Where is the city of Beshtau. Beshtau - five-domed mountain. Cultural and religious significance
A failed volcano, which did not have enough strength to break out, and magma with a core inside only raised the upper layers without disturbing the layering of rocks, and thus formed a mountain or hill on the surface of the earth, is called laccolith. Beshtau is a mountain belonging to this variety of ancient volcanoes.
The emergence of the name
A unique landscape monument of nature, located in the northern part of the Caucasian Mineral Waters, or Kavminvod (a group of resorts of federal significance), represents several (17 in total) isolated, including from each other, mountains.
The five highest remnant igneous unformed volcanoes gave the name of the area - Pyatigorye. Beshtau - the mountain, which is the highest of the entire group, located in its center. Five "island" mountains, visible from afar, gave it its name. Translated from the Turkic language, Beshtau (the term consists of two parts: “besh”, or five, and “tau” - mountain) means “five mountains”, or “five-headed”, all peaks of which have their own personal name.
Title of five chapters
The height of Mount Beshtau, belonging to the Caucasus Range, is not indicative, there are peaks much more impressive than it. The beauty is that it has five heads, and picturesquely rises among the wooded plain.
Its two peaks are called Beshtau - Big, having a height of 1401 meters above sea level, and Small with a height of 1253 meters. Next comes the hill, called Goat Rocks, with a height of 1142 meters, then rising to 1116 meters, Mount Two Brothers, or Fox Nose. Closes the five Cape Zeleny (1077 m), or "Shaggy".
Mount Mashuk - the place of the duel of M. Yu. Lermontov
Beshtau is a mountain, from the highest part of which Elbrus is visible in good weather. And this fact in itself cannot but attract attention to it. The peaks, standing at a distance from the "Five-headed", have their own names. For example, the famous Mount Mashuk, located in the center of Pyatigorye, rises to 993 meters. Mount Beshtau looks very picturesque from the observation deck (photo attached). Mountains are always covered with legends. One of them links together Elbrus, Beshtau and Mashuk. The beauty Mashuk, who lives on the plains, fell in love with the young handsome warrior Beshtau and the elderly majestic prince Elbrus, who could not even imagine that they would not choose him and that they would resist him when he challenged someone to fight.
Beshtau not only accepted the challenge, but also cut the head of Elbrus into two parts. For which he himself was killed and dismembered by a dying giant. Mashuk, who ran out to the noise of the battle, also died. The falling Elbrus pierced her heart. So the petrified remains of the participants in the tragedy lie - the body of Beshtau, cut into five parts, not far from it, the beautiful Mashuk, and far away, a cruel old jealous man was petrified. Other peaks located in Pyatigorye also have their own names and legends. Not far away is the Razvalka peak, reaching 926 meters, and Zheleznaya Mountain - 853 meters high.
Saddle between both peaks of Beshtau
Beshtau is a mountain with an original structure. From its largest peak, in different directions, that is, radially, there are forts, of which there are only seven, but four large ones. The remaining four peaks are located on them. There are deep hollows between the forts. The central peak itself is peaked and relatively flat.
The diameter of the base is approximately 8 kilometers. Between the two highest peaks, bearing the common name of Beshtau, there is a saddle on which traces of the Neogene volcanic activity have remained. This type of activity is characterized by the rapid growth of mountain systems, accompanied by the formation of folds and ridges (plates that differ sharply in composition). The saddle itself, covered with herbs, is extraordinarily beautiful, but the view from a height of more than 600 meters is also unusual.
mountain nature
The flora of this unique place is remarkable. Relic broad-leaved plantations have been preserved at the base. Further, up to a height of 1100 meters, the slopes are covered with deciduous forests of such tree species as beech and oak, ash and hornbeam. Tree plantations on this mountain make up a large part of the Beshtaug forest area, which occupies the foothills and slopes of several more mountains with a total area of 6300 hectares. And 177 hectares of its territory are occupied by beech plantations, although the vegetation of this forest area has up to 60 species of trees and shrubs.
