What mountains are there in Chechnya. Chechnya, Sharoi region. the wildest mountains and "dinosaur eggs". Different mountains of one republic

Mountains prevail in Chechnya. The area is divided into plains, foothills, highlands, peaks. Ridges and intermountain valleys occupy almost half of the terrain. These hills are not the least important in the history of the country - they are witnesses of both crushing defeats and grandiose victories. Many films have been shot about the mountains of Chechnya, many songs have been written.

Most of the hills are located on the southern outskirts of the Republic. It is there that there are the largest glaciers, the difficult climate for living. Although the cliffs of this area are considered the most difficult to pass, they are especially colorful. For the sake of photographing the mountains of Chechnya, not only curious travelers come here, but professional photographers.

Tebulosmta

This mountain peak is recognized as the most high mountain Chechnya. It rises about 4500 meters above the sea. Glaciers cover 3 square kilometers. Until the beginning of the 20th century - 1905, the mountain peak was the source of the mining of rock crystal for an enterprise in Switzerland. In the fifth year of the twentieth century, they moved out, closing up the adits. Crystals reached 1 meter in size.

Bald mountain

In Chechnya, it is best known among the rest due to the fact that it has become a scene of hostilities. In 1995, on April 18, the Rosich special forces distracted the attention of a group of militants numbering several thousand, thereby saving an operational brigade from death, carrying out an assault on Bamut at an altitude of 444. The mountain is located in the Achkhoi-Martan district, near the village of Bamut. In an overgrown glade, in a grove, not far from the village, stands a cross to the officers who were executed here. It is not marked on any map.

Diklosmta

Mount Diklosmta is considered the second highest in the entire Chechen Republic - 4285 meters. It is located in the southwest of Chechnya and serves as a natural border for Dagestan, Georgia, and the Chechen Republic. Glaciers cover more than 5 sq. Km / km of the entire area, feeding some well-known rivers.

To get to the hill, you need to go to the village of Khulandoy, located at the northern foot of the mountain.

Hawk

Yastrebnaya Gora in Chechnya cannot boast of a height - only 470 meters above sea level. It is located not far from the capital - Grozny, close to the border with South Ossetia. However, the Yastrebinoye Lake, located in the region of the mountain, is more famous. The mountain is mostly used for rock climbing by novice professionals, employees of the Ministry of Emergencies.

The village of Kulikovo is located nearby.

Lazarchu

In Itum-Kalinsky region there is a mountain peak Lazarchu, whose height is almost 4 km above sea level (3816 meters). The border with Georgia is located nearby. It is worth starting the conquest of the mountain from the nearest to the mountain settlement- a small village of Itum-Kale at the foot of a mountain peak.

The names of mountains and villages in Chechnya are often associated with what they are famous for, for example, military operations. These places are witnesses of fierce battles in both the 20th and 19th centuries. Fortunately, now the mountains of Chechnya are used only for recreation, climbing, these mountains are ideal for creating magnificent photographs. The people are gradually restoring ancient monuments and settlements, building new ones, and a lot of money is being invested in the development of alpine skiing. The unique flora and fauna attracts many nature lovers and ordinary travelers.

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 north-western ridge, and with Georgia along the southern ridge. An approximate estimate of the age of the buildings - XIV-XVIII centuries.

Meshi consists of two complexes. A five-story battle tower with a pyramidal roof, and a large four-story semi-battle tower with a surrounding stone annex were masterfully built on a steep slope of rough-cut sandstone on lime mortar. Remains of wooden floors are still preserved inside the battle tower. A small cellar was built at the bottom of the tower. At the floor level of the upper floor, on four sides, there were fighting 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 outcropping of poorly worked slate slabs on mud. It has a plan in the form of a trapezoid, slightly tapering from the main to the rear facade. Inside the four-storey tower, the protrusion of the rocky base occupied part of the space on the first and second floors. The lower floor is deaf, the second with windows and an entrance from the southeast. The overlaps 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 ceiling rested on the side wall ledges, corner beams and longitudinal timber beams. The fourth floor looked like a semi-open veranda with four wide rectangular openings - embrasures, open towards the Meshi-khi river valley, and a flat roof.

