A Medieval Necropolis

A mysterious medieval necropolis near the village of Dargavs in Russia is number 9 on a list of Bustle’s creepiest places on earth. Rumors abound among the locals that those who venture there never come back.

The strange part of this story is that archaeologists have been unsuccessful thus far in pinpointing exactly when this village which is actually a series of crypts were built or why they chose to bury their dead in this manner.

Dargavs is a small village located in the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania, about 36 km southwest of Vladikavkaz. The area where the village is located has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. A large number of archaeological sites have been discovered here.

According to bbc.com about the 99 crypts that dot a 17km long valley in the Caucasus Mountains: "Today, the site comprises 99 remarkably conserved medieval curved-roof crypts with single windows. Some of the corpses inside are so well preserved that flesh is still attached to their bones."

The crypts have been described as huts made of stone with single windows and peaked roofs in an idyllic village like setting that overlooks the Midagrabindon River. Some of these stone memorials are between 2-4 stories high and reminiscent of the Nankh Architecture style. An opening in the wall was used for conveying the body into the tomb.

While some think that conservation of the existing space during the Mongol Tatar invasion of the 13th century may have been one reason for the building of these crypts, others think it may be the influence of the Indo-Iranians. Yet others attribute it to the plagues as a result of which people quarantined themselves in individual crypts.

A strange observation made was that many were buried in boat-shaped coffins complete with oars while other bodies were discovered with an oar next to them although there are no rivers nearby. This led some historians to suggest that this was because the dead were expected to cross a river into the afterlife.

An article published by news.com.au further describes these mysterious crypts: "Historians say each crypt has a well out the front, which played as a crucial role when signifying if a loved one had made it to the next world. If they dropped a coin down the well and it happened to hit a stone when it reached the bottom, it was said to be a good sign."

Some years back, the news was that a Russian movie production company had been all set to shoot a horror movie in the Dargavs when a regional administrator got spooked by the script and revoked permission to allow them to continue with the shoot. His reason for such a decision was that it cast the Ossetians in a bad light.

Despite the travel challenges that visitors face when traveling to a hard to reach destination like the Dargavs, they still find a way because they are drawn to the mystery of this place and the incredible scenic beauty of the surrounding area. A downside to this is that some visitors also take too many liberties such as sneaking out the skeletal remains of the deceased as souvenirs.

This is what historian Ludmila Gaboeva had to say in an interview with the BBC: “Stories about this mysterious place have been heard from early 20th century. Ever since, adventurers have come here from all over Russia. In the crypts there are coffins that resemble boats … there are also palm prints, signs and marks. But we do not understand the purpose of many of them yet …[people come] to achieve peace with the eternal fear of death.”

A version of this article appeared on NewsBreak.com