meshes- a small tower village on the southern slope of Mount Harsakort. This is the westernmost settlement of the Malkhistinsky Gorge and the entire high-mountainous Chechnya: the border with Ingushetia runs along the northwestern ridge, and with Georgia along the southern ridge. Approximate estimate of the age of buildings - XIV-XVIII centuries.
Meshi consists of two complexes. A five-story battle tower with a pyramidal roof, and a large four-story semi-combat tower with a stone annex surrounding them were masterfully built on a steep slope of rough sandstone with lime mortar. Inside the battle tower, the remains of wooden ceilings are still preserved. A small cellar was built at the bottom of the tower. At the level of the floor of the upper floor on four sides there were battle balconies-mashikuli, which are now partially destroyed. The semi-combat tower with an extension partially collapsed.
On the opposite eastern slope, across the stream, there is a second residential complex. It is erected on a rocky ledge of poorly processed slate slabs in clay mortar. It has a plan in the form of a trapezoid, slightly tapering from the main to the rear facade. Inside the four-story tower ledge rock base occupied part of the space of the first and second floors. The lower floor is deaf, the second one has windows and an entrance from the southeast. The ceilings of the first floors rested on the ledges of the walls, pilasters leaning against them and on two supporting pillars that stood inside the tower. The third floor is residential, high, with large windows, traces of clay coating on the walls and an entrance from the southeast. Its overlap was based on the ledges of the side walls, corner ligaments and longitudinal wooden beams. The fourth floor looked like a semi-open veranda with four wide rectangular embrasures, open towards the valley of the Meshi-khi River, and a flat roof.
In the lowland, on the left bank of the stream flowing into the Meshi-khi River, two tower-shaped crypts with a pyramidal-stepped roof have been preserved. The first, single-tier, with a front eastern wall. The second, two-tiered, is made of well-cut stones, with white walls, because. lime mortar was used extensively. The entrance to the first tier is from the east side, and to the second - from the west side. The thickness of the masonry is about half a meter.
The Meshi tower village has an original architecture and is big interest as an example of a monumental complex of the Middle Ages, combining residential and defensive functions.
| A type: | tower village |
| Construction start date: | 14th century |
| Coordinates: | 42.75105, 45.17737 google, yandex, osm |
| Height above sea level: | 1700 m |
| Compound: | 3 towers (1 combat, 1 semi-combat, 1 residential) 2 crypt burial grounds |
| Preservation: | satisfactory |
| Difficulties with visiting: | serious, you need a pass to the border area |
| Cellular: | - |
| Visit recommendation: | Yes |
| Best time to visit: | spring-autumn |
| Nearby are: | Terta 1.5 km, Ital-chu 3.2 km, Ikal-chu 3.5 km, Benesty 3.8 km, Sakhana 4.7 km, Korotakh 7.9 km, Tsoi-Pede 8.2 km |
K.F.Gan. Journey to the country of Pshavs, Khevsurs, Kistins and Ingushs (1897)
"Caucasian Bulletin", No. 6, 1900
During the trip, I had to get to know a little closer with two tribes of Chechens, namely with the Kistins and the Ingush. According to the latest census, there are 6,150 Kists in the entire Caucasus, of which approximately half, about 3,000 souls, live in the valleys of the river. Meshe and its tributaries Vega-Chu, Tursala and Umu-khi. There are 14 auls and 230 households here. The largest auls are Tereti and Muzo (on the map of Mashiya). River valley Meshe is not very fruitful and, due to the harsh climate, the inhabitants are forced to engage almost exclusively in cattle breeding. They are very poor and often need forced them to rob neighboring Khevsurs, and many paid with their lives...
Kistins are tall, slender and strong, their face is beautiful, oval in shape, aquiline nose. In their movements they show great dexterity and grace, they are very intelligent and have a great desire for learning. Two Kistins traveled with us, of whom one officer, named Tsotesh, from Muzo, is considered the richest man. He has up to 500 rams, 20 cows and 8 bulls and, in addition, several thousand rubles in cash. His wealth is also expressed in fine weapons. He very graciously received us at his place and tried to treat us as best as possible, and, indeed, we found a wonderful shelter with him. Although it has a vast, well-preserved castle, with high walls and high tower but he does not call himself a prince. Chechens don't have these at all. “We are all bridles,” they say, “we are free, like a borsenna (wolf) and the only difference between us is more or less poverty.” At a time when they still had slaves from among the prisoners of war, these, having served faithfully for some time, could marry the daughter of their master and then become free and equal with others.
