Wolf Khan won two golden crowns. Where to look for the famous golden horses of Batu Khan. So that you choke on your bones out of envy

Ancient legends about treasures that mysteriously disappeared for many centuries excite the imagination of archaeologists and adventurers - treasure hunters who still do not lose hope of finding the legendary treasures. They are not embarrassed by the fact that it is quite likely that these are just beautiful fairy tales that have nothing to do with real history. However, the legendary treasures of the Golden Horde, although similar to a fairy tale, still have documentary evidence

In the chronicles there are references to luxurious golden horses located at the entrance to the capital of the horde, but their disappearance has no documentary evidence - only legends that pass from century to century and lead to searches for disappeared treasures.

According to ancient legends, the khan dreamed of eclipsing the greatness of other rulers and amaze everyone with the luxury of the capital of the horde. When his beloved white Arabian horse died, Batu ordered to immortalize him in gold. By the way, Batu, imitating the famous grandfather Genghis Khan, took this white horse with him on all military campaigns, but did not ride it himself. It was believed that the god of war, Sulde himself, was invisibly riding on a handsome horse, so different from the short Mongolian horses.

The bell-making horse was cast by a master who was captured in Kyiv. History has not preserved his name. The chronicles only mention that 15 tons of gold were used to make the horse. But Batu decided that two identical equestrian statues on the sides of the gate would look better. The master made a second golden horse, an exact copy of the first. Golden horses with ruby eyes were placed at the main gate of the barn - bata. Batu's golden horses witnessed the rise and fall of a powerful empire.

The statues amazed the imagination of everyone who saw them. This is what the ambassador of the French King Louis Saint, Willem Rubruck, wrote about this in his report: “From afar, we saw a sparkle at the gate and decided that a fire had started in the city. As we got closer, we realized that it was two golden statues of horses shining in the rays of the rising sun. life-size. How much gold was used for this miracle and how rich was the khan? I asked myself these questions at that moment.”

After the death of Batu, the horse statues, by order of Berke Khan, were moved to the new capital, and their disappearance is associated with the period of the collapse of the powerful empire. According to legend, the khan was buried under the fortress wall of the capital, and one of the golden horses was placed in his grave. However, there are many versions about the true grave of Mamai, and it is not known for certain where the khan was buried, and whether he could have been given such honor. It is likely that the golden horse was buried in the grave of another khan.

It is interesting that in most legends only one horse appears, the disappearance of which is associated with the name Mamaia, and the question arises: what fate befell the second horse? In the Trans-Volga Cossack villages, there is a legend about the theft of a golden horse from a barn-berke by a Cossack detachment, which captured the city for a couple of hours, but was forced to retreat, daring to seize the capital’s golden sufferer. The Horde organized a pursuit, and leaving with a heavy convoy was unrealistic. The Cossacks died in a battle with enemies, but before that they managed to hide the statue. The only question that remains is: where could the golden horse have disappeared to? It would have taken a lot of time to bury it in the steppe, so it is likely that the statue was drowned in the nearest river.

Formerly a symbol of power, Batu’s golden horses disappeared without a trace, and the location of these treasures is hidden in the darkness of centuries. Archaeologists and treasure hunters are focusing on the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions of Russia as possible places where these treasures may be buried. Did they really exist or are they just beautiful legends? One of the many mysteries of history, to which no answer has yet been found.

