Karachays are one of the indigenous Turkic peoples of the North Caucasus.
Their main region of residence is Karachay-Cherkessia on the territory of Russia.
Historically, they were engaged in horse breeding (it was the Karachays who developed the horse breed that bears their name, famous for its endurance), as well as the processing of wool, leather, and wood.
Traditionally, the Karachays lived in the mountain villages (auls) in stone houses, in summer they used high-mountain pastoral camps (jaylau).