Tsotesh's house itself, located above a deep ravine, is a huge quadrangular tower of three floors with some outbuildings. It was built of huge blocks of slate with dry masonry. Passing through a large paved courtyard, surrounded by a high wall, we entered through a low door into the lower floor; it dark room without light, where livestock is placed. Climbing in the dark along a narrow stone staircase, we soon found ourselves on the second floor, where the women live. Although these rooms are kept cleaner than those of the Khevsurs, they are also quite dark and the ceilings are heavily smoked. Large copper and tin basins hang or stand on the walls, large chests with rich carvings are immediately placed. The floor is earthen; the room is poorly lit by a few small holes in the wall. A bad ladder leads to the upper floor, to the owner's dwelling, where the marriage bed is located. Here the walls are hung different kind weapons and festive clothes of the owner and his wives. in front of the room flat roof forms something like an altan, bordered by a low wall. From this high balcony there is a wonderful view of the valley, the village and the proud castle of the ancestors of Tsotesh, at the foot of which two mountain streams, Vegi-Chu and Tursal, flow down, and there, in the distance at the source of the Vegi-Chu, the snowy peaks of Vegi-lam are whitening (“ Lam" are called mountains, covered with eternal snow; "kort" - snowless peaks (cargo, "tavi" or Tatar "bash" - head). "Ars" - the name of mountains covered with forest. People say that mountains (lams), eternal snow and ice, voluntarily agreed to endure all suffering in this life in order to enjoy eternal bliss in that life.For, according to the belief of the Chechens, all living and lifeless beings must suffer after death for their sins.) with some insignificant glaciers; closer to us, to the right, rises the city of Hassa Court (11277′), on the top of which, it seems, there is no more snow. We are at least 6,000 feet high with beautiful alpine landscape.
Just like almost everywhere in Chechnya, Tsotesh, near his house, has a small outbuilding of two rooms for guests, this is the so-called “kunatskaya”. In this kunatskaya we sheltered. The walls of this house are made of raw material, both outside and inside are cleanly whitewashed. The front room has a bed, a table and a few chairs, the room is heated by a fireplace. A wide shelf is attached along the wall, on which mattresses and blankets lie, and under them hang turya skins, which are spread on the floor to make beds on them. On the occasion of our arrival, a young ram was slaughtered and something like syrniki was baked. In general, we were given a very kind reception, and the next day the owner, his son, and several of his relatives saw us off for a long distance.
The clothes of the Chechens differ from the clothes of the Khevsurs, who wear exclusively black or red short Circassians, mainly in that their Circassians are made of yellowish, gray and brown cloth and are much longer. Moreover, they wear a cotton beshmet, cloth trousers, light chevyaks and a sheep's hat. For walks in the mountains, they wear stronger shoes made of buffalo leather. Often there are also shoes, the sole of which is a rope net, on which soft grass is placed. Such shoes are attached to the joints with thin straps. Women wear red skirts and trousers of the same color and go barefoot; faces are not covered.
The Kistins are separated from the Ingush by a high mountain range, rising in many places to the area of eternal snow. But through alpine meadows with very sparse grass we climb in great zigzags to a pass which is a little less than 10,000 feet high. Dear Tsotesh showed us his sheep, which was on a high pasture. We were struck by a huge number of rams with four horns, such as I had never seen before. At the pass itself we stooped over insignificant snowfields; one of them had a bright blood-red surface. This red color, like the so-called blood rain, comes from a mass of small red organisms. Flowers, from the flower dust of which such a coloring of the snow could occur, I could not notice. In general, the vegetation here above is remarkably sparse, here I found only a few low representatives of grasses and Alcine and Draba growing close to the eternal snows; but as you descend, the flora becomes little by little richer. Here, for the first time in the Caucasus, I saw at a rather considerable height beautiful flower Dryas octopetala and below, in a birch grove, Pirola secunda. At the very bottom, in the valley, the black berries of the Vaccinium myrtillus (blueberry) plant have already ripened, which seemed especially tasty to us. The passage through the pass was rather difficult for us, especially the one and a half hour descent on slippery grass and smooth slate made our feet feel so that we needed a rather long rest, and it was a long time before we mounted the horses again.
If Grozny could be completely explored on my own, which I did, then for a trip to Lake Kezenoy-Am, I turned to those who know this route well. Tourism in Chechnya is practically non-existent now, so until recently there were no tourist companies working for reception. Now the situation has begun to change little by little, and the Chechnya Travel company has appeared, which can organize trips around the republic for those who wish. These people work largely on enthusiasm.
I contacted the representative of the company Elina Batayeva, and we agreed on a day trip to the lake Kezenoy-Am. On January 2, three of us set off from Grozny in the Kalina: Aslan, a taxi driver from Grozny, was driving, accompanying Magomed and myself.
Kezenoy-Am is a mountain lake in the south of Chechnya, almost on the border with Dagestan. From Grozny it is only one hundred and ten or a little more kilometers, but in winter they are sometimes overcome in a few hours, and after snowfalls the lake may even become inaccessible. The reason for this is the mountainous part of the route, which we will get to know a little later.
The road from Grozny passes through places associated with the second Chechen war, which began in 1999. By this time, Chechnya was a criminalized territory with an incomprehensible status. With the change of the head of the Russian government in August 1999, the Russian authorities began to correct the situation in which the republic had been brought almost ten years earlier (including by them). Combat operations of Russian troops against militants began on the territory of the republic.
The second war was tough and uncompromising. Unfortunately, this often led to the death of civilians, already exhausted by wars and anarchy, who suffered from the actions of both sides. One such incident occurred in the city of Shali, where we made a short stop along the way.