High mountain in the city center. For all 26 centuries, it gave shelter to many peoples inhabiting the Kerch Peninsula. The dramas of the Greeks, Scythians, Turks, Russians and many others were played out here. Of course, we couldn’t do without legends about fabulous treasures. The most intriguing, perhaps, can be considered the legend of the golden horse of Mithridates.
At the time when Panticapaeum was the capital of the Bosporan kingdom, it was ruled by the great king Mithridates Eupator. Under his auspices, Panticapaeum reached unprecedented heights; all of Tauris (modern Crimea) submitted to him. The king had his own talisman - a full-length statue of a horse made of pure gold. He always carried his horse with him; the bright shine of gold could be seen from afar. Mithridates became so confident in his abilities after successive victories that he risked challenging the Roman Empire. The Roman legionaries clashed with the soldiers of Mithridates. The forces of two powerful troops were equal. Unexpectedly for the king, his son Pharnaces went over to the side of the Romans. Pharnaces seduced many warriors with gold, promising to divide the famous golden horse Mithridates between them.
The king's spirit broke when he learned about his son's betrayal. Now he did not hope to become the ruler of the world; the days of the great Bosporan kingdom were ending. Mithridates hid behind the high walls of the acropolis; he decided to leave the world by drinking poison, but the king deceived himself. He was so afraid of betrayal that from adolescence he took a drop of poison and became invulnerable to the poison. Then Mithridates turned to his faithful servant, so that he would pierce him with a sword. Mithridates died at the hands of a slave, and the mountain swallowed up the golden horse. Many “lucky” people have since tried to look for the statue in the mountain, but no one has been lucky.
This is one version of the legend. There are many of them, they differ, sometimes in details, sometimes it seems that this is a completely different story. According to one version, not just one horse was golden, but an entire chariot with four horses. And the famous merchant Mesaksudi found her, quickly and fabulously getting rich. Another version tells that in the depths of the mountain a girl keeps a magic herb that turns everything into gold. Even respected scientists expressed their assumptions about the interpretation of legends. It was suggested that the treasure became a golden horse in people's mouths. In fact, Mithridates could well have had a cache where he kept the treasury of Panticapaeum.
The legend and scientists agree on only one thing - there was a treasure somewhere, or there still is. The gray slopes of Mount Mithridates store many treasures in their depths and gradually give them to humanity. And it doesn’t matter in what form the treasures are stored - in the form of a beautiful statue of a golden horse, a handful of silver coins or copper fragments of the life of the ancient Bosporans - the main thing is that they are there.

THE GOLDEN HORSES OF KHAN BATYA are legendary treasures, the exact location of which is still unknown. The history of the horses is something like this: After Batu Khan ravaged Ryazan and Kyiv, he returned to the lower reaches of the Volga and, with the help of skilled craftsmen gathered in the countries subject to and conquered him (among whom were Russians), he built here, to the surprise of all neighboring peoples, in the middle of the steppes. the capital Saray is a beautiful city with palaces, mosques, running water, fountains and shady gardens. Batu ordered that all the tribute collected for the year be turned into gold, and two horses be cast from this gold. The order was carried out exactly, but until now people’s rumors differ on the question of whether those horses were hollow or completely golden. Cast shiny horses with glowing ruby eyes were placed at the entrance to the capital of the Golden Horde Khanate at the city gates. Khans changed, but the golden statues were still the personification of the power of the state.

When the capital was moved to the new Sarai (near the present village of Tsarev, Volgograd region), built by Khan Berke, the golden horses were also transported. When Mamai became khan, the previous prosperity of the khanate came to an end. Russian troops defeated Mamai's army on the Kulikovo field, and Mamai was forced to flee...

The fate of the golden horses is not reliably known. Legends say that one horse was buried along with Mamai’s body; the exact location of the grave is unknown. They say that somewhere on one of the hills near Akhtuba. In all the numerous versions of retellings of this legend (which are told by old people in Leninsk, the former Prishib, Kharaboly, Sasykolye, Cherny Yar, Selitrenny and other villages in the Volga region), only one golden horse appears (and Mamai guards it). But where is the other one?

As the old people in the Trans-Volga Cossack villages (which are near the Astrakhan road) used to say, pursuing the retreating Horde troops, the Cossack patrols became so bold that they began to penetrate in small groups deep into the territory of the Horde, which was shrinking every day. One such detachment, taking advantage of the panic in the enemy camp, broke straight into the capital Sarai. And, as the Cossack Alekseevich once said, this detachment captured the city for several hours. . Now it is difficult to say whether the golden horses were the real target of the raid or whether they accidentally caught the eye of the Cossacks. In any case, planning such a daring action in advance is pointless - stealing heavy statues, which are the pride of the khan and the entire nation, is tantamount to suicide. However, a daring Cossack patrol broke off the base of one of the golden horses and turned back. The overloaded man moved very slowly, so the Horde had time to come to their senses and organize a pursuit. Sensing something was wrong, the Cossacks turned around and accepted an unequal battle. Those who were catching up were hundreds of times more numerous than those who were catching up, so the outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion: all the Cossacks died, no one surrendered, and many times more Horde horsemen died. But despite the losses they suffered, the Horde never regained their golden horse.