In the lowland, on the left bank of the stream flowing into the Meshi-khi River, two tower-like crypts with a pyramidal-stepped roof have been preserved. The first, single-tiered, with a façade eastern wall. The second, two-tiered, is made of well-worked stones, with white walls. Lime mortar was used abundantly. The entrance to the first tier is from the eastern side, and the second is from the western side. The thickness of the masonry is about half a meter.

The tower settlement of Meshi has original architecture and is of great interest as an example of a monumental complex of the Middle Ages, combining residential and defensive functions.

K.F. Gahn. Travel to the country of the Pshavs, Khevsurs, Kists and Ingush (1897)

"Caucasian Bulletin", No. 6, 1900

During the trip, I had to get to know a little closer with two tribes of Chechens, namely the Kists and Ingush. According to the latest census, there are 6,150 Kists in the entire Caucasus, of which about half, about 3,000 souls, live in the valleys of the river. Meshe and its tributaries Vegi-chu, Tursala and Umu-khi. There are 14 auls and 230 households here. The largest auls are Tereti and Muzo (on the map of Mashia). Valley of the r. 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 plunder neighboring Khevsurs, and many paid with their lives ...

Cystines are tall, slender and of strong constitution, their face is beautiful, oval in shape, the nose is aquiline. In their movements, they show great dexterity and grace, they are very understanding and have a great desire for learning. We traveled with two Kistins, of whom one police 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 beautiful weapons. He very kindly received us and tried to treat us as best as possible, and, indeed, we found a wonderful shelter with him. Although he has a vast, well-preserved castle, with high walls and a high tower, he does not call himself a prince. The Chechens do not have such at all. "We are all bridles," they say, "we are free like 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 became free and equal with others.

The very house of Tsotesh, located above a deep ravine, is a huge quadrangular tower of three floors with some outbuildings. It was built of huge slate blocks with dry masonry. Passing a large cobbled courtyard surrounded by a high wall, we entered the lower floor through a low door; it is a dark room with no light where livestock are kept. Climbing a narrow stone staircase in the dark, we soon found ourselves on the second floor, where women live. Although these rooms are kept cleaner than those of the Khevsurs, they are also rather dark and the ceilings are heavily smoked with smoke. Large copper and pewter basins hang or stand on the walls, and large chests with rich carvings are placed right there. 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 with all kinds of weapons and festive clothes of the owner and his wives. In front of the room, the 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 aul and the proud castle of the ancestors of Tsotesh, at the foot of which two mountain streams flow down, Vegi-chu and Tursal, and there, far at the sources of Vegi-chu, the snowy peaks of Vegi-lamas whiten (“ Lam "are called mountains covered with eternal snow;" court "- snowless peaks (cargo," tavi "or Tatar" bash "- head)." Ars "- the name of mountains covered with forest. People say that mountains (lamas), cover eternal snows and ice, voluntarily agreed to endure all suffering in this life in order to enjoy eternal bliss in that life, because, according to the Chechens' belief, all living and lifeless beings should suffer for their sins after death.) with some insignificant glaciers; closer to us, to the right, rises the town of Hassa-Kort (11277 ′), at the top of which there seems to be no more snow. We are at least 6,000 'feet in a beautiful alpine landscape.

