What is Tau Ceti? Tau Ceti has a system of planets, one of which may have life.
The Gobi Desert holds many secrets. According to legend, it contains the gate to the magical country of Agartha, ruled by the king of the world. The rare daredevils who went here returned alive. That is why the path to the mysterious underground kingdom is lined with the bones of the dead. At night, strange beasts of the desert come out to hunt - and the gates of Agartha open, revealing the spirits of darkness and evil demons.
According to an old Mongolian legend, once in the Gobi Desert, now almost deserted, there was a blooming oasis and the kingdom of Xi-Xia. Numerous Chinese troops once besieged its capital, but were unable to take it by storm. Then they blocked the river that supplied the city with water and diverted it to the side. The inhabitants were thirsty, and they dug a deep well, but never got to the water. Anticipating inevitable death, their leader Khara-Jiang buried the entire treasury in a dry well and cast a spell over this place. And then he killed his family and led the warriors into the last battle.
After the death of the city's defenders, the Chinese plundered it. They tried to find treasures, but instead they dug up two huge snakes with red and green scales. In superstitious fear, the occupiers fled, and the destroyed city was swallowed up by the desert sands. These events would have remained a legend if scientists had not found ancient manuscripts in the Tangut language in Altai.
In 1720, the envoy of Peter I, Major I.M. Likharev founded the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress on the banks of the Irtysh River. About 70 kilometers away, a Cossack patrol found Ablainkit, a fortified complex of a Buddhist monastery, protected from enemies by powerful walls. For unknown reasons, the inhabitants left it, but did not destroy or take anything with them. The temple sanctuary was filled with statues of idols, and numerous handwritten scrolls were kept in a huge cabinet with drawers. On a black or blue background, some of them were crowded with gold and silver letters of an unknown alphabet. Several such manuscripts were delivered to Peter I, who handed them over to the Paris Academy of Sciences. Thus, for the first time, the attention of scientists was drawn to writings from Central Asia.
Without understanding the text, French scientists nevertheless compiled a translation. In truth, it was an outright “fake”, which was discovered by the Russian academician, the first Moscow archivist Gerhard Miller. In July 1734, he personally visited the unique temple of Ablainkita and described its premises in detail. And also amazing drawings, plot compositions, images of multi-headed and multi-armed male figures, naked female bodies... I also admired two miniature smelting furnaces. Perhaps with their help in the old days gold, silver or bronze figurines of Buddhist deities were made. These were the ones that usually stood in the yurts of nomads opposite the entrance.
Miller took some of the manuscripts, wooden tables with carved letters and mysterious frescoes on boards to Moscow for more careful study. Later it became clear: the texts of the manuscripts were written in the Tangut language. The question immediately arose - what kind of people are these Tanguts?
...Their state arose in the 10th century in the Gobi Desert, the climate in which at that time was much milder than now. The city of Khara-Khoto (in Tangut - Idzin-ai), located in the valley of the Etsing-gola River, was captured by Genghis Khan in 1227, but did not set it on fire and plunder. Almost two centuries later, in 1405, a Chinese army entered this flourishing oasis. Having broken the resistance of the inhabitants, it destroyed the local irrigation systems, which was tantamount to the destruction of the city. And he died. He was forgotten for several centuries.
In December 1907, General Pyotr Kozlov, a participant in the famous expeditions of Nikolai Przhevalsky, led a caravan through the spurs of the Mongolian Altai, along the Alashan desert to Lake Kukuno, sacred to many Asian peoples. He knew about the Tangut manuscripts from Ablainkit and about the dead city of Khara-Khoto. A strong wind carried sand mixed with snow. Clothes did not protect the hikers from the cold. Kozlov expected to get to the Gobi Desert in the spring. And so it happened. In March, the caravan was already crossing ridges of dunes and dry river beds, stopping briefly at rarely seen wells. The wind brought in almost unbearable heat. Dust creaked in my teeth and filled my mouth and ears. It gave travelers a sore throat and inflamed eyes. The expedition lost its way several times: the desert did not want to reveal its secrets.
