Balta is a settlement located on the Georgian Military road, 10 kilometres to the south of Vladikavkaz.
It stands on the left bank of the Terek River.
The name “Balta” may derive from the Ossetian “bal” (cherry).
Other versions propose that the word originated from the Turkic “balta” (forest, grove).
As part of the reconstruction of the Georgian Military road in the beginning of XIX century, a way station was built at Balta, the first on the way from Vladikavkaz.
It was protected by a redoubt, which housed a regiment of soldiers and two mortars.
The road toll was also collected here.
In the late 1850s and early 1860s, a two-story inn was built here.
Guests were offered a buffet serving hot meals and three rooms for travelers: a general men’s room, a similar women’s room, and a “general’s” room.