Maykop 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, he managed to go from military fortification to a beautiful, rich in sights and interesting places.
A stunning panorama of the Caucasus mountains opens from here , its quiet, calm streets are the best suited 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. The map of Adygea shows that more than 40% of the territory of this okrug 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 pieces of dishes and other traces of previous eras. Megalithic monuments — tombs and dolmens of the Middle Bronze Age — have been preserved in the mountainous regions of the republic.
In the modern period of time, there are two urban districts, municipal districts of the Republic of Adygea, numbering seven, three urban settlements and more than two hundred small settlements. The climate is mostly temperate, winters are not very cold - the average January temperature is -2˚. In summer, in July, the air temperature reaches + 22˚C.
In the conditions of this territory, within the same district, you can find various 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 soon the National Natural Park “Mountain Adygea” will appear.
Since 1936, this territory has been the Adygea Autonomous Region. In 1992, it turned into the Republic of Adygea. The language of the indigenous population is Adyghe, although they understand Russian 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 largely on Adyge Khabze - the ethical and philosophical doctrine of the Circassians regarding moral and ethical laws, attitudes towards elders, parents, women, and also containing advice regarding behavior in a given situation and dispute resolution.
Since the code does not indicate the need to adhere to any religion, but does not explicitly prohibit either of them, the Adyghe can profess any faith or be an atheist, and still remain an Adyghe while adhering to the doctrine.
From the point of view of the nationalities inhabiting the region, the map of Adygea looks like this (census data for 2010):
- Giaginsky, Maykopsky, Krasnogvardeisky and Takhtamukaysky districts were leaders in the number of Russians;
- in the urban district of Adygeisk, the city of the same name, the Teuchezhsky, Shovgenovsky and Koshekhablsky districts the majority of Adygs lived;
- the highest percentage of Armenians was in Maykop region;
- Ukrainians in very small quantities, less than 2% of the total population, lived everywhere, but most of them, like the Russians, were in the Giaginsky and Maykopsky districts;
- by the number of Kurds - as much as 13.11% of the total population - the Krasnogvardeisky district was the leader.
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 by the Belaya and Kurdzhipsa rivers. From here, as if in the palm of your hand, you can see the wooded ridges of the Caucasus, deep gorges and peaks covered with snow caps.
History of the capital
The first references to the toponym "Maykop" date 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 Maykop Uyezd, at the same time the military leadership was abolished, and educational institutions soon began to appear - first the High School, then the three-year school, and later the Real Men's School and the city library appeared.
During the Great Patriotic War, the city was occupied, starting from August 10, 1942 and ending on January 29, 1943. In memory of this event on May 9, 1967 the Eternal Flame was lit , which can be seen in the city now.
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.
Familiarity with the sights
Visiting Maykop for just a day or two is a good idea, and if you approach planning wisely, you will be able to see enough 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, it is worth seeing the Maykop mosque: this wonderful Muslim church with its slender minarets and blue domes is beyond competition, although it was built only in 2000.
Be sure to try the ethnic product of this territory - Adyghe cheese. According to the law, only Russia, the Republic of Adygea is the legitimate producer of this type of dairy product, and only producers in this territory can call their product Adyghe cheese. Made elsewhere, it is considered counterfeit products ... so do not miss the opportunity to try a real product that smells like fresh milk and wildflowers.
Especially if you are lucky to come to Maykop at a time when there is a festival. It offers not only a fair. Particular courtyards are laid out, where guests can see how dishes with this cheese are prepared and taste them.
Another worthy 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 on the map of Russia is a small territory, since ancient times there have been enough finds for several specialized exhibitions.
If there is an opportunity, you should definitely visit the building of the brewery workshop, the Church of St. George, walk out of town, see dolmens along Mount Bogatyrka. Scientists suggest that they had a cult significance - but whether it is so or not, the dolmen culture of this region dates back to 2900 - 1300 BC.
Historical monuments
If there is enough time, the capital of Adygea can show the attentive traveler its most fascinating aspects. 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 trading markets in the city - Central, Eastern and Western - and on each you can find something interesting. Especially it makes sense to look at the spices - nowhere to find such their richness and variety as in the market. Here, in the market, you can try Adyghe cheese and Ayran, various varieties of pita bread, and in the fall - edible chestnuts.
In the second - it is imperative to pay attention to the surroundings. The capital of the Republic of Adygea is also beautiful in that around it is the wonderful, unique nature of the North Caucasus and monuments of ancient cultures.
In the city itself there are several interesting sights, the leading among which is the Cathedral Mosque. In addition to it, the brewery workshop building, the memorial to the soldiers of the 131st brigade, the Museum of the East, the Friendship monument, the Kaplanovs' houses (built in the pseudo-modern style typical of Maykop's public architecture of the early 20th century), fire tower, picture gallery, Oshad barrow, memorial to the heroes of the Civil and Great Patriotic War.
Train Station
This is the first thing that the capital of Adygea demonstrates to tourists. The train "opening" 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 soldiers of the Maykop Red Guard detachments were killed.
Based on 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 lancet arches that support round columns with capitals.