Above are subalpine meadows. The largest, with an area of 461 hectares, is located on Bolshoy Beshtau. The top of the mountain consists of hard rocks, including granite. A small border station is located at the very top.
Directly at the foot of the mountain, from different sides, are the cities of Lermontov and Zheleznovodsk. A railway line goes to the latter, since the road itself bypasses the city. This branch is laid along part of the foot of the unique natural monument.
Unique objects
Mount Beshtau, whose sights are not numerous, but original and beautiful, has long been an object of tourist pilgrimage. In 1927, a path was laid around the main peak at an altitude of about 800 meters. And now there are well-trodden hiking trails from Lermontov (the easiest climb from here) and from Zheleznovodsk (the most popular from here).
The main attraction of the mountain is the view from the highest observation deck. Because of him, people have been going to this mountain for more than one century. Below lies the entire CMS region, all the peaks of Pyatigorye, clouds run underfoot, Elbrus is visible in the distance. There is a monastery and a lake on the mountain. Even underground, there are unique objects - these are uranium mines worked out in the 50-70s of the last century, which, according to stories, go deeper than 400 meters. Caves and sheer cliffs, stone placers and relict forests, amazing flora and fauna - everything makes the mountain unique, and a trip here unforgettable.
Accessibility
How to get to Mount Beshtau? The railway station of Zheleznovodsk can serve as the main reference point. A lot of fixed-route taxis come here from Pyatigorsk (Upper Market, No. 113), Mineralnye Vody (from the bus station, No. 107). From all the neighboring cities you can get to this starting point of the ascent to the mountain. There are two options for accessing the main trail.
They are indicated on numerous local maps in different colors - the road through the station and the railway track is marked in green. The preferred route is highlighted in red. It is laid through the central street of the city to "Zavodskaya", and further - to the beginning of the mountain path. The ascent can take as long as you like - the beauty along the route, the unusual air, places for recreation and picnics - everything is worthy of attention.
National health resort
At the end of the path, tourists are waiting for a conquered peak - Mount Beshtau. The Stavropol Territory, located in the south of the European part of Russia, is famous for its health resorts and resort towns far beyond the borders of our homeland. 58% of its territory is occupied by Pyatigorsk and Georgievsk, Mineralnye Vody (including Naguta and Kumagorsk) and Zheleznovodsk. Yessentuki, Kislovodsk and Lermontov are also located here.
These resorts are famous for their unique mineral waters. And above all this healing paradise rises the beautiful Mount Beshtau (the photos presented in the article convey the legendary beauty of this region). These places are famous not only for being sung by M. Yu. Lermontov, a native of these places, and A. S. Pushkin, but also for the fact that they were visited by the most famous people, as legends and guides tell.
prayed place
The monastery on Mount Beshtau, belonging to the Pyatigorsk diocese, deserves a separate large article. Erected in honor of Alexander III, the Tsar-peacemaker, it was opened in 1904. Its full name sounds like "Second Athos Monastery in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Mount Beshtau." Several monks from the Greek Athos moved here in order to transfer the experience of the piety of the Athos monks. There are a lot of glorious deeds on account of this monastery. But during the years of atheism it was closed. However, in the pre-war period, there was a home for Spanish children who fled from fascism. Since 1999, the monastery has been actively restored. In summer, a huge number of pilgrims come here and there is a summer children's Orthodox camp "Green Athos".
Monastery reservoir
The lake on Mount Beshtau is called Monastic and is located not far from the monastery. This is a man-made object - the monks, who had the largest agricultural enterprise since the founding of the monastery, built a dam on a stream formed by an underground source.
Herds were brought here for watering. The reservoir is famous for its water lilies and amazing energy. And, despite the nearby cult object, the platform above the lake was chosen by the followers of ancient Slavic cults. And every year there are more and more of them - we have freedom of religion in our country.
