Живописная Кабардино-Балкария. Занимательное путешествие с авторами и героями книг по республике, которую называют жемчужиной Кавказа. Мария и Виктор Котляровы

      Итак, наше путешествие начинается…

      Kabardino-Balkaria is called the pearl of the Caucasus. There is no exaggeration at all. More than that. Everybody who knows our republic not at random, occasionally but directly, even intimately, i.e. through its canyons, mountains, rivers, the highest in Europe peaks, waterfalls, alpine meadows, lakes, fresh mountainous air and its sky, will agree that it is a world masterpiece.

      Perhaps, it’s not correct to compare and to rank speaking about Earth landscape creations because every place is a kind of God’s grace. But there is no place like home. And when this home is Kabardino-Balkaria you don’t compare and rank: you are simply delighted.

      Being the natives of this land, seeming to have got everywhere, the authors one day (in 2004, when we planned this edition) realized that our home land is somewhat terra incognita and it requires discovery. At the same time we understood that it is a boundless task.

      Nevertheless we decided to set to work just to make some indisputable visual image of our republic – a kind of self-portrait in photos. Intending to do it we made a lot of journeys. But each time one and the same place seemed different depending on weather, time and our inner state. It’s unbelievable but each place is some simultaneous co-existence of instant and eternity, unique and everyday life, of available and unavailable to sight and feelings. Colours, hues, shades. Nuances beyond expression: cliffs and underground caves, eagles in the sky and pebbles in the transparent water of streams, rainbows of waterfalls and snow on the mountain summits, crossings just on the very top of the world and springs of mineral water coming from the very core of the earth…

      Well, you’d rather become acquainted with the project “Home Landscape” including seven photo albums under the title “Kabardino-Balkaria: the masterpiece of nature”.

      4 albums are devoted to such picturesque canyons as Chegem, Chereck, Khulam-Bezengy and Baksan ones. The album describing Baksan canyon contains views of Tizil, Urda, Kanjol, Bedik, Tjutjusu as well as the views of other wonderful places.

      2 next albums give a detailed picture of the Elbrus region. The first is entirely given to Jili-Su – one of the most amazing corners of Kabardino-Balkaria. The second album is the collection of photos of such popular places as Terskol, Azau, Cheget, Adil-Su, Adir-Su, as well as the presentation of the places less known which, however, are worth seeing: they are Kirtik, Siltran and others.

      The last album is devoted to the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. It is in particular Nalchik, its vicinities (the canyon Kheo), the plains of Kabarda, an ancient town-fortress Julat, sacred hills of Kizburun…

      In the process of making the illustrative part of the albums we decided to represent not only the nature places of interest and remarkable sights of Kabardino-Balkaria but tourist centers and rest houses, archeological finds, flora and fauna as well. Then we added some ethnographic data concerning the title nations of the republic, i.e. Kabardinian and Balkarian. The same aim has the photo retrospective of the works by pre-revolutionary (i.e. before 1917) photographers from the museums of Nalchik, Vladikavkaz, St.Peterburg and drawings from the books by European and Russian researchers of the Caucasus.

      The numerous sources – books and articles by travelers and scientists, including historical, sociological, cultural editions and works of fiction – became the basis of our own work. The quotations from them tell about natural phenomena along with cultural events and artifacts.

      The albums are supplied with maps. The most important geographical names and toponames are deciphered.

      We don’t want to embrace the unbounded. Our only wish is to reveal only a small part of our home land wonders – wonders of the Country of Elbrus.

      Let us make a short introduction before starting. Kabardino-Balkaria is situated in the central part of the Great Caucasus and adjoining plain called Kabardinian plain. Its area is 12 470 sq. km. It borders on Alania in the East, Karachay-Cherkess Republic in the West, Stavropol land in the North and Georgia – in the South. The last mentioned is at the same time the state frontier of Russia. Kabardino-Balkaria stretches from east to west for 160 km and from north to east – for 110 km.

      Six highest (above 5000 m) Caucasian peaks from the seven (except Kazbek) are in Kabardino-Balkaria. They are: Elbrus (5642,7 and 5621), Dich-Tau (5204), Koshtan-Tau (5151), Shkhara (5068), Djangy-Tau (5085), Pushkin Peak (5100 meters high correspondingly).

      Mountains occupy more than 60 per cent of the republic’s territory forming five parallel ranges: Woody, Pasturable, Rocky, Lateral, Main. These ranges, except Main, are cut by seven canyons with the rivers Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Chereck, Psigansu, Lesken with the water from the mountains of the Main and Lateral canyons. These rivers flow into Caspian Sea.

      Rocky, Main and Lateral ranges are considered to be the most picturesque with their cliffs of yellow-pink shades, turbulent rivers, chains of white tops with never melting snow. And, of course, we should mention Elbrus – the marvelous giant with its two summits, the highest mountain in Europe. It is really beyond any comparison. It is even above imagination. So, we begin our journey… Enjoy it!

      You are welcome!

      Баксанское ущелье