As almost everywhere in Chechnya, so near Tsotesh, next to his house, a small outbuilding of two rooms for guests was built, this is the so-called "kunatskaya". In this kunatskaya we took refuge. The walls of this house are made of raw materials, both outside and inside are clean whitewashed. The front room has a bed, a table and several chairs, and the room is heated by a fireplace. A wide shelf is attached along the wall, on which are mattresses and blankets, and under them are tury skins, which are spread on the floor in order to make beds on them. On the occasion of our arrival, they slaughtered a young ram and baked something like cheesecakes. In general, we were given a very friendly welcome, and the next day the owner, son and several of his relatives accompanied us to 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 they are made of yellowish, gray and brown cloth and are much longer. Moreover, they wear a calico beshmet, cloth trousers, light chevyaki and a lamb hat. For walks in the mountains, they wear sturdier buffalo leather shoes. Shoes are also often found, the sole of which is made up of a rope net, on which soft grass is laid. 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 in alpine meadows with very sparse grass, we climb in great zigzags to the pass, which is slightly less than 10,000 feet. Dear Tsotesh showed us his ram, which was in a high pasture. We were struck by a huge number of rams with four horns, such I had never seen before. At the pass itself, we bent over insignificant snow fields; 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. I could not notice the flowers, from the flower dust of which such a coloration of the snow could occur. In general, the vegetation up here is remarkably sparse, I found here only a few low representatives of grasses and Alcine and Draba growing close to the eternal snows; on the other hand, as you descend, the flora gradually becomes richer. Here, for the first time in the Caucasus, I saw a beautiful flower Dryas octopetala at a rather significant height and below, in a birch grove, Pirola secunda. At the very bottom, in the valley, the black berries of the Vaccinium myrtillus plant (blueberries) have already ripened, which seemed to us especially tasty. Crossing the pass was rather difficult for us, in particular, the hour and a half descent on slippery grass and smooth slate made our legs feel, so we needed a rather long rest, and it took a long time before we got back on our horses.

If Grozny could be fully 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 now practically absent, respectively, until recently there was no and travel companies working at the 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 Lake Kezenoy-Am. On January 2, we set off from Grozny in the Kalina three of us: driving a Grozny taxi driver Aslan, accompanying Magomed and myself.

Kezenoy-Am - Mountain Lake in the south of Chechnya, almost on the border with Dagestan. It is only one hundred and ten kilometers from Grozny to it, or a little more, but in winter they are overcome sometimes in a few hours, and after snowfalls the lake may even become inaccessible. The reason for this is mountainous part tracks, which we will get acquainted with a little later.

The road from Grozny passes through the 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 rectify the situation in which the republic had been led in almost ten previous years (including by themselves). Fighting began on the territory of the republic Russian troops against militants.

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 by market square the city was struck by a precision missile attack by the Tochka-M complex. The reports spoke of the high accuracy of the hit, as a result of which the accumulation 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, mainly women and children, were killed. Eyewitnesses said that the picture after the missile strike was so terrible that even the worn-out people could not stand the nerves.

During the second Chechen war, few of the population supported the militants. People just wanted it to finally end ...

We drive through the Tsa-Vedeno village with a large mosque near the highway.

The village of Vedeno, where we stopped to buy some food, is probably known to many from the hectic news reports. Indeed, this ancient village was in 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 survived in Vedeno. Although not all of it has survived. For example, in 1999, for security reasons, the Russian military blew up an underground tunnel that was unique from an engineering point of view, which led from the fortress to the river.

The next stop is the village of Kharachoy.

The village of Kharachoy is the birthplace of Zelimkhan Gushmakhukayev, better known as Zelimkhan Karachoevsky or Abrek Zelimkhan. This personality is legendary in Chechnya. Zelimkhan, or, as he is also called, "Chechen Robin Hood", waged a war against the authorities, killing officials who oppressed the local population and robbing banks and trains. He was not devoid of certain principles. For example, he always warned about an impending attack (and sometimes about the amount he was going to take during a robbery - no more, no less). After such warnings, the most serious security measures were usually taken, seemingly excluding Zelimkhan's chances for the success of the operation. But each time he did exactly what he had planned, showing sometimes not only masterly possession of weapons, but also using various witty solutions.

However, Fyodor Chaliapin, who was on tour in the Caucasus, was also a hostage to him, though not for long. According to legend, the singer sang a song to Zelimkhan, after which the moved abrek let him go.

Zelimkhan was killed in 1913 near the village of Shali. In the homeland of the abrek, a monument to him, or rather, a small memorial, is erected.

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 soldiers: I have heard from them respectful words about, for example, the 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, took their places in combat vehicles in order not to expose untrained conscripts. At the same time, I heard how Chechens speak disapprovingly of those Chechen field commanders who did not reckon with 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 the discussions on Chechen forums, that in many issues these are principled people, but these principles are not quite as straightforward as it is commonly believed. And here are two, in my opinion, typical 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 a Russian, he had a conflict with other Chechens. What to do - he wants to stay on the side of his friend, but won't this be a betrayal in relation to his own? The discussion was not without surprise at how it managed to make you friends with a Russian. But everyone was unanimous: if this is your friend, stand for 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 he is not only a good person, 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 this, the Chechens ask.

