The longest cave in the Caucasus. Experts are exploring a mysterious cave in the North Caucasus
Many inhabitants of the Caucasus still have vivid legends about cave life.
“A long time ago, the Sols man lived. People then lived underground in large caves lined with stone. These caves in some places have survived to this day,” says one of the old Ingush legends.
(P.P. Semenov "Caucasus", 1898)
Underground cities in the Caucasus
was there an underground civilization in the Caucasus?
A structure comparable to the famous Cheops pyramid has been found in Russia.
Speleologist Artur Zhemukhov from Kabardino-Balkaria has an unusual hobby: he searches for sacred places scattered over mountains and gorges, using his own method, taking into account the arrangement of stars in constellations and containing mathematical calculations. This is how Arthur discovered in the Baksan gorge a mysterious manhole covered with stones. And underneath is an amazing cave, which may be part of an underground city. In September, for the third time, the expedition of the public scientific research association "Cosmopoisk" visited it.
It is almost impossible to get into the cave without climbing skills. First, you need to squeeze into a 40 x 120 cm hole, then descend on a rope along a narrow vertical shaft. It is formed by two parallel stone slabs. After 9 meters - the first "knee": the hole goes to the side and immediately breaks down again. Already here you will be overwhelmed by absolute silence - not a sound penetrates from the outside. Another 23 meters deep - and a new "knee". To reach the bottom of the cave, you need to overcome more than 80 meters, and it will take an hour. But, having passed the "bottleneck", you will find yourself in a huge room, which the researchers called the "flask".
“The first thing that catches your eye is that the walls in the mine are clearly artificial,” says Vadim Chernobrov, coordinator of the Cosmopoisk association. “They are made of even stone blocks, carefully polished. IN egyptian pyramidsah blocks of about the same size. It is easy to calculate that each "pebble" weighs about 200 tons. And how to turn them around in order to neatly fold such a structure is completely incomprehensible. And I have little doubt that it is man-made. "
The same opinion is shared by Viktor Kotlyarov, a local historian and ethnographer: “When we showed the photographs of this mine to geologists, including foreign ones, most of them were inclined to the version of its artificial origin. In any case, they were all unanimous in the fact that they had never seen anything like this anywhere else. There are no analogues in the world! "
In the dungeon, the researchers found a "floating" column: the megalith is attached to the wall with only one edge, which makes it seem to be hanging in the air. Unfortunately, no traces of human presence or organic remains were found in the cave. However, Vadim Chernobrov is not surprised. He is sure that this building was not intended as a dwelling. He had other tasks.
From the moment the public learned about the mysterious mine in the Baksan gorge, there was no shortage of versions about its purpose. It was assumed that this was a burial ground for dumping infected animals, a bunker for storing food, a dwelling of the Aryans, a fortification, a snowman's den ... Some of the researchers descending into the mine heard howls, rustles and even whispers there, which, if desired, can be mistaken for an unknown ancient language. But we repeat, no traces and remains were found. And this refutes all the hypotheses listed. But a draft is blowing in the dungeon and it is crammed with narrow passages that have yet to be cleared from the rubble. Local cavers have already acquired electrical equipment to continue work next summer.
The stay of a person or other living creatures in this structure was not initially envisaged, - Chernobrov shares his guesses. - You can draw the following analogy: we entered not into a dwelling, but into some kind of plant.
Let's say we climbed into a factory chimney, then went down into the combustion chamber and now we are trying to understand: where did people sit here? And they didn't even sit there! And they shouldn't have. According to our version, this cave is a technical structure. She served as a kind of resonator, a converter of waves and radiation of a nature unknown to us. Its age is about 5 thousand years. In terms of size and functionality, the Baksan Gorge cave is comparable to the Egyptian Great Pyramid, which many scientists also consider as a wave transmitter or energy converter ”.
Most likely, the researchers believe, this object was not previously underground. It was located on the surface, being attached to the hillside. This can explain why one of the walls of the "flask" chamber is uneven, bumpy (this is a fragment of a natural rock), and the other is smooth, polished (it was the unknown builders who built it). For several millennia, the gigantic structure was covered with earth, sand and debris, and trees grew on top. And the stone blocks, once located outside the hill, were inside him. By the way, let's remember the same pyramid of Cheops. She, along with the sphinx lying nearby, was covered with sand, until archaeologists dug it out and gave the "wonder of the world" its now familiar appearance.