But finally, traces of ancient irrigation systems appeared, and Buddhist stupas began to come across - monumental and religious buildings for storing relics. Soon, walls with protruding towers and domed buildings loomed above the sea of sand. The horsemen rode into a lifeless city. Having set up camp, they began to explore the fortress. There was a gap in one of the walls through which a horseman could easily pass. Wasn't it mentioned in folk legend?
In ancient times, many caravan roads converged near Khara-Khoto, and life was in full swing here. Excavations confirmed this.
The travelers were delighted with the finds: silk paintings, scraps of ancient manuscripts and books, coins, fragments of statues made of beautifully polished rock crystal. There were even bundles of ancient, probably the world's first, paper money with hieroglyphs and red seals. General Kozlov sent a report to the capital about everything he saw and about the numerous finds. He hoped that the Russian Geographical Society would allow him to change the expedition plan.
Of course, it was necessary to stay here, because the excavations in the ancient city were very superficial. However, such permission was not forthcoming, and the caravan moved on.
The researchers walked through the Alashan desert for twenty-five days. It was hot during the day, and so cold at night that the water in the kettle froze. The Alashan ridge is a series of uplifted cliffs, followed by shifting sands. The sun heated them up to 70 degrees, and their legs burned even through the soles of their boots.
In August 1908, the caravan reached Lake Kukunor. Kozlov walked away from the camp and, lost in thought, sat on the shore for a long time. It was here that Nikolai Przhevalsky’s camp stood thirty-five years ago. As then, the waves of the lake splashed and the surf roared monotonously. A letter from St. Petersburg caught up with the expedition in the Guide oasis: “Don’t spare any effort, time, or money for further excavations of Khara-Khoto.” The head of the expedition was pleased, but it was not worth returning to the Gobi Desert in winter, and Kozlov headed to the northeastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau, to the mysterious country of Amdo. There, the expedition members had to fight off armed attacks from local tribes and sleep without letting go of their weapons. Many times their lives hung in the balance, and the travelers happily left this unkind country to return to Khara-Khoto and continue excavations there.
The real treasure was discovered in one of the suburgans, away from the fortress, on the bank of a dry river. There were many books, manuscripts, almost three hundred picturesque images on canvas, silk and paper, skillfully woven tapestries, bronze and gilded figurines of deities with unusually expressive faces, coins, silver and gold jewelry, various utensils... The dry climate of the desert preserved all these priceless for the history of the treasure. Work was interrupted only in the heat of the day, when one could get burned on the stones, and unexpected whirlwinds raised clouds of dust.
There were so many finds that it was not possible to take them all with us. Kozlov hid some of the treasures, hoping to take it back another time. Having packed the rest into boxes, the caravan headed to Russia.
...Petr Kozlov managed to get to Khara-Khoto again only in 1926, and upon arriving at the place, he did not find the things he had hidden the last time. Apparently, the spirits of the desert changed their minds about giving them away. But the collection taken out on the first expedition turned out to be so large that its research took many years. There were almost two thousand books and manuscripts alone! Experts in ancient writing, Mongol scholars, archaeologists and numismatists have worked for years to study the collection. Kozlov's findings made it possible to draw many important conclusions and decipher mysterious texts. As it turned out, the ancient Mongol legend about the forgotten kingdom of Xi-Xia was based on very real facts of the history of Central Asia.
The many secrets of the Gobi Desert. The Gobi is one of the world's greatest deserts. It stretches in a huge arc over 1,600 kilometers - from Northern China to South-Eastern Mongolia, covering an area of 1.3 million square kilometers. The desert areas of the Gobi, as is commonly believed, have remained virtually unchanged and waterless for 65 million years.
