Dargavs, the City of the Dead
Dargavs is located at the Dargavskaya Hollow in North Ossetia-Alania. Dargavskaya Hollow is protected from clouds and winds by mountains which create a special dry microclimate. The basin of the hollow is mostly flat, which is a rarity among mountain gorges. Dargavs village was inhabited since the Bronze Age, and was one of the main centers of the formation of the Tagaurian society, who belong to the upper class of East Ossetia. The relocation of the residents began after the founding of the neighboring city of Mozdok. In 1830, during the uprising in Ossetia, many of Dargavs’ residents were killed and many towers destroyed. Currently, there is no permanent population, which has led the village to be known as the ‘City of the Dead’. The city’s tombs are divided into three types: the ones that are located above the ground where the roof is a pyramid made from rectangular slate slabs; another type includes topped gable ceilings; the third, the most unassuming burials, are half-underground and are built in a rectangular shape from roughly processed stone slabs.