The Baksan cave mine can also be excavated, although it is difficult to even imagine what funds this will require. Researchers are inclined to believe that the structure of an unusual shape, preserved inside the rock, could be part of a more global structure - underground cave cities, the legends of which in the North Caucasus are passed down from generation to generation. Two more entrances to the dungeon were found near the manhole leading to an 80-meter depth. Calculations show that if they continue, dismantling the rubble, they will join together and lead to the same mysterious cave, where you can hear a whisper, similar to an unknown ancient language.
In Kabardino-Balkaria, legends about great people are widespread. We were told that “incredibly large bones” were dug up during excavation not far from this hill, but none of the respondents knew where they are now, ”says Igor Kommel, a geologist. - The local population is afraid to touch the Tomb of the Giant, and we were allowed to visit it only after we promised that we would not dig there. We only made a map and illuminated the hill with geolocation - the device showed that there are vague extraneous inclusions in the depth of the hill, but we have not been able to identify them yet ”.
In the same area, among the forest thickets on the mountain, there are several structures that look like mushrooms. Residents of the surrounding villages call them mushrooms: stone bases close in shape to a square are crowned with rounded "caps" with gaps between them. Researchers, on the other hand, were reminded of these monuments (natural or man-made?) ... ventilation shafts, almost like those of the Moscow metro. And this is no accident.
In the 19th century, underground cities were found in the Cappadocia Valley on the territory of modern Turkey. The largest of them, Derinkuyu, was opened only half a century ago! It turns out that if you go down into a small hole in the middle of a mountain plain, you can find yourself in a huge dungeon, going down eight floors - with tunnels and halls, streets and squares, wells and ventilation shafts. Now archaeological excavations are underway there, this curiosity is shown to tourists. It is striking that the cave cities of Cappadocia have not been found before. On the other hand, this suggests that such structures may exist elsewhere. Especially where they are legendary, like in the North Caucasus.
We have heard myths about underground cities many times. Once the aksakals admitted that there is a place in the Baksan gorge, the name of which is translated from Kabardian as the Old City. It was allegedly built by the people who lived here before them, - continues V. Chernobrov. - Moreover, this city, according to them, was both aboveground and underground! We went to the hill indicated to us and, in fact, found the remains of walls and foundations on it. And in the mountain there is a small hole, narrow, about a meter. The old-time guide recalled that when he was little, his grandfather told him: as boys, they climbed there and penetrated a huge city, where there are squares, streets and premises, but no people. There is also an underground river, and if you walk along it, you can go to the central square, where there is some kind of monument. Something like a sacral stone in the center of the settlement. I have no doubt about the presence of an underground river: a river runs outside along the bottom of the gorge, which flows from this very hill. However, it was not easy to get through the "entrance" - after about 30-40 m, blockages began. In addition, the aksakals said that there was some other entrance that their grandfathers used. Later we found another crevice leading deep into the mountain. For two years, our expeditions cleared the rubble on the way to the dungeon. We advanced several tens of meters, made a preliminary map of the passages and adits. But in order to penetrate deeper and get to the "main street", you still need to dig and dig. "
In the meantime, "Cosmopoisk" was examining the Old Town, local speleologist Artur Zhemukhov, training in the mountains, drew attention to an inconspicuous depression, littered with stones and overgrown with bushes. It looks like a hole. But there was a lot of air coming out of the hole. Arthur disassembled the rubble and found a shaft under them, extending vertically down into the darkness. And what struck him most of all: the rectangular walls of the manhole were even and smooth, as if polished. Zhemukhov immediately understood: "This is a sensation."
: it was discovered in early August by activists of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO), when they were laying a new tourist route... The entrance was opened during the development of a gypsum quarry. “The builders, apparently, removed the vault of the cave with stalactites with a ladle,” says Igor Ogay, head of the Adyghe branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Already on August 30, experts from Krasnodar carried out georadar measurements and came to the conclusion that there is not one cave, but a whole karst massif.
Literally everything is of interest
Caucasus in last years becomes the center of attraction for those who like to travel through natural underground spaces, the so-called "speleotourists". Many caves are concentrated here, the overwhelming majority of them are of karst origin. This particular type of caves is most common in nature.
The mechanism of their formation has long been known. Water streams wash out cavities in rocks (limestone, marble, gypsum), and underground spaces with numerous levels, halls, passages, lakes and waterfalls are formed. The increased content of carbon dioxide in the water only accelerates this process. It is the karst caves that have the greatest length and depth, often stretching for tens of kilometers.