Since ancient times, the little-explored areas of the Gobi have been inhabited in stories by unknown monsters, evil demons, unprecedented treasures and treasures. One of the first descriptions of the Gobi Desert was given by Marco Polo: “And the desert, I tell you, is Great: in a whole year, they say, you cannot walk along it. There are mountains, sands, and valleys everywhere; and no food anywhere. There are no birds or animals here, because there is nothing for them to eat there. But there is this miracle: you are driving through the desert at night, and someone happens to lag behind his comrades, as that person begins to catch up with his friends, he hears the speaking of spirits, and it seems to him that his comrades are calling him by name, and often the spirits lead him to the place from where he can’t get out, so he dies there. And here’s another thing: even during the day, people hear the voices of spirits and it often seems as if you hear many instruments being played, like a drum.” There are many secrets associated with the Gobi Desert. They say that the Olgoi-Khorkhoi lives in its most deserted sandy areas. This is a meter-long earthworm of a dark red color. It appears on the surface only in the hottest months. Local population experiences mystical horror in front of the Olga-Khorkhoi, because he is supposedly capable of killing at a distance, either by spitting out deadly poison, or by striking the victim with an electric discharge. Expeditions were repeatedly sent to search for Olgoy-Khorkhoy. In 1954, American scientists worked in Inner Mongolia. They drove out of the village of Seishand in two Land Rovers and... disappeared without a trace. At the request of the US government, Mongolian authorities organized a search. The missing were found in one of the hard-to-reach areas of the Gobi. Both cars turned out to be in good working order. Six corpses lay nearby. Since they were exposed to the sun for a long time, the exact cause of death of the expedition members could not be determined. It is assumed that they became victims of the Olgoi-Khorkhoi. In 1946-1949, the famous Soviet writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov visited the Gobi Desert three times. He collected many local beliefs related to the killer worm. In one of his stories, he wrote: “Apparently, in fact, in the Gobi Desert there lives a strange creature still unknown to science. Possibly a relic of an ancient, extinct population of the Earth.” In the 1990s, two Czech expeditions visited the Gobi in an attempt to discover the elusive Olgoy-Khorkhoy. They failed to catch the giant worm. But they collected numerous evidence of the reality of its existence.
Archaeologists have made a number of strange discoveries in the Gobi. Thus, in 1995, several skulls, undoubtedly belonging to people, were discovered on the border of China and Mongolia. What made them original was that they all had... horns! Almost immediately, two assumptions appeared: either these horns were skillfully implanted into a person and we are talking about ancient hunting magic, or this was precisely the innate structure of the heads of one of the species of ancient people. It took more than one month of research to draw a more or less definite conclusion about the origin of this miracle. It turned out that in ancient times there really were horned people. Strange finds were hidden somewhere in museum storerooms, and the final conclusions were not announced. This is often done when discoveries disrupt established scientific patterns.
In 1999, English paleontologists in the area of the Mongolian town of Uulakh found the fossilized remains of a gigantic humanoid creature in a rock 45 million years old. His skull, in a number of ways, indicates a close relationship with the first apes, who lived 6-8 million years ago. Other anthropological features make it possible to associate the find with Homo sapiens. The structural features of the skull indicate that this creature was somewhat intelligent and could speak. The skeletal structure of this humanoid is close to that of a human. It’s just that the hands are disproportionately large. The height of this creature is completely atypical for humans and primates - about 15 meters! American paleontologists were skeptical about the find. The journal Nature suggested that the find in Uulakh is a fake. But Dr. Thone from Great Britain reasoned differently: “Perhaps we are not dealing with a human race that died out millions of years ago, but with something else that is not characteristic of our nature.” This creature seems to have evolved outside the laws of our evolution. With this statement, he greatly pleased ufologists. In the Tsagaan-Bogd-Uul mountain range lives the Gobi bear (mazalay) - a relict animal that became the prototype of the mysterious hairy people - Almas, “ snow people" Currently, the species of these animals, and maybe humans, is not clear; it is believed that this is a unique population of brown bears living in the desert. According to the Mongols, in the desert mountains of Tsagaan-Bogdo there are upright, hairy creatures 1.2-1.3 meters tall. The first travelers to see the living “almas” E.M. Murzaev and his companion, botanist A.A. Yunnatov in 1943, describe