The building itself looks quite peaceful - it is hard to imagine that once there were armed battles. However, although Adygea on the map of Russia in terms of area occupies only 80 out of 85 places, the events here took place no less than in large territories.
Cathedral Mosque
It was built in 2000 with the funds of a sheikh from the UAE. 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 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 malt shop of the Maikop brewery
There are very few breweries in the Republic of Adygea, Maykop can boast of only one at all. The building consists of two buildings, but of interest is only one of them, built in the early 20th century in the Art Nouveau style, and which is an architectural monument of all-Russian significance.
The plant itself was founded in 1882 by V.I. Product. At that time, the plant produced Pilsen, Bavarian, Vienna, Export, and Tsarskoe 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 city markets, 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 Maykop's jewelry.
After the establishment of Soviet power, the plant came under its control. External events at that time affected the well-being of the plant badly. Buildings and equipment gradually fell into decay. During the famine of 1932-1933, Adygea, the Krasnodar Territory, and the entire territory of the Kuban and the North Caucasus did not stand aside. Recovery 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, reconstruction of buildings and modernization of production took place.
Memorial to the soldiers of 131 motorized rifle brigades and the “Alley of Afghans”
Maykop did not pass the revolution and war - the capital of Adygea suffered during the Leninist coup and during the Great Patriotic War. The memorial is dedicated to the memory of 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 emblem of Russia, as well as two of the 18 surviving military vehicles. A complete list of the dead participants in that operation is carved on granite.
Nearby is another monument - the memorial "Alley of Afghans", 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 Maykop, near the train station.
It was originally erected in 1927 in memory of the victims of 1918 - then more than three thousand people were shot by White Guards on the forecourt square. The second event, in memory of which the memorial was built, refers to the Great Patriotic War. In September 1942, all areas of the Republic of Adygea were occupied by fascist invaders. Over six months, more than four thousand people were killed in Maykop.
In the 50s, the area around the monument was reconstructed - among other things, the Eternal Flame was lit. Now there are several units of military equipment from the time of the Great Patriotic War.
Fire Tower
Her building was built in 1900 in the style of reminiscent Russian classicism, along with the nearby buildings for fire engines. It has only 5 floors, on the last - an observation gallery. The facade is divided into four tiers with the help of cornices. The three upper floors, in addition, are 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 citizens, he played the role of the cultural and educational center of Maykop. It was partially destroyed during the Great Patriotic War.
In the 50s, they decided to reconstruct an architectural monument. According to the project of architect Lebedev, a new building (theater) was built on the basis of the former Pushkin House. There was a foyer with an eight-column portico, a hall for 600 seats, a stage box with utility rooms.
As a result of perestroika, the Pushkin House has changed a lot. Now there is little in it that resembles the building of 1900. From the interior, the auditorium is best preserved in it, where even now you can see the unique molding of ceilings and marvel at the magnificent acoustics. Nevertheless, it retained its former name, although it is now used as a theater.
Mound Oshad
The main city of the Republic of Adygea - Maykop - has a little more than a century, but the land on which it is built has its own history dating back to the depths of millennia. The evidence for this was the shrine excavated by archaeologists.
In 1897, N. Veselovsky excavated an ancient mound on the territory of Maykop. The embankment looked like an earthen hill 10 meters high and about 60 meters in diameter. Inside were found the remains of three deceased - one man and two women. Together with the bodies there was also a rich funerary inventory, including jewelry, vessels of gold, silver, copper, ceramics, and other materials, weapons, as well as things that might have been ritual objects.
Based on the findings, scientists have suggested that this is the burial place of the wealthy leader-priest Oshad. Currently, it dates back to the time of the last quarter of the fourth millennium BC. Found objects are exhibited in the Moscow Museum, and a stele is installed at the burial site.
Around the mound at a later time a whole complex of solar sanctuaries arose, 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 barrows with ramparts and ditches or underground circles of stones. The Maikop plate, which still contains an unencrypted inscription, was found in the territory of one of these sanctuaries.
Hodzhokh dolmens
Outside the city there are even more interesting places. Among them are the Khodzhokh dolmens, a complex of 14 structures of the Bronze Age era (including the fully preserved Dolgy Chygyuj dolmen), which are located at the entrance to Kamennomostsky. In fact, there are a lot of such structures in the republic - another group is located in Bogatyrskaya glade.
It is close enough to the city, you can get to the meadow either by car, or on foot or on horseback. The bulk of megaliths is concentrated on the eastern tip of the Bogatyr ridge, they are located in 2 rows, part - 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. Moreover, the Maikop and Mostovsky districts of Adygea have the largest concentration of these structures.
Similar megalithic structures were found in North Africa, in Western, Northern and Southern Europe, in Korea, China, Japan, countries of South and Southeast Asia. Many similar ones were found in the North and Western Caucasus - scientists attribute them to dolmen culture, to the period of early and middle bronze, that is, the time of the 3rd-1st millennium BC.
Russia - Adygea, to be precise - is thus included in the list of territories where once there were quite complex and developed civilizations. The complex of sanctuaries around the Oshad barrow testifies to the same thing. Experts still have not come to a common opinion why megaliths were built.