Valley of Castles in Dzhily-Su

The Valley of Castles is one of the most famous attractions of the Dzhily-Su nature site, as these "castles" are visible from almost all places of the gorge. They are cone-shaped rocks with sharp peaks, which are also called "Dragon`s Teeth". These peaks are the result of the weathering of igneous rock. 

The dragon`s teeth are located on the top of the mountain scree in the Katu-Kilyk gorge. Translated from the Turkic Katu-Kilyk means Tower Gorge. A small river Sultan-Tary-Su flows along its bottom. This gorge is the terminus of the Kislovodsk-Dzhily-Su Road. An asphalt road ends here near the barrier, and people park their cars along the gorge.

 

The height of the pointed rocks averages about 10 meters. The highest teeth have a height of 15 meters. These rocks consist of igneous rock that appeared here during the eruption of Elbrus. Under the influence of precipitation and wind, pointed teeth were formed. If there was a layer of solid rock on top of these teeth, then Stone Mushrooms would turn out, similar to those that can be seen on the Northern slope of Elbrus at an altitude of 3200 meters. There is a Glade of Stone Mushrooms on a small domed platform.  

There are narrow paths along the tops of the stone scree of the Valley of Castles, where you can walk and come close to the Teeth of Dragons. Here it becomes clear their huge size. The Sultan Waterfall is visible from the top of these scree slopes. A very beautiful view of the Valley of Castles opens from the slope of the mountain on the opposite side of the Malka River.