it as a small animal, smaller than a brown forest bear, with dark brown fur, running quickly and deftly, and very cautious. “The legend added that the Gobi bear perfectly understands human speech, lives in inaccessible rocks, where it has comfortable dwellings, it does not show itself to humans and walks on its hind legs. Superstitious nomads explained these qualities of the Gobi bear as follows: Gobi bears are some kind of hairy people, they can speak and live in caves, where rarely anyone can see them. Thus was born the legend about the hairy Gobi people - Almas” (From the diaries of E.M. Murzaev). The legend of the White Island says: “It was at a time when gardens bloomed and water splashed on the site of the modern Shamo (Gobi) desert, and the continents looked different, and the north was in a different place. A highly developed civilization existed here. After many catastrophic changes on earth, shortly before the last catastrophe that destroyed all life, the “High Gobi Civilization” founded a center of Immortals and a repository of knowledge for the chosen ones - a “time capsule” - in artificial system caves on the White Island, in an area now known as the Gobi Desert. Subsequently, these direct heirs of the “solar dynasty” became the progenitors of all people living in the present era.” Keepers of knowledge of the White Island after a global catastrophe that completely changed the world, long time remained in complete isolation and alone, fighting for the survival and preservation of humanity on the planet. Information about the White Island is found in different sources. They speak of the existence in ancient times, on the site of the modern Gobi Desert, of an inland sea, on one of the islands of which, incomparable in its beauty, at the end of the Atlantean civilization, after the Great Flood, the chosen representatives of this mysterious vanished civilization were saved, who later gave rise to a new Race. According to legend, this island still exists today, like an oasis in the deserted and silent Gobi Desert. In the extensive literature devoted to the secrets of a disappeared civilization that existed before the beginning of the official chronicle of humanity, there is also a story about the resettlement of some of the saved people to Egypt, to the territory of modern Mexico and Peru, and to the center of Asia, to the territory of the modern Gobi Desert. According to these ancient myths, the master race was placed in a secret abode in the center of the Asian continent to control the development of mankind. According to modern researchers of the ancient tradition, Shveta-dvipa - “White Island”, was one of the four continents surrounding the polar mountain Meru. Its polar location is stated in the ancient texts of the Mahabharata: “In the north of the Sea of Milk there is the luminous Shveta-dvipa. This island is an abode of radiance." From an analysis of the content, scientists concluded that the text most likely talks about the aurora. The polar version of the location of the White Island is also confirmed by the text found in 1919 of the Slavic “Book of Veles”, carved on beech tablets by Novgorod priests in the 9th century, telling about the exodus of the Aryans in the 5th millennium BC. from the north to the southern regions. In ancient Russian records, everything that related to the snow-covered expanses of the Arctic Ocean, which itself was often called Milky in chronicles, had a “milky hue” in it. This toponymy, which is constantly encountered in ancient texts, gave reason to believe that we're talking about about the northern territories: “The settlers live in the depths of the Okiyan-sea, a place called Belovodye, and there are many lakes and seventy islands. The islands are 600 miles apart and there are mountains between them. And their passage was from Zosima and Savvatiy of Solovetsky by ships through the Sea of Ledos.”
The High Gobi civilization is most often mentioned in theosophical works. They speak of the existence in ancient times of an inland sea on the site of the modern Gobi Desert, on the White Island of which selected representatives of a mysterious vanished civilization escaped. It was the only colony of surviving people on Earth (the community of sages), which gave rise to our civilization. Despite the discrepancy in the location of the White Island in various sources, in one case it is the North Sea in the Arctic (Arctic Ocean), and in the other, the Inland Sea north of Tibet on the site of the modern Gobi Desert, all sources equally point to the White Island as the only sacred the ancestral home of the ancient Aryans - the ancestors of all humanity. Blavatsky's location of Shambhala in the Gobi Desert is not surprising, while the Mongols, including the Buryats in Siberia, and the Kalmyks in the Volga region, were strong followers of Tibetan Buddhism, especially one of its teachings, the Kalachakra. For centuries, the Mongols believed that Mongolia was the northern country of Shambhala, and Blavatsky was no doubt familiar with the beliefs of the Buryats and Kalmyks in Russia. Geological research by modern scientists has also proven that the Gobi Desert is the bottom of an ancient sea. Comprehensive Research joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the