From the village of Kharachoy, the road passes through the checkpoint and goes into the mountains, turning into a narrow mountain serpentine.

One more look, already from a height, at Kharachoi, and we go further. Aslan and Magomed are excellent travel companions, interesting and helpful people. But Aslan also made me happy with cool driving on a snow-covered serpentine. He drove the car without losing speed or confidence, but also without recklessness. Once I took a course on ice driving, where, in addition to various "police turns", I learned to get the car out of skids and prevent them, and could appreciate how beautifully Aslan does it.

Aslan lives in Grozny, works in a taxi. He has seven children, including an adopted Russian boy (now an adult). He was in Chechnya in both wars, he worked as a KAMAZ driver.

At a height of almost two kilometers, Lake Kezenoy-Am appeared ...

And now we have already got out of the car and are 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 more unexplored deep places... But even if we talk about the official depth, then Kezenoy-Am is the most deep lake in the North Caucasus.

Despite all the beauty of the lake, there are few people here, and this is understandable: tourists are in no hurry to go to Chechnya. But for Chechens, these places are one of the most beloved in the republic. True, it is customary to go to Kezenoy-Am in the summer. In summer, you can swim in the lake, you can also go fishing (there are huge trout in the lake), although the 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 knock my fellow travelers to take one such catamaran and ride on the lake, but I did not see the enthusiasm in their eyes, and did not insist. I think, however, that it really would have been a somewhat extreme walk, with all my love for water.

In Soviet times, the lake served as a training base for rowing teams. A large hotel was built for them, 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. It is said to be 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 snow-covered pass. What to do. We leave Aslan in the car, and then we walk with Magomed along a narrow mountain serpentine. Good, beautiful, air! And it is useful: every day there 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, which consists of several newly built houses and a mosque.

Once upon a time in these places there was a large high-mountainous village Khoy. In 1944, when the Chechens and Ingush were evicted from the republic, it was deserted and abandoned.

Last time, talking about Grozny and the war in Grozny, I recommended reading Kanta Ibragimov's novel Children's World. And now, having mentioned the eviction of Chechens, I would like to recommend reading the book by Anatoly Pristavkin "A golden cloud spent the night." In places the book is not just tough, but cruel, but at the same time kind. She gives a good feeling of what was happening in the area immediately after the eviction.

So, when in the 1950s the Chechens began to return to their homes, they were forbidden to settle in the mountains, officially motivating this by the inexpediency of the existence of high-mountain villages. Therefore, no one returned to the village of Khoy. 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 the program for returning those who wish to mountainous regions Chechnya.

And here is the old village, or rather, what is left of it.

The walls of some houses are well preserved. The laying was done without the use of mortar; the stones fit well one to the other.

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.

The cellars of houses with stone vaults are well preserved.

And here you can see that the houses above the cliff are built on stone slabs.

The stone slabs of the houses bear signs similar to petroglyphs. One of the signs is a downward-facing hand. 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 the work of law enforcement agencies. The essence of blood feud is that if a person commits a murder, then the relatives of the murdered must kill the murderer or his relative. Such a denouement as murder is optional, since reconciliation is also possible. But the possibility of reconciliation depends on many circumstances, including the circumstances of the murder. A 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 quite.

Dear people - imams, village elders, most often do everything possible to make reconciliation take place. But the final decision is made by the relatives of the victim. By the way, if reconciliation has taken place, then the forgiven bloodline is still obliged to take care of the family of his victim for the rest of his life.

Despite the seeming cruelty and archaism of the custom, for centuries it effectively protected the Chechen society from serious crimes within it. Blood feud in Chechnya still exists, although it is far from being as large as it used to be. A policy of reconciliation of warring families is being pursued in the republic, and most often it succeeds.

Yes, there is too much in my story today that may not be very pleasant to my compatriots. About the war, about a cruel custom ... But in fact, the emotional background of this day was very good. And from beautiful nature, and from communicating with people. And if we talk about customs, 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 as 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 appeared 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 leave tomorrow. I felt like wandering around the city for at least a day. I even do not know why. Somehow I felt comfortable there. It is difficult to imagine this feeling without visiting Grozny. So I think I will return there in a few years. I hope that big plans the development and construction of Grozny will be implemented by this time, and there will be something to be surprised. And besides, there is a lot to see in Chechnya outside of Grozny.