Stalactites and stalagmites. Photo: ourflo.ru
For speleologists, literally everything is of interest: the history of the formation of caves, their structure, the inner world. Often, the water forms salt deposits inside the caves, due to which the famous stalactites and stalagmites are formed, attracting curious tourists. Some of the caves were used by ancient people as dwellings or as a haven for wild animals. Therefore, the remains of animals or people and the products of their vital activity (drawings, fireplaces, steps) are often found there.
The North-West Caucasus (and especially Abkhazia) has a special account with cavers all over the world. According to legend, the founder of speleology Martel, having visited these places at the beginning of the 20th century, predicted that the deepest caves in the world would be found here.
True or not, today three of the deepest caves in the world have been discovered in Abkhazia, and the Gagra ridge is the place where the most complex underground spaces on the planet are concentrated. However, nature does not know administrative boundaries, because unique caves are found in the neighboring Krasnodar Territory, and in Karachay-Cherkessia, and in Adygea.
Krubera-Voronya
To date, the world record holder for depth (2199 m) is the Krubera-Voronya cave in Abkhazia. The entrance to it is located in the Arabica mountain range at an altitude of 2250 m above sea level. Opened back in 1960 to a depth of 95 meters, the cave began to be actively explored only at the beginning of the 21st century.
This year, a connecting passage was found with the Arabik underground system, which includes the Kuibyshevskaya, Genrikhova Abyss and Children's Caves. The smallest river in the world, the Reprua, originates here (18 m long), which flows into the Black Sea.
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Krubera-Voronya cave
The Krubera-Voronya Cave is a system of vertical wells connected by passages and galleries, so there are no laid tourist routes here. It is possible to descend into it only in a group, with special equipment and climbing skills. Speleological expeditions, continuing to explore the cave cavity, are held several times a year. The cave is located 15 km northeast of the city of Gagra.
New Athos cave
Unlike Krubera-Voronya, the New Athos Cave has been open to tourists since 1975. It is also located in Abkhazia, under the slope of the Iverskaya Mountain, near the temple of Simon the Canaanite of the New Athos Monastery.
The cave is a huge karst cavity with a volume of 1 million cubic meters, consisting of 11 rooms. The largest of these, the Cavers' Hall, which includes the Vanishing Lake Hall, stretches 260 meters in length, up to 75 meters in width and up to 50 meters in height. In total, eight halls are open for inspection, and from time to time musical concerts of the Abkhaz State Choir Chapel are even held in the Apkherts Hall.
Labor has turned the natural cavity into an interesting attraction for people who have never been underground before. On the excursion route tourists are delivered by a narrow-gauge railway, similar to the city metro.
Pedestrian bridges are laid along the halls, illumination of lakes, stalactites, stone waterfalls and other bizarre drip formations is organized. From the speakers, the voice of the guide tells interesting details of the opening of the cave, on observation platforms quiet music plays.
It is not difficult to find a cave, it is enough to get to the city of New Athos. However, not only it is equipped for tourists in the Caucasus.
Vorontsov Caves
Another place of attraction for tourists is the Vorontsovskaya system of caves connected to each other, located on the mountain range of the same name in the Khosta region of Greater Sochi. The underground system has 14 entrances. Its total length exceeds 11 kilometers, which includes Vorontsovskaya (4 km), Labyrintovaya (3.8 km), Kabanya (2.3 km) and Dolgaya (1.5 km) caves. The excursion route covers only 400 meters.
In the cave, there are many grottoes, branches, passages that stretch into a chain of underground halls. The lowest of them gives rise to the Kudepsta River, which, in turn, forms a waterfall.
The cave abounds in archaeological finds from ancient times. Inside, a parking lot of ancient people, their bones, rookeries, household pits were discovered. The bones of a cave bear were also found here. The length of local stalactites and the variety of drip formations are impressive. In the Labyrinth Cave there is a six-meter stalactite called Rocket.
Vorontsovskie caves are located directly near Sochi, 20 km from the village of Khosta.
Azish cave system
Although the Bolshaya and Malaya Azish caves are located in the Apsheron region of the Krasnodar Territory, they are close to the Maikop - Lago-Naki highway, near the administrative border of Adygea. Therefore, they are more popular among tourists coming to the republic.
