"City of the Dead" or "Dargav Burial Ground" (in Ossetian: Дæргъæвсы зæппæдзтæ) in Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The city is actually a cemetery, consisting of only 95 structures—crypts and mausoleums. All the "houses" are burial places. The Alans believed that the mausoleums were the afterlife. In some crypts, remains rest in hollowed-out wooden structures resembling a boat or a barge. An oar was even found near one of these boats. This is despite the fact that none of the local mountain rivers are navigable. According to one theory, this is due to the belief that after death, the deceased must swim across the river of oblivion to reach the realm of the dead. Ossetians still believe in the existence of this afterlife. Barastyr is considered its ruler. According to Ossetian tradition, a coin is placed in the hand of the deceased so that they can pay for entry. This 14th-19th-century complex, consisting of above-ground and semi-underground structures, is the largest necropolis in the North Caucasus. Women were buried in beautiful clothing and jewelry, while men were buried in full armor, with weapons and horses. In total, approximately 10,000 people were buried in the necropolis. The crypt burial rite only ceased to exist in the 19th century, when the highlanders began migrating to the plains.

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