Arkaim is an archeological site located in the southern part of the Urals steppe - 8,2 km north-northwest of Amurskiy and 2,3 km south-southeast of Alexandronvskiy, two villages in the Chelyabinsk region (Russia); north of the Kazakh border.

The area is generally dated to 17. century BC. Previously, dating to the 20 period was also considered. century BC. There was a settlement of the Sintashta-Petrovka culture.

Arkaim was discovered in 1987 by a team of scientists from Chelyabinsk, who researched the area during rescue archaeological work before flooding the area and creating a dam. The team was led by Genadia Zdanovich.

The first researches were ignored by the Soviet authorities. They had flooded Sardel before. The media pressure caused by the new discoveries forced the Soviet government to reconsider its intention to flood. The area was declared a cultural reserve in 1991 and was visited by the then President Vladimir Putin in 2005.

Arcade and painting on walls

The settlement of Arkaim from the Bronze Age is a mysterious and legendary place. Many shamans and mystics consider this area (a mountain with a spiral) to be the center of the world. According to some, cosmic energy acts in this place.

Archaeologists can not be sure to tell when the site was built.