Volkonsky dolmen is the only ancient monolithic structure that has survived in the Caucasus, assembled not from slabs, but entirely carved into the rock.
A similar building is located in the Krasnodar Territory, in the suburbs of Tuapse. It is called the Dolmen of Prosperity and is considered the largest ancient structure in the entire region. It is also carved into the rock, but not as a solid monolith, but with a covered stone slab roof.
Unusual building view
Volkonsky dolmen, the photo of which is presented in the article, was created from a single piece of rock. Inside, it was carved through a small outer hole. Scientists date such structures to the 2nd millennium BC. However, there is evidence that this ancient monolith was built between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago.
How could such a dolmen be created in those days with primitive tools? On this score, experts build only guesses. It is this quality of the dolmen that attracts a large number of tourists and vacationers.
There are more than a hundred such buildings in Sochi, but they are all tiled. The Volkonsky structure is the only one of its kind that was created without components.
The building itself is a monument of archeology andis located in the Lazarevsky district, near the village of Volkonka, not far from the Godlikh River.
The purpose of the monolith
According to some scientists-researchers, such buildings served as a kind of sanctuary for ancient people, they carried out special rituals and meditations. The Volkonsky dolmen is no exception. The legend says that it got its name from the name of Princess Volkonskaya, whose estate was located nearby. She loved to spend a lot of time near the dolmen in spiritual contemplation.
Next to the building there is a mineral spring, and a little further along the path the rock “Two Brothers” rises.
Volkonsky dolmen - how to get there?
This ancient place is very easy to get to. You need to go along the Lazarevskoye-Sochi road to the settlement of Soloniki. Then drive another two kilometers, and there will be a parking lot. Here you should leave the vehicle and move along the path towards the sea. After 300-400 meters it will lead just to the dolmen. The path is created in the form of a ladder.
It is forbidden to drive down into the gorge where the ancient structure is located, and the road here is very bad for cars. In addition, a short hike through the forest will only benefit and joy.
The gorge and the dolmen, along with other attractions, are located in the Sochi National Park, the entrance to which is paid.
Volkonsky dolmen: reviews
Judging by the reviews of tourists and people who visited the ancient structure,most of all they are struck by the antiquity of the building and the way in which it was carved from a piece of rock. Some experts believe that it is the only one of its kind not only in Russia, but throughout the world.
The building itself is large: its length is 17 meters, its width is just over 8 meters. The entrance to the dolmen is made in the form of a slab.
Inside - a large shelter, the height of which is 1.5 meters. It will accommodate several people freely.
Volkonsky dolmen-monolith has a flat floor. There is a round funnel at the entrance, presumably to drain water or some other liquid.
The structure of the building is designed to create a strong echo. So, all the words uttered into the hole of the dolmen come back without distortion.
Outside Building Attractions
This sacred place has a special attraction. This is often emphasized by both visitors and residents of Sochi. The Volkonsky dolmen has special holes on top and behind, which are considered to be ritual bowls.
The bowl at the top collects rainwater. Many people believe that it has medicinal properties. However, it is not recommended to drink it. And we will return to this a little later.
What is a dolmen?
Archaeology and physicists, as well as many people outside the official scientific community, are involved in these buildings. Each of them finds something valuable in these ancient buildings. Some say that dolmens are burial chambers, others are sacrificialplaces, the third - rooms for solitary meditations and initiations into various cults. How many people study these ancient structures, so many opinions exist.
Although some statements are probably worth listening to. So, many children near the dolmen begin to have a headache, which has been noticed by many scientists.
Specialists conducting research on the influence of an ancient building on a person’s condition noticed that being near a dolmen for a long time (4 hours) increases the level of platelets in the blood, and this is not good for he alth and affects blood glucose, which is dangerous for suffering from diabetes. At the same time, the pressure rises to the peak of permissible indicators.
Many doctors have come to the conclusion that a long stay at the ancient building greatly affects the nervous system.
Versions of scientists
Specialists believe that most of the anomalies are due to the fact that dolmens are built along the fault lines of the earth's crust, which creates an electromagnetic field that affects both natural processes and human he alth.
So, the Volkonsky dolmen, according to scientists, emits a low-frequency "sound" in the range of 2.8 Hz, which our hearing aid does not perceive.
Also, many studies and experiments have shown that you should not "charge" food and drink in these ancient buildings. A liquid that stays in a dolmen for a day, entering the human body, stimulates the process of cell division, which can lead to oncological diseases.
The secrets of these buildingsa lot of. It is impossible to unravel all of them. The main secret that excites ordinary visitors to dolmens and famous scientists: “How were they built? How were the huge slabs dragged and how were they installed? There is a version that dolmens were cast in parts, as concrete structures are made in our time.
Cost of visit
Entrance to the gorge, where the Volkonsky dolmen is also located, costs 100 rubles.
Children under ten years of age, participants in the Great Patriotic War and military operations, disabled people of the 1st and 2nd groups and other socially protected segments of the population, admission is free.
Expert opinions
Ancient people, including our ancestors, did not have modern construction technologies, but they could build and possessed such an opportunity, masterpieces of architecture that are worth not only a century, but also a millennium. For example, the Egyptian pyramids, the British Stonehenge and, of course, dolmens.
The fact that modern technology cannot repeat the construction of the ancients tells us that ancient people were not so primitive, but possessed such knowledge that their descendants never dreamed of.
Therefore, scientists, researchers and all sorts of specialists only make a helpless gesture when it comes to ancient structures. The only thing that scholars agree on is that almost all such buildings that have survived to this day were intended for religious rituals and ceremonies.
Legends of the Volkonsky Gorge
With dolmenThere is a beautiful story that is told to tourists by guides. One rich and noble young man fell in love with a poor but beautiful girl. The elder brother of the young man, having learned about this, forbade him to marry her. The lover then exclaimed that it would be better to turn into stone than to live without his beloved, and immediately the gods fulfilled his request. The elder, seeing this, repented and asked heaven for the same fate that befell his brother. So two rocks appeared in the gorge, called "Two Brothers". And the girl could not exist without her lover and was transformed into the purest stream that flows nearby.
Here is such a beautiful legend explaining the toponymy of this marvelous and mysterious place.
Conclusion
Volkonsky dolmen is not only a monument of archeology, but also of history. Many lovers of "places of power", alternatives and ordinary tourists come here to touch the thousand-year antiquity, visit the beautiful place called the Volkonsky Gorge and enjoy the amazing view and the cleanest air.
Those who see in the domain not just a historical structure of the Stone or Bronze Age, but a sacred ritual place, should keep in mind that it is extremely dangerous to conduct experiments on one's psyche without proper preparation and necessary knowledge. Just as already mentioned, none of the products should be “charged”. Indeed, apart from the definition that a dolmen is a “place of power”, no one really knows what rituals were performed here, maybe they also brought some kind of sacrifices.
But in any case, everyone who comes to this ancient place feels somethen solemnity, mystery and great antiquity. After all, this is our history, which we must know and respect. Moreover, there is strong evidence that our ancestors did not “get off the trees” when the first Europeans came to them, but, on the contrary, they already possessed ancient and megalithic structures, knowledge and a highly developed culture. And the described dolmen is an example of this.
