Alagir Gorge. North Ossetia

Kayaking is highly dependent on the weather. As soon as there is heavy rain, mountain rivers turn into roaring streams and everything becomes much more complicated. This happened a few days ago on Gonachkhir. Now we are moving to North Ossetia, and the elements manifest themselves again, on the road from Dombay. Already at the entrance to Alagir Gorge We were stopped by bad weather and rockfalls. The rain that fell all day and all night led to mudflows, the road was blocked - we stayed overnight on the side of the road, instead of cozy rooms in the Tsey mountain camp. And on the Ardon itself - the “mad river” (Ossetian) - another surprise awaited us - a man-made one.

“When we went to this river,” writes kayaker, Adidas Sickline team rider Egor Voskoboynikov, “we didn’t make big plans for it; according to friends’ stories, it wasn’t of much interest for rafting. At the very top of the Alagir Gorge, a hydroelectric power station was built that regulates the water level in the river, and it is almost impossible to guess what it will be. We saw how, within an hour, the water fell from the maximum to almost a minimum, and then rose back... When we arrived at the rafting site and saw a huge mass of white water rushing down the canyon with a roar and roar, we realized that we "lucky" with the level!!!"

“After much deliberation, looking at traffic lines and other jitters, we finally got into the boats and set off. It is difficult to describe rafting on such a river. This is very similar to the African “big volume”*, only rushing at the breakneck speed of Caucasian rivers. You are rushing through a huge mass of water at a speed of about 15 km/h and you feel that huge stones are rushing along the river with you, which periodically crash against everything, including you, with a roar. The structure of the water is so unusual that you cannot guess what is behind the next hill, a shaft or a barrel. All you can do is try to see at least something when you are thrown out of the pits on the crests of huge shafts and hope that you saw everything correctly, and then there will be a shaft and not a cauldron. Upon completion, I had the impression that I had just come ashore after rafting along the rapids of the White Nile, and not a Caucasian river. Unfortunately, quite soon a cascade of hydroelectric power stations will be built in this valley, and all the water from this river will go into the pipe. And such an alloy can no longer be caught here. So I am very happy that we had the opportunity to sail through the “African Caucasus”!

In addition to Ardon, the riders of the Adidas/RideThePlanet team passed a section of its left tributary, Tseydon, a deep, steep stream flowing through the Tseysky gorge. And before filming began, during pre-scout, we were able to ride along the upper reaches of the Urukh River, which originates from the huge Kharves glacier and flows into the Terek. Reconnaissance showed that most of Urukh is not yet accessible for filming from the shore, and the road to the landing site is complicated by repairs and rain - so this interesting river in picturesque canyons has been left for the future. All filming participants wanted to return to this region.

“This was my first trip to the region, so I didn’t really know what to expect from the upcoming trip. – Tomas Marnitz, Adidas Sickline pro-rider from Latvia, shares his impressions of the Caucasus. — Over the past few years, completely different people have told me completely different stories about the Caucasus. Therefore, I was interested to find out how everything really happens there. And it turned out a little different than I expected. Maybe, of course, we were lucky, but it seemed to me that interesting people live there, good people, who greeted us well and at some point helped us solve several problems. Also, we did not have any problems with either the local police or the local residents, everything was quiet, peaceful and calm. And, of course, the Caucasus is beautiful! Very beautiful mountains! Everything is much grander than in Europe.”

A whole generation North Ossetia was associated only with news releases about military operations in Chechnya, and not at all with the alluring landscapes of mountain resorts.