Golden horse of Genghis Khan

Author Alexey Malyshev
GOLDEN TALES OF SIBERIA
GOLDEN HORSE OF GENGISH KHAN
The great khan of the horde had a favorite horse. They traveled many paths together. The khan won many victories while riding his faithful horse. For a nomad, the horse is the most important part of his life; he begins his day by mounting the horse and only at late dinner does he go down to the ground and let it go to graze for the night. The war horse kicks enemies with its hooves, bites so much that they tear pieces of flesh and carries the owner out of the battle in a moment of danger.
It is impossible to convey in words all the devotion and friendship of the rider and his horse.
And now the hour has come for the heroic horse to die. The life of a war horse is short. The beloved friend of the great Genghis Khan fell from old age.
But the grateful ruler did not want to simply bury the bones of his faithful horse.
He ordered his goldsmiths to collect the entire gold treasury of the Volga horde. And smelt a full-length statue of your horse from pure gold.
After farewell, that horse was buried in a secret mound and hidden from predatory eyes in damp earth.
This is how the legend of the golden horse remained in those places.
Many diggers and mound workers have been looking for it for centuries. But the Golden Horse has not yet been found.
The deeds of a great man remain forever.
People also remember another legend about the golden horses of Khan Batu.
Having passed through Rus' with fire and sword and devastated Ryazan and Kyiv, Batu went to the Volga steppes and founded the richest capital city of the Golden Horde. Everything was in that city: houses and palaces with fountains. They say that the city of the Horde was so wide and large that if a rider entered it in the morning, he rode all day and left it only late in the evening. Its bazaars were full of all the fruits of the earth and Chinese silks and Bukhara daggers and Persian carpets.
And so Batu ordered to show his power. He ordered to take all the annual tribute from the countries under his control and turn it into gold. And from that gold, cast two full-length golden horses with ruby eyes and golden stools. They were placed on the gates of the main Khan's palace, as signs of the power of the Batu Khanate - the Golden Horde.

Video Fairy Tale. "GOLDEN HORSE". Audio tales. Fairy tales for children

Treasures of the Golden Horde. Treasures of the Golden Horde found near Kazan

Archaeologists have found treasures of the Golden Horde near Kazan. Robert Galimov, an amateur archaeologist, found the treasure. This is his first big find in two years of excavations. According to one version, there was a house at the site of the things found. It burned completely, but the treasures literally miraculously survived.

A golden find from the Golden Horde period: experts cannot yet determine exactly what century the pendant comes from. Archaeologists have not yet encountered similar objects here. But it’s already clear: these jewelry adorned one of the very rich Muslim fashionistas.

Asiya Mukhametshina, the chief curator of the Bulgarian Museum-Reserve, says in more detail: “Pendants could be attached to the ends of hair, which later developed into a tradition among the Tatars.”

Earrings, rings and pendants lay scattered at a depth of more than two meters. So old - they are more than seven centuries old - and in such quantity jewelry is found for the first time in a hundred years, and therefore they don’t talk about their price - they are priceless in every sense.

Robert Galimov, an amateur archaeologist, found the treasure. This is his first big find in two years of excavations. “A friend says he hasn’t found anything like this in seven years,” notes Robert.

According to one version, there was a house at the site of the things found. It burned completely, but the treasures literally miraculously survived.

“The building was deeply buried in the ground, in the lower part the temperature was low, but it burned in the upper tiers, and things were not damaged,” explains archaeologist, candidate of historical sciences Vyacheslav Baranov.

Archaeologists planned to explore 4 thousand square meters. Now we've only passed one. They are unlikely to have time to finish everything. Builders began working side by side with them - building a river station.

Meanwhile, there was a craft district on this territory, and this land may have more than one historical value. Copper vessels were found along with the gold. Experts from Ufa will determine exactly how old the finds are. They are afraid to transport exhibits, so inspectors will come themselves. They are expected any day now.

