foreign [Music] from the forested emeriti region of Georgia protrude an immense Limestone monolith of deeply mysterious Origins known as the katsuki pillar considered a symbol of the True Cross the location is officially a Georgian Orthodox Church although mentioned in 18th century Georgian literature the pillar was not studied by westerners until the 1940s when Mountaineer Alexander japarizi and writer Lavon gotwa made the first documented ascent before reaching even the foot of the pillar a substantial hike must be made and in its early years only the bravest monks could climb the sheer face to the structure atop
enabling them to be closer to God the pillar which is around 131 feet high and offers astounding perspectives over the surrounding Landscapes is home to a ruined church with an area of approximately 500 square feet [Music] modern studies of these remains determine them to be of 9th or 10th Century origin and contain inscriptions from the 13th century the church complex consists of a series of rooms in addition to the church itself is a crypt three cells for accommodation and a wine cellar archaeological digs of the latter have produced several large drink vessels known as kavri
early mentions of the pillar and the church state that quote there's Rock within the Ravine standing like a pillar considerably High there's a small Church on the top of the rock but nobody is able to ascend it nor know they how to do that although it's that abandoned for centuries religious activity at the catski pillar was revived in the 1990s and a state-funded restoration project has since made the structure safe and accessible [Music] among the Georgian Orthodox Church named Maxima kaftarazza lived on top of the pillar for more than 20 years coming down just twice
a week and made substantial contributions to the Restorations however while male visitors were once welcomed and could access the structure via an iron ladder which has since been closed to the public it is now scaled only by monks who live in the monastery at the foot at the pillar and climb the rock to pray to this day virtually nothing is known about the original Builders of the church atop the ketsky pillar or how this incredible feat of construction was ever accomplished skelic Michael in harsh Seas nine miles from the coast of Ireland's County Kerry is
a pair of Jagged Mountains which struck dramatically from the Atlantic Ocean the larger of the two is known as Skellig Michael and features the seldom scene Monastery believed to be 1400 years old as one approaches skelik Michael it appears at first to be untouched to never have been inhabited however closer examination and Explorations reveal a series of winding paths that Ascend the perilously steep slopes to the top cradled amongst the peaks of skelik Michael is a series of tightly layered Stone buildings believed to have been built in the 7th Century into a house monks for
more than 600 years the structures which sit at an altitude of 750 feet are exceptionally well preserved considering the harshness of their surroundings and even feature a traditional graveyard where the bodies of its Gaelic inhabitants rest in addition to the central beehive-like structures known as cloakins there are a number of terraces two oratories and yet more Graves as well as a church with walls measuring two meters thick process of building the structures must have been immensely laborious and it's likely that some of the many graves which scatter skelic Michael May house those who gave their
lives to build it archaeologists are confident that the monastery was used for a period spanning several centuries but nobody is sure why it was ultimately abandoned very few trips were made to the island this decision was made to preserve the ruins and just 13 tour guides possess licenses each of whom is permitted to make one journey to skullic Michael each year the Tigre region of Northern Ethiopia is sparsely populated consisting of vast arid Plains and dramatic pale Sandstone mountains tune into these ancient rocks are the last traces of ancient civilizations is one such monolithic structure
an Ethiopian Orthodox Church face in the 6th Century as a dedication to abuna yamata one of the nine Saints [Music] the most remarkable thing about a Buna yamataga is the fact that it is situated at a height of 8460 feet and is accessible only by making a perilous Ascent on foot preferably Barefoot the incredible altitude of the structure is said to bring churchgoers closer to heaven to reach the entrance to the church pilgrims and visitors must first climb a steep and hazardous route using centuries-old hand and footholds in the rock those who have made the
climb are then faced with a vertigo-inducing natural stone bridge with a sheer 820 foot drop on either side the next obstacle that determined visitors meet is a narrow rickety wooden Footbridge with another fatal fall beneath yet another exhausting Ascent leads to a climb up a vertical rock wall which offers no opportunity for support or assistance those who make it this far are advised not to look down as they cross a ledge just inches wide hugging the cliff with a sheer thousand foot drop and certain death to one side upon reaching the entrance visitors are thrown