And the next day before departure, I photographed a beautiful mosque at the 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 each communication was a great joy. Well, thanks to everyone who read my story to the end. :))

Chechnya is the North Caucasus. This means that Chechnya is mountains. The territory of the republic is divided into flat areas, foothills, mountains and highlands. Mountain ranges and intermountain valleys occupy more than a third of the area of ​​Chechnya. The most ancient villages are located in the mountains: most architectural gems republics can be found here, on hard-to-reach slopes and in lost gorges. The mountains are associated with the main pages of Chechen history, its loudest military victories and defeats. And, of course, the mountains of the Chechen Republic keep many secrets of this ancient people.

Largest cluster mountain peaks- in the south of the republic, the main glaciers are located here and here the most severe mountain climate. These mountains are difficult to access and covered with snow for most of the year, but they are the most picturesque peaks of the republic. To admire them, both professional photographers and ordinary tourists come to Chechnya.

Different mountains of one republic

The main role in the formation of the relief of Chechnya belongs to rivers. At first, the rivers formed the so-called breakthrough valleys, and then in these valleys, in places where the rock was easily destroyed, valleys of tributaries appeared. It was they who turned north slope The main Caucasian ridge is divided into several ridges, which are now located almost parallel. Such a dismemberment of the main ridge gave Chechnya mountain systems: Black Mountains, Pasture, Rocky and Lateral Ridges.

The lowest of the above is the Black Mountains ridge. Its peaks reach a maximum of 1200 m above sea level. Black mountains are mountains of easily destroyed rocks, covered with a thick layer of black soil (hence their name - "black"). A forest grows on fertile soil, cattle graze on pastures. Local forests consist of oak, beech, plane tree, hornbeam, linden, ash, hazel, and highland maple. Wild fruit trees grow here: apple, pear, plum, dogwood. In addition, there is a huge variety of herbs.

The mountainous part of Chechnya, located to the south, is expressed by several higher ridges. According to the features of the relief, the mountainous part of the republic is divided into a zone of limestone ridges (Pasture and Skalisty ridges) and a shale-sandstone zone (Lateral ridge with spurs).

The central part of Chechnya is crossed by the Pasture Range: this is one chain of the Peshkhoi Mountains. In the east, it passes into the Andean ridge and its spurs. As part of the Pasture Range, there are peaks over 2000 m high. This is, for example, the Argun peak. To the south of the Pasture Range on the territory of Chechnya there is one of the highest limestone ranges - Skalisty. Its highest point in Chechnya is Skalistaya Mountain (3036 m.).

The Lateral Ridge stretches along the southern border of the republic, which is a cluster of the highest and inaccessible peaks. In its Chechen part, the Lateral Range is almost a thousand meters higher than the Main Caucasian Range. This is the most picturesque part of the republic, especially loved by climbers.

Highest mountains in Chechnya

Tebulsomta is the highest mountain not only in Chechnya, but also in the entire Eastern Caucasus. Its height is 4492 m, it is 41 meters higher than Mount Shoan - the most high mountain Ingushetia. Tebulsomta is located in the south of the republic, on the very border with the Republic of Ingushetia. The top of the mountain is always snowy. Until 1905, rock crystal was mined at Tebulsomt.

On the border of Chechnya and Georgia, but in different administrative regions of the republic, there are two mountains of approximately equal height - Shaikhkort and Narkhiy. Shaikhkort is located in the Sharoysky region of Chechnya, the height of the mountain is 3942 m. The height of the Narchiyah mountain is 3777 m, it is located on the territory of the Itum-Kalinsky region of the republic.

Another peak of the Sharoi region is a beautiful mountain, towering above its brothers, Komito (4261 m.). Climbers are very fond of this peak, located on the border of the Chechen Republic and Georgia, routes for climbing have been developed here, despite the fact that there are very steep cliffs and deep gorges on the mountain. Komito is covered with snow all year round; several glaciers lie on its slopes.

