Maikop is the capital of the Republic of Adygea, a small city in southern Russia that appeared on the map of the country in 1857. Over its more than a century of history, it has managed to go from a military fortification to a beautiful, rich in sights and interesting place.
The amazing panorama of the Caucasus Mountains opens from here, its quiet, calm streets are the best for walking, and nature and historical sights attract tourists from all over the world.
Adygea on the map of Russia
The pastoral region in the south of Russia is a real paradise for geologists, archaeologists and travelers. A map of Adygea shows that more than 40% of the territory of this district is occupied by forests - beech, hornbeam, maple grow here, there are sites of ancient Neanderthals and homo sapiens.
Even now, walking through their places of residence, you can find fragments of dishes and other traces of previous eras. In the mountainous regions of the republic, megalithic monuments have been preserved - tombs and dolmens of the Middle Bronze Age.
In the modern period, there are two urban districts, seven municipal districts of the Republic of Adygea, three urban settlements and more than two hundred small settlements. The climate is mostly temperate, winters are not very cold - the average temperature in January is -2˚С. In summer in July, the air temperature reaches +22˚С.
In the conditions of this territory within the same district, you can find different climatic zones, and with them - plants and animals that are very diverse. There are several nature protection zones, a number of unique natural monuments, and the national natural park "Mountain Adygea" will soon appear.
Since 1936, this territory has been the Adygei Autonomous Region. In 1992, it became the Republic of Adygea. The language of the indigenous population is Adyghe, although Russian is understood there and almost everyone speaks it.
Most of the population professes Christianity or Islam. However, none of the religions is unifying for the inhabitants of the republic, since the spiritual culture of Adygea is based to a large extent on Adyghe Khabze - the ethical and philosophical doctrine of the Circassians concerning moral and ethical laws, attitudes towards elders, parents, women, and also contains advice regarding behavior in a given situation and the resolution of disputes.
Since the code does not indicate the need to adhere to any religion, but does not explicitly prohibit any of them, an Adyg can profess any faith or be an atheist, and that’s allstill remain an Circassian as long as he adheres to the doctrine.
From the point of view of the nationalities inhabiting the region, the map of Adygea looks like this (2010 census data):
- Giaginskiy, Maykopskiy, Krasnogvardeyskiy and Takhtamukayskiy regions were the leaders in the number of Russians;
- in the city district of Adygeysk, the city of the same name, Teuchezhsky, Shovgenovsky and Koshekhablsky districts, most of the Adygs lived;
- the highest percentage of Armenians was in Maykop region;
- Ukrainians in very small numbers, less than 2% of the total population, lived everywhere, but most of them, like Russians, were in the Giaginsky and Maikop districts;
- in terms of the number of Kurds - as much as 13, 11% of the total population - the Krasnogvardeisky district was in the lead.
Against the backdrop of the wonderful nature of the Caucasus Mountains, the capital of the Republic of Adygea looks like a pearl, bordered on the south side by the Belaya and Kurdzhipsa rivers. From here, as if in the palm of your hand, you can see the wooded ranges of the Caucasus, deep gorges and peaks covered with snow caps.
History of the capital
The first mention of the toponym "Maikop" dates back to 1825, and in 1857 General Kozlovsky founded a military fortification that received this name. In the early seventies of the 19th century, the fortification received the status of a county town and became the center of the Maykop district, at the same time, the military leadership was abolished, and educational institutions soon began to appear - first the Mountain School, then a three-year school, and even later the Real Men's School and the city library appeared.
During the Great Patriotic War the city wasoccupied from August 10, 1942 to January 29, 1943. In memory of this event, on May 9, 1967, the Eternal Flame was lit, which can still be seen in the city today.
According to the 2010 census, the number of inhabitants at that time was 144,249 people. In the same year, the capital of the Republic of Adygea lost the status of a historical settlement.
Sightseeing
Staying in Maykop for just a day or two is a good idea, and if you plan wisely, you can see quite a lot of interesting things. Here you should not expect to replace quality with quantity - it is better to visit one or two places, but calmly and leisurely.
First of all, the Maykop Mosque is worth seeing: this wonderful Muslim church with its slender minarets and blue domes is unrivaled, although it was built only in 2000.
Be sure to try the ethnic product of this territory - Adyghe cheese. According to the legislation, only Russia, the Republic of Adygea is a legal producer of this type of fermented milk product, and only producers in this territory can call their product Adyghe cheese. Made elsewhere, it's considered counterfeit… so don't miss the chance to try the real thing, smelling like fresh milk and wildflowers.
