The Kuzomen cemetery — a true delight for a necropolis enthusiast — lies at the entrance to the village on two hills and warmly greets visitors arriving from the “Mainland.”
To see it alone would be reason enough to visit Kuzomen, as these are real burials in a desert landscape, where the sand on one side forms dunes, covering graves together with their fences, and on the other side exposes mortal bones.
There are still many old wooden grave markers here in the form of massive timber crosses or simple posts, some dating to the first half of the 20th century, with carved names and inscriptions such as Tsar of Glory; Jesus Christ, Son of God; the abbreviation INRI (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews); КТ ПВ (Before Thy Cross we bow, O Master); ГГ (Mount Golgotha); and ГА (Head of Adam) — symbolically representing the human skull and the transience of existence. Rough schematic images of the Spear and the Reed — the instruments of Golgotha — are also sometimes found. There are other symbols as well, which we have not yet been able to decipher.
Everything follows the traditional northern Russian burial customs, and it is even surprising that this harsh climate has preserved this fading character to the present day. As they say: a must-see.
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