KARACHAEV, an autonomous district, U.S.S.R., of the North Caucasian area, lying west of the Kabardin-Balkar autono mous area and extending westwards as far as about longitude 41°, its western boundary running parallel with, but east of the Laba river, and the main ridge of the Caucasus forming its southern boundary. From 1922 to 1926, the Cherkess autonomous area to the north, between the Teberda and the Great Zelenchuk rivers, was included with it, but in 1926 the two areas were given separate administration, and the town of Batalpishinsk was transferred to the Armavir province of the North Caucasian area. The Kara chaev area occupies about 8,30o sq.km. The population, including the Cherkess area with Batalpishinsk, was about 65,000 in 1926. The snow and glacier-covered peaks of the Caucasus encircle it on the south, and the region is one of mountain valleys and high peaks, with alpine and sub-alpine meadows, forest clad slopes, and the torrent valleys of the Upper Kuban and its tributaries, the most important being the Teberda; others are the upper courses of the Marka, Aksaut, Maruk, Great Zelenchuk, Kefar and Urun. There are a few passes into Suanetia and Abkhasia, Tchiper Ayatz 10,717 ft., Tchiper Karachi 10,801 ft., Makhar ft. and Klukhor 9,450 ft.—the last was used by Byzantine merchants in the loth century. The water-shed between the Kuban and some tributaries of the Terek, including the sources of the Kuma and Podkoumok, lies within the north-east of the area. The climate varies with the height and aspect of the valleys, but the valleys of the upper streams of the Zelenchuk, Maruk, Aksaut, Teberda and Kuban are drier than the remaining valleys and are specially suitable for development as health resorts and sanatoria, having high insolation, pine woods, clear atmosphere and mineral springs. Capital expenditure on railways and buildings is planned for this purpose. The town of Teberda on the Teberda river is already known as a health resort. Leprosy exists among the Karachaevs and there is a leper colony in the Kuban defile.
The Karachaevs are a Turco-Tatar people who came from the Crimea in the 15th century and settled in the valley of the Great Laba, and afterwards moved into the valley of the Great Zelen chuk and finally into the valley of the Baksan, a tributary of the Terek. They were driven thence by the Kabardians and then settled in their present location. Their language is closely allied to Balkarian and Nogai. Their wanderings led to much racial intermixture, especially with the Osetins, Abkhasians, Kabar dins and Suanetians. Under the influence of the Kabardians they
became Sunnite Mohammedans, but retained much of their original nature-worship. Their main occupation is sheep and cat tle rearing; before the World War they were employed on hunting expeditions by Russian sportsmen, the bear, wild boar and aurochs being found in these regions. Their type of life and the isolation of their valleys have prevented the spread of education and more than 9o% of them are illiterate. In 1928 about 17% of chil dren of school age were receiving education. Very little atten tion is paid to agriculture, a little maize and some potatoes being grown in a primitive way. The main food of the people is milk and meat; "kefir," a lactic ferment is made in the district, and fermented milk is the staple drink. Efforts are being made to improve the breeds of sheep and goats, and to raise the stamina of the draught cattle and horses by introducing the use of winter foods in place of reliance on nomad pastures. If the plan for developing the health resorts is successful, dairying should be valuable. There is already a milk and dairy artel supplying Teberda, and there are two cheese factories. The valuable timbers are little worked because of lack of transport facilities. In pre revolution times silver, lead and zinc ore were worked by the Elburz Mining Company on the Upper Kuban, but the mines have not yet been re-opened (1928). Even kustar (peasant) industries are undeveloped, except spinning and weaving wool, . and leather work for local necessities. Means of communication are extremely poor; there is no railway and roads are almost non-existent for freightage purposes. The rivers are too rapid for navigation. It is possible to get into the country either by the Mariinski pass from Kizlovodsk or from Batalpishinsk along the Sukhum military highway; on the latter motor transport is possible as far as Teberda. Plans have been devised for a railway from Nevinnomyssk station on the main railway line, where it crosses Kuban river, south to Teberda, thence to Sukhum. In 1927, Kamennomost, at the junction of the Teberda and Kuban rivers, was made the administrative centre, under the name of Mikoyan-Shakhar, and the Central Government made a grant to the Karachaevs for the purpose of erecting government buildings, a primary and secondary school, a hospital, a cinema and a theatre. Work had already been begun in 1928. A grammar of the Kara chaev language exists, and some books in the vernacular. The Latin script has been adopted instead of the Turkish.