Especially if you are lucky to come to Maikop at the time when the festival is going on there. To services of visitors - not only a fair. Peculiar courtyards are laid out, where guestscan see how the dishes are prepared with this cheese and taste them.
Another noteworthy place is the Museum of Oriental Art. This is a branch of the Moscow State Museum of Oriental Art. It is quite small, but exhibitions and expositions are often held here, and in general, it will also be interesting to enter it on a “normal” day. Although Adygea is a small area on the map of Russia, there are enough finds from ancient times for several specialized exhibitions.
If there is an opportunity, you should definitely visit the building of the brewery workshop, the Church of St. George the Victorious, walk outside the city, see the dolmens along Mount Bogatyrka. Scientists suggest that they had a cult significance - but whether it is or not, the dolmen culture of this region dates back to 2900 - 1300 BC
Monuments of history
If there is enough time, the capital of Adygea can show its most fascinating sides to the attentive traveler. There are many attractions in and around the city that are worth exploring or at least seeing before leaving this wonderful place.
And first of all, it is worth visiting the bazaar. There are several shopping markets in the city - Central, Eastern and Western - and you can find something interesting on each. It makes especially sense to take a closer look at the spices - nowhere can you find such a richness and variety of them as in the bazaar. Here, in the market, you can try Adyghe cheese and ayran, various varieties of lavash, and in autumn - edible chestnuts.
Second, be sure to pay attention toneighborhood. The capital of the Republic of Adygea is also beautiful because it is surrounded by the wonderful, unique nature of the North Caucasus and monuments of ancient cultures.
In the city itself there are several interesting sights, the leader among which is the Cathedral Mosque. In addition to it, the building of the brewery workshop, the memorial to the soldiers of the 131st brigade, the Museum of the East, the Friendship monument, the Kaplanov houses (built in the pseudo-modern style, characteristic of Maykop public architecture of the early 20th century), a fire tower, a picture gallery, mound Oshad, memorial to the heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic War.
Train station
This is the first thing that the capital of Adygea shows to tourists. The train that opened the station arrived here in 1910. Only eight years later, in 1918, a bloody battle took place here against the White Guard troops, as a result of which more than three thousand fighters of the Maikop Red Guard detachments were killed.
Based on the architecture, the station building can be attributed to the imitation of the Moorish style. In the central part there is a four-column portico with baluster railings. The facade of the building has open galleries with pointed arches that support round columns with capitals.
The building itself looks quite peaceful - it's hard to imagine that armed battles were once fought here. However, although Adygea on the map of Russia occupies only 80th place out of 85 in terms of area, there were no less events here than in large territories.
Cathedral Mosque
It was built in 2000 at the expense of a sheikh fromUAE. It is located in a beautiful, well-organized area and looks very peaceful against the backdrop of green spaces.
The blue domes of the mosque contrast with the light walls and look especially picturesque at sunset, when the rays of the setting sun paint the walls of the temple in a warm golden hue.
The building of the m alting shop of the Maykop brewery
There are very few breweries on the territory of the Republic of Adygea, Maikop can only boast of one. The building consists of two buildings, but only one of them is of interest, built in the early 20th century in the Art Nouveau style, and is an architectural monument of all-Russian significance.
The plant itself was founded in 1882 by V. I. Goods. The plant at that time produced "Pilsen", "Bavarian", "Viennese", "Export" and "Royal" beer. In 1908, the products of this enterprise were awarded the Gold Medal.
After the opening of the railway, beer from other republics began to be delivered to the markets of the cities, and the owner had to take measures to maintain his position. Production capacities were increased, new equipment was installed and a building was built, which later became one of the decorations of Maikop.
After the establishment of Soviet power, the plant came under its control. External events during that period affected the well-being of the plant badly. Buildings and equipment gradually fell into disrepair. During the famine of 1932-1933, Adygea, the Krasnodar Territory, and the whole territory did not stand aside. Kuban and the North Caucasus. Restoration began only in the postwar years. In memory of the factory workers who did not return from the front, a small obelisk was erected on its territory.
In 2007-2009, the reconstruction of buildings and modernization of production took place.
Memorial to the soldiers of the 131st motorized rifle brigade and Afghan Alley
Revolution and war did not bypass Maykop - the capital of Adygea suffered both during the Leninist coup and during the Great Patriotic War. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who died in 1995 during the storming of Grozny and is located on the side of the village of Kamennomostsky.