MPR 1967–1977. made it possible to restore the paleolandscape that preceded the formation of the Gobi Desert. The study of the Gobi part of Mongolia has convincingly proven the widespread development in this region of vast inland reservoirs surrounded by coniferous taiga in the period 70–40 million years ago. Some of the reservoirs had quite large depths and brackish waters. The climate at that time was moderately humid and warm. Numerous aquatic fossils indicate strong flooding of the southern depressions of Mongolia, which disappeared about 40 million years ago. An attempt to determine the time of the possible existence of the White Island ended with the compilation of an expanded chronological table, in which, along with recognized scientific data, controversial data from theosophists and historians were also included. The so-called North Sea, a large inland body of water in Central Asia, disappeared due to the uplift of the entire territory 40–41 million years ago, much earlier than the appearance of humans. The most ancient material evidence of human existence in this territory dates back to 2–2.5 million years ago, the first traces of settled settlements date back to 3 thousand years BC. These scientifically established dates rightfully cast great doubt on the theosophical chronology of mankind and their assertion of the existence of a prosperous colony of sages in the center of the Gobi during the Neolithic period 10 thousand years BC. or even earlier. Theosophists have their own ideas about the evolution of mankind, different from those accepted in world science, the main source of which is the sacred ancient Indian Vedas. According to their teaching, life cycle humanity is divided into seven root races, and the emergence of physical humanity dates back to a period of 18 million years ago. Over time, according to ancient Tibetan legends, the ordained teachers were divided into two communities, which chose different ways further development. The legend tells: these communities became the basis of two different kingdoms - the earthly kingdom of Shambhala, the center of power, the city of violence, over which the King of Fear rules; and the underground country of Agharti, wisely ruled by the King of the World, who “knows all the hidden springs of the universe, he secretly controls the behavior of eight hundred million people on earth, all of them do his will.” In the mythology of Mongolian Buddhists, Agharti is the hidden mystical center of the Earth, containing the legacy of the “solar dynasty”, the ancestors and legislators of people living in the present era. Ancient initiates live in a mysterious underground country, secretly guiding the course of world events. In myths, the underground country, a system of caves and tunnels, is located somewhere in the Gobi or in the Kun-Lun Mountains. In myths about Shambhala there is often a story about long underground passages, often ending with a stone door, “never opened by anyone.” N. Roerich: “Behind the stone door in the cave are hidden secrets for the future, but the deadlines have not yet come to them... Mongolian guides talk a lot about underground passages. Look in the sandy hills for the entrance to secret dungeons.” According to the prophecies of the American clairvoyant Evans Casey, “in the Gobi country, on the land of modern Mongolia, a city with a Golden Temple is to be excavated, where a female figurine made of pure gold and objects made of an alloy of iron and copper, which has not been used by people since then, will be found.” Evans Case's prophecy has not yet come true and inspires treasure hunters. Archaeological excavations have confirmed the existence on the territory of modern Mongolia in 2 thousand BC. large center for the production of copper and bronze, and the ancient gold objects found are distinguished by their filigree workmanship and exquisite gold patterns as thick as a human hair. In the mountains of the Altai Gobi, according to the stories of travelers, a tribe of “tall people with long hair” lives in isolation. These people differ in appearance from the Mongols; they have elongated faces; to eyewitnesses they most reminded the Indians. They rarely descend from the mountains into the valleys of lakes and avoid any contact. There is no exact information about this tribe. According to unconfirmed information, the location of this tribe, the Bayan Tsagan Uul (White Mountain) mountain range with a height of 3452 m, coincides with the description of the location of the White Island. In the same area, numerous evidence of human habitation 700 thousand years ago was found, and zones were identified that seem to scientists to be key to solving the problem of the initial human development of the central regions of Asia. Blavatsky writes about the existence of Gobi caves with tunnels over 100 km long. The longest currently known cave in the Gobi has a total length of passages of 607 meters. The Gobi caves, due to their remoteness from roads and inaccessibility, still remain poorly studied. These caves, located in the “forbidden territory associated with Shambhala-Agarti,” are of particular interest. The dry climate of the Gobi contributes to the long-term preservation of rock