Alaniya National Park
Russia · Europe
About
Alaniya National Park («́»), is a heavily glaciated, mountainous section of the northern slope of the Central Caucasus Mountains. It covers the southern third of the Irafsky District of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. The park was created to have a dual purpose of serving as an ecological refuge - it has very high levels of biodiversity and vulnerable species, such as the near-endangered west Caucasian tur – and also an area of high cultural heritage and potential for recreational tourism. The park contains widespread archaeological ruins from several notable past civilizations, including the Bronze Age Koban people (1200–300 BCE), and the Alan people (100 BCE – 1234 AD). It is from the Alans that the name "Alaniya", and indirectly the term "Aryan", is ultimately derived. Because altitudes in the park can span almost 4,000 meters vertical in very short distances, the slopes and valleys display strong "altitude zoning". These climatic zones range from alpine glaciers and peaks in the high, southern sections, to steppe grasslands in the northern reaches.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.