Belalakaya
mountain in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia
The Belalakaya (3,861 m) is a mountain in the Karachay-Cherkessia, Greater Caucasus mountain range of the Russian Federation. It is named after the layers of white quartz that can be seen in its rock walls. The peak has a height of 3861 meters, and to its east is the Malaya Belalakaya peak, which is 3740 meters tall.
The first ascent to the summit of Belalakaya was made in 1904 by a group of mountain climbers and guides during an expedition of the Russian Mining Society to the upper reaches of the Teberda River. The group was led by the chairman of the Russian Mining Society, Alexander von Meck, and included the Swiss climber Andreas Fischer, along with mountain guides Christian Yossi and Yani Buzurganov. On July 29, 1904, the group successfully reached the summit for the first time. The peak has a height of 3861 meters, and to its east is the Malaya Belalakaya peak, which is 3740 meters tall.
In 1934, another group of climbers made the second ascent to the summit of Belalakaya. This group was composed of G. Prokudaev, I. Korzun, A. Feld, and P. Tsalagov. Since then, Belalakaya has become a popular destination for climbers and outdoor enthusiasts, and the peak is considered one of the more challenging climbs in the Greater Caucasus range.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Belalakaya” as mountain in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as mountain in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q815252. Authority coordinates are 43.265, 41.585. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1904 and 1934.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Belalakaya” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.