PHOTO: Kanshao 43°14'17.69"С 43° 8'31.77"В

Селение Верхний Чегем представляет большой интерес для археологов. По речке Джилги-Су, впадающей в Чегем слева, и делящей селение на две половины, заметны остатки греческих храмов, вырубленных в скалах. В горном массиве Кызла-Кюйген-кая (с балкарского – «Скала сгоревших девушек»), находится грот Кала-Тюбю – древняя стоянка человека (13-15 тысяч лет). Недалеко от грота – древнее городище «Лыгыт», которое относят к VIII-X вв. нашей эры, с подземным деревянным водопроводом.

Балкария в XV - начале XIX вв.

As with other parts of the Caucasus, the area that is now known as Kabardino-Balkaria has been inhabited for thousands of years. The origins of its inhabitants are somewhat obscure. The Kabards are known to have settled there by the 9th century, but it is not known when the Balkars arrived. The region came under the control of the Mongols between 1242-1295. It passed into the hands of the Georgians from 1295 to 1505 before falling, briefly, into the orbit of the Persian Empire between 1502-1516. It was then ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1516-1557. From 1557, it became a protectorate of the expanding Russian state – first Muscovy, then the Russian Empire. The lowland-dwelling Kabards allied themselves with the Russians, but the mountain-dwelling Balkars resisted the Russians for many years.