The golden horses of Khan Batu are legendary treasures, the exact location of which is still unknown.

The history of horses is approximately this: after Khan Batu (1209 - 1255) ravaged Ryazan and Kyiv, he returned to the lower reaches of the Volga and, with the help of skilled craftsmen gathered in the countries subject to and conquered him (among whom were Russians), built here, to the surprise of all neighboring the peoples in the middle of the steppes had their capital Sarai (Old Sarai or Sarai-Batu).

It was a beautiful city with palaces, mosques, running water, fountains and shady gardens.

Batu ordered that all the tribute collected for the year be turned into gold, and two horses be cast from this gold. The order was carried out exactly, but until now people’s rumors differ on the question of whether those horses were hollow or completely golden.

Figurines of golden horses. Illustrative photo

Cast shiny horses with glowing ruby eyes were placed at the entrance to the capital of the Golden Horde Khanate at the city gates. Khans changed, but the golden statues were still the personification of the power of the state.

When the capital was moved to New Saray (Sarai-Berke) (near the present village of Tsarev, Volgograd region), built by Khan Berke, the golden horses were also transported. When Mamai became khan, the previous prosperity of the khanate came to an end. Russian troops defeated Mamai's army on the Kulikovo field, and Mamai was forced to flee.

Fragments of tiled decoration of the palace of Genghisid. Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu. Ceramics, overglaze painting, mosaic, gilding. Selitrennoye settlement. Excavations from the 1980s.

The fate of the golden horses is not reliably known. Legends say that one horse was buried along with Mamai’s body, but the exact location of the grave is unknown. They say that somewhere on one of the hills near Akhtuba.

In the 6th volume of the major historical and geographical work “Russia” it is mentioned that near the village of Rastegaevka near Prishib there are several “Mamaev mounds”, in one of which the “living Mamai” sleeps.

In all the numerous versions of this legend (which are told by old people in Leninsk, the former Prishib, Kharaboly, Sasykolye, Cherny Yar, Selitrenny and other villages of the Volga region), only one golden horse appears (and Mamai guards it). But where is the other one?

Ruins of Saray-Berke

As the old people in the Trans-Volga Cossack villages (which are near the Astrakhan highway) used to tell, pursuing the retreating Horde troops, the Cossack patrols became so bold that they began to penetrate in small groups deep into the Horde’s territory, which was shrinking every day.

One such detachment, taking advantage of the panic in the enemy camp, broke straight into the capital Sarai. And, as the Cossack Alekseevich once said, this detachment captured the city for several hours.

Now it is difficult to say whether the golden horses were the real target of the raid or whether they accidentally caught the eye of the Cossacks. In any case, planning such a daring action in advance is pointless - stealing heavy statues, which are the pride of the khan and the entire nation, is tantamount to suicide.

Nevertheless, the daring Cossack patrol broke off the base of one of the golden horses and turned back. The overloaded convoy moved very slowly, so the Horde had time to come to their senses and organize a pursuit. Sensing something was wrong, the Cossacks turned around and accepted an unequal battle.

Those who were catching up were hundreds of times more numerous than those who were catching up, so the outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion: all the Cossacks died, no one surrendered, and many times more Horde horsemen died. But, despite the losses they suffered, the Horde never regained their golden horse.

The Horde never learned the truth, because not a single one of the Cossacks surrendered or betrayed their comrades. There was no statue near the mountain of corpses. The Cossacks did not have time to take it far, which means they hid it and the rest of the treasures somewhere nearby. Burying in the steppe - this also takes time. So they drowned?

Of course, they were looking for horses. The search for gold statues in the 19th century was carried out mainly by single seekers. In the 1950s, science fiction writer Ivan Efremov wrote in “The Andromeda Nebula” that some kind of golden horse would definitely be found in the future (although, according to Efremov, for some reason it would be found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean in the 20th century).

In the 1990s, Sergei Alekseev wrote in his novel “Treasures of the Valkyrie” that back in the 1960s these golden horses were found by a “KGB special group.” However, what was written was not supported by any reliable information and in many ways raises legitimate doubts).