paintings and things in caves. The search and study of caves in the desert regions of Mongolia seems promising. So, during our expeditions in the southern Gobi we came across mysterious caves several times. In one of the caves in a fairly remote area from the settlements, we discovered scrolls petrified by time with clearly visible written symbols on the outer turn of the scroll. In 2001, the Irkutsk “Gobi Expedition” found in a cave (N 44°25ў50? E 099°19ў20?) a large number of clay pyramids with text inside. The floor of the cave was completely covered with a pile of artificial tetrahedral pyramids made of clay. At the base, the pyramid measures 10 by 10 cm and a height of 7 cm, with bottom side Each pyramid contains a small roll of parchment with the Tibetan text of the prayer “Om mane padme hum.” On the side edges there are images of Buddha and a pattern of Buddhist symbols. On the floor of the cave there were about a hundred clay pyramids; in the depths of the cave they lay on top of each other in several layers, so it was impossible to count their number. Judging by the layer of dust and white coating on some of them, they have been lying here for quite a long time. Who and why they were left here remains a mystery to us. Perhaps there is something else under them - a burial place or a continuation of the passage. But nowhere in the literature is there any mention of this type of burial. It took a lot of consultation to get closer to explaining these investments. According to scientists from the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, similar “Tsatsa” pyramids, symbolizing the world Mount Meru, were laid during the years of repression by Buddhist lamas in secluded places to ward off trouble from Buddhist teachings. The nine points at the base perhaps symbolize the nine Buddhist jewels. For a favorable outcome, it was necessary to make 100,000 pyramids, just as a believer must make 100,000 prostrations in his life. full height. Subsequently, we came across fragments of similar pyramids - “tsatsa” in the ruins of a suborgan in the Ongii-Khiid monastery. But the pyramids from Ongii-Khiid had a round base, were smaller in size and did not contain attachments with written parchments.
Another most significant large cave with ancient drawings is known in the Mongolian Altai in the mountains at an altitude of 1690 m. This cave (N 47°20ў825? E 91°57ў339?) is located 33 km from the Mankhan soum. The earliest petroglyphs in the country were discovered in the cave. The length of the passages is 220 m. The cave is of a landslide type and has two branches. Several niches formed in the large cave, which could have served as a dwelling for humans in ancient times. This is evidenced by numerous drawings left on the walls and arches of these niches. Distinguished by their high artistic quality, they arouse great interest among researchers - historians and archaeologists. Detailed description rock paintings in 1966 were made by a Mongolian-Soviet historical and cultural expedition led by the Russian archaeologist Professor A.P. Okladnikova. The drawings are made with dark red paint. Researchers identify 14 compositional groups, among which there are images of birds similar to ostriches and elephants, never seen anywhere else in drawings in Mongolia. Academician A.P. Okladnikov considers these drawings to be the oldest artistic monument of Central Asia currently known, and dates their age to the Upper Paleolithic era. All the drawings in the cave are located to the left of the entrance in small dry niches ending in meanders (ancient water drains). The drawings are located on the walls and ceiling. If the image of a mammoth with characteristic curved tusks and “temee” (camel) does not cause controversy, then other drawings provide the opportunity to express various hypotheses. Among them is the animal “toihoo” with a long neck, like a dinosaur (chicken or, according to another version, ostrich). "Ened Buga Bayna" (deer) with a very long curling tail, like a dragon. According to a number of researchers, this is an image of a deer with branched antlers. But, in our opinion, with such a degree of probability, this drawing may also be an image of the mythical dragon Lo-Lo; its long, clearly legible tail is difficult to correlate with the horns of the wapiti. There is no consensus among researchers on the identity of these drawings with certain animals. It is clear that if mammoths, ostriches and dragons lived in this area, it was at the dawn of human life. The “temee hun” (camel man) design is especially mysterious. A primitive image of the outline of the upper torso of a man with a disproportionately large head is drawn with dark red paint. The contours of two breasts are clearly visible on the body. Researchers do not know any analogues of such images among the rock art of ancient people. Presumably this is an image of a relict hominid - “Bigfoot”. Images of people on ancient petroglyphs are not so common; as a rule, researchers always note the presence of a person in the drawings next to animals. It is characteristic that local residents associate this drawing with ideas about almas. The age of these drawings dates back to the Upper Paleolithic era (15-20 thousand years ago).