The entrance to them is located in the south of the Azish-Tau mountain range. Probably, these two caves were once one: there are only a few meters between them.
Bolshaya Azishskaya consists of voluminous galleries and halls, and is equipped for tourists. Malaya Azishskaya is very narrow and suitable for movement only in a recumbent position, but it has two small halls.
Both caves are multi-level. Bolshaya Azishskaya is notable for a hall with a corridor of parallel columns and stalactite chains. In addition to drip rocks, you can find rare calcite slabs that formed on the surface of an ancient underground reservoir.
Barlog's throat
Few people know that the deepest cave in Russia is located in the Urupsky region of Karachay-Cherkessia. Barlog's Throat got its name from the works of Tolkien. The entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of 2825 meters, in the upper reaches of the Atsgara River.
To date, the depth of the dungeon is fixed at 839 meters. Like Krubera-Voronya, Barlog's Throat is not suitable for excursions and amateur visits. The cave is represented by slit shafts, wells and inclined galleries. The horizontal passages range from difficult to pass narrows to spacious halls.
Barlog's Throat Cave. Photo: komanda-k.ru
Despite the growing interest in speleology in Russia, the cave has not yet been fully explored. The last expedition in August 2001 dug through a clay siphon and discovered a gallery 430 meters long with many passages. Therefore, the deepest cave in Russia has every chance to become even deeper.
What we have - we do not value
Unfortunately, the natural beauty near us often goes unnoticed. The Caucasus is rich in unique caves, most of which are known only to a narrow circle of speleotourists. Often interesting archaeological finds are made there, the remains of bygone civilizations and the bones of long-extinct animals are found. Many caves are just at the beginning of their exploration, such as the Gudukala cave near the Bedyk village in Kabardino-Balkaria, while others are just waiting for their discoverers.
Those wishing to try their hand at speleotourism should take into account that in caves, as a rule, there is high humidity and stable low temperatures. It is worth remembering that going down into bottomless voids alone and without special preparation can be life-threatening.
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Posted Sat, 29/10/2016 - 10:10 by Cap
Three provinces are distinguished within the speleological region of the Greater Caucasus: North Caucasian, East Caucasian, and Gorno-Colchis.
The North Caucasian speleological province is located on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus between the headwaters of the Pshekha River (left tributary of the Belaya) and the middle course of the Ardon (left tributary of the Terek). Karst caves confined to the Jurassic gypsum and limestone are quite widespread. At present, 142 caves are described here, including 38 caves with a length of more than 100 m.The largest are Butkova I (7000 m long), Dezova (473 m), Bagovskaya VI (1900 m), Beslineevskaya I (1800 m), Ammonitnaya (1669 m), Azishskaya (1280 m) and Neizma (1235 m).
A special position is occupied by Butkov I Cave (total length about 7000 m), located 7 km southeast of Novosvobodnaya station. It was formed in Jurassic limestones. The cave is a complex labyrinth of narrow and low passages, which in some places turn into small grottoes.
Among the caves of the Caucasus, the Azish cave (total length 1280 m) is interesting, located on the northwestern slope of the Azish-Tau ridge, 12 km from the village of Khamyshki. It was formed in the Upper Jurassic dolomitized limestones. The cave consists of several grottoes and passages connecting them. The largest grottoes are 25 m long and 25 m high. A stream flows along the bottom of the main passage. The drip formations are widely developed.
Air temperature 10-12 °. The East Caucasian speleological province is located in the northeastern part of the Greater Caucasus, east of the Ardon River. 35 caves have been explored here. The largest of them are Nyvzzhin-leget (length 350 m), Chaldybalskaya (150 m), Kara-Budakhkent (135 m) and Usman-leget (100 m). The Nyvzzhin-leget cave is located between the Fiogdon and Gizeldon rivers, 3 km east of the Tagardon village, on the northern slope of the Khosh-Khararog spur. The cave was formed in limestone. The entrance reaches 1.8 m in height and 10 m in length. The length of the cave is 350 m, the volume is 1500 m3.
ANCIENT CAVE
An ancient cave was found in Adygea near the St. Michael's Monastery: it was discovered in early August by activists of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) when they were laying a new tourist route. The entrance was opened during the development of a gypsum quarry. “The builders, apparently, removed the vault of the cave with stalactites with a ladle,” says Igor Ogay, head of the Adyghe branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Already on August 30, experts from Krasnodar carried out georadar measurements and came to the conclusion that there is not one cave, but a whole karst massif.