At the end of the 1990s, rumors spread that one golden horse was found during excavations near a certain village of R., but the matter never went further than this information.

Based on materials from "Encyclopedia of Mysterious Places of Russia" by V. Chernobrov

from Encyclopedia of miracles, mysteries and secrets

GOLDEN HORSES OF KHAN BATYA - legendary treasures, exact location

which are still unknown. The history of horses goes something like this: After

after Batu Khan ravaged Ryazan and Kyiv, he returned to the lower reaches of the Volga and with

with the help of skilled craftsmen gathered in the countries subject to and subjugated by him

(among whom there were Russians) built here, to the surprise of all the neighboring

peoples in the middle of the steppes their capital Sarai - a beautiful city with palaces,

mosques, running water, fountains and shady gardens. Batu ordered all

turn the tribute collected for the year into gold, and from this gold cast two

horses. The order was carried out exactly, but rumors still diverge

the question is whether those horses were hollow or completely golden. Cast

shiny horses with glowing ruby eyes were placed at the entrance to the capital

Golden Horde Khanate at the city gates. Khans changed, but they were golden

the statues continued to represent the power of the state.

When the capital was moved to the new Sarai (near the present village of Tsarev,

Volgograd region), built already by Khan Berke, was then transported and

golden horses. When Mamai became khan, the previous prosperity of the khanate

the end has come. Russian troops defeated Mamaev's army on the Kulikovo field, and

Mamai was forced to flee...

The fate of the golden horses is not reliably known. Legends say that one

the horse was buried along with the body of Mamai, the exact location of the grave

unknown. They say that somewhere on one of the hills near Akhtuba [in the 6th volume

capital historical and geographical work "Russia" it is mentioned that

in the village of Rastegaevka near Prishib there are several “Mamaev mounds”,

in one of which the “living Mamai” sleeps]. In all the many variants

retellings of this legend (which are told by old people in Leninsk, the former

Prishibe, Kharaboly, Sasykolye, Cherny Yar, Selitrenny and other villages

Trans-Volga region) there is only one golden horse (and Mamai is guarding it). But

where is the other one?

As old people in the Trans-Volga Cossack villages used to tell (which is near

Astrakhan Way), pursuing the retreating Horde Cossack troops

the patrols became so bold that they began to penetrate in small groups

deep into the horde's territory, which is shrinking every day. One such squad

Taking advantage of the panic in the enemy camp, he broke straight into the capital Sarai. And how

Cossack Alekseevich once told me that this detachment captured the city for entire

several hours. [Lashilin B. “It was.” Nizhne-Volzhskoe bookstore

publishing house, Volgograd, 1982, p. 12]. Now it is difficult to say whether there were

were the golden horses the real target of the raid or were they accidentally caught by the Cossacks

eyes. In any case, it is pointless to plan such a daring action in advance.

Steal heavy statues, which are the pride of the khan and the entire nation,

tantamount to suicide. However, the daring Cossack patrol broke off

the base of one of the golden horses and turned back. Overloaded convoy

moved very slowly, so the Horde had time to come to their senses and

organize a chase. Sensing something was wrong, the Cossacks turned around and accepted the unequal

fight. Those who were catching up were hundreds of times more numerous than those who were catching up, so the result of the battle was

a foregone conclusion: all the Cossacks died, no one surrendered, the Horde horsemen

many times more died. But despite the losses suffered, the Horde

and did not return the golden horse.

The Horde never learned the truth, for not one of the Cossacks surrendered and

did not betray his comrades. There was no statue near the mountain of corpses. Far away from her

The Cossacks didn’t have time to take her away, which means they hid her and the rest

the treasure is somewhere nearby. Burying in the steppe - this also takes time.

So they drowned?...

So where is the first and where is the second golden horse? Several centuries later this

question and no answers...

* * * Directions to the search sites for the Golden Horses of Batu: Exact location in

The Astrakhan and Volgograd regions are not yet known. Currently

Members of the

"Cosmopoisk".

Alekseevsky treasure diggers found the Golden Horse and the Zero Transition portal to a parallel world.