Fortunately, times are changing. And it seems that now is the time to remember what North Ossetia was for travel lovers - starting from the century before last. Healing mineral water of various properties, ancient monuments everywhere, snowy peaks higher than four thousand meters... The Ossetian Military Road, along which romantic bicycle travelers pedaled to Georgia already in the 1890s, through the passes of the Greater Caucasus Range and to the sea... The beauty of North Ossetia travelers with canvases and notebooks contemplated them and talked about them in other lands - Aivazovsky, Lermontov, Chekhov, Pushkin, Griboyedov. Vladikavkaz is a cultural, political, intellectual center North Caucasus, in the 1900s, it was here that societies dedicated to various species were created one after another active rest. Mountaineering since the 1880s, mountain tourism since the beginning of the 20th century, research, geological exploration and the first balneological complexes in the 30s, the rapid restoration of tourism infrastructure after the war, mass Komsomol rallies and ascents, school championships of the Russian Federation in mountain tourism - in the 50s e, skiing- in the mid-60s...

North Ossetia-Alania, according to Yegor Voskoboynikov, “is probably the most peaceful, friendly and hospitable republic in the North Caucasus. And, most importantly, this is the only republic where kayaking is cultivated by the local population. And one of the few places in our country where there is a functioning canal for rowing slalom. In general, this is probably the most promising place in the Caucasus for the development of kayaking in all its forms, and for tourism in general.”

Interesting facts about North Ossetia from any area can be read on the republic’s portal. A lot of local history books have also been published. detailed description riches of the region and tourist routes are described in detail.

Outside the city of Alagir begins Trans-Caucasus Highway(TransKAM) is one of the main roads connecting Russia with Transcaucasia.

The relief changes dramatically, the valley of the Ardon River literally in a matter of minutes takes on the outlines of a gorge, with high and steep cliffs. About five minutes from the city of Alagir, around one of the turns, a multi-ton statue of St. George (Uastirdzhi), whom Ossetians consider their main saint, is chained directly to the rock hanging over the road. .

A few kilometers from the monument to St. George, next to the road there is a biological resort “Tamisk”, near which there is a unique sulfur lake, fed by a sulfur rivulet and then going into the ground .

From Buron the path lies west to the beautiful Tseyskoye Gorge. Here we turn right and, having crossed the bridge to the left bank of the Ardon, we begin our ascent along the road. At the first turn, on the left, there is a view of the confluence of the Ardona and Tseydon rivers .

The road begins to gain altitude, winding along serpentine roads. After 1 km. from the beginning of the ascent, the scree slopes are replaced by pine forest. In autumn, mushrooms appear under the trees. About the third kilometer from Buron, there is a spring to the right of the road. Here you can stop and relax, watching the magnificent panorama of the gorge and the Tseysky glacier . Moving further along the road, deeper into the gorge, we gradually go around the initial part of the Kalpersky ridge with the peak of the same name.

From the north the gorge is closed by the Tsey Mountains, from the south rise the rocks of the Adai-Khokh spurs (4410 m.). Huge boulders fill the Tseydon valley. Among them, the cold, furious waters of the river rush with a roar. Soon the forest will begin. The forests of Tsey are amazingly beautiful. Mighty pines cover almost the entire gorge. Among the pines rise the dark green crowns of beeches, the light ones of lindens and maples. Light streams of mountain streams gurgle everywhere. The air is surprisingly clean, fresh and filled with the resinous smell of pine needles.

There is a bend in the road on the right that goes into the forest. This road leads to the village of Verkhny Tsey. Now it is sparsely populated, with only a few houses left.

At the ninth kilometer, to the right of the road, a colorful portrait of I.V. Stalin is painted on a huge boulder . The tourist and recreational zone of the Tsey mountain complex begins even higher.

On the left, as you move, through the pine thickets, you can see the Skazsky glacier and the ski slope on its moraine.

The highest accommodation location in Tsey is the famous alpine camp Tsey, which welcomes tourists, climbers and skiers all year round . Above the camps rises a steep wall, the spur of Adaihokh - the “Monk” rock. .

At an altitude of 2000 meters there are chairlift stations .

Tsey cable cars rise to a height of 2500 m above. ur. sea, right above the boiling Tseydon River, to the tongue of the Skaz glacier, descending from the spurs of Adai-Khokh .

