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Russian Caucasus

Why Go? Rostov-on-Don ...... 409 In the southwestern corner of lies the Caucasus ...... 412 (Кавказ), an enchanting and ethnically rich region that’s Novorossiysk ...... 414 home to awe-inspiring mountains, relaxing mineral-spa Sochi ...... 415 towns and old-fashioned resorts dotting the sunny shores of the . Adler ...... 423 In the past, few foreign travellers made their way here, Krasnaya Polyana ...... 424 discouraged by the confl icts in the breakaway republics of ...... 427 Chechnya and Dagestan. Big changes, however, are in store ...... 428 for the Caucasus, as Sochi and neighbouring towns gear up ...... 432 to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Fantastic skiing on world- ...... 432 class slopes is just one of many ways to experience the great Dombay & Teberda ...... 435 allure of the region. There’s also superb trekking and horse- Arkhyz ...... 441 back riding amid soaring peaks, as well as climbing the granddaddy of them all, Mt Elbrus, Europe’s highest moun- Nalchik ...... 441 tain. Black Sea resort towns off er coastal intrigue – sun and Elbrus Area...... 443 sea, festive nightlife – while pretty spa towns like Pyatigorsk Chechnya, Dagestan & and Kislovodsk make for some memorable exploring. ...... 447

W h e n t o G o Best Places to Eat Sochi » Brigantina (p 420 ) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 30/86 6/150 » Restoran Zamok (p 434 ) 20/68 » 10/50 Shalashi (p 431 ) 4/100 0/32 » U Zuli (p 440 ) -10/14 -20/-4 2/50 -30/-22 Best Places to -40/-40 -50/-58 0 Stay J FDNOSAJJMAM » Grand Hotel Polyana SAS Lazurnaya (p 419 ) Jan Ski season May Enjoy sunny Jun-Sep Best kicks off at re- days and lower time for climbing » Grand Hotel & Spa Rodina sorts in Krasnaya prices at Black and hiking in the (p419 ) Polyana and Mt Sea resorts and mountains. Peak » Grand Hotel Polyana (p425 ) Elbrus. spa towns. season on the » Solnechnaya Dolina (p 439 ) Black Sea. 407 History squeezed between rival Roman, Byzan- The Caucasus has stood at the crossroads tine, Persian, Arab, Ottoman and Russian of Asian and European cultures since the empires. Bronze Age. The result is an extraordinary LIFE BEFORE THE RUSSIANS mix of races with three main linguistic Earliest human traces in the Russian Cauca- groups: Caucasian, Indo-European and sus date from Neolithic times, when farm- Turkic. The Caucasus has suff ered many ing was replacing hunting and gathering. invasions and occupations, having been The fi rst communities evolved in Dagestan’s

0 200 km 0 120 miles UKRAINE

Novocherkassk Don River Volga Tanais R Taganrog Starocherkassk ive Azov Rostov-on-Don r

Astrakhan

k Elista SEA OF orly AZOV Yeg River RUSSIAN CAUCASUSRUSSIAN RUSSIAN CAUCASUSRUSSIAN Kuban Steppe

Kuban R

Krasnodar iver Anapa ADYGEYA Novorossiysk Maykop CASPIAN Gelendzhik STAVROPOL SEA TERRITORY Mt Fisht (2867m) Zheleznovodsk DAGESTAN Cherkessk Mineralnye Vody Tuapse Krasnaya Zelenaya Roscha Polyana KARACHAY- Pyatigorsk

Dagomys CHERKESSIA Kislovodsk Teberda Terek River Sochi Arkhyz Nalchik Agura Valley Adler KABARDINO- INGUSHETIA Dombay Beslan Grozny BALKARIA Bujnaksk BLACK Sukhumi Mt Elbrus NORTH Vladikavkaz SEA (5642m) OSSETIA CHECHNYA ABKHAZIA To (85km) M To Trabzon SOUTH (Turkey) OSSETIA Poti M27 DAGESTAN

Tbilisi ADZHARIA

TURKEY ARMENIA

Russian Caucasus Highlights 1 Frolic in the Black Sea 4 Take a walk past by a visit to the site where followed by dinner and waterfalls and up to sublime perished in a duel dancing in everlively Sochi panoramas in the verdant 7 Drink the carbonic (p 415 ) Agura Valley (p422 ) Narzan spring waters, then 2 Carve up Olympic ski 5 Reach the summit of take to the pristine hilly slopes, followed by a banya Europe’s highest peak on Mt slopes of Kislovodsk (p 432 ) in Krasnaya Polyana (p424 ) Elbrus (p 443 ) 8 Absorb the mellow 3 Hike or ski amid the 6 Stroll the tree-lined setting and historic buildings dramatic peaks of Dombay streets of peaceful of former Don Cossack (p 435 ) Pyatigorsk (p428 ) followed capital Starocherkassk (p411 )