In January 2000, a point missile strike of the Tochka-M complex was carried out on the market square of the city. The reports spoke of the high accuracy of the hit, as a result of which a cluster of militants was destroyed. At the same time, it is not mentioned that in addition to the militants, more than a hundred civilians in Shali, mostly women and children, were killed. Eyewitnesses said that the picture after the missile strike was so terrible that the nerves of even worldly-wise people could not stand it.
During the second Chechen war, few people from the population supported the militants. People just wanted it to end...
We pass through the village of Tsa-Vedeno with a large mosque near the highway.
The village of Vedeno, where we stopped to buy some food, is probably known to many by the turbulent news reports. Indeed, this ancient village was at the center of all Chechen wars, including the Caucasian war of the 19th century, when the residence of the leader of the highlanders Shamil was located in Vedeno. And not far from here, in the village of Dyshne-Vedeno, the modern terrorist Shamil Basayev was born and lived.
A fortress built in the 19th century by the tsarist authorities has been preserved in Vedeno. Although not all of it has survived. For example, in 1999, for security reasons, the Russian military blew up an underground tunnel, unique from an engineering point of view, that led from the fortress to the river.
The next stop is the village of Kharachoy.
The village of Kharachoy is the birthplace of Zelimkhan Gushmahukaev, better known as Zelimkhan Karachoevsky or abrek Zelimkhan. This person is legendary in Chechnya. Zelimkhan, or, as he is also called, "Chechen Robin Hood", waged war against the authorities, killing officials who oppressed the local population, and robbing banks and trains. He was not without certain principles. For example, he always warned about an impending attack (and sometimes about the amount that he was going to take during a robbery - no more, no less). After such warnings, the most serious security measures were usually taken, which seemed to exclude Zelimkhan's chances for the success of the operation. But every time he exactly fulfilled his plan, sometimes showing not only virtuoso possession of weapons, but also applying various ingenious solutions.
Fyodor Chaliapin, who was on tour in the Caucasus, was also held hostage by him, though not for long. According to legend, the singer sang a song to Zelimkhan, after which the touched abrek let him go.
Zelimkhan was killed in 1913 near the village of Shali. A monument to him, or rather, a small memorial, was erected in the homeland of the abrek.
Chechens respect Zelimkhan not only for his successful operations, but also for the fact that he strictly followed certain principles, for example, did not act on the sly. Chechens respect good warriors: I have heard respectful words from them about, for example, Russian marines who fought fiercely in Grozny. They also respect human principles in the conduct of war, noting the courage of Russian officers, some of whom, during the battles in Grozny, in order not to expose unfired conscripts, themselves took their places in military vehicles. At the same time, I also heard how Chechens speak disapprovingly of those Chechen field commanders who did not take into account any principles in their actions. And there were many examples of both behavior in that war on both sides.
In general, I got the impression, both from live communication with Chechens and from reading discussions on Chechen forums, that in many issues these are people of principle, but these principles are not quite as straightforward as it is commonly believed. And here are two, in my opinion, characteristic examples, one on the topic of nationality, the other on the topic of Islam.
The question is being discussed: a friend of a Chechen is Russian, he has a conflict with other Chechens. What to do - he wants to stay on the side of a friend, but wouldn't this be a betrayal of his own? The discussion was not without surprise, how did you manage to make friends with the Russian. But everyone was unanimous: if this is your friend, stand by him to the end, and nationality is no longer important here.
The second example is this: a Chechen girl wants to marry a Russian and writes that this is not only good man, but he is also ready to change religion and accept Islam. Here the reaction was very negative. How can you give up your faith, Orthodoxy, what kind of person is this, if he can do it, the Chechens ask.
From the village of Kharachoy, the road passes through a checkpoint and goes into the mountains, turning into a narrow mountain serpentine.
One more look, already from a height, at Kharachoy, and we go further. Aslan and Magomed are excellent fellow travelers, interesting and helpful people. But Aslan also pleased me with cool driving on a snow-covered serpentine. He drove the car without losing either speed or confidence, but without recklessness. Once I took a driving course on ice, where, in addition to various "police turns", I learned to get the car out of drifts and prevent them, and I could appreciate how beautifully Aslan does it.
Aslan lives in Grozny and works in a taxi. He has seven children, including an adopted Russian boy (now an adult). He was in Chechnya during both wars, worked as a KAMAZ driver.
Lake Kezenoy-Am appeared at an almost two-kilometer height...
And now we are out of the car and looking at this beauty.
The lake is quite long and we made several stops to admire it.
The depth of the lake officially reaches 74 meters, and unofficially they say that there are unexplored deeper places in it. But even if we talk about the official depth, then Kezenoy-Am is the deepest lake in the North Caucasus.
Despite the beauty of the lake, there are few people here, and this is understandable: tourists are not yet in a hurry to go to Chechnya. But for Chechens, these places are one of the most beloved in the republic. True, it is customary to ride Kezenoy-Am in the summer. In summer, you can swim in the lake, you can also go fishing (there is a huge trout in the lake), although Chechens are generally not fond of fishing.
