The Legend of Shahjuvara

In the old days the city of Shahjuvara sprang up in the depths of Talas, on the spacious meadows, bordering with snowy peaks. And a beautiful young daughter of a blacksmith lived in this city. One day a young man from distant countries came to the city and captured the girl's heart. And the power of love like the golden bird burst into their hearts. The young man sang her songs of his distant homeland to the sounds of dombra and called her to trip to distant lands. But the blacksmith doted on his only daughter and she could not leave her father. The lovers saw each other only once, but since that time the valley is blanketed by beautiful, nurtured by the love of two hearts.

Rumors of a terrible enemy who was destroying cities to the ground, leaving only ashes, floated in the air of Shahjuvara. He was terrible and ruthless. The blacksmith began to prepare for war. He worked day and night; the door of his smithy was not closing; and hundreds of swords, arrowheads were made under the best standards of teacher-soldiers. His daughter selflessly helped her father in his noble cause. And then came the terrible hour. Merciless oppressors attacked the city.

The city defended to the last drop of blood, but the forces of defenders were exhausted. The surviving soldiers tried to detain the enemy, so that women and children managed to escape to the mountains. The daughter of the blacksmith fought till the last, standing beside her father. The enemies took her for a young man. But someone tried to grab a brave soldier and tore a hat away, and black curls fell down on her shoulders. The girl tried to escape through the fire and noise of battle. She deftly climbed the highest part of the citadel, but there her strength left her, and the wounded daughter of the blacksmith fell down into the depths of Pskem river.

Where Maydantal joins two other rivers to form the Pskem river, there is a small boulder on which you can often see a miracle. The stone shimmers in the sunlight when a silver fish swims to it. And a huge rock and a little fish lead their invisible talk about love. Gossip says that the groom of the blacksmith’s daughter turned into the stone on Maidantal, waiting for his beloved. He became petrified with grief and turned to stone when he learned of the destruction of the city. But once the silver fish swam to it and touched it with her scales. And the stone changed its color: it became iridescent.

They say when the silver fish appears next to the stone you can hear the melody of dombra, but this music should be listened with a pure heart and intentions. So the young man sang about his love of silver fish, the daughter of a blacksmith. The beauty of these places, the strength of these mountains keeps the great love. And the silver fish swims to the boulder against the current several times a year. And they say together ... about love.