Mezmay

Mezmay (Russian: Мезма́й) is a settlement in Apsheronsky District of Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located in the valley of the Kurdzhips River near its confluence with the Mezmay River, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-east of Apsheronsk. Population: less than a thousand inhabitants. It is a popular mountain resort.

Coat of arms of Mezmai
Rocks and mountains in the surroundings of Mezmay
Local forests
Mezmai landscape

The village was linked with Apsheronsk by branch line of the Apsheronsk narrow-gauge railway,[1] yet, in 2010 this branch was almost completely dismantled, except 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) length part between Mezmay and village Guamka. This remaining railway was from 2011 to 2017 interrupted due to a landslide.

Name

The name Mezmay is formed of the two Circassian words Mez (forest) and Mye (wild apple),[2] so Mezmay translated from Circassian as "wild apples forest."

Landmarks

Mezmay is a popular tourist site with a lot of natural attractions: (waterfalls, caves, canyons, etc.), the Clay Roman necropolis (Mezmayskoe burial) on the north-western outskirts of the village and the astrophysics observatory of the Kuban State University.

There is also Mezmaiskaya cave, where, in 1993, was found perfectly preserved skeleton of a Neanderthal baby from which DNA was extracted.[3]

References
  1. Узкоколейные железные дороги Краснодарского края (in Russian)
  2. К. Х. Меретуков. Адыгейский топонимический словарь. Краснодар. 1981 г.]
  3. Причина вымирания неандертальцев – вулканическая зима?.


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