Hidden from prying eyes by the sands of the Gobi Desert, in its southern part, lies the dead city of Khara-Khoto. Legends, rumors, and speculation have worried more than one generation of Russian researchers. And so, at the dawn of the 20th century, in 1907, Pyotr Kozlov organized the first scientific expedition to the mysterious city. In November of the same year they left for Mongolia. It must be said that the Chinese administration tried by any means to prevent researchers from accessing the ancient ruins.
But still, Kozlov was lucky enough to come to an agreement with the leader of the local Torgout-Beile tribe, and in March 1908, an expedition led by a guide named Bata reached the ruins of the dead city. Khara-Khoto greeted the scientists with a high fortress wall. The fence formed a square along the perimeter. Almost all the walls, with the exception of the western one, were covered with sand to the very top. Archaeologists have begun excavations. Almost immediately, in the first days of research, the most valuable items were found: women's jewelry, money, books, household belongings. First of all, all the finds were transported to St. Petersburg to determine the age and historical era of the dead city. The answer did not take long to arrive. Khara-Khoto was the main city of the Tanguts - the Si-Xia people, a Buddhist religion.
Scientists paid special attention to the mausoleum (suburgan) located at a distance from the main city. “Famous,” as he later received the name, gave the world a huge library of books (about 2000 volumes), manuscripts, scrolls, Buddhist iconography, and wooden figurines. Thanks to the dry desert climate, all the finds were perfectly preserved.
The unusual writing of the Tanguts could remain a mystery, but the researchers were lucky: a dictionary of the language of the Si-Xia people was discovered. Reading books found by Kozlov and looking at objects of art and everyday life, N.K. Roerich said: “If such tribes lived in deserts, then how far these places were from savagery.” The documents found are varied in content. There are books of fortune-telling and teachings of Genghis Khan, medicinal collections and religious views.
But the most interesting thing that still attracts adventurers to Khara-Khoto is the ancient legend about countless treasures. Briefly, it says: a certain warrior Khara-jian-jun, the last one who owned the city, decided, with the help of his invincible army, to take the throne from the Chinese emperor. It is clear that the ruler of China did not like this very much and a large detachment was sent against him. Having lost several battles, the warrior took refuge in Khara-Khoto, which was besieged by the emperor’s troops. They were unable to take the city by storm, so they decided to leave the besieged without water, for which purpose they diverted the Entsin-Gol River from the city. Dying of thirst, the besieged began to dig a well, but they did not find water even at 300 meters. And the batyr decided on the last battle, and used the well for all his wealth, of which he had 80 carts and carts, about 30 pounds each of silver, gold and other valuables. Having killed his children so that the enemy would not abuse them if he failed, breaking a hole in the wall, he rushed into the last battle, where he disappeared along with his army. Chinese troops plundered the city, but found no wealth. They say the treasure is still there to this day. Many tried to master them, but all failed. And the last time, treasure hunters dug up, instead of riches, two large snakes with green and red scales. Thus was born the legend of the enchanted treasures. True, some found gold and silver bars and figurines. And many years ago, one old woman found several strings of pearls.
Scientists, unlike unlucky treasure hunters, found their treasures. Written monuments from Khara-Khoto date back to the time of Mongol rule, before 1368. The mystery of the dead city has been solved.
An ancient Mongolian legend tells that a long time ago in the Gobi Desert there was a blooming oasis of the kingdom of Xi-Xia. One day, thousands of Chinese troops tried to storm his capital. When the operation failed, they deprived the residents of the unsurrendered city of water by turning the river bed to the side. The townspeople, tormented by thirst, tried to get it by digging a deep well, but found no water.
Then their leader Khara-Jiang buried the entire treasury in this dry well, ordered the killing of women and children, and led the remaining warriors to the last battle with the enemy. Then the Chinese, plundering the city, actively searched for treasures, but came across only two huge snakes with green and red scales. The frightened invaders fled from them, and the city was swept away by the desert sands. And that would have been the end of it if ancient manuscripts in the Tangut language had not been found in Altai.
