Teberdinsky Reserve

Teberdinsky Reserve is a state natural biosphere reserve located on the northern slope of the Main Caucasus Range. It includes two sections: Teberdinsky, which covers an area of 65,792 hectares, and Arkhyzsky. Its area is 19,274 hectares.

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General Information

  • Full name: Teberdinsky State Biosphere Reserve.
  • IUCN Category: La (strict nature reserve).
  • Date of foundation: March 5, 1936. Region: Karachaevo-Cherkess Republic, Karachaevsky District.
    • Area: 85,064 hectares.
  • Relief: mountainous.
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  • Climate: continental, maritime.
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  • Official website: http://teberda.org.ru/.
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  • E-mail: tgpbz@mail.ru.

World of the Reserve

Traveling to the Teberdinsky Reserve can be an event, the memories of which will remain in your mind for a long time. There is a variety of natural landscapes: mountains, peaks touching the sky, glaciers, keeping ancient secrets, forests, which are home to many amazing animals. The left tributary of the Kuban – the Teberda River – is the main water artery of the whole area. The interpretation of the name of the river is ambiguous. According to one, the most beautiful version, it is formed from the Karachai word combination “Teyri berdi” – “God’s gift.”

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‘ The highest point of Dombai – Dombai-Ulgen Mountain – is located on the border of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and Abkhazia, at the headwaters of the Teberda River; the top of the mountain is covered with glaciers and eternal snows

History of creation

The beauty of local places began to attract people’s attention in the second half of the XIX century. Then the upper reaches of the Teberda Valley were studied by natural scientists and travelers, who left scientific works and travel notes about the country of Teberda. The famous naturalist Nikolai Yakovlevich Dinnik came to the conclusion that this area is a unique natural object, where an incredible number of different species of plants and animals are concentrated on a relatively small area.

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In 1935, a reserve of local importance was founded by the decision of the Karachay regional executive committee. But very soon, about a year, they created Teberda High Mountain Acclimatization State Full Reserve.

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In 1994, the Council of Europe awarded the Teberdinsky Reserve with a European diploma of the first degree for the good preservation of ecological systems and the development of science. Three years later, the reserve received the status of a biosphere reserve.

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Plant life

There are 1260 species of higher vascular plants on the territory of the Teberdinsky Reserve, 272 of them are endemics of the Caucasus. The Red Book of Russia includes Wittmann’s peony (Paeonia wittmanniana), primrose budwort (Primula renifolia), dwarf birch (Euonymus papa) and others. There are also 470 species of mosses, 390 species of lichens, and about 120 species of terrestrial algae.

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The lower part of the mountain slopes of the Teberdinsky Reserve is covered with forests. The main tree species here are hooked pine (Pinus hamata), Litvinov birch (Betula litwinowii), Caucasian fir (Abies nordmanniana), eastern spruce (Picea orientalis) and eastern beech (Fagus orientalis). Under the forest canopy grow Caucasian lily of the valley (Convallaria transcaucasica), Caucasian cupena (Polygonatum poly ant hemum), Caucasian peony (Paeonia caucasica), pink chyna (Lathyrus roseus), Olympic watershed (Aquilegia olympica).

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Coupena caucasica is one of the 50 representatives of the genus Coupena. Otherwise, this plant is called a straw seal. The fact is that the rhizome of kupena is hidden deep in the ground – just as once the seal of King Solomon.

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Along the Teberda River and its tributaries – almost continuous thickets of gray alder (Alnus incana). The pollen of this tree is highly valued by beekeepers, who feed it to bees in case of need.

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Animal life

In the fauna of the Teberdinsky Reserve there are 46 species of mammals, 203 – birds, 7 – reptiles, 5 – amphibians, 3 – fish and 2241 – insects.

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The most characteristic animal of the reserve is the Caucasian stone goat, or Caucasian tur (Capra caucasica), and it is depicted on the emblem. Long saber-shaped horns of males in adulthood reach 1 m in length and 30 cm in circumference.

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‘ class=”fancybox” >The chamois is one of the typical representatives of the fauna of the Teberdinsky Reserve. At the slightest disturbance it rises high in the mountains (in the Alps chamois were seen even on the top of Mont Blanc – at an altitude of 4807 m).

Another interesting animal is the chamois (Ru-picapra rupicapra). The characteristic feature of this species is a black stripe from the ears almost to the nose. The chamois is considered a symbol of freedom and free life.

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The Caucasian forest cat (Felis silvestris caucasica), listed in the Red Book of Russia, the dormouse (Glis glis), ermine (Mustela erminea) and weasel (Mustela nivalis) are found in the reserve. Not so long ago, the common jackal (Canis aureus) “penetrated” into the reserve. In a short time it spread here and became a common, even mass species.

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In the forests of the Teberdinsky Reserve sing songs finches (Fringilla coelebs), crows (Erithacus rubecula), black-headed warblers (Sylvia atricapilla), house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula).

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Among birds of prey, the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus), common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and others nest in the reserve.

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Amphibians are represented by only four species. These are green toad (Bufo viridis), lake frog (Pelophylax ridibundus), Asia Minor frog (Rana macrocnemis) and common quack (Hyla arborea).

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This is interesting

‘ class=”fancybox” >The Arkhyz face of Christ is an amazing shrine of the Teberdinsky Reserve (according to some versions it is non-man-made). Perhaps it was painted by masters who lived in the Arkhyz valley in the X century, when the center of the Alanian diocese of the Byzantine Empire was located here.

There is one amazing place in the Teberdinsky Reserve where hundreds of people flock to – the Arkhyz face of Christ. In the valley of Arkhyz, not far from the ancient Orthodox church, right on a rock imprinted image of the Savior. It is still difficult to say for sure whether the icon is non-man-made or man-made: scientific research has only recently begun. It is still a mystery how an island of Orthodoxy could appear in the Caucasus Mountains, the land of Muslims. Scientists have conducted a large-scale study and found that in the X-XII centuries Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement was located in the territory of the Alanian diocese and was the center of influence of the Byzantine Empire in the North Caucasus. The state baptism of Alania took place in 916 in the Northern Temple of the Nizhne-Arkhyz ancient settlement.

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Reserve’s regime

The reserve can be visited by agreement with the administration. It organizes the most interesting ecological routes: to the Mukhu and Jamagat gorges, as well as through the Ozerny Pass.

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How to get there

Travel time from any Moscow airport to the airport “Mineralnye Vody”, the nearest to the village of Dombai, will take about 2 hours. By train you can get to Nevinnomyssk, Cherkessk, Nalchik or Mineralnye Vody. Then – by bus or cab – to Teberda or Dombai.

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Where to stay

On the territory of the reserve you can stay at the recreation center “Foresters’ House”, located in the center of Dombai village on the Fir Cape, or in the foresters’ houses “Sulakhat” and “Gonachkhir”.

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