The “Chests” Mountain Range is one of the most mysterious places in Khakassia
Mountain range "The Chests"
The “Chests” (Sunduki) is an open-air museum located in the valley of the Bely Iyus River in the Republic of Khakassia. It is a ridge of several detached outlier butte mountains. Some of them are up to 200 m high. The place got its name because of the cubic shape of the butte rock outlier on the First “Chest”. However, the ancient Khakassian name of this mountain is "Khizil Khaya", which means "Red Rock".
The multifunctional complex of antiquity occupies an area of 2100 hectares and consists of burial grounds, ancient rock paintings and special structures, with the help of which ancient astronomers observed celestial bodies and kept records of calendar cycles.
The territory of The “Chests” reserve
In appearance, The “Chests” resemble sand dunes. On the one hand, they are gentle, on the other - steep with bare rocks. The rock bed is at an angle of almost 45⁰. Their history goes back over 370 million years. And according to scientists, the tract was actively used by people for 30-40 thousand years.
There are about twenty elevations in the mountain range. There are nine the most famous of them, and only five have been studied. They are assigned with serial numbers. The first “Chest” is the most interesting and significant in the chain. When viewed from above, it has a horseshoe shape with depression inside. And at the highest point, there is a natural outlier butte rock, not completely destroyed by winds and precipitation.
According to the archaeologist V.E. Larichev from Novosibirsk, the first “Chest”, like the other hills in the valley between the White and the Black Iyus rivers, is the oldest astronomical observatory in Asia, that age is about 16 thousand years. According to the scientist, everything here is prepared for observing the sky (stones, holes and openings in the rocks, oriented to the points of sunrise and sunset of celestal bodies on the days of the equinox and solstice).
During the period of the Tagar culture (VIII-III centuries BC) an artificial hole was made in the cube on the first “Chest”, through which the sun's rays penetrated only on the winter solstice. It was a sign of the change of the year, important for the economic and ritual activities of people. There is even a place called the "shaman's chair" or "priest's throne", from where the cyclical movements of celestial bodies were observed.
Then the ancient stone-ground walls made of rows of horizontally and vertically laid stone slabs on the first hill were also discovered. There are two versions of the origin of the shaft. The first version is that they are the remains of a defensive structure; the second is that they are the ruins of a sanctuary where ceremonies and communication with spirits were held.
And on the rocky slopes of the Fourth “Chest”, the unique drawings have been preserved that keep a secret meaning. One of them is the famous rock with petroglyphs called "Skier", which has only a fragment of a series of petroglyphs, volumetric in content, telling about the mythology of that time. The ancient images are about 4000 years old.
The most famous drawing is located on the slope of Mount Solban -"White Horse". It is at least 16,000 years old, according to other sources - from 18 to 32 thousand years. The petroglyph was made by cleaving limestone salts. This is the only such image in Russia, the similar can be seen in France.
In front of the southernmost tract, the Fifth “Chest”, there is a group of burial grounds. And it is a prominent part of the oldest observatory, too. It is here that the "Temple of Time" is located with a petroglyph sundial in the form of a dragon divided into six parts. Until noon the shadow moves from left to right, going through one division for about an hour. At noon, the central point is fully illuminated, and then the shadow from the wall slides in the opposite direction.
There are many stone pyramids on the territory of "The Chests" reserve. They were built in special places and only after permission of a shaman; they were built to pray to the mountain gods to fulfil desires. It is believed that everything conceived on The “Chests” will definitely come true since the desire immediately goes into space. There are also dark places where stones absorbed the energy of fear and death of the sacrifices that once took place there.
There are also other miracles - straight-line irrigation canals dug from two to five thousand years ago. The incredible acoustics is also really striking. The words spoken at the top are clearly audible below, although the distance is about 200 - 300 m. The miracle can be explained by the layout of the slope, which creates a kind of acoustic corridor for sound. “The Chests” open-air Museum was officially founded in 2011 on the territory of the sight. In addition to archaeological and natural monuments, it has a complex of yurts and a souvenir shop.
History and legends
According to local legends, the mountain range was once guarded by the hero Khokho-Babai, who became famous for his exploits. Having become rich, he lost his sight and asked the mountain spirits to restore his health. In return, the hero promised to give up his wealth, but having received what he wanted, he did not keep his word. The angry gods of the mountains turned him into a bird of prey, which flies over its treasures even today. And the locals call the First “Chest” as “Mount Khokho-Babai”.
The “Chests” have always been considered a place of power and one of the most mysterious and mystical places in Khakassia. In ancient times, only initiates could get there. But even today, the valley does not let everyone through; it can send bad weather or other inexplicable incidents. You have to go there only with pure thoughts.
It is believed that the path to the mountains will be successful if the ritual of goodwill is performed before the road. A ribbon or piece of cloth must be tied to the sacrificial tree to appease the spirits. Some seek the help of a shaman. He conducts a ceremony of glorifying the gods of the three worlds, Pravi, Yavi, Navi and makes an offering to them through fire.
How to get there
If you go by car from Abakan, then you need to move along the Yenisei / P257 highway through Chernogorsk to the Shira village. And then towards the Black Lake, guided by the signs. After the bridge over the river Bely Iyus, turn right. A gravel road starts right from the highway. The distance from the capital of Khakassia to the “Chests” is 205 km, and the surrounding landscape consists of steppes, mountains and forests.
The car can be parked free of charge next to souvenir stalls and boardwalk houses for tourists, where you can spend the night. There is also the opportunity to eat, drink and buy ribbons for mountain spirits. Then you need to hike on foot to the “Chests”.
If you go from Krasnoyarsk, then you need to go along P257 through Divnogorsk and P412 through Balakhta, then through Uchum and Kopyevo to the village of Iyus. The distance from the last settlement to the sights is only 5 km. You can also get to the village by railway transport. To the station "Iyus" trains run in the direction: Moscow-Abakan and Abakan-Moscow.
"Chests" on map
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