There are many glaciers in the Tseysky Gorge, but only two large ones - Skazsky and Tseysky. Tseysky, in turn, in the upper reaches has two branches, Northern and Southern. The Tseysky glacier is considered the second largest after the Karaugomsky glacier in North Ossetia. A total of 29 glaciers have been described in Tsey with total area 15 sq. km., of which 9.5 are on the Tseysky glacier.

Since ancient times, the Tseyskoye Gorge has been considered sacred and reserved among Ossetians. In one of the clearings on the left bank of Tseydon you can walk along a narrow mountain path to an Ossetian pagan sanctuary "Recom" built about 800 years ago . Outside the men's sanctuary there are piles of animal horns, ritual tables and boxes for monetary donations nearby. . Nearby is a smaller pagan women's sanctuary .

Winter Tsei, with its unique originality and grandeur, beautiful pine air attracts thousands of people from all over Russia. Tseyskaya is very good and suitable for both beginners and professionals . The peculiarity of the main route is that it is quite long, but at the same time not very bumpy and steep. Experienced instructors will quickly teach beginners the basics of skiing and snowboarding, and the features of the route will help you quickly gain experience. Fans of extreme skiing tend to ride off the main trail on steep and bumpy slopes. .

75. Ancient village of Lisri in the Mamison Gorge

Alagir Gorge

The Alagir valley

The Alagir Gorge is a huge fortress with a developed system of defensive structures, castles, and watchtowers. This is the only place that Ossetians and their ancestors never left. It was here that, after the terrible disasters caused by the Tatar-Mongol invasions, almost completely destroyed, the descendants of the legendary Os-Bogatar, from whom almost all Ossetian family families descend, began to be reborn.

A reminder that the highlands were once bustling with life are the countless ruins of villages, for example, in the Zaki and Mamison gorges. Time has left no trace of many of them. In the upper reaches of the Alagirsky gorge there are also the so-called “Three Tears of God” - brother-sanctuaries, especially revered by the Ossetian people, erected in hard-to-reach gorges marked by God: Rekom in Tseyskoye, Sidan-Mykalgabyrta in the Sidan gorge (a small branch of the Kassar gorge) and Tarangelos in Mamison .

The Alagir valley is an enormous fortress with developed system of protective shelters, castles and watchtowers. This is the only place which hasn’t ever been left by Ossetins and this is the place, where the descendants of the legendary Os-Bogatar, the forebear of the majority of Ossetin families, reappeared.

Countless ruins of the villages remind us about life, wich used to see the in highland, for example in Zakka and Mamison valleys.

In the upper parts of the Alagir valley you may fi nd socalled “Three tears of God” - the sanctuaries of three brothers highly respected by the Ossetins. Those three sanctuaries (Rekom in Tsey valley, Sidan-Mykalgabyrta in Sidan valley and Tarangelos in Mamison valley) were erected in valleys which had been marked by God and diffi cult of access.

75, 76. Ancient village of Lisri in the Mamison Gorge
77. Transcam
78, 80. Winter in the Alagir Gorge
81. Village of Kholst. In the background - Tsei glacier and Mount Wilpata
82. Mount Kariukhokh massif
83. Holy Ascension Cathedral in Alagir
84, 87. In the village of Arkhon
85, 86. Arkhon Gorge
88-91. Zakka River Valley
92-93. On the slopes of the Mamison Gorge
94, 105. Ursdon-Dagom medieval fortress
95. Villages of Zgil and Kaliat early in the morning
96. Medieval towers of the village of Zgil against the backdrop of Mount Kozykhokh
97. Sculpture of Uastirdzhi at the entrance to the Alagir Gorge
98, 99. Monuments to Kosta Khetagurov in the poet’s homeland in the village of Nar
100. The grave of Kosta Khetagurov’s mother - Maria Gubaeva
102. Watchtower in the village of Donisar
103. One of the towers of the Ursdon-Dagom fortress
104. Snow-capped mountains of the Main Caucasus Range
106. The only wooden church of the Holy Trinity in North Ossetia near the village of Verkhniy Tsei. Built in 1868
107. In the village of Verkhny Tsey
108. River Tseydon and Mount Monk
109. Winter road in the Tseyskoye Gorge
110. Rekom Sanctuary in the Tsey Gorge
111. Women's sanctuary of Mada Mairam
112-113. Sanctuary of Raga Uastirdzhi
114. Tseysky glacier, view from the Rodina pass

