Unknown hieroglyphs on the bricks of the ancient citadel. In the 90-ies on the right Bank of the Tsimlyansk reservoir was unexpectedly revealed a series of structures built of massive white stones...

Subsequently, here, in the area between Zemlyanska and stanitsa Khoroshevsky, local residents began to find human bones, skulls. Actually, that's it, by chance, and was given impetus excavations conducted in 99-th year don archaeologist Paul Lenkom, which was found... the third on this patch of land, the medieval settlement.

Unambiguous name Nakhodka no, some archaeologists call her Sarkel-3, others by name nearest beams Consequently settlement. But it's not in the title. "Eaten" by the sea still not really studied the settlement only threw the wood in the fire mysteries: why were built this fortress? Buried there Khazar treasure? I wanted to say to the authors of the characters stamped on the part of the bricks of which is composed of the fortress of Sarkel? Considerations in this respect with the "AIF-on-don" was shared by several Volgodonsky researchers keen Sarkel.

Gold scooped excavator...

As suggested by the archeologists, the first in the local regions, tentatively in the year 800, was built beautiful white stone fortress, now called the right-Bank Tsimlyanskiy settlement. And later, in 834 837 years, on the opposite Bank of the don arose second, more izvestnoe, Gorodishche - Sarkel (translated from Hazar - "white hotel", "the white house"). But here historians waiting for the first question without answer: why right-Bank settlement, built with the utmost care, lasted only... 30 to 40 years? Yes, it has survived the invasion of nomads, but why not subsequently was populated again? Yes, and here we run into the second puzzle: during the attack at the settlement were exterminated only women and children. If we accept the version of some archaeologists that treacherous enemies could find some extra time when all men for some reason was away from the fortress, the question arises: why then they do not have returned to their homes?

- One time discussed the version that the fortress suffered from lack of water. As she stood on the high Bank - more than 40 metres above the Don! Supposedly water to a height will not natykaetsya, so the settlement and abandoned, " says researcher Anatoly Chalykh. - But hardly medieval builders were so short-sighted... I Recently explored the nearby mountain and noticed that it... grow the rushes. Studied it. It turned out she has karst formations - emptiness that during the melting of snow accumulates water. As a result, in neighbouring fortress beam there are signs of spring, so that drinking water has not been in the settlement of the problem.

And another (third) Enigma - the treasures.

- It is known that Sarkel, and the right-Bank settlement had not only a defensive one, " explains Anatoly Chalykh. Fortress, stood on the Great silk road, and even in the place where he was joined some of roads. And don just did there bend and was shallow. In the historical sources say that there through don crossed caravans, which consisted of one thousand and more Laden animals! The fortress was guarding the way, but was charged with passing duty. Later there evolved trade, crafts... there is no doubt of money in the fortresses were sea, " says A. Chalykh. "But where did they go?!

Recently there was a supposition, that in the 30-ies of the NKVD still found in the area of Sarkel, in the place, now flooded Tsimlyanskiy sea, Khazar treasure. A family of local residents store memory: the values were so many that they scooped excavator...

In 2002, exploring, though not Sarkel and Khazar mounds are located on the Kuban, went missing and still not found a Russian archaeologist Alexander Semenov. According to rumors, he went on the trail of "black diggers", who offered scientist to buy from them for the Hermitage 900 gold and silver solid - coins that were in circulation in the Khazar Khaganate. Allegedly, in order not to miss the moment, the scientist even was decided to spend for these purposes money put aside for them to purchase apartments. But when you try repurchase treasure disappeared...
Over the Bay - "saucer-like object"
Mystery number 4 - unusual forms, square, measuring 20 by 20 cm, hot pink bricks, of which laid Sarkel.

"They really like the bricks in our traditional understanding, " he said, showing me one of Kirpichi, Director of Center of youth tourism and local history "Piligrim" Valery Platonov.

Practical value of bricks back in the 18th century appreciated Cossacks, disassemble Sarkel. And were sold Kirpichny much more expensive than those that were made in those days. Due to their remarkable resilience. Even now this kirpichno shelved for 12 centuries already! can be put under the truck, and she will bear the weight. Moreover volgodonskyi enthusiasts have been looking for a pit where could be extracted clay is going on modeling miracle of bricks. So far unsuccessfully. Still, there are a great secret is another feature of bricks - some of them are caused intricate and very different from each other characters (see the photo - fragment of the wall).

- Recently one of the public academies in Moscow for the first time, an attempt was made to decrypt it, " says A. Chalykh.

But in scientific circles it took skeptical. For example: one of the drawings in the Academy deciphered: "Today we were drinking wine, wine is fine"... But in General, scientists have so far been limited by the systematization of drawings.

And finally, one more mystery of Sarkel: just over three medieval settlements of the local people often see... UFO: "In August 2007, many saw in Volgodonsk, on "Komsomolets"movie theatre, a kind of metallic color thing. At first she was hanging motionless, and then it exploded with great speed and disappeared for a few seconds"; "Several times in the New city (district of Volgodonsk), over the Bay, saw a saucer-like object that hung 2 hours, and then disappeared. Seen and I". Such confessions on a meeting with UFOs on Internet forums Volgodonsk in recent years a lot..

- Particularly sensational really was the appearance of a strange object on "Komsomolets" movie theatre is something hung low over the earth at about 7 o'clock in the evening, " says known in Volgodonsk journalist Ludmila Sycheva. And whenever in the sky above the city have something called UFOs, it comes from the Bay, from the flooded by Simleu of Sarkel. And fly away in the opposite direction...

Fiction? How to know...

Sarkel - disaster zone

Pavel Larenok, head of the archeological expedition of the Rostov regional branch Vserossiiskogo society of protection of monuments of history and culture:

- For me the worst thing is that complex prizemleniya settlements, which is the object of cultural heritage of Federal importance, today the disaster zone. Tsimlyanskoe reservoir is now actively destroys its right Bank, monuments are on the verge of extinction. As for the Sarkel-3, all of what we have unearthed 9 years ago - this is no longer there, it has gone into the sea, there collapsed corner tower with a very interesting aqueduct. The way out is to annually conduct protective archaeological work, at least to dig, to photograph, to security what is. But this is impossible because of the lack of money...

And the most interesting in this complex for me what I saw in the 19th century archaeologist Sizov. It is the remains of the towers, erected in the fields, outside the fortresses and defending them. Since the fields were cultivated under vineyards, from the towers, almost nothing was left was only the debris blocks somewhere stick out of the ground. But these towers allows to say that the entire complex was a (unique in Russia) defensive system, the most powerful fortification site! And because our assumption: Sarkel was as much as the summer capital of the Khazar Kaganate. If its winter rate was a city on the Volga - ITIL, is still not found.