The memorial includes the Church of St. George the Victorious, two pylons crowned with the coat of arms of Russia, as well as two of the 18 combat vehicles that survived then. A complete list of the dead participants in that operation is carved on granite.
There is another monument nearby - the Afghan Alley memorial, dedicated to those who took part in the Afghan war.
Memorial to the Heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic War and the Eternal Flame
This monument is located on the northern outskirts of Maikop, not far from the railway station.
Initially, it was erected in 1927 in memory of the victims of 1918 - then more than three thousand people were shot by the White Guards on the forecourt. The second event, in memory of which the memorial was built, refers to the Great Patriotic War. In September 1942, all regions of the Republic of Adygea were occupied by fascist invaders. Over 4,000 people were killed in Maykop in six months.
In the 50sthe area around the monument was reconstructed - among other things, the Eternal Flame was lit. Now there are several units of military equipment from the Great Patriotic War.
Fire tower
Its building was built in 1900 in the style of reminiscent Russian classicism, along with adjacent buildings for fire engines. It has only 5 floors, on the last one there is an observation gallery. The facade is divided into four tiers with cornices. The top three floors are also octagonal. The building itself is painted red.
Pushkin House
Initially, the Pushkin House was one of the very first buildings in the city. Built in 1900 at the expense of the townspeople, it played the role of the cultural and educational center of Maikop. It was partially destroyed during the Great Patriotic War.
In the 50s, it was decided to reconstruct the monument of architecture. According to the project of the architect Lebedev, a new building (theater) was built on the basis of the former Pushkin House. A foyer with an eight-column portico, a hall for 600 spectators, a stage box with utility rooms appeared.
As a result of perestroika, the Pushkin House has changed a lot. Now there is little in it that resembles the building of 1900. Of the interior decoration, the auditorium is the best preserved, where even now you can see the unique molding of the ceilings and marvel at the excellent acoustics. However, it retained its former name, although it is now used as a theater.
Kurgan Oshad
The main city of the Republic of Adygea - Maykop - has a little more than a century, howeverthe land on which it is built has its own history going back thousands of years. Sanctuaries excavated by archaeologists are evidence of this.
In 1897, N. Veselovsky unearthed an ancient mound on the territory of Maykop. The embankment looked like an earthen mound 10 meters high and about 60 meters in diameter. Inside were found the remains of three deceased - one man and two women. Along with the bodies, there was also a rich burial inventory, including jewelry, vessels made of gold, silver, copper, ceramics, and other materials, weapons, as well as things that may have been ritual items.
Based on the findings, scientists have suggested that this is the burial place of a we althy chief-priest Oshad. At present, it is attributed to the time of the last quarter of the 4th millennium BC. The found items are exhibited in the Moscow museum, and a stele has been installed at the burial site.
At a later time, a whole complex of solar sanctuaries arose around the mound, located on all four cardinal points at the ends of the rays of the so-called "rose of flowers".
Traces of these structures can still be seen on the territory of Maykop as mounds with ramparts and ditches or underground circles of stones. The Maykop slab containing a still undeciphered inscription was found on the territory of one of these sanctuaries.
Khojokh dolmens
There are even more interesting places outside the city. Among them are the Khodzhokh dolmens, a complex of 14 buildings of the Bronze Age (including the fully preserved Chygyudzh dolmen), which are locatedat the entrance to Kamennomostsky. In fact, there are a lot of such structures in the republic - another group is located in the Bogatyrskaya glade.
It's close enough to the city, you can get to the clearing either by car or on foot or on horseback. The main mass of megaliths is concentrated on the eastern tip of the Bogatyrsky Range, they are located in 2 rows, some are scattered along the slopes.
Hundreds of thousands of dolmens were found in the former autonomy - scientists suggest that the center of an ancient unknown civilization could be located here. At the same time, Maikop and Mostovsky districts of Adygea have the largest concentration of these structures.
Similar megalithic structures were found in North Africa, Western, Northern and Southern Europe, Korea, China, Japan, countries of South and Southeast Asia. Many similar ones were found in the Northern and Western Caucasus - scientists attribute them to the dolmen culture, to the period of early and middle bronze, that is, the time of the III-I millennium BC
Russia - Adygea, to be precise - thus, is among the territories where quite complex and developed civilizations once existed. The complex of sanctuaries around the Oshad mound testifies to the same. Experts have not yet come to a consensus on why megaliths were built.