They say that this wonderful Horse was cast by order of Genghis Khan from gold looted in Asia. It was located in the camp of the Golden Horde and served not only as a symbol of power and invincibility, but also as a magical shrine - a means for priests to communicate with the world of spirits and higher powers.
There is a legend that there were originally two Horses.
The legend of the two Golden Horses, which for many years adorned the gates of the capitals of the Golden Odra - Sarai-Batu and Sarai-Berke, and then suddenly disappeared, dates back to the time of one of the greatest events in the history of the Russian state - the Battle of Kulikovo. The horses were made life-size by order of Batu Khan.
Legend claims that after the defeat on the Kulikovo Field, the wounded Khan Mamai returned to Sarai-Berke, where he died. He was allegedly buried under the city protective wall and, as a sign of gratitude for his military services, was placed in the grave of one of the Golden Horses...
And what about the second?.. Legend associates the disappearance of the second Golden Horse from the gates of Sarai-Batu with the Cossacks.
These flying cavalry detachments of the Free Slavs, acting as defenders of the southern borders of their lands, being Orthodox Christians, still remained bearers of traditions and culture, the secret knowledge of Free Pagan Rus'.
The precious Sacred Horse was stolen by brave Slavic heroes who suddenly attacked the camp of the Gentiles. The Cossacks divided into two mobile groups. One group distracted the Horde, the second took the Golden Horse towards the Don steppes.
Despite the sudden raid and the confusion and panic that arose after it, the pursuit and operation to rescue the Horse were still perfectly organized. Almost all the Cossacks participating in the raid - both the “kidnappers” and the “distractors” - died. And yet, the Horse miraculously and incomprehensibly disappeared right before the eyes of the Horde.
At the site of the battle, only the corpses of the fallen soldiers remained, and the Horde never found the Horse.
Historians believe that the Cossacks drowned the statue in a nearby river or lake. Apparently the statue was cleverly hidden. But into which of the steppe rivers did the Cossacks throw the Golden Horse? One must think that they didn’t just throw it away, but, having built a dam, covered the valuable loot with sand, again allowing the river to flow along its bed...
Until now, historians have had to wonder whether the horses really existed, or whether they existed only in a beautiful legend? Could archaeologists ever shock the world with such a discovery, giving those living today a glimpse of the wealth and greatness of the Mongol rulers? And perhaps for many more centuries official archaeologists would have sat on the chain of government prohibitions and on the leash of the taboos of modern priests, if not for an incredible accidental event that occurred on the site of the former bed of the Tikhaya Sosna River.
On a rainy night in the middle of this summer, a frightened girl called the local police department and reported that 15 of her friends had disappeared before her eyes in a planting near the former Yalovoe reservoir, not far from the dam. Officers who arrived at the scene found seven bayonet shovels, five scoop shovels, two backpacks with food and homemade alcoholic drinks, as well as a half-naked, drunk girl with a mobile phone in her hand. The soil of the scene was pitted with small holes, but one hole was quite spacious - 2.5 by 3.5 meters wide and 1.75 meters deep. At the bottom of the pit lay randomly 7 plastic cups and a half-empty ten-liter canister with a liquid containing 65% alcohol. When questioned, the girl revealed that she practically didn’t remember anything. But when asked again, I remembered that I was resting on the grass and suddenly heard a cry: “Horse! Horse!.. Found!.. Let's go to the Canaries!..” At first she thought it was a joke, but the guys resting next to her grabbed the canister and jumped into the hole. While she was looking for clothes, laughter and shouts of “Hurray!” could be heard from there. and “Pour it up!”, and then she saw a bright glow and a horse silhouette hovering over the pit. Then everything became quiet and the radiance faded. The girl looked into the hole - there was no one there. She got scared and started calling the police.
Police officers, upon re-inspecting the scene of the incident, discovered a fragment of a Cossack saber, as employees of the local museum would later say, dating back to approximately the 13th century, and on one of the bayonet shovels traces of soft yellow metal, which experts concluded turned out to be gold.
Now there is no doubt about the existence of the Golden Horse and its magical secret power.

