The village is picturesque but has a deadly name, hiding a secret that makes visitors want to falter
Away from the urban dust, everyone wants to find the quiet countryside with green fields, fresh air, silence and peace. However, not every picturesque place is a place everyone wants to stop. For example, the strange village called Dargavs in the southwest of Vladikavkaz, the capital of the Russian Republic of North Ossetia.
Dargavs has a peaceful green beauty just like a fairy, but it has secrets that make visitors get goosebumps.
By page Atlas Obscura, to reach this mystical place, it takes visitors 3 hours to drive from the city of Vladikavkaz. The road leading to the village is deserted, winding, difficult to follow and seems suitable for a journey to Russia’s most macabre site. The place people often call “City of Dead” (City of Dead).
The highlight of the village of Dargavs is not the cool green color of the long grass fields, but an ancient cemetery, the final resting place of about 10,000 people from the past – the 14th-18th centuries. They are buried underneath 99 graves of different sizes.
According to people who have ventured to this deadly city, there are bodies that are very well preserved, the skin still attached to the bones.
Goosebumps legend about the strange village
The Dargavs village is full of anecdotes and rumors. Locals used to believe that anyone who went deep into the ancient cemetery would not be able to come back normally and unharmed.
Local legend has it that in the 18th century, a plague swept through Ossetia. The clans have built isolation houses for family members with infected people. They were provided with food but were not allowed to move freely until death struck.
For those who no longer have relatives to take care of burial, they are forced to “lay down to die” in the cemetery. It was a very slow and painful road to the afterlife. After that, they stay forever in the “City of the Dead”.
Another story is that a cholera epidemic devastated the village, prompting residents to decide to evacuate to other places. They went down to the plains, making this place gradually deserted.
Special Graves
The people of Ossetia say this ancient cemetery helps them understand how people lived 400 years ago. Archaeologists are also very interested in exploring the site more completely, as interesting items have been found. They attract the attention of scientists.
All those who rest in this grave are buried with their possessions. Because, the ancient Ossetians believed that the afterlife was at the end of the impregnable rivers that flowed through the Dargavs.
Historians say each crypt had a well in front. It plays an important role when signaling whether a loved one has arrived in the next world. If they throw a coin into the well and hit the stone when it hits the bottom. That is supposed to be a good sign.
From the outside the tombs look like small houses. Each house has a small doorway big enough to put the coffin inside.
In each tomb there is also a small square entrance. Previously, it was sealed with special wooden panels. The entrance was so small that an adult could hardly get through.
From the outside, you can still see human skulls, bones and mummies buried 600-700 years ago. Even their clothes and some household items are still left.
Although the road leading to the village of Dargavs is quite dangerous, but because of the strange ancient cemetery, this place still attracts tourists from all over the world.
Some say that it’s the local superstition that worries visitors. However, there are still many people who overcome their fear to move on.
Some people even pick up dead people’s bones to make “memorial” and this makes local people feel disgruntled.
In 2018, a Moscow-based film company was forced to abandon all plans to shoot a low-budget horror film in the village of Dargavs. A local leader firmly refused to let the film crew come to shoot.
In an interview with the BBC, historian Ludmila Gaboeva said the “city of death” had become an attraction for people from all over the world who wanted more than just a look at the medieval architecture. but also fascinated by the natural beauty here.
Source: Atlasobscura
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