There is a summer cafe on the lake, which is not open in winter, and even two catamarans for rent. I wanted to incite my fellow travelers to take one such catamaran and ride on the lake, but I did not see enthusiasm in their eyes, and did not insist. I think, however, that it really would be a somewhat extreme walk, with all my love for the water.
In Soviet times, the lake served as a training base for rowing teams. A large hotel was built for them, which was destroyed during the second Chechen war. Now a small recreation center is being built on the lake. The house from the outside already has a finished look, but in fact it has not yet been completed.
The surroundings are good for walking. In summer, the slopes of the mountains are covered with colorful vegetation. They say that it is fantastically beautiful. It's sad: in the nineties, the republic could not fight, but develop tourism ...
We get into the car and try to drive further, but after a hundred meters it becomes clear that we cannot overcome the pass covered with snow. What to do. We leave Aslan in the car, and then we go with Magomed on foot along a narrow mountain serpentine. Good, beautiful, air! And useful: every day would be such a load, the physical form would become ideal!
A kilometer and a half later we came to the small village of Khoy, consisting of several newly built houses and a mosque.
Once upon a time in these places there was a large high-mountainous village of Khoi. In 1944, when the Chechens and Ingush were evicted from the republic, it was empty and abandoned.
V last time, talking about Grozny and the war in Grozny, I recommended reading the novel by Kanta Ibragimov "Children's World". And now, having mentioned the eviction of the Chechens, I would like to recommend reading Anatoly Pristavkin's book "A golden cloud spent the night." The book is not just hard in places, but cruel, but at the same time kind. It gives a good sense of what happened in these parts immediately after the eviction.
So, when in the 1950s the Chechens began to return to their native places, they were forbidden to settle in the mountains, officially motivating this by the inexpediency of the existence of high-mountain auls. Therefore, no one returned to Khoi village. But its well-preserved ruins can still be seen today. They are located a little further than the mentioned new houses. By the way, these new houses are part of a program to return those who wish to the mountainous regions of Chechnya.
And here is the old village, or rather, what is left of it.
The walls of some houses are well preserved. Masonry was done without the use of mortar; the stones fit well together.
Is this the remains of a watchtower? The tower existed until recently. But since militants sometimes hid in the ruins of the village, and in the tower too, during the second Chechen war, the Russian military decided to blow it up out of sin. And they blew it up.
Magomed visited these places many times, but most often in the summer.
Cellars of houses with stone vaults are well preserved.
And here you can see that the houses above the cliff were built on stone slabs.
On the stone slabs of the houses there are signs similar to petroglyphs. One of the signs is a hand turned down. This means that the owner of the house committed a blood feud.
The custom of blood feud in Chechnya existed even in Soviet times, replacing work law enforcement. The essence of blood feud is that if a person commits a murder, then the relatives of the victim must kill the killer or his relative. Such a denouement as murder is not necessary, since reconciliation is also possible. But the possibility of reconciliation depends on many circumstances, including the circumstances of the murder. Murder for the purpose of robbery is unlikely to end in reconciliation, and the death of a person in an accident due to the negligence of another person is completely.
Respected people - imams, village elders, most often do everything possible to ensure that reconciliation takes place. But the final decision is made by the relatives of the deceased. By the way, if reconciliation has occurred, then the forgiven bloodline is still obliged to take care of the family of his victim until the end of his life.
Despite the seeming cruelty and archaism of the custom, for centuries it has effectively protected the Chechen society from serious crimes within it. Blood feud in Chechnya exists even now, although it is far from being in such volumes as before. The republic pursues a policy of reconciliation of warring families, and most often this is done successfully.
Yes, there is a bit too much in my story today that may not be very pleasant for my compatriots. About the war, about the cruel custom ... But in fact, the emotional background of this day was very good. And from the beautiful nature, and from communication with people. And if we talk about customs, then the best Chechen custom is hospitality. Being a guest of a Chechen is very cool. Open and friendly people, Chechens know how to take care of their guests in a way that few people can do, while the nationality of the guest does not matter.
The way back along the mountain serpentine, and now the village of Kharachoy seemed again. The road to Grozny passed already at dusk.
In the evening, walking along the streets of Grozny, I was upset that I had to fly away tomorrow. I longed for at least a day to wander around the city. I even do not know why. Somehow I felt comfortable there. This feeling is hard to imagine without visiting Grozny. So I'm thinking of going back there in a few years. I hope that the big plans for the development and construction of Grozny will be realized by this time, and there will be something to be surprised at. And besides, in Chechnya there is something to see outside of Grozny.
And the next day before departure, I photographed a beautiful mosque at Grozny airport in daylight (it was already dark on the day of arrival).
And goodbye, Chechnya.
