Khurzuk is a river that originates from the glaciers on the northwestern slope of Mount Elbrus and is one of the main sources of the Kuban River. The exact origin of the name is unknown. According to one theory, it has Turkic roots, where “Khurzuk” means “a piece of the sun, warmth.” In the Alano-Ossetian language, “khur-dzukk” means “a gravelly lowland.”
According to legend, the settlement of the Karachays began precisely from the banks of the Khurzuk River. Botash, a famous hunter and the forefather of the Karachays, arrived in the Khurzuk Valley in search of game. He was captivated by the beauty of the area and decided to find out if the land there was fertile. The following spring, he returned with a mudzhr (a hunter’s staff with a sharp tip), loosened the soil with it, and sowed barley seeds. That autumn, he harvested a rich crop from the first planting. Then Botash gathered his tribesmen and suggested they settle on this fertile land. Thus, the Khurzuk Valley became Karachay territory.