przhevalsky, Vsevolod Ivanovich Roborovsky, traveling through Central Asia, stopped for the night near a small salt lake.

Desert, lifeless sands stretched around. On the way to the lake, the travelers did not meet a single living soul, except for the occasional antelope. Sometimes timid rodents flashed by and a flock of larks flew overhead.

It was a windy day. But by evening the wind died down and silence reigned.

Tired travelers pitched a tent on the shore of the lake, fed the horses, lit a fire from the desert tree saxaul, and boiled tea.

Roborovsky's guide, Hodgement, sat on the ground, cross-legged, and enjoyed drinking from a bowl a greenish liquid filled with lard. This is the kind of tea they drink in these places, and Roborovsky got used to it and fell in love with it during his travels.

The sun has long since set. The sky was dark, all full of large stars. From the branches of saxaul, a thin stream of fragrant smoke stretched upward, as if incense was being smoked in an ancient pagan temple. Silence... All you could hear was horses crunching nearby.

But what is it?.. As if a bell was ringing?.. It looks like a cart is coming, a local cart, after all, it has bells. Roborovsky became wary. He looked questioningly at the conductor. He calmly sipped his tea.

And the ringing became louder. The horses stopped chewing and moved their ears restlessly.

Do you hear me, Hodgement? - Roborovsky said quietly.

Hodgement did not answer. The bell rang.

Hodgement,” Roborovsky again called out to his guide, “why are you silent? Maybe it’s a cart coming and the travelers have lost their way? Maybe we should go out to meet them? - And he made a movement to stand up.

But then Hodgement grabbed his arm with force.

Please tell me what an aeolian city is.

Answers:

Aeolian means windy, from the Greek word aeolus - wind. An aeolian city is a city created by the forces, the work of the wind. And the reader has the right to ask: how can the wind create a city? A city is a collection of buildings of various shapes, sizes and purposes, located on the sides of streets, alleys, squares, gardens and parks, often decorated with monuments in honor of remarkable people or events. A city is built by man from various materials for the joint life of many people in a limited space. In the aeolian city, the creative art of man is completely replaced by the forces of nature - the work of the wind, which is helped by heat and frost, raindrops and streams of water, using the characteristics of the composition, structure and conditions of occurrence of rocks and as a result creating forms that are more or less similar to human structures. We find such forms created by the forces of nature quite often. In the mountains there are individual cliffs that look like towers, sometimes even entire castles. On the ridges of mountains and hills, especially in deserts, where the aeol reaches its greatest strength and works more often and longer, we sometimes find rocks that are very similar to pillars, tables, needles, mushrooms, pyramids, balls, attracting the attention of the traveler with their shape and causing surprise by their similarity with works of human hands. In addition to all such forms that can be called positive, the forces of nature also create negative ones: in the form of depressions of various sizes - from small cells that make the surface of the cliff look like a honeycomb, to large niches in which a person can sit or stand, sometimes connected in depth one with the other and representing galleries with windows separated by columns. But nowhere in nature or in descriptions have I found such a combination of forms of different natures in such quantity and over such a large area that an idea of ​​an Aeolian city could arise, with the exception of what is described below. This aeolian city is located in Chinese Dzungaria, on the banks of the Dyam River. Dzungaria makes up the northern part of the Xinjiang province of the Republic of China, located between the mountain systems of the Eastern Tien Shan in the south, the Mongolian Altai in the north and the Dzungarian Alatau in the west. On three sides, the vast depression of Dzungaria is limited by these high mountain ranges, but in one place, in the northwestern corner, these mountains are significantly reduced and thinned out; here, in the interval between the Dzungarian Alatau and the Mongolian Altai, from the steppe, which was called Kyrgyz there (now it became part of the Kazakh SSR), the lower chains of Tarbagatai and Saur penetrate quite far into Dzungaria. They are adjoined from the south by the Barlyk, Urkashar and Semistai ridges; A little to the south is the Maili-Jair chain, constituting a continuation of the Dzungarian Alatau to the east, separated from the latter by a deep valley called the Dzungarian Gate. These mountain ranges are separated from one another by more or less wide valleys along which one can travel from the Soviet Union to the Republic of China without having to overcome any high passes or steep ascents and descents. Only in places there are small areas of desert

The nature of the Caucasus in general and the nature of Dagestan in particular is extremely beautiful and diverse. High mountains covered with snow caps all year round, picturesque green foothills and plateaus, bizarre caves, incredible waterfalls, canyons and gorges make you fall in love at first sight.

