Karachay-Cherkessia.

History

In the Middle Ages this land belonged to Alania, a Christian state. In the Bolshoy Zelenchuk valley near Arkhyz three churches survive, known as North, Central and South; the North Church was a diocesan cathedral from the 10th to the 13th century, and the site is tentatively identified as Alania's capital. The nearby Zelenchuk inscription of the 10th century is regarded as the earliest surviving text in Ossetian. Alania was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th century. An autonomous region was set up here in 1922, and Karachay-Cherkessia became a republic in the early 1990s.

Culture & traditions

The largest peoples are the Karachays, Russians, Cherkess, Abazins and Nogais, each with its own official language. Karachays speak Karachay-Balkar, a Turkic language close to Kumyk; their communities were long organised in clans called tukums, and Elbrus is their national symbol. The Cherkess keep the traditions of Adyghe Khabze, a code of honour and hospitality. The South Zelenchuk Church is described as the oldest functioning church in Russia, and the same valley hosts the Special Astrophysical Observatory.

Nature

The republic has 172 rivers, including the Kuban, Bolshoy Zelenchuk and Urup, and around 130 glacial lakes in the mountains. The Teberda Nature Reserve, founded in 1936, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and the most visited nature reserve in Russia. It holds over a hundred glaciers, 157 lakes and its highest peak, Dombay-Ulgen at 4,042 m, with some 1,300–1,600 Caucasian ibex and a reintroduced bison herd. Along with its neighbours, the republic is part of the Western Caucasus UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sport

The republic is one of the Caucasus' centres for skiing and mountaineering. Dombay, at 1,600 m, became an official resort in 1965, and the other major resort is Arkhyz. The local Karachay horse, bred since the 14th–15th centuries, is famous for its stamina: in 1998–1999 Karachay horses were taken up Elbrus, and today they are bred for tourism and equestrian sport.

Food & drink

Local farming means livestock, grain, sugar beet and orchards. Cherkess tables feature Circassian cheese, chicken in walnut sauce and festive haliva made from toasted flour. The mountains are also rich in mineral springs.

Practical information

The republic has no airport of its own; the nearest is Mineralnye Vody in neighbouring Stavropol Krai, which also serves Cherkessk. From there the resorts are reached by road. It is on Moscow time. The climate is moderate and sunny, averaging about −3 °C in January and 21 °C in July. Come in winter for skiing and in summer or early autumn for walks to lakes and glaciers.

What to see

• Dombay — a ski resort inside the Teberda Nature Reserve.
• Zelenchuk churches near Arkhyz — Alanian churches in use since the 10th century.
• Special Astrophysical Observatory — the BTA telescope with its 6-metre mirror, the world's largest from 1975 to 1993.
• RATAN-600 radio telescope — a 576-metre ring of reflectors.
• Arkhyz — a mountain resort close to the Alanian churches and the observatory.
• Teberda Nature Reserve — glaciers, lakes and Caucasian ibex.

Cities on the map

• Cherkessk 112,789