Regional capital
It is impossible to ignore another attraction, which Mount Beshtau is famous for. Pyatigorsk, located right at its foot, on the banks of the Podkumok River, is the second largest city in the Stavropol Territory. Famed for its beauty and its resorts, it is a commercial and cultural, scientific and tourist center of the entire Caucasus region. Since 2010, it has been given the status of the administrative center of the North Caucasus Federal District. Pyatigorsk today is a large modern and at the same time the oldest mud and balneological resort in Russia.
Legends and tales
Mount Beshtau is wrapped in a train of myths. The legend says that on its highest peak in ancient times, and there were witnesses to this, there was a board two wide and 30 steps long.
The locals were sure that it belonged to Noah's ark. Now mysterious events are also taking place on the mountain - someone will find traces of a Bigfoot, then they will see a UFO hovering over the top.
Mount Beshtau in the Stavropol Territory is the highest point in the region of the Caucasian Mineralnye Vody. The diameter of the foot is about 8 km, the slopes are quite gentle. The mountain range includes several peaks, and many of them got their names:
- Big Tau
- Small Tau
- Fox nose (Two brothers)
- Mount Shaggy (Shaggy barrow, Green Cape)
- Goat rocks
In the Turkic language, "besh" means "five", and "tau" means "mountain", which led to the name of the city of Pyatigorsk.
The natural monument of the Stavropol Territory is one of the failed volcanoes, which geologists call laccoliths (for example, Ayu-Dag or Bear Mountain in Crimea has the same origin).
Millions of years ago, tectonic activity led to the formation of unusual landscapes that have survived to this day. Magma rising from the bowels of the earth lifted the overlying rocks without disturbing their layering. Viscous lava only seeped through the cracks, but failed to break out and spill over the slopes.
The majestic beauty of the mountain became a source of inspiration for Mikhail Lermontov, Beshtau is also mentioned in the works of Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy.
From the top of the central part of Pyatigorye, a view of Elbrus and the mountain range of the Caucasus Range opens up. Staying at an altitude of 1,400 m fascinates with the feeling of flying.
Two paths lead to Beshtau from opposite sides: from Zheleznovodsk and Lermontov. You can climb any of the peaks on foot, special training and equipment are not required for this.
The entire mountain at an altitude of 800 m is surrounded by a ring dirt road, which was built in the late 1920s with branches to Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk, Lermontov and the village of Inozemtsevo.
Mineral water
The worldwide fame of Beshtau was brought by mineral springs with inexhaustible reserves of healing waters: Beshtaugorskoye and Inozemtsevo. Since the 19th century, the Russian nobility came here to be treated "on the water" in the summer. The purpose of the trip was not only the desire to improve health and enjoy the beauty of the Caucasus, rest in these picturesque places was an integral part of social life. At the same time, several hiking trails were laid to the top of the mountain, as well as a horse road.
Medical tourism is flourishing even now, local sanatoriums help people get rid of various ailments. Through pipelines, radon waters with a high calcium content flow from the upper part of Beshtau to the health resorts of Pyatigorsk, water with a unique chemical composition is also used by health resorts in Essentuki and Zheleznovodsk.
Radon is the result of the decay of radium contained in granite. The gas dissolves well in water, saturating it with its ions. Stimulation of human organs by weak alpha radiation has a healing and rejuvenating effect. Radon is quite rare in nature, therefore such resort places as Baden-Baden in Germany or the Russian KavMinVody are known all over the world.
After the Great Patriotic War, uranium deposits were searched in the USSR for the production of the first nuclear bombs, and reserves of uranium ores were discovered in the bowels of Beshtau. Prisoners were brought in to extract radioactive material. Now the adits are walled up, there are signs with warning inscriptions around. The radiation level does not exceed the natural background values.