Many thanks to everyone with whom I communicated in Chechnya - there were not so many of these people, but every communication brought great joy. Well, thanks to everyone who read my story to the end. :))
Although the mountains occupy only 1/3 of the territory of the republic, all the most beautiful is located there and, accordingly, the concentration of natural beauties is the largest there. Among nature, there are also man-made beauties and miracles. If you came to Chechnya and did not go to the mountains - consider that you did not come! 🙂
We spent almost the whole day out of 3 in the mountains, of course I would like to spend all 3 there, but there was only one in the plan. They promised to take us to the famous Argun Gorge. What it is famous for, I really did not know before; it was only heard from the news and other things. The news was not always pleasant, but what happened, I hope it passed. Now this gorge is just a monument of nature, and the towers along its banks and mountains, in my opinion, are one of the most interesting architectural structures, in my opinion even Grozny City is inferior to them, they look so organic here and it’s not even clear what it would be like without them . 🙂
Believe me, I selected the photos quite carefully and specially selected almost everything without people, mountains without people have always been good, and even in the mountains without people it’s safe!
In the morning, having plunged into 2 Shnivy and one Ford with the most important representatives of the Beeline company in Grozny, they moved south.
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Despite the fact that in the republic the roads are in fair condition, we managed to find something very suitable for the fields, but not very pleasant for the Ford Focus. 🙂
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The mountains here are not only for beauty, but also for work. Here on the mountain there is a quarry of a cement plant, they are crushed and poured through a pipe, it is dusting specifically.
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The further we go, the higher the mountains, but the highest ones are not yet visible, although there are peaks over 4000 m high, but we most likely will not reach them, it was promised to take us to the village of Veduchi, in any case, I sincerely believed in this and how I really wanted to see where a super-duper ski resort would be built there.
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The end of the "Zone" zone, but not the end of the Beeline mobile network coverage area. Surprisingly, in many places Beeline worked better than Megafon guarded this area, probably because they are now very actively increasing their presence here, installing BS-ki and promoting 4G Internet.
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Who can be surprised by a spring along the road? But its design is quite possible for those who understand.
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We drive into Shatoi, here we will need to buy a little in the market. Shatoy is also a well-known name, it is a regional center in the valley between two gorges through which the river flows. Argun.
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After Shatoi, the gorge narrows and the asphalt disappears, not forever, of course, but it is better to close the windows and turn on the air conditioner. Despite the fact that we are already warm here in the mountains - spring is smoothly turning into summer 🙂
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I apologize for any artifacts in the photo, I shot through the glass, but in my opinion the photo fully reflects the places where we were driving.
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They couldn't resist - they stopped. 🙂
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The gorge is quite narrow, the river is down there somewhere!
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Proper transport does not drive, but flies.
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Very pretty mountains. It's good that we hit before everything was completely green, so the terrain is much better visible.
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It just becomes somehow narrow, which means something interesting is close 🙂
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Yeah, here are the famous Ushkaloy twin towers.
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These two battle towers reliably blocked the passage here before they cut a wide road. It was impossible to enter or leave without permission 🙂
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Now the towers are easier than ever to cross the bridge.
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And hide between them in their shadow.
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Suddenly, the roar of engines, the dust column. There is equipment: armored personnel carriers and fuel trucks. They go most likely to the outpost, which is located upstream. The Argun Gorge leads strictly to the border with Georgia, and we have it under lock and key!
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Warriors distracted from the towers, but not for long. Want to see what's inside?
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I climbed into the “window” and made sure that nothing, these are practically replicas of trumpet towers, no one had spared them before, and when they captured they most likely destroyed them so that the highlanders could not use them again.
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View from the lower window of the tower. Mountains with snow are already visible. 🙂
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Fortunately, you won’t get bored here, there is something to see, a whole museum has been reclaimed!
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The tower is also available, but it looks new, although it is located on the old foundation. In 50 years it will be like an old one 🙂
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In addition to combat towers, there are also residential ones, they are not so high, but more solid with rooms.
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You can immediately see where is new and where is the original.
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A rotunda with a view of the village, obviously not in the Vainakh traditions, but Beeline catches it perfectly! Its special design is designed to capture and amplify the signal. Unfortunately for the representatives of VimpelCom, it also strengthened Megafon, but its speed still fell short. 🙂
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All buildings of the architectural monument look very harmoniously surrounded by mountains.
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Inside the towers there is a small exposition of traditional local decorations, weapons, clothes and utensils.
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There are still empty rooms, in them, with poor lighting, it is not surprising to get lost 🙂
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Before leaving for Tazbichi, we found out where all Chechen roads begin 🙂
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To Tazbichi and from the towers from Itum-Kale 10 minutes by car up, and there is also a tower and you can climb inside it. Just what we all missed!
Eskigora - tower of Eskievs.
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Another tower is clearly visible from it - Bassara bIav - the tower of the slope - the family tower of the Suleymanovs and Magomadovs.
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From the loopholes of the tower, as you rise, views of the distance open up.
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Tower veil 🙂
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The ceiling of the tower is completely made of stone - the enemies cannot be set on fire!
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Time does not spare anything, we have to strengthen and preserve.
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Loopholes with an overview and a shooting sector down.
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There is a cemetery next to the tower, you can’t climb over the fence, but you can take pictures from afar. It doesn't look like ours at all.
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And it's not just crescents and Arabic script.
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But also in tombstones in general!
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No matter how good it is in the mountains, it's time to start on the way back.
