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 the Caucasus Range and even Mount Elbrus. 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 The mountain and its environs are described in chronicles and other historical documents.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. This high peak (1400.9 m above sea level) back in 1915 was proposed by travelers and geographers to be considered a natural monument. 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. And the climb itself takes an average of two to three hours.
What is Beshtau famous for?
The mountain was explored in 1914 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 abutments. In addition, a domed grotto was found.
Second Athos Monastery
At the foot of the mountain is nowmonastery, 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. Deciduous forest grows at its foot, and some peaks are covered with subalpine grass.