76. Ancient village of Lisri in the Mamison Gorge
The ancient village Lisri in the Mamison valley

77. Transcam
Trans-Caucasian highway

78. Winter in the Alagir Gorge
Winter in the Alagir valley

79. Afsati - patron of wild animals
Afsati is the guardian of wild animals

Monument to Uastirdzhi in the Alagir Gorge (North Ossetia, Russia) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

• Tours for May in Russia
• Last minute tours in Russia

Ossetians are quite a religious people; many Muslims and Christians of various denominations live in the republic, among which there are quite a few Orthodox Christians. However, one cannot help but notice the uniqueness of the local religion. It must be said that Orthodoxy here has gone very far from the canon, and, like many ancient ethnic groups, is intertwined with pagan beliefs.

Among Christians of all denominations, Saint George is especially revered, and he is also revered by Ossetians, and he is especially revered, almost on a par with God. In local tradition, St. George the Victorious bears the name Uastirdzhi. He is considered the patron saint of males, travelers, and most importantly, warriors. His image does not strongly coincide with ideas about the appearance of St. George in other Christian countries, where the Great Martyr is depicted riding a horse, slaying a serpent, as a young man and dressed in armor. Here, in Ossetia, images of Uastirdzhi are found everywhere and he looks like a mighty hero with a thick beard, broad shoulders and dressed in traditional attire.

Moreover, Uastirdzhi is often depicted on a winged horse and certainly against the backdrop of mountains. This appearance was formed from pagan beliefs. And after these regions converted to Christianity, he began to be associated with the image of St. George. Perhaps, there are no more common features between Uastirdzhi and St. George the Victorious, except that both were powerful warriors and patronize warriors.

According to the epic, Uastirdzhi was a celestial being who often descended from heaven in order to provide assistance in one matter or another. Often these requests were related to military matters. There are also stories that one day the Narts (mythical heroes from whom, according to legend, the Ossetians originated) rebelled against God, and Ustardzhi took their side.

Among Christians of all denominations, Saint George is especially revered, and he is also revered by Ossetians, and he is especially revered, almost on a par with God. In local tradition, St. George the Victorious bears the name Uastirdzhi.

Uastirdzhi had magical powers, could resurrect the dead and even take on a variety of appearances. According to legends, Uastirdzhi had two wives. Women are forbidden to say his name out loud; they should simply say - the patron of men. Actually, for a monument to such a character there could not have been a better place than the harsh Alagir Gorge.

In addition, this amazing monument, which, by the way, is considered one of the largest equestrian monuments in the world, was erected exactly on the Trans-Caucasian Highway - the road that connects Transcaucasia and Russia. The road either winds through gorges or creeps into tunnels carved out of centuries-old mountain layers. And suddenly, behind one of the bends, a gigantic figure of a horseman is revealed, which literally breaks out of the sheer rock.

Despite its monumental power, the statue seems very dynamic, with a horse stretched out in a jump and Uastirdzhi seated on it. This monument was erected in 1995 according to the design of N.V. Khodov as a gift to North Ossetia. The weight of the sculpture is as much as 28 tons. When this colossus was delivered to the gorge, to the installation site, a helicopter had to be used. After some time, the figure tilted heavily. Threatening to collapse at any moment, the monument was repaired in a timely manner. And one of the main attractions of Alanya pleases the eyes of all tourists and local residents. During the traditional celebration dedicated to Uastyrzhi, which is celebrated throughout the country at the end of November and lasts a whole week, many people traditionally gather at the monument.

Address: Alagir Gorge, Trans-Caucasian Railway.