The first burials in Dargavs date back to the early 17th century. Each family had its own family crypt, totaling 95. Some of them are located underground or partially underground, but most are above ground, reaching heights of two to four stories.

From a distance, the "City of the Dead" resembles a mountain village, especially beautiful at sunset. The deceased were not buried in the ground but placed in the crypt through an opening, which was then closed with a wooden shield. When the side shelves were filled, the remains were moved down, freeing up space for new burials. One crypt could hold more than a hundred corpses.

The necropolis consists of 95 crypts, which do not differ in architectural diversity. These are stone structures with multi-tiered roofs resembling Japanese pagodas and Egyptian pyramids. Such roofing allows water to cascade down, keeping the burial chamber dry in any weather.

In each building of the "City of the Dead," there is a small square opening that was previously covered with a wooden shutter. Now these locks are absent, and through the passage, one can see everything inside the crypt. Walking through the narrow streets of the "City of the Dead," one can see skulls, bones, and mummies buried here 600-700 years ago through the small "windows" of the crypts.

There are several legends about the origin of the "City of the Dead" in Dargavs. One tells of a girl of unparalleled beauty who appeared in the village. Men left their families and began to fight for the right to marry her. Several people died in duels, and the girl was brought before the council of elders. However, the elders, forgetting decorum, began to argue over her. The women of the village decided to expel the stranger, declaring her a witch.

The men did not want to part with the girl and decided to kill her so that she would belong only to God. After her death, a plague epidemic struck the settlement. The earth refused to accept the remains, and they were thrown to the surface. Then the survivors began to build crypts for burials.

In the 18th century, during a cholera epidemic, the sick voluntarily went into the crypts to avoid infecting their loved ones and spent their last days there, taking a little food and water with them. Around the same time, an inscription appeared on one of the tombs in the Ossetian language: "Look upon us with love. We were like you, you will be like us."