Go to North Caucasus Mountains in Russia to See the Mysterious Dolmens

Photo of Dolmens in Russia by Lucy Frey. 

While exploring southwestern Russia (near Sochi – the place where 2014 Winter Olympics were held) make sure you do not miss Dolmens of North Caucasus.  The Caucasian Dolmens represent a unique type of prehistoric architecture. Similar to Stonehenge, Dolmens were built with stone blocks of catastrophic size. They are thought to date between 3,000 and 2,000 B.C., although little is known about these sites. Today approximately 3,000 of these megalithics have been discovered in the Caucasus Mountains.  More are being found and also destroyed. 

For easy access to Dolmens visit the city of Gelendzhik and surrounding areas with a high concentration of these unique monuments.  If visiting in June, you might also encounter a traditional Russian festival of Ivan Kupala. The celebration relates to the summer solstice and includes a number of pagan rituals such as jumping over flames of a bonfire. It could be the only opportunity for you to see Russian people wearing traditional clothing outside of theaters and museums. Using GPS is highly recommended since not very many locals will be able to help you with directions.  Traveling tip for summer of 2015: This summer could be a great time to take a trip to Russia because of very strong exchange ratio of the US Dollar to the Russian Ruble.