The Shuan “city of the dead”, located in the Dzheirakh-Assinsky reserve of Ingushetia, is located in the mountains, west of the Shoan tower complex. The other day the reserve employees went there for an inspection.
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There are more than 200 underground and semi-subterranean collective crypts with remains dating from the late Middle Ages.
The scale of the “city of the dead” of Shuang (Mohde) is truly impressive: it is the largest necropolis in the region, made up of more than 200 underground and semi-subterranean collective crypts with remains dating back to the late Middle Ages.
Burials may be completely submerged in the ground or visible from the outside thanks to low stone pillars and mounds. Some have a dome and others, completely hidden underground, only have a hole. Others are underground chambers with a stepped, gabled roof that partially protrudes above the ground.
Crypts are rectangular in shape, while burial chambers are usually equipped with stone or wooden shelves, small niches and stone chests that may be built into the side walls. There are also hiding places in the walls.
Some tombs contain several chambers and levels with special beds for the deceased.
Since the end of the 19th century, this necropolis has been actively studied by researchers. Numerous finds have been discovered, including clay jugs with Georgian inscriptions and coins of the Golden Horde. The results of the research date the cemetery to the second half of the 13th-15th centuries.
However, only 77 crypt tombs are officially included in the state register. “Work continues to include these objects in the unified state register of cultural heritage sites of Russia,” the reserve reports.
