Tsarskiy Kurgan description and photo - Crimea: Kerch (Topic)

Tsarskiy kurgan description and photo - Crimea: Kerch. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

The Tsarsky Kurgan is an extraordinarily attractive tourist destination, but a little eerie place. Anyone who does not know where it is located can walk quite calmly without noticing it. The Tsarsky Kurgan is an unremarkable hill overgrown with grass, its height is 18 meters, and its diameter reaches 80 meters. It is located near the city of Kerch, not far from the Adzhimushkay quarries. This mound is included in the Kerch State Reserve.

It was built by the Scythians at the end of the fourth century BC. When the Tsarskoye Kurgan was excavated, no burial was found inside the crypt. One of the versions that was considered was that by the beginning of the excavation the crypt had already been ravaged and plundered. It is believed that here was buried the Bosporan king of the Sportokid dynasty - Leukon I, who lived in 389 - 349 BC. During the reign of Leukon I, the Bosporus achieved economic growth, power, and prosperity. But, according to another version, this burial did not take place for unknown reasons.

The architecture on the Tsarskoe Kurgan is unique. These are limestone blocks stacked on top of each other, and without the use of any binding bonding mortar, they simply adhere tightly to each other. This implies very careful handling of the limestone blocks and adjustments before laying. It has a 36 meter long corridor (dromos) and, of course, a burial chamber.

A corridor was built in an unusual way, creating a kind of illusion: if you look towards the burial chamber, then the entrance to it seems to be closer, but if you are near it and look at the street, it seems that the exit is very far away. This effect was achieved due to the unequal width of the corridor walls, and it was achieved during construction. After all, it was believed that the soul of the buried person would enter here easily, but in order to get out, it would have to follow a more difficult path. In some places, carved inscriptions and images can be discerned on the masonry.

The walls of the almost square burial chamber are lined with 10 rows of masonry. In the 5th row, they smoothly merge into a tapering dome. The height of the chamber is about 9 meters. The Greek architect believed that the soul of the buried person, when lifted up, will be cleansed with each narrowing, and then, already completely refined, will be able to seep through the wall into eternity.

At the entrance we are greeted by stone blocks,

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Topic: Tsarskiy Kurgan description and photo - Crimea: Kerch.