Egypt and Central American countries are not the only one to host famous pyramids, since they’re also present in Asia and even in East European country Romania. Sona might not be a name that even the people of this country know, since it’s a very small village, situated on the right side of the Olt river, but I bet that everyone heard about Decebalus, the great Dacian king.
He fought the Roman Empire and was one of the founding fathers of the original core of the Romanian people, 2000 dayears ago. While most rulers of the countries and county formed between the Carpathians, Danube and Black Sea are entombed in glorious mausoleums, Decebalus’ burial place remains a mystery, although researcher Andrei Vartic claims that the pyramids close toSona (Bunesti village) are in fact the burial ground of the great Dacian ruler.
The locals of Sona call the pyramids close to their village “guruieti” and legend has it that they’re traces of mud, slipped from the shoes of giants, who crossed the land thousands of years ago. They seemingly got wet because of the Olt river and the moisture plus soil formed mud, scraped off their shoes and thrown to the ground as… “guruieti”.
Eight huge piles of soil are aligned in two rows, four on one side and four on the other, creating quite an interesting view and unusual sight. Local legends also claim that the piles of dirt were formed by the daughter of giants and these creatures seemed to have lived long before the Dacians did. It is also said that the piles were originally perfect pyramid shapes, but the erosion of wind and rain washed their design traits away.
It’s incredible that these monuments of nature (or man?) are still standing, specially if we consider the fact that they’re made of soil, not rock and it’s puzzling to notice that the local soil looks very much like clay and it’s a yellow and soft dirt. Another feat that indicates the involvement of man in the process of building these structures is the exact same distance between all monuments.
Sona is filled with welcoming people and it must have been so for centuries now, since even its name means “beautiful” in German (Schon – Sona). A fun interpretation of the legend says that the giants lay asleep under the pyramids even nowadays and they’ll awaken once a nearby dam and road are finished, since their sleep will be troubled.
Even during the communist regime, when Sona’s lands were divided among people, for agricultural purposes, not even the authorities dared to touch these monuments, leaving them to be no one’s property, except for, maybe the giants. These “guruieti” are not the only intriguing things in the area, specially since people say that strange phenomena happen here all the time. For example, if you place a razor blade at a third of the distance from the pyramid’s base, it’ll sharpen itself.
Also, meat won’t rot even if it’s placed in the area for days, while water will stay fresh and even acquire curative characteristics. We’ve heard these legends before, but only regarding the pyramids in Egypt. The locals tried to dig into the piles of dirt, but authorities didn’t allow it, increasing the mystery of the “guruieti”.
Some say that there are 8 piles of soil in the area, sat on a hill near the Sona Village. Their height reaches 20-30 metres and you have to know that the monuments are placed on a plateau that’s one kilometer long. The reason for researchers to suppose that these “guruieti” hide the burial ground of Decebalus is the fact that they resemble the “tumuls”, formations used by celts or scitians, who buried their leaders together with a treasure of weapons and jewellery.
If you ever reach the area of the “guruieti” and Sona, be sure to enjoy the hospitality of the locals, but be careful when climbing the monuments, since they’re covered with grass and they’re very slippery. Sona village dates from 700 years ago and it was created by Transylvanian colonists sasi, drawn by the fertile grounds and hills oriented towards the sun. They built houses in the area and seeded prunes and vine. 200 souls are the only ones left to tell the tale of these times… and the huge piles of soil, history and… mystery.