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It would seem that everything has already been filmed in the morning, but in the evening the light becomes a little different and it would seem that the same places look different.
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Powerful diagonal layers cut by the river converge closer and closer.
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Over the cliff, the road is practically without a fence, you should be careful.
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There is a place to fly away, below the Argun stream is as powerful as in the morning, the water is of a dirty color. It is warm, the snow in the upper reaches is melting intensively, the river carries a lot of suspensions.
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Go bulls! 🙂
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And while the bulls are moving forward, we are going towards Grozny, the mountains are ending for today, but there are no excursions yet. 🙂
Mount Amir-Kort is located in the Chechen Republic in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district, on the right bank of the Yaryksu River, east of the village of Baitarki in the territory North Caucasus. It reaches 1061 meters above sea level and is included in the group of mountains-thousanders of the Caucasus.
Located on the border with Dagestan. According to some legends, the mountain peak Amir-Kort was named after the mythical Nart named Amir (Amirani) in ancient times. Amir is the Caucasian prototype of the famous Prometheus.
Chamois, wild boars, golden eagles and other animals live on Mount Amir-Kort. A large number of plants grow.
Mount Ashenete
Ashenete is a mountain peak located in Russian Federation, in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district of the Republic of Chechnya. It belongs to the mountain system of the Caucasus and has an absolute height of 1,257 meters above sea level.
There are settlements not far from Mount Ashenet. These are the city of Grozny, Kaspiysk and Makhachkala, as well as the villages of Lem-Korts, Dargo and Benoy-Vedeno. From the top, magnificent landscapes open up to the neighboring mountains, so there are always a lot of tourists enjoying the Chechen nature in this territory.
If you believe the legends, mountain Christians (“lam-krists”) once lived on Mount Ashenet.
The north of Chechnya is the steppes (Tersko-Kuma lowland) and forest-steppes. The foothills are covered with broad-leaved and coniferous forests, interspersed with hollows with subalpine meadows. The northern slopes of the Caucasus Range, on which the southern, mountainous part of Chechnya is located with peaks over 4000 m, is a wing of the so-called Caucasian fold, consisting of several almost parallel high ridges. The mountains and foothills are pierced by a network of rivers and streams with numerous waterfalls. There are also many lakes here. There are no rivers on the Terek-Sunzhenskaya Upland and in the regions north of the Terek. The main part of the population lives in the valleys of the Terek and Sunzha rivers.
Nokhchalla for the Vainakhs, which include the Chechens and Ingush, is the Code of Honor. And “Chechens”, in the language of this people, is “Nokhchi”.
Early history Chechens and in our time - a field for discussion of scientists. According to one theory, they represent the autochthonous population of the Caucasus, according to another, they are the descendants of the Hurrian tribes of Western Asia of Scythian-Sarmatian origin, who appeared in Mesopotamia in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. e., and then migrated to modern Georgia and the North Caucasus. This theory is confirmed by the similarity of the Chechen and Hurrian languages, the same pagan gods. However, none of the scientists takes the liberty of formulating the reasons for such a resettlement, even as a hypothesis. Archaeological evidence is more specific. Settlements, burial grounds, burial mounds, including large settlements of III-I millennium BC. e. and I thousand years n. e. (Alkhan-Kalinskoye, Khankalskoye, Samashkinskoye, Khakon-Yurtovskoye, Yermolovskoye, Naurskoye, Ilyinskoye, Sernovodskoye), burial grounds and mounds of the early Iron Age and Bronze Age were found on the slopes of Mount Syurin-Kort (Khankala), in the valleys of the Terek, Sunzha, Aksai rivers , Khulhulau, Kezenoy-Am lakes. Traces of settlements of the 5th-12th centuries. found near the village of Kharachoy. Among ancient historians, the first mentions of the peoples of the North Caucasus appear at the end of the 1st century. BC e., at the beginning of the 1st c. In "Armenian geography" of the 7th century. Nakhchamatyans are mentioned, which coincides with the ancient self-name of the Chechens - Nokhchi (singular - nochkho). Arab geographer of the 10th century. Al-Masudi mentions Harachoy. Then here, through the passes, the path from the kingdom of Serir to the Alanian kingdom (the plains of Ciscaucasia) passed. The Nokhchi lived in both of these kingdoms. Regarding the Russian name of this people - Chechens (hence Chechnya), there are also two versions. According to one of them, it came from the village of Chechen-Aul, where the Russians first met with this Vainakh people (Chechens and Ingush) in the 17th century, according to another, cause and effect are reversed: the aul was called so because the Nokhchi called themselves and Chechen, and long before the XVII century.
