Gizeldon, Karmadon and Koban gorges. Koban culture

From the village of Gizel, in a southerly direction, the Gizeldon Gorge runs along the Gizeldon River.
At the entrance to the gorge there is a monument to the victims of the collapse of the Kolka glacier. We see the figure of a young man who is trying to escape from the ice captivity. The tragedy happened on September 20, 2002 in the Karmadon Gorge.
The Gizeldon gorge is divided into Karmadon and Koban about 11 kilometers from the village of Gizel. At this point, the Genaldon River flows into the Giseldon River.
Gorges are usually called either by the name of the river flowing through the gorge, or by the most significant settlement. Therefore, the Karmadon Gorge, in which the village of Karmadon is located, is often called Genaldon.
The Kolka Glacier is located at the head of the Genaldon River. The main mass of the glacier is located at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters. The height of the basin of the Karmadon Gorge is at a level of about 1200 meters. That is, a huge array of ice weighing about 40 million tons fell from a two-kilometer height. Therefore, the descent of the glacier was accompanied by the movement of ice at great speed. In about 7 minutes, the glacier flew along the gorge for almost 16 kilometers.
The Karmadon catastrophe has no analogues in the world. Never before has a glacier been ejected entirely from its bed.
The Karmadon basin turned out to be under a blockage of ice and stones, about four kilometers long and up to 100 meters thick.
A stream of blocks of ice and stones uprooted large trees, demolishing everything that was in its path. A rotating stream of huge blocks of ice and stones up to 250 meters high moved along the gorge at a speed of about 200 kilometers per hour.
The movement of ice was accompanied by a powerful air wave, from which the birds died, crashing against the rocks.
Having filled the hollow of the Karmadon Gorge, the stream broke out into the Giseldon Gorge. The movement of ice and stones stopped a few hundred meters from the village of Gizel. Not far from this place is the Monument to the victims of this natural disaster.
The glacier claimed the lives of more than 100 people. Actor Sergei Bodrov Jr. with his film crew, several artists of the North Ossetian equestrian theater "Narty" were among the dead.
The glacier has gone down before. This happened twice in the 20th century. But, the movement of ice was much slower. And the moving glacier did not pass a long way.
As a rule, only part of the glacier went down. And the bulk of the ice remained in the same place.
The Gizeldon Gorge is located close to Vladikavkaz. Just over 10 kilometers. There is very beautiful nature here. Before the Karmadon tragedy, this was one of the most favorite vacation spots for the residents of Vladikavkaz.
Tourists come here with pleasure to see the beauty of the Caucasus Mountains. There is a very diverse wildlife here. Lots of birds and animals.
20 years have passed since the tragedy. And in many places we see an unusual picture - most of the trees growing in the gorges are of the same age. And there are no old trees that can always be seen in other gorges.
In the place where the Gizeldon Gorge bifurcates, if you turn left, the road will lead to the Karmadon Gorge. We will drive straight along the Giseldon River. This section of the gorge is called Kobansky. The very ancient village of Koban is located 5 kilometers from the fork.
The village became widely known throughout the world in the second half of the 19th century. In 1869, during the spring flood of the Giseldon River, a steep bank collapsed. After the collapse of the earth, numerous ancient objects made of bronze and iron were discovered.
Archaeological excavations have led to the conclusion that the ancient artifacts found belong to the 1st millennium BC.
Later, similar finds were made in other places of the North Caucasus.
The archaeological culture of the North Caucasus during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age was called "Koban culture".
We will visit the village, after which a whole area of archaeological research is named.
Ancient artifacts found during excavations are on display in many museums. The National Museum of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania in Vladikavkaz has an extensive exposition "Koban Culture". Here you can see unique archeological items: the famous Koban doubly curved bronze axes with complex ornaments, a bronze head of an idol, weapons and jewelry.
The village of Koban is gasified. But, many residents keep ancient traditions and do not refuse wood-burning stoves, on which the famous Ossetian pies are baked.
There is also a cellular connection and high-speed Internet. Many come here for the weekend just to relax.
In Kobani, the villagers erected a monument to their famous fellow villager - the Ossetian hero Bola Kanukov. The two-hundred-kilogram hero had a height of 228 centimeters. As a circus athlete, he defeated many circus wrestlers.
#tourism #Caucasus #Ossetia