Nature
The flora and fauna of Beshtau surprises with its species diversity. The slopes are covered with relict forests: oaks, beeches, hornbeams and ash trees grow here. At the top of the mountain there is a subalpine glade with dozens of rare plant species, many of which are listed in the Red Book. For example, the Beshtaugorsky poppy is not found anywhere else in the world. Scarlet flowers the size of a saucer sway on stems 1-1.5 m high. Birds of prey, wild boars, pheasants, foxes and hares are found in protected areas at the foot. Hunting and collecting plants is prohibited.
Attractions Beshtau
The mountain holds many mysteries to be unraveled. For centuries, people have found shelter here from enemy raids and secluded places for religious rites.
Temple of the Sun
On the northeastern slope there is a rocky ledge with boulders, where seekers of anomalous zones and "places of power" with special energy seek. Above the platform at the cliff hangs a giant stone with a spherical hole at the bottom, created either by nature or by people. The monolith rests on 3 points of support, like other ancient megalithic structures. According to one version, these are the preserved ruins of the Scythian temple of the Sun. According to another, a block is a natural geological formation: magma, saturated with gases, squeezed out to the surface, took a bizarre shape during solidification.
Tourists try to get to this place in order to feel the mystical effect of the mysterious structure. Many stories and legends are associated with the northeastern slope, including those about meetings with aliens and Bigfoot. Locals claim that flying fireballs can be seen here.
Dormition Second Athos Beshtaugorsk Monastery
Since the time of Ivan the Terrible, hermit monks have settled on the southwestern slope of Mount Beshtau. At the beginning of the 20th century, Orthodox ascetics who arrived from Mount Athos founded a holy monastery here. Thanks to them, a lake appeared here with amazing pink lilies, nicknamed “Pyatigorsk lotuses”. In 1927, the Beshtaugorsky monastery was closed and gradually collapsed to the ground. Currently, the monastery has been restored and is open for visiting by pilgrims and guests. Divine services in the temple are performed daily.
How to get to Mount Beshtau
Before the start of hiking trails climbing the mountain can be reached by car from Pyatigorsk along the Beshtaugorsky ring. Public transport running between Pyatigorsk and Lermontov is also suitable for this purpose: you need to get off at the turn of Dachnaya Street (Cemetery stop), the distance from it to the monastery is about 3 km, then the path to the top lies. On Sunday morning, a bus leaves for the Beshtaugorsky Monastery from the music school in Pyatigorsk. Another way to get to the foot or the ring road around the mountain is to use the mobile application to call a taxi Uber, Yandex.Taxi, Maxim, Real-KMV, TaxSee.
The route can also be started from Zheleznovodsk railway station. At the Slavyanovsky spring in the Kurortny Park, guides gather groups for hiking. The ascent and descent takes about 5-7 hours.
Panorama "View from Mount Beshtau"
Video of grief
Mount Beshtau is the highest (1400m) in the Caucasian Mineral Waters, so its conquest is the subject of dreams of local residents and visitors. But not everyone knows how to make this dream come true: how difficult it is, how safe it is, etc.
My first experience in this sense was not the best, although not without attraction. In 2010, having no idea about climbing routes, I simply drove up to the foot of the mountain, got out of the car and climbed the mountain with the thoughts that it was not God knows what mountain. So I got on the rocks, through which I made my way for a long time, eventually ending up on the southern slope with a convenient path for climbing to the top. It took me almost 3 hours to get up.
This time I decided to find out the easiest and most convenient route for climbing. After the fact, I can say that I succeeded. The beginning of the route is Lermontov, Gornaya street, 15, not reaching 250 meters to the guest house "Eagle Rocks":
Route profile, top view (north - top, south - bottom):
Comparison of the first route in 2010 with the current one:
The beauty of the 2nd route is also that it starts from a height of about 900 meters, i.e. it turns out that to the top, taking into account the profile of the route, go about 1 kilometer.
At the address Lermontov, Gornaya street, house 15, there are two unusual 4-storey houses, around which there is enough free parking space:
The houses are interesting not only for their appearance, but also for their location: there are no residential buildings in the vicinity, and the ascent to Beshtau begins immediately from them:
The ascent is good, with almost no flat areas. The top is clearly visible, it is impossible to get lost.