Displaced in the 13th century Mongol-Tatars in the mountains, the Nokhchi lived there until the 16th century, successfully repelling the attacks of enemies. It was in the mountains that the national Chechen character was formed: independent and warlike. When the Chechens returned to the plains, Russian-speaking Terek Cossacks already lived there. Relations between them were initially friendly. The military-political alliance of Russians and Chechens was objectively necessary for both of them, and in 1588 a Chechen embassy headed by Batai-Murza Okotsky was sent to Moscow. With the regent of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich Boris Godunov (the actual ruler), an agreement was concluded on the subordination of the Chechens to the Russian sovereign. Part of the Terek Cossacks began to serve under the command of the "Okotsky Murza" In the XVI-XVIII centuries. Chechens and Ingush lived on the lands between the peaks of the Side Range in the south and the Terek in the north, the Aktash River in the east and the upper reaches of the Terek in the west. Chechens concentrated mainly in the interfluve of the rivers Aktash in the east and Assa in the west. Russia has already actively pursued a policy of expansion in the Caucasus: the lands on which fortresses and Cossack villages are being built are seized, and relations between Russians and mountaineers begin to heat up, which led to the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, the commander-in-chief of which in 1817-1828. was a hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 A.P. Ermolov. During the war, the North Caucasian Imamat, a state that existed on the territory of Dagestan and Chechnya in 1829-1859, was destroyed. the strongest under Imam Shamil in 1834-1859. In 1860, by decree of Alexander II, the Terek region was formed, which included the Chechen Ichkerian, Ingush and Nagorny districts. But even after the end of the war, conflicts occurred. To avoid a new war, the Russian authorities tried to use weapons only in extreme cases. Subsequently, the Chechens willingly went to serve in the Russian army. The Chechen regiment of the Caucasian Cavalry Wild Division covered itself with glory during the First World War.
Almost the entire 20th century Russian-Chechen relations were overshadowed by tragedy. And only at the end of the first decade of the XXI century. this trajectory of events has changed its direction. 
In March 1918, the Terek region was transformed into the Terek Soviet Republic within the RSFSR. In February 1919, it was occupied by the troops of A.I. Denikin. From September 1919 to March 1920 (when Soviet power was established), the North Caucasian Emirate, controlled by the Ottoman Empire, existed on the territory of Chechnya and Dagestan. In 1920, the Terek region was disbanded, the united Chechen and Ichkerian districts became a kind of model for the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic created on January 20, 1921, which included Chechnya, and. On November 30, 1922, the Chechen Autonomous Region was separated from the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1934, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region was created, which in 1936 was transformed into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ChIASSR). It lasted until 1944, when the Chechens and Ingush were accused of complicity with the Nazis. The population of the CHIASSR was deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. The liberated territory was divided between North Ossetia, Dagestan, Georgia and the Stavropol Territory, the Grozny Region was created in the rest of the former CHIASSR. Radical-minded Chechen historians call this period an occupation, but the facts are as follows: in the 1950s and 1960s. industry was created in the city, the cultural environment was saturated. In 1957, the CHIASSR was restored, the Chechens, Ingush, as well as Kalmyks, Karachays, Balkars were rehabilitated. In itself, the concept of the people's guilt, of course, is a legal nonsense, an absurdity. But much more important for the peoples who survived the catastrophe of exile, at that historical moment, was the very possibility of returning. Part of the territory of Chechnya and Ingushetia went to North Ossetia. The CHIASSR included the Naursky and Shelkovsky districts, which were previously part of the Stavropol Territory. All of these were time bombs. Both the first (1994-1996) and the second (1999-2009) Chechen wars, to some extent, coupled, of course, with other reasons, are also the result of such a policy that leads to a dead end. On November 25, 1990, the National Congress of the Chechen people adopted a declaration on the state sovereignty of the Chechen Republic. In 1991, the former General of the Soviet Army D. Dudayev and his supporters decided that Chechnya would be
presented at the signing ceremony of the Union Treaty on August 20, but will not sign the document until the lands ceded to North Ossetia are returned. The GKChP putsch on August 19-21, 1991 in Moscow aggravated the situation even more. On September 6, Dudayev's "national guardsmen" stormed the meeting room of the Supreme Council of the republic. This was followed by a series of tragic events, tragic for both Chechens and Russians. Their actors in the political sphere were President B.N. Yeltsin, General A.I. Lebed, A. Maskhadov, A. Kadyrov and others statesmen and senior military officials. Among the soldiers and officers who went into battle at their will, on both sides there were, by and large, neither right nor guilty, there were heroes, but cruel anti-heroes too. Both Chechen wars had a guerrilla character, and therefore peaceful Chechens often became their hostages, and captured Russian soldiers were kept in inhuman conditions. The vocabulary that reflects the realities of those wars is gradually disappearing from the speeches of politicians, but the pain and bitterness experienced by its participants are not forgotten in Russia and Chechnya, the wounds in the souls of people have not healed yet.
In 2007, the restoration of Chechnya began, and now its capital, the city, cannot be recognized. The republic has big plans, the purpose of which is to bring the economy to an independent track.
general information
Chechen Republic(Chechnya; Chech. Nokhchiyn Republic, Nokhchiycho) as part of the Russian Federation. It is part of the North Caucasian Federal District and the North Caucasian Economic Region.Date of formation according to the Constitution of the Russian Federation: December 10, 1992
Administrative-territorial division: 2 urban districts (Grozny, Argun) and 15 municipal districts.
