Tsarev Kurgan (Samara): myths and reality

2023 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 19:35

There are various myths and legends about the emergence of many cities in our country, and Samara is no exception. Tsarev Kurgan (how to get there, you will learn a little later) is a mountain on the left side of the Volga River, which has acquired many folk legends. At its foot is the Volzhsky settlement and the Sok River flows. It would seem that quite recently Mount Tsarev Kurgan (Samara), whose height did not exceed 80 meters, lost its upper part, since during the construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station it was used as a building stone deposit.

Khan's grave

For the first time Tsarev Kurgan (Samara) is mentioned in the book of 1634. The overseas ambassador of the Duke Adam Olearius, traveling along the Volga region, heard a legend, which he put on paper. It says that once Prince Mamaon was buried under the barrow. He and 7 other kings went up the Volga to conquer Russia, but fate decreed otherwise: here the prince died and was buried. According to legend, the mountain was formed from the earth brought by the soldiers, and Mamaon had a myriad of them. Based on this legend,the name of the mound is interpreted as the place where the king was buried.

However, this version of the origin of the mountain is more like a historical anecdote. In fact, the mound has an absolutely natural origin. And this is confirmed by the existing quarry at the top, where limestone was mined.

Stenka Razin's treasure

According to another legend, the origin of the mound is associated with the Don Cossack Stepan Razin. There is an opinion that on the mountain there was his refuge, and on the slope of the mound he buried two buckets filled with gold. Only those who can get to it without disturbing the charmed iron scrap lying on top will be able to get the treasure.

Tsarev Kurgan (Samara) - the work of Tamerlane

Locals can tell another version of the belief associated with the emergence of the Tsar's barrow at the very base of the Sokol'i mountains. According to this legend, he appeared before the Battle of Kondurcha, which took place in 1391. The battle began between the greatest Turkic commander and conqueror Tamerlane and the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. Shortly before the decisive battle, the Samarkand emir ordered each warrior to bring one stone to the place where the mountain is today.

Shard of a mountain range

Legends are just a subject of folk fantasy. Tsarev Kurgan was not created by man at all, it was Mother Nature who did her best. Geologists have long ago managed to establish that the mountain is the remaining fragment of the once existing single mountainZhiguli massif, separated by the waters of the Volga - one of the largest rivers on Earth. This rock, formed by rocks of the Carboniferous system, is an original piece that has survived erosion. The mineral composition and nature of the organic remains of the mound is identical to the Sokol'im and Zhiguli mountain ranges. Its only difference is the reverse slope of the seams.

The layers of the Carboniferous system were formed approximately 300 million years ago. They indicate that the rocks from which Tsarev Kurgan was formed, however, like the Zhiguli Mountains, used to be the bottom of a deep sea. Here you can see mountain layers with the remains of invertebrates that no longer exist today - bryozoans, sea lilies and urchins, as well as mollusks and brachiopods. All this undeniably points to the ancient age of the local geological outcrops.

It would seem that people should take care of such a unique creation of nature. However, today not everyone knows that in the middle of the last century, due to a rash decision by the authorities, the mound lost its top. After the construction of the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station, its height was almost halved. This is how the mountain lost its former glory.

Even in the days of the Soviet Union, various options were proposed for the restoration of Mount Tsarev Kurgan. To this day, Samara has not been able to boast of this unique natural monument with a recreated appearance.

Christ Nativity Church

At the foot of the mountain is the Church of the Nativity. You will certainly notice it if you plan to see Tsarev Kurgan. Samara alwaysI am glad to tourists, and they can get here both by road and by air. Near the mound passes the route Samara - Togliatti, where all the vehicles moving from the western direction get. The road leading to Kurumoch airport also passes by the mountain.

The construction of the Church of the Nativity was completed in 1833, the project was developed by the architect MP Korinfsky. Funds for the construction of the church were allocated by the widow of the former Minister of Justice Dmitry Vasilyevich Dashkov. It was here that the estate of a famous noble family was located. The Church of the Nativity is an architectural monument of Russian classicism. The church is decorated on all sides with four-column porticos with pediments, making the building look more solemn and expressive. This decision is related to the characteristics of the area. The temple, surrounded by a natural landscape, is viewed from all sides, appearing at the entrance to the village in front of visitors from different angles.

The rector of the temple, Archpriest Vladimir Nazarov, does not exclude that the construction of the church in Tsarevshchina is connected with Emperor Alexander I. There is a story that says that in fact Alexander Pavlovich did not die in Taganrog in 1825, but was hiding in Siberia, calling himself Elder Fyodor Kuzmich, who was later canonized by the Orthodox Church in the guise of a locally venerated saint. According to one of the St. Petersburg researchers, the temple was built by order of the emperor - in this way he decided to atone for his sins.

Tsarev Kurgan LLC

Samara is known not only as a city overgrown with legends and myths, but also as a place with a lot of good raw materials. Oil, gas, oil shale, sand, dolomite, limestone, chalk and clay, sulfur, and flask are mined in the center of the Volga economic region. To date, there is a trading company of the same name with the landmark of the city, which is the largest organization in the city. The company is located on Chekistov street, house 140 (Samara). "Tsarev Kurgan" sells natural stone from a warehouse. As a rule, the material is used for landscape design, decoration of buildings and interiors, as well as ennoblement of adjacent territories.