The Caucasus – From the Black Sea to the Caspian

Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a contentious subject. Formally part of Georgia it declared independence soon after the breakup of the USSR, resulting in a messy war which saw the Georgians withdraw. Today it claims to be a separate country – recognised by no-one else – and is heavily supported by Russia, but historically has also been associated with the Ottoman Empire, being one of the provinces it claimed sovereignty over.

Abkhazia is geographically diverse with lowlands stretching to the extremely mountainous north. The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range runs along the region’s northern border, with its spurs – the Gagra, Bzyb and Kodori ranges – dividing the area into a number of deep, well-watered valleys. The coastal areas have a subtropical climate, and the region was much favoured during Soviet times as a holiday destination – old villas once stayed in by the KGB still remain and provide a snapshot of those times. The highlands still harbour the best of traditional culture, with shepherds looking after their flocks deep within the mountains, and offer great hiking opportunities for those willing to get even further off the beaten track.

Most Abkhaz are Christians of the Eastern Orthodox faith, but there is a large diaspora, whose descendants fled when the area came under Russian rule, and in places like Turkey you’ll find Abkhaz to be Muslim.

New Athos

In the year 1874 Russian monks from Greece arrived in the Psyrtskha river valley and after just a year’s time, they founded a new monastery at the foot of Mt Athos. The construction was completed after twenty years, but the sheer volume of work done is staggering, even by today’s standards. The landscape was dramatically reshaped when a huge portion of the mountain, equivalent to about 1,000 tons of soil and rock, was removed. Part of the building materials were delivered from distant countries by sea. Roof tiles, for instance, were brought from Marseille while the clock for the main bell tower was donated by the Russian Tsar Alexander III.

Later on, a light railway, a ropeway and a dam were built on the Psyrtskha River along with one of Russia’s first power stations. The marshy and thorny valley of the river was cleared and turned into a park with canals and a network of ponds for breeding mirror carp. Orchards were laid out on mountain slopes where apples, tangerines and olives were grown. By the beginning of the twentieth century, New Athos had become the biggest religious centre on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and has remained as such to this day.

Sochi

This Russian Black Sea city was fairly unnoticed by the rest of the world until the 2014 Winter Olympics, but has long been a popular holiday spot for Russian tourists. One of the very few places in Russia with a sub-tropical climate, it stretches along the coast (and is sometimes called the world’s longest city), and was once part of the Circassian nation, until Tsarist troops arrived in the 19th century. It was established as a fashionable resort under Stalin, who had a dacha here, and was well frequented by the Soviet nomenklatura.

The Circassians

The Circassian people live in the north-west of the Caucasus, mostly spread between the republics of Adygea, Karachai-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Once numerous, the 19th-century expansion of Russia to its south saw it come into conflict with the Circassians, who were systematically pushed out of their homelands.

During the imperial rivalry of the time, rogue British adventurers attempted to assist the Circassians and force the British government into intervening, but despite a long and fierce resistance, Russian forces eventually won the fight. Many emigrated to the Ottoman empire, enduring terrible conditions on crowded ships across the Black Sea, and today the Circassian diaspora, like the Armenians, is far more numerous than those that live in their traditional homeland, making them one of the first stateless peoples in modern history.

The Circassians are Muslim, but a strong element of their belief structure is habze, a moral code that embodies notions of strength and honour – it is seen as shameful for a Circassian to show weakness, and greed and desire for possessions are considered a disgrace. As with many of the Caucasus people, hospitality is a key element of the Circassian culture, to the extent that even an enemy is considered a guest if they enter a home.

Ingushetia

Tiny Ingushetia is home to around half a million people, and a fairy-tale landscape of jagged mountains, lush meadows and ancient stone built villages with high watchtowers, built to look out for invaders crossing the high passes. Perhaps the most impressive of these are the towers of Vovnushki, built on bare mountainsides and looking for all the world like something from the Lord of the Rings films – they truly have to be seen to be believed.

The Ingush have a bit of a shared history with the Chechens – resistance in the 19th-century, deported to Central Asia at the end of the Second World War, and entangled in the conflict that rumbled on at the turn of the 21st century. Predominantly Muslims now, they were Christian previously and converted along with the Chechens during a gradual process from the 17th to 19th centuries – it’s still possible to see examples of architecture from the pre-Islamic time, tucked away in remote valleys.

Chechnya

Mention the name Chechnya to people and the immediate association, if any, will be that of the terrible wars that were fought here in the 1990s and early 2000s, when this small mountain republic tried to wrest independence away from Moscow. Chechnya has moved on since then, and the capital Grozny, almost completely destroyed during this time, has re-emerged like a glittering phoenix from the ashes, with brash skyscrapers and modern architecture giving rise to comparisons with modern cities like Dubai (with a bit of imagination!).

It’s impossible to talk about Chechnya without addressing the obvious. Chechnya has had a troubled relationship with Russia proper ever since the two met in the 19th-century, during the Tsarist push to conquer and subdue the Caucasus. Like most of the region, it is made up of high peaks and deep valleys, where traditional ‘auls’ (villages) perched in inaccessible spots, making them difficult to conquer for the Russian invaders. The famous Avar leader Imam Shamil organised fierce resistance throughout Dagestan and Chechnya, holding off Russian penetration of this region for thirty years until he was finally captured.

In 1944, the Chechen people, along with other ethnic groups, were deported en masse by Stalin to the steppes of Kazakhstan, unjustly accused of collaboration with the Nazis – clearing the country entirely. It was not until 1956, after Stalin’s death, that they were allowed to return, having endured a harsh life in an alien land that was unprepared to accommodate them.

The breakup of the Soviet Union saw Chechnya declare independence from Russia, a move fiercely opposed by Yeltsin, and the conflict was brutal with villages being razed, civilians killed, and Grozny virtually destroyed before Russia withdrew. The conflict reignited in 1999, this time with a more favourable outcome for Russia that led to the eventual establishment of a pro-Moscow regime in Grozny, led today by the controversial Ramzan Kadyrov.

Chechnya, along with the rest of the Caucasus republics, receives very little in the way of tourism, most potential visitors discouraged by stereotypes that are fast becoming out-dated. For those prepared to visit, this gutsy mountain land is a breath-taking region of high peaks, imposing watchtowers reminiscent of medieval times, and picturesque traditional villages. All accompanied by the famous Chechen hospitality, where guests are treated with the utmost honour – after being isolated from the international community for so long, Chechen people are pleased to see visitors exploring their country, and they will undoubtedly present as long-lasting a memory as the scenery itself.

Derbent

Derbent is an ancient city, sitting on trade routes between the Middle East and Eurasia, and lays claim to being the oldest city in Russia, dating back to the 8th-century BC. Its strategic position lies in it controlling access across the Caucasus – there are few places one can easily cross this mighty mountain range, especially in pre-modern times.

Lying between the Persian Empire and Russia, Derbent has been subject to a number of different influences, perhaps the most striking of which is manifested in the 6th-century Sassanid fortress. Within the city lie old caravanserais, bathhouses, madrassas and old mosques. The citadel and ancient part of the city have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and give an idea of what life was like in one of Russia’s most exotic and unusual outposts.