Capital: Grozny (Sunzha-Gala) - 250,803 people (2010).
Languages: Chechen, Russian.
Ethnic composition: Chechens - 95.3%, Russians - 1.9%, Kumyks - 1%, as well as Chamalals, Nogais, Tabasarans, Tatars, Turks, Avars, Ingush, Lezgins, representatives of other nationalities - 1.8%.
Religions: Islam (Sunni) - 97.1%, Orthodoxy - 1.9%.
Largest cities: Grozny, Ust-Mortan, Shali, Gudermes, Argun.
Major rivers: Terek, Sunzha, Argun, Sharoargun, Gekhi, Khulhulau, Aksai, Martan.
Major lakes: Kezenoy-Am (the largest and deepest mountain lake in the North Caucasus), Galayn-Am, Gekhi-Am, Chentii-Am.
Major airport: Grozny International Airport.
Numbers
Area: 15,647 km 2 (the figure is not entirely accurate, since the border with Ingushetia is not marked).Population: 1,324,959 (2013).
Population density: 84.7 people / km 2.
highest point: Mount Tebulosmta (Tuloi-Lam) - 4492 m.
Climate and weather
Moderate continental.January average temperature: from -3°С in the Terek-Kuma lowland to -12°С in the mountains.
July average temperature: from +25°С in the Terek-Kuma lowland to +21°С in the mountains.
Average annual rainfall: from 300 mm in the Tersko-Kuma lowland to 1000 mm in the southern regions.
Economy
Minerals: oil and natural gas, cement marl, limestone, dolomite, gypsum.
GRP: 69.7 billion rubles (2010).
GRP per capita: 53.6 thousand rubles (2010).
Budget revenues: total - 56.9 billion rubles. (2010), including subsidies from the federal budget - 52.0 billion rubles. (2010).
Industry: oil and natural gas, oil refining, metalworking, woodworking, food industry. The republic has adopted a program for the construction of enterprises operating on the latest technologies.
Agriculture: growing cereals, potatoes, grapes, vegetables, gourds; animal husbandry - poultry and sheep breeding, cattle breeding.
Service sector: trade.
Tourism is not massive.
sights
■ Tower complexes XI-XV centuries Khoy, Aldam-Geli, Makanzhoy, Pkhakoch and others.■ Single sentries, residential and economic stone towers of the XIV-XVIII centuries.
■ City Grozniy: sights that appeared in the XXI century. Reception House (the project is based on a sketch of 1817 by architect A. Vitberg): reception hall, theater and showroom, children's art school), the mosque "Heart of Chechnya" them. A. Kadyrov, the Grozny City complex (high-rise residential buildings, an office building and a hotel), the Alley and the Memorial of Glory - in memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War, the Friendship of Peoples monument, the monument to firefighters who fought fire in the oil fields during the Great Patriotic War , National Museum of the Chechen Republic and the Republican Museum of Fine Arts, Dendrological Garden.
■ In total, there are about 50 natural monuments in Chechnya- these are reserves, hunting reserves, individual natural objects, including rocks, springs.
■ Argun State Historical, Architectural and Natural Museum-Reserve- about 600 monuments of history and culture of the X-XV centuries: more than 150 tower settlements, about 20 places of worship, more than 150 semi-underground and above-ground crypts, a collection of protected species of trees and herbs.
■ Lake Kezenoy-Am(at an altitude of 1869 m).
Curious facts
■ The traditional Chechen divination on New Year's Eve was performed on a lamb's shoulder. It was viewed through the light and, by the way the seals were located on it, they predicted what the crop would be like in the coming year, the weather, and even - within a certain family - which of its members would marry, who would have children, and who would end their earthly journey. Many peoples of Eurasia have similar fortune-telling, differing only in details: it is practiced by other Caucasian peoples, as well as the Chinese, Iranians, Mongols, Kalmyks, Buryats, Kazakhs. The mutton shoulder blade has a triangular shape, this is the sacred meaning of the connection between the world of the underworld, earthly and heavenly. In addition, the shoulder blade protects from the evil eye - as a symbol of protection from the rear, from the back.■ Commercial oil production in Chechnya began in 1893.
■ In Chechen culture magical meaning have the numbers 7 and 8. Chechens consider the seven to be a symbol of a man, and the eight - a woman. Since the unit is the basis of any account and, in this sense, the world order, the seven of a man consists of seven units, embodying his virtues - honor, loyalty to the word, courage, strength, etc. The eight, consisting of four pairs of twos, is a symbol of motherhood, balance, harmony and infinity of life. A Chechen proverb says: "A man deteriorates - the family deteriorates, a woman deteriorates, the whole people deteriorates." The first man and woman on Earth went in different directions to find a mate. A woman, until she found her man, passed 8 ridges. To a baby before reaching the age of eight months, you cannot show a mirror. A Chechen woman is obliged to know 8 generations of her ancestors on the maternal and paternal lines. A man is allowed to know 7 generations.
■ Since April 1, 2010, schools in Chechnya have been piloting lessons on the curriculum “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics”. This course includes the history and culture of Islam, Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Judaism and other major world religions.
