Adygea.

History

In the 4th millennium BC the Kuban valley was home to the Early Bronze Age Maykop culture. It is named after a royal burial mound found at Maykop in 1897, and the culture is known for thousands of gold and silver objects and some of the earliest examples of the animal style in art. Maykop itself was founded as a fortress in 1857, and oil was found nearby in 1910. The Circassian (Adyghe) Autonomous Oblast was created in 1922, Maykop became its centre in 1936, and Adygea has been a republic since 1991.

Culture & traditions

The official languages are Adyghe, a member of the Northwest Caucasian family, and Russian. Russians make up about two-thirds of the population and the Adyghe about a quarter, alongside Armenians and Kurds. For centuries Adyghe life followed the Adyghe Khabze, an unwritten code of honour, hospitality and respect, and guests were received in a special room called the kunatskaya. Adyghe women were known for embroidery in gold and silver thread, and craftsmen for carpets decorated with birds, horses and sun signs. The largest museum is the National Museum in Maykop.

Nature

The north is flat land along the Kuban and the Krasnodar Reservoir, the south mountainous, rising to Mount Chugush at 3,238 m. Beech, oak and maple forests cover about 40 percent of the republic. The Lago-Naki plateau, with its alpine meadows, reaches 2,200 m. Together with the Caucasus Nature Reserve it is part of the Western Caucasus UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1999 as one of Europe's few large mountain areas largely untouched by people. Nordmann firs and yew-and-box groves grow here, and the reserve is bringing back the Caucasian wisent.

Sport

The Adyghe have long been known as horsemen, and a love of horses runs deep in their culture. The mountains, forests and Lago-Naki plateau draw people who enjoy long walks in the hills.

Food & drink

The first thing to try is Adyghe, or Circassian, cheese. Adyghe cooking leans on dairy and vegetables in summer and on meat and flour in winter and spring. Classic dishes include chicken in walnut sauce, boiled mutton with sour milk, cornbread and haliva, a festive sweet of toasted millet or wheat flour. The republic also grows grain, sunflowers and tea.

Practical information

As Adygea is surrounded by Krasnodar Krai, most visitors arrive via Krasnodar and its airport; Maykop has a small airfield, and rail lines cross the republic. It is on Moscow time. The climate is mild, averaging about −0.5 °C in January and 23 °C in July. Summer and early autumn are best for the mountains and plateau, spring and autumn for the lowlands.

What to see

• Lago-Naki Plateau — alpine meadows at up to 2,200 metres.
• Caucasus Nature Reserve — part of the Western Caucasus UNESCO site, with old-growth mountain forest.
• National Museum in Maykop — the story of the Adyghe and the ancient Maykop culture.
• Maykop — a quiet capital on the banks of the Belaya River.
• Adyghe cheese — taste it where it is made.

Cities on the map

• Maykop 143,385