Funeral Mounds Full of Treasures
By Diana Ungureanu/ Chisinau / Moldova.ORG/ -- In Biesti village, Orhei County, there are two funeral mounds remained from nomadic tribes, who have stepped on the land of our country many centuries ago in order to rob the native population.
Village Biesti is situated at 25 km north from the center of the rayon and 72 km from Chisinau. The earliest documentary attestation was recorded on 23 March 1430.
According to legend, the village Biesti has been founded by a certain boyar named Beiu and by his sons. The name of Beiu derived from an old Turkish word, meaning "prince, boyar", which makes light on the origin and the importance of this boyar, who is the ancestor of Biestians, if we take into account the fact that the majority of its inhabitants have the surname Beiu.
Another testimony of the oldness of the village is the two mounds of ground, specific to nomadic people, who wandered on the whole territory of Moldova. These mounds are, in fact, some huge, unexploited graves that would contain, according to some assumptions, both the remains (or skeletons) of historic importance and treasures.
Usually such tombs were elevated to important people that had to be buried with offerings. But the huge graves were never investigated or explored and it remains only to guess what they contain under the tonnes of ground.
The oldness of the village Biesti, but also the importance and the economic development that it has had, was demonstrated also by the treasure discovered in 1907 by three locals, Macrinici, Calugar and Mascovici. But from that treasure, until nowadays, there were retained only 11 silver coins issued in Poland, the oldest one being defeated in 1614, and the latest in 1626. The treasure was perhaps buried in 1626-1650.
But the village Biesti is also the owner of other treasures, but this time one with spiritual connotation - choir "Semanatorul" ("The Sower"), led by Stefan Caranfil, national artist. The choir is more than 30 years and it is the laureate of the nine prestigious festivals in the country and abroad.
There are a lot of beautiful villages and many pleasant surprises hiding there. Unfortunately few of them are known and appreciated.