Dolmens of North Caucasus

The age of dolmens is 4-5 thousand years. The purpose of building of these stone structures in the Caucasus is still disputed by scientists. Most of them believe that the dolmens are a religious burial constructions. Others say that some of the dolmens could be used as sanctuaries to perform some ceremonies. One way or another, these sanctuaries, built of rough stone slabs, were constructed according to certain rules. They are usually located on the flat site on the vertice or on the sunny slope of the ridge. The vast majority of dolmens are faced down the sunny slope. Part of the dolmens is decorated inside with carved ornaments. The most famous dolmens on the territory of Adygea are located around the Kizinka khutor (farm). Here were found about 600 dolmens, most of which were destroyed. The most famous preserved dolmen in Adygea is Guzeripl dolmen, one the dolmens of so called Khodzhokh group, its age is not less than 5 thousand years at a conservative estimate. The most famous dolmens on the territory of Krasnodar region are located in seven districts. Unfortunately, most of them have been pillaged by local residents as construction material. But some are well preserved, for example, a group of dolmens near Gelendzhik, in the valley of Zhane river.

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