The emerged landscape elements which are so characteristic of the Great Plain region, are usually called Kumanian mounds. Although there are numerous theories concerning their origin and exact age, it is probable, that these mounds had been standing here even before our appearance in the Karpathian-Basin. According to some estimates, the construction of these mounds can be placed around 2000 B.C. Regarding their origin, the most likely assumption is that they were left behind by nomadic, horse-riding, stock-breeding people as they were moving from eastern-europe towards the west, and the mounds hide the graves of these people. Following this theory, the name Kumanian mound - used from the early 19th century - is misleading, more proper is the term "kurgán" which word has a mongolian-turkish origin, and it means "burial mound". Some of the mounds later served as watch posts, and until recently even functioned as guarding and border mounds. Even until a few hundred years ago there could have been tens of thousands of these structures. In Hajdú-Bihar County we are able to name and exactly locate about 500 of them, even if some of them are only known from earlier military files. To the East, on the vast ukranian and russian steppes, their number is still impressive, but to the west - like in Germany where they called "hun" mounds - there only a few remained of these structures or "soil-pyramids" as Déri Museum's archeologist Mr. Lajos Zoltai, the renowned researcher of the mounds in Hajdúság called them.
 

In the foregoing description we got to know the most typical type of these Kumanian mounds, the "kurgáns". It is important however, to mention two additionl important types of mounds, the "dwelling-mounds" and the "laponyags". The multi-layered dwelling mounds, or "tell" mounds, evolved and disappeared in the Neolithics - or New Stone Age - in Hungary. Such mound is probably, the "Pródi"-mound in Hajdúböszörmény. These mounds were constructed or occupied again in the Bronze Age. The third type of mounds is the "laponyag", they are longish, low "hummocks", and they are common especially in the Hortobágy region. Contrary to the mounds described above, these can be either of natural origin, as well as burial sites from the Age of Migration.
 

The landscape value is very subjective, we primarily mean the aesthetic experince of the spectator. Imagine as the attention of the people passing there is grabbed by these 6 to 10 metres high mounds rising from the absolutely flat ground. Though most of them were raided centuries ago - hence the names "Hollow Mound (of Telekföld)" or "Dug Mound" in the limits of Hajdúböszörmény - they are still unexplored by the today's people. In the limits of the three hajdú towns there are but a few mounds which cultural layers are mapped - these layers might have the depth of a few metres and may contain heritage of multiple cultures. As for the zoology their job for the next years will be to survey accurately these unfortunately vanishing 'islands' - we already can tell that the mounds are practically the sole home for many arthropoda and molluscs. From the reptiles we can also mention here the sand lizard, especially its red-backed subspecies; and from the mammals the skunk and the fox. There are not much mounds which hasn't got a foxhole on the top or on the bank.
 

During the past several years, we have found and identified the following mounds in the Hajdúság region: relatively intact, preserved mounds around Hajdúböszörmény are the "Csegei" mound which lies in the Józsa-Böszörmény borderline, and hid the "Böszörmény-treasure" (archeological findings of the Bronze Age), "Zeleméri"-mound, beneath the Zelemér ruins, the showy "Telek" mound next to the Bodai access road, "Kistacsiló" mound emerging from the dike of the Virágoskú pond. Partly destructed, but preserved in its shape is the "Kisnyerges" mound, located between Vid and Hajdúböszörmény, where -according to legends- our brave Hajdú predecessors saddled their horses before assassinating hundred of "rác" people in Vid who were accused of planning the same "treat" with the Hajdú people in Böszörmény and Nánás.
 

"Széchenyi" mound, which is also known as "Messzelátó" mound by locals standing along the old Debrecen road, the legendary "Pródi" mound, which was excavated almost insanely for years by Mr. Ferenc Forgács and his family, following an apparition in his dream in which he was told that the coffin of Attila the hun is hidden beneath the mound. Partly destructed, but preserving some of the native flora are: "Nagynyerges" mound, "Brassó" mound, and the most precious in botanical point of view is the "Háti" mound. Only their silhouettes remained in the cultivated land: "Gáti" mound, "Köves" mound, "Strázsa" mound, "Tetű" mound, "Zöld" mound, "Fürj" mound, "Veress" mound, "Rohadt" mound "Nagy-Vidi" mound and "Mézesmáj" mound, with "Büdös" and "Rácz" hummocks in the Nánás area. Mounds around Hajdúdorog are the following: "Bene" mound, "Rezes" mound, "Vágott" mound, "Debeje" mound. These artificial mounds, like other anthropogenic elements were evolving with the inhabitants of the region. Their present and their future depends on the protecting or destructing attitude of the farming local people. The experiences show us that despite of the current regulations -Conservation Act from the mid 90's- which gave "ex-lege" protection status to the mounds, the problems remained as these structures are constantly being ploughed or carried away with hevy machinery by our fellow citizens.

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