What is Daryal - to the origins of the wildlife

Georgia is an amazing country. Country of the sun, fine wine, snow-white mountain peaks, Caucasian hospitality and indescribable natural beauties. You can get here by various means - by air, by ferry or by car - through the Darial Gorge.

The riddle of wild beauty

What is Daryal, any resident of this country will say - a place that never ceases to amaze travelers with its wild, but so attractive beauty. It will only be necessary to reach the famous village of Verkhny Lars, which is not only a stopping base with a cozy cafe, comfortable houses and a viewing platform. In addition, Upper Lars borders on the Darial Hydroelectric Power Station, incidentally being the administrative boundary between North Ossetia and Georgia. And for some, the meaning of the word Daryal is associated not only with the gorge, but also with the name of the radar station, we will speak specifically about the gorge rich in veins of diabases, quartz inclusions generously alternating with gray granites.

The first steps to the gorge

Tagaurskaya gorge, "Aleksandrov way", Military-Georgian road, "Gate of the Caucasus" or Daryal - all these are the names of the most beautiful gorge of the Terek river. What does Daryal mean for a common man, they tried to bring to the people such famous poets as Lermontov, Pushkin, Griboyedov. The flat road, now and then diving into the mountain tunnels, the unique architecture of ancient buildings, crossing the path of the shepherds, chasing the herds in the pasture - it seems that the past here is in one step with the present. The main Caucasian ridge, a continuous chain of mountains, reliably closes the road from all sides. This area is known for its abundance of watchtowers, barracks buildings, once a functioning garrison. A special enthusiasm, mixed with a feeling of fear arising from the depths of the soul, evokes in the travelers a rock, "Take, Lord," to venture under which it is not so easy to venture. Hanging by a large rock mass over a narrow passage, the rock seems to collapse at any second. These are the first steps to the Daryal Gorge.

"Devil's" fame of Daryal

The gorge begins immediately after the Ermolovsky stone - a boulder weighing 16 thousand tons, named in honor of the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, General AP Yermolov (according to one version, characterizing the power and steadfastness of this man). What is Daryal? This is heard from afar, the roar of water - echoing flowing majestic Terek echoing.

To get into a raging torrent means that it is unlikely to remain alive. The swings of the stone rapids reach more than 20 meters. And so almost every kilometer. Two centuries ago, for the crossing of the Daryalsky gorge above the Terek, a bridge was built - for this purpose the narrowest section between the gorges was chosen. The name of the bridge is Devil - it's customary to interpret it differently. Initially, the word "devil" was put into the basis, because it was here that the Terek region and Georgia converged on the border. However, the general atmosphere eventually tipped the name in the direction of the Devil's Bridge - the place where the devil himself celebrates the feast. Practical, each of the tourists feels on themselves the tightness of this place - so much that sometimes begins to stop breathing.

On a visit to Queen Tamara

The sight of tourists is the following attraction - a tall, impregnable, narrow tower - the long life of a beautiful, like an angel, queen Tamara.

What is Daryal for an evil and treacherous queen, tells not one chronicle. In short, the poet M.Lermontov told about it, the place where the queen lured the travelers, enjoying their love only one night, and after saying goodbye to them forever, no one left alive from the castle. The castle was destroyed several times, but restored, did not lose that dark aura that seems to have permeated every stone in it, like the blood of innocently killed travelers, lured by the lust of the beautiful Tamara. Daryal - what does it mean for a modern traveler? Daryal is the famous glaciers of Devdorak, known for their pernicious power. The ice floe that had descended in the last century was so great that it completely blocked the furious course of the Terek for several days. Subsequently, the erupted waters washed away most of the Georgian Military Road.

So what is Daryal?

Conceived by many poets, the Daryal canyon is not just part of the road that connects Russia and Georgia. What is Daryal is a unique nature, this is the greatness of the Caucasian ridge. It is a serpentine of a long way, this is every meter, permeated with historical memory, events, experiences and feelings of people.

What is Daryal is part of the famous park of Kazbegi, named after the highest earthly peak - Kazbek. These are numerous tunnels, as well as scary bridges. These are overhanging clumps on one side and precipitous cliffs falling on the abyss on the other. It is 12 kilometers studied not only by modern travelers, but also by caravans of nomads passing along the Silk Road stretching across the gorge. This is a path that can not be forgotten.