Caucasus
The Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Iran, on the southwest by Turkey, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, and on the north by Russia. The Persian name for the region is Qafqâz. Caucasia includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands.
The Caucasus Mountains are commonly known as a line between Asia and Europe, and the lands in Caucasia are different considered to be in one or both continents. The northern portion of the Caucasus is known as the Ciscaucasus and the southern portion as the Transcaucasus. The highest peak in the Caucasus is Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) which, in the western Ciscaucasus in Russia, is generally considered the highest point in Europe.
Countries in Caucasus
Myths and Legends
The Biblical Mount Ararat where Noah's Ark landed is known as the landmark of the ancient Armenian realm. The peak of Ararat is seasonally capped with snow. In Greek mythology, the Caucasus or Kaukasos was one of the pillars supporting the world. Prometheus was chained there by Zeus. The Roman poet Ovid placed Caucasus in Scythia and said it was a cold and stony mountain which was the abode of personified hunger.
Related pages
References
- Caucasus: A Journey to the Land Between Christianity and Islam By Nicholas Griffin
- Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus By Svante E. Cornell
- The Caucasus By Ivan Golovin