In 1720, 70 kilometers from the Ust-Kamenogorsk fortress, the envoy of Peter I, Major I.M. Likharev found a Buddhist monastery, protected from enemies by powerful walls. There were no inhabitants there, but the sanctuary remained untouched. There were statues of idols everywhere, and in a large vault there were numerous handwritten scrolls with gold and silver letters of an unknown alphabet. Several scrolls were delivered to Peter I, who sent them for study to the Paris Academy of Sciences.
French scientists did not understand anything, but nevertheless they compiled a “false” translation. The forgery was discovered by the first Moscow archivist, Russian academician Gerhard Miller. In July 1734, he personally saw and described the premises, images, plot compositions, multi-headed and multi-armed Buddhist deities of the unique Ablainkita temple. Miller took some manuscripts and mysterious frescoes and letters on boards to Moscow for more thorough research. Later it turned out that the language of the manuscripts was Tangut. But what kind of people are the Tanguts?
In the 10th century, this state arose in the Gobi Desert. In 1227, one of its flourishing oases, Khara-Khoto, was captured by Genghis Khan. But for some reason he didn’t rob and burn it. And in 1405, a huge Chinese army attacked this city and destroyed it to the ground. They forgot about him for several centuries.
In 1907, General Pyotr Kozlov, a participant in the famous expeditions of Nikolai Przhevalsky, led a caravan through the spurs of the Mongolian Altai, along the Alashan desert to Lake Kukunar, sacred to many Asian peoples. He was aware of both the Tangut manuscripts and the dead city of Khara-Khoto. The path was not very easy. The expedition lost its way several times. The caravan arrived in the Gobi Desert, which did not want to reveal its secrets, in the spring, with the onset of unbearable heat. The travelers' dust creaked in their teeth and filled their mouths and ears. This made my throat sore and my eyes become inflamed.
And finally, in the distance, the ruins of ancient irrigation systems and Buddhist religious stupas for storing relics appeared. And then, among the sandy sea, the walls of buildings with domes and towers arose. The travelers entered a mysterious uninhabited city.
Once upon a time, life was in full swing in Khara-Khoto; multiple caravan roads converged here. The excavations carried out confirmed all this. Scientists have discovered amazing things: fragments of rock crystal statues, coins, silk paintings, scraps of ancient manuscripts and books, ancient paper money with hieroglyphs and seals.
General Kozlov reported everything that he saw and found in Khara-Khoto to the capital. He hoped to stay longer to continue searching for the relics. But Russian Geographical Society did not give him permission to change the route of the expedition, and the caravan moved on.
In the Guyde oasis, Kozlov’s expedition was overtaken by a letter from St. Petersburg: “Don’t spare any effort, time, or money for further excavations of Khara-Khoto.” But returning to the Gobi Desert in winter was too dangerous. Therefore, the scientists headed to the northeastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau, to the mysterious country of Amdo. There they more than once, risking their lives, had to repel armed attacks by local tribes in order to soon return to Khara-Khoto and continue excavations.
Not far from the fortress, on the banks of a dry river, they discovered a priceless treasure: a huge number of manuscripts, images on canvas, silk and paper, woven tapestries, coins, bronze and gilded figurines of deities, jewelry made of gold and silver, all kinds of utensils... Treasures priceless for history are carefully cared for preserved the dry climate of the Gobi Desert.
They worked almost continuously. Taking everything found to Russia with us turned out to be beyond our means. Therefore, Kozlov hid the rest, hoping to pick it up another time. Peter Kozlov was able to return to Khara-Khoto only in 1926, but did not find the treasures he had hidden. Probably the spirits of the desert changed their minds about giving them away.
But the study of what was managed to be taken out on the first expedition took many years. Experts in ancient writing, Mongol scholars, archaeologists and numismatists worked for years to study two thousand manuscripts. Many mysterious texts have been deciphered and told the world amazing details about the ancient forgotten Mongol kingdom of Xi-Xia.
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Historical site Bagheera - secrets of history, mysteries of the universe. Mysteries of great empires and ancient civilizations, the fate of disappeared treasures and biographies of people who changed the world, secrets of special services. The history of wars, mysteries of battles and battles, reconnaissance operations of the past and present. World traditions, modern life Russia, the mysteries of the USSR, the main directions of culture and other related topics - everything that official history is silent about.
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