The path leads to a country road, on which there are route signs:
From the right, a path begins, going up:
We climb it and see: a mountain stream flows on the right, in which you can quench your thirst:
At an altitude of 1150 meters, the forest border ends and alpine meadows begin:
Rising a little higher, you find yourself on a large platform where you can arrange a halt:
In the summer months, presumably, under this tree you can hide from the scorching rays, but while there are no leaves on it, the buds have barely pecked:
Someone carefully pasted a memo to it:
It is curious that a lot of people come down to meet them, and below they dissolve somewhere:
It is difficult to photograph the peak itself - it is surrounded by a fence, from which it is impossible to retreat, therefore - only like this:
Dormition Second Athos Beshtaugorsk Monastery, a photo from the top of Beshtau:
In the very center of the next frame, a strip is visible - this is the road along which I climbed:
Mount Mashuk seems quite small:
The inscription HOLLYWOOD PYATIGORSK is clearly visible on it:
This time we were unlucky with the atmosphere - almost nothing was visible behind the dense haze, so the pictures had to be "pulled out" by thorough post-processing. At the expense of quality, of course.
Mount Snake:
Zheleznovodsk, Mount Zheleznaya (near) and Razvalka:
In one place of the fence, tourists staged some strange pilgrimage:
In 2010, the peak was inhabited - there were technicians-caretakers of the antenna equipment of cellular operators on it, and now it seems that the equipment is in an abandoned form.
In some places, memorial tablets of the conquerors of Beshtau of past years have been preserved:
And finally, one more argument in favor of this route: from the top you can see the houses from where the path began:
This time it took only 70 minutes to ascend and 55 minutes to descend.
Flowers on Beshtau are the most common for this time of year:
In conclusion, for those who are just going to go to the mountains, a little advice. It is necessary to choose shoes that fit the feet tightly, and to avoid unpleasant consequences from walking, the nails on the legs should be trimmed. Otherwise, injuries are possible that will heal for at least six months (black, bruised nails).
Not far from Zheleznovodsk, you can see very beautiful mountains: Medovaya, Zheleznaya, Razvalka, Beshtau. The latter is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mineral Waters. From it you can see the panorama of the entire resort town, and in good weather, the traveler can contemplate and even. In translation, its name means "Five Mountains".
First mentions
One of the first historical essays in which Beshtau is mentioned is the book of Ibn Battuta. This Arab geographer and traveler visited here in the fourteenth century, after which he told about the healing springs of Pyatigorye. In addition, descriptions of the foothills were found in such Greek writers as Ptolemy and Agatamar. They talked about the fact that there are beautiful pastures and thoroughbred horses. And in Russian history Beshtau is mentioned. The mountain and its environs are described in chronicles and other historical documents. For example, in 1627 they were mentioned in the famous "Book of the Great Drawing". In the essays by N.M. Karamzin also repeatedly mentions Pyatigorye.
Natural monument - Beshtau
The mountain itself is an example of a failed volcano. The fact is that viscous and thick lava with a not very high temperature could not fully spill over the slopes. Therefore, Beshtau is a laccolith mountain with "stone bags" filled with magma that has flowed to the surface and solidified in the form of icicles. Travelers and geographers proposed to consider this high peak (1400.9 m above sea level) in 1915. Each peak of the mountain has its own name: Small and Big Beshtau, Goat Rocks, Two Brothers, Fox Nose. From the direction of Zheleznovodsk, the height of the rise is 760 meters. Around the mountain there is a ring road, built in 1927 at an altitude of 820 m above sea level. A little more than six kilometers is a winding path to the top of Beshtau. Zheleznovodsk, Lermontov and other surrounding settlements are visible from there in full view. The ascent itself takes an average of two to three hours.
Why is Beshtau famous?