The order was carried out exactly, but until now people’s rumors differ on the question of whether those horses were hollow or completely golden. Cast shiny horses with glowing ruby eyes were placed at the entrance to the capital of the Golden Horde Khanate at the city gates. Khans changed, but the golden statues were still the personification of the power of the state.

Now it is difficult to say whether the golden horses were the real target of the raid or whether they accidentally caught the eye of the Cossacks. In any case, there is no point in planning such a daring action in advance - stealing heavy statues, which are the pride of the khan and the entire nation, is tantamount to suicide. Nevertheless, the daring Cossack patrol broke off the base of one of the golden horses and turned back.

The overloaded convoy moved very slowly, so the Horde had time to come to their senses and organize a pursuit. Sensing something was wrong, the Cossacks turned around and accepted an unequal battle. Those who were catching up were hundreds of times more numerous than those who were catching up, so the outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion: all the Cossacks died, no one surrendered, and many times more Horde horsemen died. But, despite the losses they suffered, the Horde never regained their golden horse.

The Horde never learned the truth, because not one of the Cossacks surrendered or betrayed their comrades. There was no statue near the mountain of corpses. The Cossacks did not have time to take it far, which means they hid it and the rest of the treasures somewhere nearby. Burying in the steppe - this also takes time. So they drowned?..

So where is the first and where is the second golden horse? Several centuries later, there are still no answers to this question...

Historians, archaeologists and lovers of antiquity have been dreaming for many decades of finding the legendary treasure - golden horses, once cast on the orders of Batu Khan. The one who finds them will not only be able to end his days in limitless luxury. The cost of the precious artifact is such that, as if in the film “Shirley Myrli,” the whole country will be able to vacation in the Canaries for three years. But where to look for the treasure? And does it really exist?

On the chilly March of 1242, Khan Batu, swinging in the saddle of an argamak embroidered with gold brocade, returned to the Great Steppe. The grandson of the shaker of the Universe, Genghis Khan, was pleased: the western campaign was definitely a success. Left behind were the devastated Russian principalities, squeezed by the Mongol lasso; the strength of his tumens was recognized by Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, whose knights clad in steel armor could not do anything with the nimble warriors on steppe horses. Now the path of the army and Batu himself lay to the east, where he was to camp near the mouth of Itil. For the Mongols, accustomed to constant nomadism, it was not difficult to spend several months in an open field: portable felt yurts reliably protected from rain and sun, sheltering not only people, but also livestock in case of bad weather. But Batu, who had tasted all the delights of European life, no longer wanted to huddle in a tent. The luxury of the palaces of Krakow and Pest captured the imagination of the steppe ruler. Now he wanted to benefit from the achievements of civilization himself.

Build a city? The will of the khan, as is known, is the law. Woe to him who goes against her!

Steppe Barn

Batu Khan ordered the founding of his city, which was destined to soon become the capital of the Great Horde, on the banks of the Akhtuba, the left tributary of the Volga. Perhaps, in the whole world at that time there was not a single ruler who had the power to give such an order. But was it in vain that the ferocious Mongol army crossed half of Europe with fire and sword, subjugating dozens of nations? By order of Batu, caravans pulled from all the conquered lands to the Volga. Thousands of horses and camels carried colored glass, luxurious carpets and elegant furniture to the future city. And most importantly - masters chained in chains: masons and architects. Long gone are the days when, having taken another city, the Mongols slaughtered every last one of its inhabitants. The cunning Chinese, whose capital fell under the blows of battering rams, taught their new masters: it was better for the conquered peoples to pay tribute, because you can’t take much from the dead. And at the same time they strengthen the greatness and power of the Horde with their skills and talents.

Stone cutters and jewelers were brought from Kyiv, Vladimir with tears gave his best carpenters to the steppes, and the Chinese sent engineers and architects. The new city, which arose from scratch in just a couple of years, received the name Sarai-Batu - Batu Palace. Archaeologists have already established: in the middle of the 13th century there was no city in the world larger and more comfortable than the Mongol capital. Its population was 75 thousand people, while even Paris had only about 70 thousand. In addition, the subjects of the French king took water from the Seine, and poured sewage from the windows of the houses directly onto the street, which is why the dirt on them was so bad that they had to walk on stilts. In the steppe Sarai there was not only water supply, but also sewerage! And inside Mongolian houses there was a heating system - a pipeline through which warm air was supplied from the stove.