In recent years, the Caucasus has become a center of attraction for those who like to travel through natural underground spaces, the so-called "speleotourists". Many caves are concentrated here, the overwhelming majority of them are of karst origin. This particular type of caves is most common in nature.
The mechanism of their formation has long been known. Water streams wash out cavities in rocks (limestone, marble, gypsum), and underground spaces with numerous levels, halls, passages, lakes and waterfalls are formed. The increased content of carbon dioxide in the water only accelerates this process. It is the karst caves that have the greatest length and depth, often stretching for tens of kilometers.
For speleologists, literally everything is of interest: the history of the formation of caves, their structure, the inner world. Often, the water forms salt deposits inside the caves, due to which the famous stalactites and stalagmites are formed, attracting curious tourists. Some of the caves were used by ancient people as dwellings or as a haven for wild animals. Therefore, the remains of animals or people and the products of their vital activity (drawings, fireplaces, steps) are often found there.
The North Caucasus (and especially Abkhazia) has a special account with cavers all over the world. According to legend, the founder of speleology Martel, having visited these places at the beginning of the 20th century, predicted that the deepest caves in the world would be found here.
The popularity of Pyatigorsk Proval was added by the novel by Ilf and Petrov "The Twelve Chairs". It was here that Ostap Bender sold entrance tickets, and the proceeds allegedly went to strengthen the Proval - so as not to fail too much.
The writers themselves spoke impartially about this lake, calling it a "puddle". In fact, the lake got an unusual smell and turquoise color because of the sulfur in the water. It is located in an underground cave and appeared due to the influence of mineral waters.
Cave Proval .jpg)
Old cottages were built around the Proval - they form a small town. Houses appeared at the end of the 19th century, and they look very original. Among them there are unusual ones, similar to oriental palaces and medieval castles. Today, most of these houses have been converted into sanatoriums.
By the way, local residents thanked Ilf and Petrov for popularizing Proval and installed a statue of Bender at the entrance. True, he is holding tickets not for 5 and 10 kopecks, as indicated in the book, but for fifty.
Stavropol region.
Proval is a lake and natural cave on the southern slope of Mashuk Mountain in Pyatigorsk. The cave is a cone-shaped funnel with a height of 41 m, at the bottom of which there is a karst lake mineral water pure blue.
The depth of the lake is 11 m, diameter is 15 m. The water temperature is from 26 ° to 42 ° C. The blue color of the water is given by the hydrogen sulphide contained in it and special bacteria. Caves of the Caucasus .jpg)
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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS:
Team nomad
Anokhin G.I. "Small Caucasus". M., "Physical culture and sport", 1981.
http://www.skitalets.ru/
Wikipedia website.
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22.10.2015 15.03.2017 - admin
AN ANCIENT MANUAL CAVE IN THE CAUCASUS - A GENERATOR OF UNKNOWN ENERGY?
The ancient sign of the mystical swastika - a symbol of light, sun and prosperity - is found on the stones of the ancient Caucasus. Such signs were also found in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Kabardino-Balkarian village of Zayukovo in the Baksan gorge. Carved in stone next to the swastikas, modern, as the Arabic call them, numbers make it clear that these signs were not carved out by the ancient Aryans who once inhabited the region.
But other Aryans visited here, and much later. The mountain division of the Nazis "Edelweiss" did not reach these places. However, according to the testimony of contemporaries, representatives of the "Ahnenerbe" - a thoroughly mystical organization, built, however, into the structure of the SS and Nazism, actively walked through the entire part of the Caucasus occupied by the Nazis. Occultists and mystics in uniform were looking for confirmation of their misanthropic theory of the superiority of the Aryan race and longed for the possession of ancient powerful artifacts. There were rumors that they were looking for the "Grail" allegedly hidden in one of the Caucasian caves. Apparently, it was these people who marked the places that were most interesting to them with their coat of arms. Nowadays, local enthusiasts of local history Maria and Viktor Kotlyarov paid attention to these symbols. In the area where the swastikas are located in the Baksan gorge, it was discovered, which, perhaps, will become one of the greatest discoveries of recent times. It's not so easy to get into the cave, for this you need to have good climbing skills.
The entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of about a thousand meters above sea level, and is a hole that goes into the thickness of the rocks, about forty centimeters by twenty meters. Further into the depths of the mountain goes a vertical shaft, into which you can go down only by rope. The mine is narrow, and without psychological training, brought up by long speleology, an attempt to descend can cause psychological breakdowns. In the first stage, the walls of the mine consist of two monolithic stone slabs standing vertically, the other two walls are lined with fine stone. No sounds penetrate into the thickness of rocks, and the oppressive silence also powerfully presses on the psyche of the researcher.
At a depth of nine meters, the mine has a fracture - a small horizontal manhole, again breaking off into the abyss. After another twenty-three meters, a new break and a new vertical descent.
The total depth of the mine reaches eighty meters, and the diving time even for the experienced specialists of the Cosmopoisk organization is at least an hour. Members of this expedition dubbed the complex of tunnels leading into the mountain the "bottleneck". After reaching the bottom, they called the hall the researcher enters into a "flask". This hall is a large, completely dark room, in which, in the light of lanterns, you can find a huge column, as if floating in the air. The column does not reach the ceiling of the cave and does not rest against its bottom, it is attached to the wall only by its rear edge, this connection seems to be unreliable, nevertheless, as scientists assume, it has been “hovering” in this way for about five thousand years.
From the gloomy and majestic hall of this grandiose cave, multiple tunnels go into the thickness of the rocks. All of them are absolutely not suitable for moving a person. You can only stick your head into the widest ones and try to see where they lead, and into the narrow ones you can hardly stick your hand. Scientists of "Kosmopoisk" hope to further investigate them using the latest, including seismic equipment.
In the meantime, the main discovery is that the cave is ... man-made! Its walls are lined with stone blocks, roughly corresponding to those used in the construction of the famous Egyptian pyramids. The weight of each "pebble" is about two hundred tons.
Five thousand years ago, the mysterious people who inhabited these places built this structure. He found it necessary to carry out gigantic engineering work. Giant stone blocks were moved and placed in narrow passages. Why did the ancient inhabitants of the Caucasus do this is one of the greatest secrets.
However, a number of researchers believe that this structure was originally located on the surface. This, in particular, can be evidenced by the walls of the "flask". One of them is uneven and rough, that is, such as is usually the surface of the rocks. Three other walls are made of, between which is not the blade of a knife, but the needle does not pass.
Scientists believe that the structure was once attached to the rock. When the builders abandoned it and abandoned it, for millennia it was covered with stones falling from the mountains, and sedimentary rocks held these stones together with a strength that surpassed the best modern cements. However, even if the construction was carried out on the surface, it is still completely incomprehensible how these huge stone monoliths moved and stacked one on top of the other. The level of development of ancient technology known to us allows us to assert that this is completely impossible. Nevertheless, this structure can be seen and touched.
The found cave was immediately baptized " underground city”, And the researchers started looking for housing for people. However, it turned out that the cave in the Baksan gorge was absolutely not adapted for human habitation.
Researcher "" Vadim Chernobrov believes that it should be so. In his opinion, this is not a dwelling at all, but an ancient industrial complex, a kind of analogue of modern industrial enterprises, but what he could produce is unclear. Chernobrov is sure that this is the most ancient generator and resonator of energies forgotten in our time. Whether this is so is a matter of further thorough and many years of research. The analogy method in this case cannot be used - nothing like this has been found anywhere on Earth.
The undoubted wealth of the district is the mountains of the North Caucasus, the modern relief of which was formed in the Neogene. The relief of the North Caucasus is distinguished by a variety of forms, one of which is karst caves. Karst formations of the North Caucasus are composed mainly of dolomites, gypsum, limestones. Karst cavities are found on the territory of the Western, less often - the Central and Eastern Caucasus. The caves can be seen at altitudes ranging from 800 to 3000 meters. The Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Adygea and Krasnodar Territory are rich in karst cavities, where there are already caves equipped for visiting. Dungeons are also found in the Chechen Republic and Dagestan. In short, the North Caucasus is a paradise for speleologists. Speleotourism is especially developed in the regions of the Abishir-Akhuba ridge, the Djentu ridge, and the Dzhangur mountain. The most famous karst cavities include: South Elephant Cave, Pogrebok Cave, Maiskaya Cave, Galochya Cave, Djentu Cave, Cinderella Cave, Berloga Cave. "South Elephant" is one of the most significant caves in the Caucasus. In terms of the possibilities of its tourist use, it is not inferior to many famous caves in other regions of our country and abroad. Currently, this cave is protected by the state as a valuable natural monument.