The mountain in 1914 was surveyed by an expedition from Rostov-on-Don. She gave a description that presumably refers to the Scythian temple of the Sun, located on the crest of a spur. Back in 1851, the famous archaeologist Akritas made discoveries indicating the presence of traces of the ancient Scythians in the Caucasus. A majestic stone was described as confirmation
In the form of a "Scythian hat", which was installed on three pillars. In addition, a domed grotto was found.
Second Athos Monastery
At the foot of the mountain there is now a monastery, which was founded in 1904 near Beshtau. The mountain was not chosen by chance - it was marked with a cross on the photographs brought by John of Kronstadt, who blessed the creation of the monastery. At the beginning of the twentieth century, 9 monasteries were built. However, after the revolution, most of the buildings were destroyed by the Bolsheviks. Then a sanatorium for the disabled was located here, and before the war there was an orphanage. The building for its first purpose was restored not so long ago - in 1999-2001.
Mount Beshtau is unique. A deciduous forest grows at its foot, and some peaks are covered with subalpine grass.
The railway, then the center is Beshtau, the name of which can be translated as Pyatigora. In general, the number 5 on the CMS is somehow special: Beshtau has 5 peaks, 4 satellite mountains (Sheludivaya, Dull, Sharp and Honey) and 4 neighboring mountains - Mashuk, Zmeyka, Zheleznaya and Razvalka, and this "five in the top five in five" forms the center of the entire placer of 17 lonely mountains of the KMV. There are also 5 historical cities, the largest of which is Pyatigorsk, within which there are 5 railway stations ... I think you can find a lot of other "fives" here, so it is no coincidence that one of the names of the KMV region, and even the entire adjacent part of the Caucasus, is Pyatigorye .
The mountains of the CMS are laccoliths, that is, lava domes squeezed out of the mantle millions of years ago. Beshtau is the largest (8 kilometers across) and the highest of them (1401m). But I did not climb any of its peaks, limiting myself to hiking along the slopes from Pyatigorsk to Zheleznovodsk. And on the way - uranium mines, the Second Athos Monastery, the city of Lermontov, the most beautiful Eagle Rocks and a warm April forest.
The first time I saw Beshtau from afar, I thought that it would be too tough for me, but in fact, climbing the central peak in a day and returning back is not so difficult. Moreover, numerous roads cross the mountain, and there are several convenient climbs to it. The easiest one is from the Lermontovskaya station (see the last part), the surroundings of which reminded me of the scenery for scenes of gang warfare from the cinema of the 1990s. The fact is that here is the largest car market in the North Caucasus, serving primarily the republics, where auto dealers open something very reluctantly. In the background - Mashuk, unmistakably identified by the TV tower:
To the left, behind the car market with its dubious personalities of Russian and Caucasian appearance, already scurrying about in the morning, the road to Beshtau begins. Ahead are the peaks of Two Brothers (1124), Big Beshtau (1401) and Goat rocks (1157), and on the title frame view from the opposite side - Goat rocks, Big Beshtau and Small Beshtau (1254), hiding Shaggy Mountain (1180) behind it. The first kilometers the road goes through an unpleasant area with concrete fences and the ruins of some industry:
On the left hand - Pyatigorsk. Garden partnerships near Lake Ivushka, high-rise buildings of the area with the poetic name Belaya Chamomile (according to the pre-revolutionary tuberculosis sanatorium - in those days this flower was a symbol of the fight against consumption), the long Dubrovka forest on Shaved Mountain (since half of it is bald) and the most distant of the 17 mountains Yutsa (973) and Dzhutsa (1190), behind which you can see the Caucasus.
But the center of Pyatigorsk is not visible from here - it is at the foot of Mashuk:
But now, from the flowering bushes at the foot of the Goat Rocks, an old industrial abandoned building appears. This is "settlement number 1" - nothing more than the remains of a uranium mine enrichment plant, quite unexpected in the resort area.
