The gorge was named “Gonachkhir” because of its unusual shape.
In Karachay, this word means “narrow place.” Indeed, it begins with a narrow rocky crevice through which a river flows and a road passes. People settled in the caves of the Gonachkhir Gorge more than 600,000 years ago, as evidenced by numerous archaeological findings: burial sites, traces of settlements, weapons, and household items.
The road through the Gonachkhir Gorge has also been known since ancient times.
A section of the Silk Road once passed through here, known as the “Turkish Trail,” along which merchant caravans crossed the Greater Caucasus Range.
From the mid XIX century until 1903, the Military-Sukhumi Road was built through the gorge.
At the end of the XIX century a railway project was also proposed, but its implementation was interrupted by World War I.