Traveling through Dagestan, we more than once encountered the incredible natural wonders of this southern region of Russia. Today we present the TOP 10 most fantastic natural places in Dagestan. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see everything with our own eyes, but there will definitely be a reason to return.

Let's start from the end. The tenth place in our independent ranking of natural wonders of Dagestan is occupied by the Aeolian city, located near the village of Kug in the Khiva region.

If you remember a little about the school curriculum with the myths and legends of Ancient Greece, it will immediately become clear why this place is called that way.

Aeolus is an ancient Greek demigod, patron of the winds. It was the winds, and not people, who “worked” to create this natural miracle of Dagestan. And water, frost and heat also came to their aid.

The Aeolian City is one of the natural wonders of Southern Dagestan

The result is a real city with halls and rooms, stone bridges and paths, fancy towers and giant mushrooms. And it is not people who live in this city, but foxes, hares, lizards, snakes and numerous insects. True, tourists often come to visit them to enjoy this beautiful creation of nature. It’s just worth remembering that it’s very easy to get lost in the stone city, so when going on a hike, it’s best to find a local guide.

Interesting fact! The bizarre landforms of the Aeolian city have given rise to many legends among local residents. According to old-timers, once upon a time, on the top of one of the stone outcrops, rituals were performed with sacrifices to evil spirits that could protect local residents from illnesses and natural disasters. Until now, among the locals this area is considered a gathering place for evil spirits, and in the stone remains traces of strange animals sacrificed can be seen.

How to get there? The Aeolian city is located in close proximity to the village of Kug (Khiva region), in the southern part of Dagestan. The easiest way to get here is from Derbent. The distance between the cities is about 90 km. If traveling by car, stick to the P281 highway.

You can also get to the village by minibus, which departs from Derbent. It is better to check the schedule at the bus station ticket office. True, most minibuses to the countryside in Dagestan do not have a clear schedule and depart when they are filled with people.

Samur liana forest

Another natural wonder of the southern part of Dagestan is the Samur Liana Forest. It is located in the delta of the Samur River, in the Magaramkent region on the very border with Azerbaijan.

The forest is unique in that it is the only subtropical liana forest in Russia, and it is also considered one of the last relict forests in the world that have not been subject to anthropogenic influence.

The territory of the Samur Forest is unusually picturesque. Here, in close proximity, you can find hornbeams and cork trees, the usual pear and apple trees, poplars and lindens. Almost all the trees are entwined with all kinds of vines, of which there are more than one and a half dozen species in the Samur Forest. There are also many rare Red Book plants and animals here.

So in the forest you can find nut-bearing lotuses, Shirvan orchis, Caucasian ophrysa, all kinds of butterflies, including yellow swallowtail and lemon podalirium. Among the mammals found in the Samur Forest are the forest cat, the Caucasian otter, and jungle cats. The forest is a nesting place for rare and endangered birds, such as the peregrine falcon, Dalmatian pelican, white-tailed eagle, black stork, etc. In total, about 70 species of plants grow here, about 450 species of vertebrates and about 10 thousand invertebrate animals breed.

How to get there? On the territory of the Samursky Nature Reserve there are 7 rural settlements, in particular Samur, Tagirkent-Kazmalyar, Bilbil, Khtun, Primorsky, etc. You can get here both from Makhachkala and from Derbent by private car, minibus or train. The distance from Derbent to Samur and the nearest populated areas is about 60 km, from Makhachkala – about 200 km.

Karadakh Gorge

From Derbent we will smoothly move north, closer to, where you can also discover many natural wonders.

One of them is the Karadakh Gorge (“Gateway of Miracles”), located between the Gunib and Khunzakh regions near the village of Karadakh.

Just imagine a small gorge, not exceeding 5 m in width, but at the same time going up as much as 150 m! The further you go along the gorge, the stronger the feeling that you are about to be simply flattened by the rocks surrounding you on all sides. The eternal twilight and giant boulders hanging overhead further add horror and admiration.

The Karadakh Gorge is a place where twilight always reigns

Surprisingly, this natural miracle was created by the small river Kvartakh. For hundreds of years, it undermined soft rocks until a narrow gap formed in them. Looking at this tiny stream, it is impossible to believe that it was he who, in fact, created the unique natural wonder of Dagestan. However, it is worth remembering that the Kvartakh River is not always quiet and peaceful. During floods and prolonged rains, the water level in the river rises by several meters. In this case, getting out of the gorge will be extremely difficult.