The local laccoliths consist of rather specific rocks - I already wrote in one of the previous parts about beshtaunit - a hard and corrosion-resistant stone used in engineering. And there are also davidites and lermontovites - uranium-cerium ore. In the onset of the Cold War, the USSR was in dire need of uranium - the raw material for atomic warheads, and mined it where he could - a few months ago I already showed the first Soviet one in (Kyrgyzstan). Beshtaugorsky uranium has been known since the 1930s, "settlement No. 1" was built in 1949-53, and mining on it was carried out until 1976. By analogy with the same Mailuu-Suu, most likely the surviving building was a factory power plant - the enrichment farik itself should have been demolished as "dirty".
They say that Beshtau is full of adits that form the largest system of catacombs in Russia, according to various sources, from 160 to 230 kilometers long. The entrances to the adits are marked on wikimapia, but here are the notes of a person who has been inside them.
Of course, uranium could not but give rise to traditional horror stories: supposedly, both the background on the mountain in Chernobyl and giant mushrooms grow here, the locals will never buy such ones, but cunning mushroom pickers poison unlucky tourists. And de prisoners worked in these mines and were buried there... In short, I don't presume to judge the authenticity of the rumors. Beshtau is a place confused without any radiation. And you can go to it several times - for example, on the slope of the Big Beshtau there is the so-called Temple of the Sun, which many consider to be a Scythian megalith (which, to be honest, I strongly doubt). But I took a course to the foot of the peak Two Brothers - and I suspect that the name of this mountain was given by those two remnants on its "facade":
Approximately 4 kilometers from the Lermontovskaya station, the ascent ended - I went to the ring road built in 1927, encircling all 5 peaks at a good height. She herself passes approximately at the same level, then rising, then falling, and I turned left, heading clockwise:
Along the road there is a forest, a slope on both sides, an abundance of flowers and stones. On some stones there are biblical quotes: the paved part of the road leads from Pyatigorsk to the Second Athos Monastery, which, however, is still a few kilometers away.
Sometimes the warm forest on the slope parted, revealing the panorama of Pyatigorsk.
In the distance, already familiar Yutsa and Dzhutsa, and right at the foot of the low Pine Hill, also similar to laccolith.
A wide field and a stalinka with a tower are not an abandoned terminal of the old airport, but a hippodrome founded in 1885 near the Skachki station - one of two in Russia of federal significance, along with Moscow.
And in the distance, the Caucasian peaks are blazing, which I will not even try to identify, but apparently this is Kabardino-Balkaria, east of Elbrus. The very highest point of Russia that day was not visible behind the clouds lying on its slopes, but on other days it loomed in the background more than once.
Behind the back is Mount Two Brothers:
And in the distance, the outline of Camel Mountain (885m) looms - the westernmost of the 17 laccoliths, it first appears in sight on the road from Stavropol. On the slopes, as you can see, there are a lot of cars - Beshtau is popular with both holidaymakers and locals, and I even saw a jeep with South Ossetian license plates here.
We continue our way to the monastery - in fact, I walked for a long time, an hour and a half, hoping to see temples at every turn. Here on this rock they are going to recreate the icon that adorned the cliff before the revolution:
In the meantime, just such a memorial plaque - probably crashed on this rock in a car:
And finally, the Second Athos Monastery itself appears against the background of Big Beshtau - how strange and at the same time organically the Russian church looks in the mountains! This is the temple of St. George the Victorious (1999), but the cylindrical building is such an original fraternal building:
The monastery was founded in 1904 by two monks from the Greek Athos, and since the New Athos monastery in the Caucasus was already 30 years old, it was called the Second Athos. In those days, it was known for its strict charter and fidelity to traditions, therefore, in the age of modernism and renovationism, it very quickly earned the glory of a stronghold of genuine Orthodoxy. In 1927, the Second Athos was closed, and gradually destroyed - this is what his Assumption Church (1906) looked like:
In the new church, apparently, they want to play with Greek motifs, and in general, I would say that the second Second Athos Monastery, revived in 1997-2001, is architecturally more interesting than the first:
For example, an open-air church - they say they wanted to build a new cathedral here, but abandoned the idea because of the threat of landslides:
On the last frame, do you see a crevice between the "eagle" and a lone pillar a little to the right? That's where I went:
View from the crevice to Sheludivaya Mountain and three cities near it:
View forward - as you can see, I'm not alone here, two whole families enthusiastically climbed the cliff - husbands-wives and boys of 10-12 years old. I think that Beshtau is not so crowded on weekdays, especially since I was here not just on Sunday, but on Easter.
