There are several versions about the origin of the Russian name of the highest European mountain. According to one of them, Kazbek owes its name to the Circassian duke Kazbek, who lived in the 19th century. The duke owned a mountainous village which he named after himself, and later the mountain got its name from the village standing at its base. Another version explains the emergence of the name of Mount Kazbek from local dialects: in Kabardian, “kazbek” means “aristocrat.” Georgian names, Mkinvartsveri (მყინვარწვერი) or simply Mkinvari (მყინვარი), are translated as “mountain with an icy peak” or “icy peak” respectively. In Georgian epic, the mountain is associated with Amiran, who stole fire from the gods and was chained to Kazbek as punishment. Not far from the place of Amiran’s punishment is a cave called Bethlehem. According to legends, Abraham’s hut, Jesus’s cradle, and other relics were kept here. Later, in the 1230s, this cave also served to hide treasure from the Mongols, who invaded Georgia at that time.
Kazbek entered the history of European mountaineering on June 18, 1868, when a group of three Englishmen (Douglas Freshfield, Adolf Moore, and Charles Tucker) reached its summit. Among their guides was an Ingush named Tsogol – according to Georgian and Ingush legends, Tsogol’s father, Joseph, a “mountain goat hunter,” was the first person to conquer the summit of Kazbek.