On a note! For a walk through the gorge, do not forget to bring waterproof shoes.

How to get there? The easiest way to get to the village of Karadakh is from Makhachkala. If you are traveling by car, follow the road to Levashi - Gotsatl - Hebda. Having reached the village, turn onto the dirt road to the village. Murad. After about 2 km you will find yourself at the exit of the gorge. Well, then just walk for about another kilometer.

If you haven’t got a car yet, look for a minibus from Makhachkala to Gunib. They regularly leave from the city's Northern bus station. From Gunib to the gorge there is a walking route about 10 km long. The route is not easy. If you are not confident in your abilities, ask one of the locals to take you there.

Saltinsky waterfall

Not so far from the aforementioned Gunib, in the small Avar village of Salta, you can find another natural wonder of Dagestan - the Saltinsky waterfall. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is the only underground waterfall on the territory of the republic.

It was formed on the Saltinka River, which, having passed through the Kudalinsky canyon, just before the village of Salta, suddenly disappears, diving deep into the earth. The river falls into the Saltinskaya Gorge, forming a picturesque 20-meter waterfall. It becomes especially rich in water after rain and closer to summer, when the snow begins to melt in the mountains.

To get to the waterfall you will have to walk along a picturesque gorge that stretches for about a kilometer. In some places you need to move along the bed of the Saltinka River. On days of high water it reaches a height of about 30 cm, so don’t forget to bring rubber boots. But it is during high water that there is every chance of seeing an incredibly beautiful waterfall.

We were a little unlucky. On a sunny May day, the Saltinsky waterfall was a thin stream running along the wall. But the path to it is something absolutely fantastic. The rounded shapes of the rocks playing in the sun and the huge boulders hanging directly overhead create an incredible feeling of mystery.

Behind me you can clearly see the rounded shapes of the local relief

The Saltinka River in May resembles a thin stream

Interesting fact! In some places the gorge at the top is so narrow that even a goat can jump over it, so nothing prevents the locals from grazing their goats there. Unfortunately, goats sometimes fall down. We were lucky. No goat landed on its head, but their sonorous voices continually disrupted the feeling of natural magic.

How to get there? The village of Salta is located 21 km east of Gunib. Approximately 12 km is an incredibly dead dirt road. If you drive a car, prepare for 40 minutes of shaking. From the village to the waterfall you will have to walk along the gorge for about 1 km.

By public transport you can only get to Gunib (the method is described above), then catch a ride or a taxi.

Alternatively, you can order and stop by Salta on the way, as we did.

Lake Kezenoyam

Now let's move to the very west of the Republic of Dagestan, to the Botlikhsky district, where you can see another natural miracle - the alpine lake Kezenoyam. It is located on the border of two Caucasian republics - Chechnya and Dagestan.

Kezenoyam is considered the largest in area and the deepest alpine lake in the North Caucasus. It is located on the southern slope of the Andean ridge, at an altitude of over 1800 m above sea level.

Kezenoyam is located on the border of two republics at once - Chechnya and Dagestan

The lake has other names. In particular, it is called Blue or Big Trout. It is not named this way by chance. Lake Kezenoyam is home to an endemic salmon species, the Eizenam trout. This fish is found nowhere else in the world except this lake.

The surrounding landscape, which greatly depends on the weather, is also amazing. The turquoise (and sometimes deep blue) water of the lake, even in summer not warming up above 18 degrees, against the backdrop of mountain peaks, looks unforgettable.

How to get there? By car you should follow the highway Makhachkala - Kizilyurt - Khasavyurt - Kurchaloy and further to the Chechen village of Vedeno, from where a mountain serpentine will lead you to the lake. It is best to go around Kezenoyam from the western side. You can only drive from the east by SUV in good weather.

Thanks for individual photos: InterKavkaz.info, Khiste, Dementievskiy Ivan, Shoma477, Ras.sham and Mmdocent.

A city created by nature

An amazing creation of nature - “Eolian City” - is located in the vicinity of the village of Kug, Khiva region of Dagestan.