Behind the next turn is an abyss, and Zheleznovodsk is visible between the rocks:
It turned out to be not so difficult to climb the "eagle's head" - the sharp turns on the trail are even equipped with an impromptu handrail:
And the round platform at the top at once reminded me of the place of the duel between Pechorin and Martynov Grushnitsky and the rock where he climbed under the cries of "Give me back the sausage!" Father Fyodor - being neither one nor the other, she serves as an ideal image of Ciscaucasia in the imagination of a Russian writer.
Top of the cliff with a small grotto:
And the view through this grotto:
Closer mountains are Sharp and Dull (767m, also Kabanka), further - Bull and Camel. There are two cities again in the frame - Lermontov on the left, Zheleznovodsk on the right. And below is not a military unit (as I thought), but a huge abandoned pioneer camp "Eagle Rocks":
To the right - another interesting mountain quintet. On the left - Dull and Bull, on the right - Zheleznaya (853, closer) and Razvalka (926, further) hanging over Zheleznovodsk, and in the middle - Honey Mountain (725m), the last of the "satellites" of Beshtau:
It is against the background of the non-resort part of Zheleznovodsk:
Zheleznovodsk is a small city (24 thousand inhabitants), but it has a very interesting structure. Its center and resort part is in a narrow (less than a kilometer) valley between Beshtau and Zheleznaya, and the main part of the residential areas is on the plain to the east, and such isolation of the resort area gives it an intimacy.
The most important sights are the baths of Ostrovsky (1893) at the station at the bottom left, the palace of the Emir of Bukhara (1912, really, in fact, a personal sanatorium that the ruler of vassal Bukhara built for himself here), at the top right - the Pushkin Gallery (1901, kursaal), well, at the bottom of the local administration.
To the left is the Church of the Intercession, built in 1996 in the building of the New Van (1912), and the house with a turret below is on the forecourt:
And in general, I decided to go to Zheleznovodsk. But first we had to get down. and here I was very stupid - from the rocks of tears without problems, and then I decided not to go back, but to look for some kind of path. True, there were paths, but they all led up, and I was tired and went along the one that went downhill. She eventually dissolved at a rather steep slope, along which, through the stones, fallen leaves and flowering grasses, I decided to go down. The descent turned out to be not that dangerous, but boring and difficult. In one place I grabbed a thick dry branch, it broke off and right in my hand with a decent speed of inertia flew into my eye. By some miracle, I managed to close my eyes, but the blow turned out to be such that a natural echo resounded in my head. Not so much from pain, but from fright, I howled and realized that I was afraid to open my eyes - what if I'm crooked now ?! But I did open it, and it turned out that I see everything as I saw it before, only the "blind spot" lasted another 20 minutes. Later, I discovered that there was no bruise or even hemorrhage left from the blow, although I ached somewhere inside the eyes for another couple of weeks . In general, I just can’t get rid of the idea that all the dangers come from people ... however, for the first time in the Road to the Eye, I received it not from some gopnik, but from a tree. Soon I again went out to the flourishing crowded Ring Road:
And I turned at the direct descent to Zheleznovodsk, to which there are another 2-3 kilometers downhill:
The Palace of the Emir of Bukhara and the Soviet buildings of the Telman sanatorium. It seems that for the first time I walked from city to city (except for my periodic walks from home to neighboring Lyubertsy):
The road led me to the station behind these trees. By the way, how did you correct me
