Cherek-Balkar Gorge

Cherek Gorge is a narrow canyon between Babugent and Upper Balkaria. Its cliffs rise 500–700 metres, and in some places the road narrows to only fifteen metres. The Cherek Balkarsky River runs below, while an old footpath cut into the rock once served mules and horse-drawn carts. It was nicknamed “Lord, Carry Us Through!” because rockfalls are common. Ruins remain throughout the gorge: the ancient Zylgi-Kala fortress stands near the exit, and the 16th-century Abaev tower rises in the abandoned village of Kyunnyum-El. Springs flow from the cliffs, and the canyon has an atmosphere in which time seems to slow.

At one sharp bend there is a hole in the rock through which the turbulent Cherek can be seen. According to legend, unfaithful wives were once thrown through it into the river. In a nearby grotto, the outline of a woman’s face is said to appear after rain, as though the gorge remembers stories from long ago.