Boloilam is a mountain in the Achkhoi-Martan district of Chechnya. Its height is almost 2030 meters. A legend is connected with this peak, according to which it was on this mountain that the most militant Chechen ethnic society "baloy" was born, several Chechen teips (yalhora, akkhi, orstokha) who now live both in Russia and in Turkey and Iraq have become descendants , Syria, Jordan. Mount Khakmadoy is the birthplace of another Chechen taip "Khakmadoy", which in turn is divided into nine clans. There are many architectural monuments - ancient places of worship... The top of Khakmadoy is located on the banks of the Argun River.

Many mountains of the republic, being relatively low and inhabited peaks, gained a sad reputation during the Chechen military campaigns. Fierce battles with significant losses were fought in the area of ​​Lysaya Gora. She also often appeared in news reports on Yastrebinaya Gora, not far from Grozny.

But all this is in the past. Today the mountains of Chechnya are safe, lovers of hiking as well as connoisseurs of alpine landscapes easily get here. Ruined villages and ancient monuments are gradually being restored, new roads are being built, and alpine skiing is developing.

Probably, this post will be especially useful for those who have forged a desire to go to Chechnya further than Grozny no worse than a blade made of Atagin steel.)

In the previous chapters of this unfortunate guidebook, all attention was paid to mountain villages, and not to the City, which we consider only as a geographical landmark and transport hub. Now everything will be exactly the same, only the villages will become smaller, the mountains will be steeper, and the roads will be at the same and more dangerous.

All this is about the Sharoisky region - the southernmost, most distant from the center, the highest mountainous, the most inaccessible and the most towering of all fifteen regions of Chechnya. Such is the end of the earth on a local scale, undeservedly deprived of the attention of travelers.

Half of the area (if not more) belongs to the border zone. To the south, just behind the Tusheti ridge, Georgia begins.

Road... Departing from Grozny to Sharoy, we pass the large village of Starye Atagi and reach the regional center Shatoi (about 55 km from the city). In Shatoi, at the bus station, the paths diverge: the straight line will go to the village of Itum-Kale, and the one to the left will go to the villages of Aslanbek-Sheripovo, Hal-Kiloy, Sharo-Argun and Dai of the Shatoi region.

2.

The first road - the one that goes through Itum-Kale (photo 3) and turns left there - will lead to Sharoi through (photo 4) and the two-thousand-meter passes Chantybarz and Dzheinjare. This is a longer route - from Grozny about 105 kilometers, from Itum-Kale - about thirty.

3.

4.

The second road, the so-called lower road (photo 5-8), goes through the village of Dai along the Sharo-Argun river. It is shorter, but also more complicated - it happens that in winter and spring it is closed due to icing and rockfalls.

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There is little public transport in the Sharoi direction - only buses and minibuses to Shatoi and Hal-Kiloy. They leave from the Minutka bus station in Grozny.

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Skyscrapers "Grozny-City" in the background seem to hint that "Minutka" is far from the center.

By car from Grozny to Khimoy (the administrative center of the Sharoi district) it takes about 2.5 hours.

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In the central, historical part of Himoy - a carefully restored mosque, built in the 19th century from a residential tower; as well as a combat tower-remake (2011), which you can climb, modern cottages and the ruins of a huge set of ancient towers, among which representatives of the local fauna graze.

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"Petroglyph" above the loophole of the Khimoy tower-new building informs the descendants of the name of the head of the Sharoi district Musalov R.D.)

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Above the window opening of a well-preserved residential tower - one that the Khimians do not disassemble into stone, like others, but were taken under the local history museum - a left-sided swastika is clearly visible, carved into stone by the hand of an ancient architect. Among the Vainakhs, the swastika was a symbol of eternal life and a universal amulet, and its curved ends symbolize the movement of the Sun across the firmament.

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Overnight. There have never been any hotels in the area, but the hospitable Sharoy people will not leave you on the street. It will be possible to spend the night in the house of someone from the villagers (most likely, they will invite you themselves) or in one of two local high-rises - a two-story hostel for employees of the district administration. The red-brick building of the hostel is located in the newly built "administrative quarter" next to the same new buildings that house the district administration, hospital and other government agencies.