"Aeolian City". This is the name for creations of nature that resemble man-made ones in their forms. The name comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of the winds, Aeolus. In other words, heat, frost, water and wind, how builders build buildings. In such cities there are certain halls, rooms and bridges. And the inhabitants of these extraordinary “settlements” are snakes, hares, nightingales, foxes and various insects.
The “Aeolian city” is located on the southern slope of one of the spurs of the Karasyrt ridge, separating Intramountain Dagestan from Foothills in the upper reaches of the Korchagsu River, the right tributary of the Rubaschay River, in the Khiva region, in the vicinity of the village of Kug.
The most attention is attracted by two pillar-shaped remains. They are located close to each other and, rising above the forest thickets, are clearly visible from the village of Kug. You can climb one pillar without any equipment, since the height of this formation is approximately ten meters. The top of this pillar is flat, its area is approximately forty meters, and the walls of the formation are covered with juniper and barberry. The second pillar reaches a height of seventeen meters, it looks like a cylinder with a diameter of twelve meters.
There are many caves on the territory of the “aeolian city”, the most circular of which is located in its eastern part. A survey of the karst topography of this area in recent years has shown that there are more than 10 interconnected caves. On summer days, when the air on the surface of the plateau warms up to 25-30 degrees, the temperature in the caves does not rise above 10-12 degrees.
The uniqueness of the area has given rise to many legends and beliefs among the local population about the origin of this interesting corner of nature. In the past, on the top of one of the outcrops, residents performed religious rituals and made sacrifices to evil spirits in order to get rid of natural disasters and illnesses. Some bizarre landforms seemed to superstitious people to be traces of fantastic animals, and the entire area was considered a gathering place for unclean spirits. Even today, some residents of the village of Kug call this area the “sacred forest,” attributing to it the most fantastic properties.
Of course, proving the inconsistency of these inventions is not particularly difficult, which is what local history teachers do, who together with their students make excursions, local history trips to the “aeolian city” and hide its secrets.
Local caves are most popular among tourists. All of them arose as a result of the influence of wind and water. The main cave has a lot of labyrinths in which anyone can get lost. Therefore, it is better to go in search of adventure in the company of an experienced guide.

Today, the “aeolian city” is very popular among travelers who prefer to relax in not expensive
five-star hotels, and in the lap of nature. Tourists who come here can count on a quiet holiday that has nothing in common with noisy, smoky cities; here you can feel like a part of nature and forget about the achievements of civilization.

The city, created by nature, is located in the vicinity of the village of Kug, Khiva region of Dagestan. It consists of remains in the form of towers, pillars, mushrooms and arches.

The “Aeolian city” is located on the southern slope of one of the spurs of the Karasyrt ridge, separating intramountain Dagestan from foothills in the upper reaches of the Korchagsu River, in the vicinity of the village of Kug. On an area of ​​almost 3 kilometers, on a relatively flat area with dense, impenetrable bushes and trees, there rise original-shaped remains in the form of towers, pillars, arches of various types, and stone mushrooms of the most bizarre shapes. All these reliefs are the result of the work of wind and water, which is why they are called aeolian (named after Aeolus, the god of the winds of ancient Greek mythology).

The most attention is attracted by two pillar-shaped remains. They are located close to each other and, rising above the forest thickets, are clearly visible from the village of Kug. One pillar can be climbed without any equipment; its height is approximately ten meters. The top of this pillar is flat, and the walls of the formation are covered with juniper and barberry. The second pillar looks like a cylinder and reaches a height of seventeen meters.

The uniqueness of the area has given rise to many legends and beliefs among the local population about the origin of this interesting corner of nature. In the past, on the top of one of the outcrops, residents performed religious rituals and made sacrifices to evil spirits in order to get rid of natural disasters and illnesses. Some bizarre landforms seemed to superstitious people to be traces of fantastic animals, and the entire area was considered a gathering place for unclean spirits. Even today, some residents of the village of Kug call this area the “sacred forest,” attributing to it the most fantastic properties.

There are many caves on the territory of the Aeolian City, the most circular of which is located in its eastern part. A survey of the karst topography of this area in recent years has shown that there are more than 10 interconnected caves. On summer days, when the air on the surface of the plateau warms up to 25-30 degrees, the temperature in the caves does not rise above 10-12 degrees. Local residents harvest ice in winter and store it here almost all summer.

The caves are most popular among tourists. All of them arose as a result of the influence of wind and water. There are a lot of labyrinths in the main cave, so it is better to go there in the company of an experienced guide. “Aeolian City” is very very popular among travelers who prefer to relax in the lap of nature.

Location: on the southern slope of one of the spurs of the Karasyrt ridge, in the upper reaches of the Korchagsu River, in the Khiva region, not far from the village of Kug.

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