into darkness only once their eyes adjust can they appreciate the internal beauty of a Buna yamatica as well as its architecture avunu yamataga contains a number of paintings on the walls and Dome ceiling of the church these frescoes are remarkably well preserved due to the lack of humidity and their remoteness which has dissuaded looters for centuries [Music] these paintings believe to date back to the dawn of Christianity depict Old Testament Biblical characters and are themed on the nine Saints a group of missionaries who were credited with delivering Christianity to Ethiopia in the late 5th Century
and are believed to have originated in Rome archaeologists have determined the paintings to be some of the very first pictorial representations of the Bible the church's Interiors feature several Chambers some of which house human remains the bones of those carried up for cremations and rituals the region is also home to other Cliff churches believed to have been built in the following centuries many of these structures are still attended and cared for by Ethiopian Orthodox monks the monks once traded Bible readings for drinking water with the locals so they could descend as little as possible and
spend their lives as close to Heaven as possible some have not left the Mountaintop for 40 sigria the range of near-unreachable ancient locations that can be found around the world contains not only buildings constructed for religious purposes but also an entire city sigria is a megalithic city Fortress built atop a granite column that rises from the scenery of the central province of Sri Lanka at a height of around 600 feet the area is believed to have been inhabited since the Prehistoric Age [Music] an ancient Sri Lankan Chronicle states that the area was once a large
pristine Forest until a series of Storms and landslides caused the column to rise up out of the ground King kashyapa then selected it in the late 5th Century as the ideal place to build his new capital city the sides of the column were painted with colorful imagery to celebrate his kingdom and a palace was erected on top the new capital even featured a brick wall covered with such highly polished plaster that the king could use it as a mirror this wall has since been covered with writings and poetic verse by visitors some dating back to
the 8th century the king also had a vast complex of intricate Water Gardens created connected by causeways and featuring deep pools and drinking reservoirs these Water Gardens have been said to demonstrate its Builders extraordinarily Advanced engineering capabilities far ahead of their time around halfway up the Steep walls is a natural Plateau which the king had formed into a fierce lion-shaped Gateway this structure gives Cydia its name which translates to the lion Rock following King kashyapa's death the city was abandoned becoming a Buddhist Monastery until the 14th century today the palace is ruined but much of
the artwork created at the time has been well preserved due to its Rich history zigdia has been deemed a location of great archaeological significance enlisted as a UNESCO world heritage site in Bhutan South Asia Buddhist monks have been making pilgrimages to parotaxan for centuries known as the Tiger's Nest this site was once little more than a cave used by religious pilgrims with 17th century editions built it into a full-scale monotonous Monastery nestled among the clouds the valley floor sits at an altitude of seven thousand feet already making it difficult to reach from the nearest town
Barrow six miles away what awaits determined visitors is a steep hike climbing another three thousand feet those who do not succumb to altitude sickness or the sheer and perilous drops are rewarded with Majestic views of a 330-foot waterfall and finally the parotaksang [Music] the monastery purchased precariously on a Mountainside accessible to the most dedicated followers of Guru Padma sambaya a tantric Buddhist of legendary status who is said to have been born from a lotus while Legends claim that patmas and Baya arrived at the cave on a flying tiger who had previously been his romantic Muse
thereby giving the Tiger's Nest its name there's archaeological evidence to support the idea that the location has been used for meditation since as early as the 8th century here are meditating for three years three months three days and three hours that Padma sambaya is said to have begun the process of converting bhutanese culture to Buddhism for this reason is still considered one of the world's holiest sites another Legend states that when Padma sambaya eventually returned to Tibet to share his teachings he met a disciple named felkey pelkey returned in the year 853 A.D to Paro
taksang to meditate in a cave that he called dalkey's cave pelkey later died in Nepal but it's said that his body miraculously vanished and reappeared in his cave at parataxan where it remained sealed in a shrine above the monasteries entrance [Music] are you ready to unlock the secrets of the past subscribe now to dark five's brand new ancient Mysteries Channel and embark on a journey to uncover the most enigmatic and awe-inspiring mysteries of ancient times leave a comment if there are any ancient Mysteries you want us to explore in upcoming videos
