Kudar Gorge

The Jojora River (a tributary of the Rioni ) flows through the Kudar Gorge, originating in the upper part of the gorge. The gorge is connected with the territory of North Ossetia by the Kudarsky pass , through which the Dzuarikau-Tskhinval gas pipeline passes. However, there is no automobile communication through the pass.

In the Kudar Gorge there are many large and small villages, some of them are already abandoned or do not have a permanent population.

Settlements

Downstream of the Jojora River ( Stirdon ):

• Quaisa (Quaisa)
• Years ¹
• Katzmazt ¹
• Keuselt ( Kevselt )
• Tamajin ¹
• Clean ^{1 [2]}
• Ikotikau ¹
• Cobet ^[3]
• Moreh ¹
• Styrmasyg
• Sadzhilzaz
• Nanitikau ( Nanita )
• Albortikau
• Tebloytikau ( Tebloytikau )
• Vesour ¹
• Lesor
• Dargarduz
• Bzita
• Masiguat
• Ambush
• Chasaval (Fazikau)
• Fasrag ¹
• Ahsargin ( Ahsargina )
• Sheuban ( Uireutsala )
• Shambul ( Bestautikau )
• Hardisar
• Leaton ¹
• Myrtgagin

Downstream of the Gramula River (left tributary of Jojora ):

• Sintbadan ¹
• Zamtareth ( Bagatikau )
• Nogkau
• Arashenda ( Jusoitikau ) ²
• Kasaggin
• Shuatsala ( Nartihtikau )

In the headwaters of Quirila ^[4] :

• Hugata
• Bietta
• Tson ^{[2] [5]}
• Dodtotikau
• Magkotikau
• Hampalgom
• Zadikau ¹

In the valley of the Quedrula River ( Cozidon ) ^[6] :

• Upper goat
• Medium goats
• Lower goat

Note:

¹ former villages

² destroyed by an avalanche in 1932

Five karst caves of Kudaro (I, II, III, IV, V), discovered in 1955 and explored in 1956–61, are located on the right bank of the middle course of Jojora on Mount Chasaval-Khokh . Soviet archaeologist V.P. Lyubin ^[7] . In the lower cultural layers of Kudaro I and III caves, the remains of a settlement of ancient Paleolithic hunters of the Acheulean culture were discovered. Above the Acheulean layers lay layers of later eras: the Mousterian, Mesolithic, Bronze, and Middle Ages ^[8] .

After the final defeat at the end of the XIV century, the ancestors of the Ossetians - the Caucasian Alans by the forces of Tamerlane and the subsequent separation of their remains in the mountains of the Central Caucasus on both its slopes, several mountain societies of Alan-Ossetians formed, which were a confederation of Ossetian lands. Such a structure of the territory of Ossetia persisted until its accession to the Russian Empire . During this period, the population of the Kudar Gorge and the neighboring Koz Valley constituted the Kudar Society , which in some documents was also called Chasavalsky . It bordered from the south and east with the Dzausk (Java) society, in the north with the Tual community, and in the west with the Rachin Georgians ^[9] .

Here is how Johann Blaramberg described the Kudar Gorge in the 19th century: ^[10]

The inhabitants of this region, called by the Russians “Kudar”, occupy the spacious valley of Dzhozhory, or Leti, from its source to the village of Chasoval, or Kudaro. The soil in this district is fertile, wheat, barley, oats and corn are grown here. There are a lot of cattle and sheep.

The slopes of the mountains between the villages of Sagilzas and Kevshelt are covered with thickets, among which there is a lot of timber forest. Settlements are scattered along Jojora and its tributaries. Stone houses with towers. Here are the main settlements of the Kudar people: Leta, Kevshelt, Dzhachunari, Tamachila, Kista, Abo, Kobiot, Sagilzas, Nakrepa, Korecheti, Nadarbazevi, Guliant, Lezora, Mazugat, Fasoval ^[11] .

On one of the right tributaries of Leti, between Abo and Sagilzas, is the village of Didi Boya, and on the other, to the left of Jojora, the villages of Sikhpadan and Zamtareti ^[12] .

The kudars are very restless and rebel at every opportunity. In 1830, during the expedition of General Rannenkampf to Ossetia, they received all the refugees from Keshelty, who, being persecuted by the Russians, found refuge only in this area.

According to the name of the gorge, one of the ethnographic groups | Ossetians, historically living in the Kudarsky gorge, is called Kudars .

One of the South Ossetian folk songs, “Kuydargom” ( mp3 ), is dedicated to the Kudar Gorge ( mp3 ):

• Kudartsy

Bibliography

• Ostaty A. Tsardivn (uatsau). - Tskhinval, 1988 (Osset.)
• Lyubin V.P. , Parking site of homo erectus in Kudaro Cave 1. Central Caucasus 2004.

Reference cards

• Tsutsiev A.A., Tskhovrebova Z.D. North and South Ossetia: from the past to the present. All villages of the North and South. - Vladikavkaz, 2000

• Kudar Gorge in Wikimapia