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Behind Khimoy, on the way to Shara, you come across a curious object known as Dinosaur eggs.

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Photo welran

Journalists reported about this find in April 2012. Then the members of the expedition "Chechnya - the center of tourism" went to the Sharoi region to study the waterfalls and caves, and found about 40 spherical stones sticking out of the rock, the diameter of which varied from 20 centimeters to a meter. According to the results of the expedition, Magomed Alkhazurov, a member of the Chechen State University Geology Faculty, suggested that these are the eggs of herbivorous dinosaurs, laid about 60 million years ago.

In an effort to prove the "egg" hypothesis and attract tourists to the republic, experts from Chechnya tried to explain why large eggs could be next to smaller ones. According to Chechen scientists, small dinosaurs kept close to large ones in order to protect themselves from attacks by predators.

However, the staff of the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences remained adamant: in the Caucasus, there are no geological layers related to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, when dinosaurs existed. According to Moscow paleontologists, the finds in the Sharoi region are not of biological but of geological origin. Simply put, these are not eggs, but just stones, albeit of an unusual shape.

Manager Paleontological Museum Aleksandr Karkhu, the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained how to distinguish fossilized dinosaur eggs from simple stones: “It is enough to take a magnifying glass and examine the surface. The egg shell has pores because the egg needs to breathe. Fossil eggs also retain pores. If they are not there, the surface is smooth and homogeneous, then it is almost certainly a geological object. "

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Sharoy(Chech. Shara). On a hill in the center of the village, next to an ancient mosque and picturesque ruins with an abundance of petroglyphs, there are two large and beautiful battle towers (in the title photo). Side by side with them modernity adjoins:

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One of them, with a flat roof, was completely rebuilt after being destroyed in a bombing in 1995.

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The second tower, which has suffered much less in the last two wars, can be climbed by the restored wooden stairs. From the top floor, the mosque, the entire village, the road to Itum-Kale and Khimoy, a cemetery with a local ziyarat, the Sharo-Argun river, as well as a large military town and the surrounding mountains will be visible at a glance.

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Solar signs on the wall of the old battle tower in Sharoi. On the 24th photo it is noticeable that during its restoration the Chechen architects of the 21st century did not spare the cement.

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Photo welran ... In the background to the left military base, which in fact cannot be photographed.

There is a private shop in the village, one of the same in Khimoy and Kenkhi. So far, there is no gas either in Sharoi itself or in other villages of the region. Electricity in Sharoi was carried out only in the summer of 2006; before, there was no electricity in the village either under Soviet rule, or under "independent Ichkeria", or after "the restoration of constitutional order." In the Soviet years, power supply was organized only in Kenkhi, whose residents achieved this in 1987 by sending a petition to the address of Lenin's mausoleum.

Village Kenhi looks like that , how any ancient Avar village should look like - narrow streets and houses - "honeycombs" on steep slopes.

The Kenkhin people process and sell the stone that is strewn across their valley as a building material. These are flat and narrow stone blocks designed for building purposes. This stone was used to make towers in the past. Now it is used for the construction of decorative towers, which the Chechen authorities use to decorate the main roads. Also residents of Kenkha, known as good bricklayers, go to work in other regions of Chechnya and beyond.

The road to Kenhi with " big land”(Ie from the direction of Grozny and Shatoi) leads only through the Kirinsky bridge and the post of the same name. Along the same road from the Kirinsky bridge-post, only closer, - the village Kiri(accent on the last syllable). According to employees of the Sharoi regional administration, Scythian (? - Author) burials were found above the village, next to the old Chechen cemetery.

Hulanda. Not aul - two houses, one "street" and two families. The end of the geography of a local scale and, moreover, the border zone. It seems to be the southernmost permanently inhabited village in the republic at the junction of Chechnya, Georgia and Dagestan. Some of the most difficult to reach towers in the area.

From Khulandoy there is an unpaved road to the village of Sharoy (8-9 km), traffic on it is very rare. According to unverified data (April 2012), border guards are building a grader road in Khulandoy from the Veduchi village of the neighboring Itum-Kalinsky district (directly - about 15 km). Construction was to be completed by July 2012.

To cement the tradition