On the highest hill above the bank of Akhtuba stood the Khan's palace. “At the upper, northern end of the island, on a rocky hill, a small toy house with a light lace turret, all lined with colored tiles, shimmered with joyful bright colors of a strange, unusual appearance,” wrote Vasily Yan. “Each tile had a design with swirls and a patterned border, and each flower had a thin petal of red gold fused into it. In the bright rays of the morning sun, the whole house sparkled and glowed, as if made of hot coals.”

But still, the main decoration of the palace was considered to be two horse statues that stood at the main entrance. According to legend, the ruler of the Mongols ordered that all the tribute collected during the year from the conquered peoples be turned into gold, and that the figures of horses be cast from that gold. Sparkling in the sun, they amazed the imagination of city guests, personifying the power of the Horde state. As legend has it, 15 tons of precious metal were needed to make the statues.

Golden horses delighted the eyes of the Horde khans for almost a century and a half. At the beginning of the 14th century, the statues were transported to the new capital - New Saray, or Saray-Berke, located near the present village of Tsarev near Volgograd. And soon the history of Genghis Khan’s empire began to decline. And when in 1380, after the defeat on the Kulikovo field, the ruler of the Horde Mamai had to urgently reel in his fishing rods, he took the golden horses with him. Since then no one has seen them again.

The dark mounds are sleeping

As to where the legendary “Batu’s horses” may now be, there is a whole set of versions. According to the most common one, one of the statues was buried in a mound along with the body of Mamai, who died in the battle. But it has still not been possible to find the grave of the Mongol commander. Although some historians express the opinion that the legendary Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd is the last refuge of the Horde temnik, and not at all the place of its forward outpost, as is commonly believed. Indeed, objects related to the Mongol invasion were found on the mound, but there is no more significant evidence for this version. And no one will allow excavations under the “Motherland” in search of a mythical treasure. Moreover, the location of the mound where Mamai is supposedly buried is claimed by the Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov regions, as well as the Crimea, where ancient mounds are visible and invisible.

In search of Horde treasures in the mid-19th century, archaeologist Tereshchenko excavated mounds in the New Saray area. It seemed that luck was about to smile on him - in the ground he found jewelry, a golden cup and the crown of Khan Janibek. But no matter how much they dug in the area, no horses could be found.

As for the second statue, a legend that has come down from time immemorial describes its fate. According to it, the horse was stolen by the ancestors of the current Don Cossacks, who already inhabited the Wild Field at the beginning of the 14th century. According to legend, a Cossack detachment made a daring raid on Sarai-Berke when the main forces of the Horde were on a campaign. Making a noise, they broke the statue into pieces, loaded them onto carts and took them to their kurens. Having learned about what had happened, the Horde immediately returned from the march and rushed in pursuit of the brave men. As a result, the Cossacks had no choice but to drown their horse in a nearby river in the hope of later returning and picking up the loot. Alas, this did not happen - all the raid participants died in the battle, taking the secret of the golden horse with them to the grave.

Or maybe they never existed? However, the legend is supported by the chronicles that have reached us. His contemporary, the Flemish monk and envoy of the French king Louis IX, Saint Guillaume de Rubruk, who visited Sarai-Batu, wrote about the golden horses of Khan Batu. “From afar, we saw a sparkle at the gate and decided that a fire had started in the city. As we approached closer, we realized that it was two life-size golden statues of horses shining in the rays of the rising sun. How much gold went into this miracle?” - he asked in his book “Journey to the Eastern Countries.”

Science fiction writer and part-time venerable paleontologist Ivan Efremov wrote about the discovery of a golden horse in the distant future in “The Andromeda Nebula.” It turns out that you believed in the legend?

And although many historians still question the fact that the statues could have survived to this day, and believe that they were not made of cast gold, but at best hollow, every year, going to excavations, dozens of archaeologists hope in their hearts: What if a golden mane sparkles among the black soil under a tassel?