Myat-Loam

Myat-Loam
Table Mountain
Highest point
Elevation	3,003 m (9,852 ft)
Coordinates	42°51′57″N 44°42′00″E / 42.86583°N 44.70000°E / 42.86583; 44.70000
Naming
Native name	Маьт-Лоам
Geography
Country	Russia
State	Ingushetia
Parent range	Skalisty Range, Caucasus

Myat-Loam (Ingush: Маьт-Лоам, Russian: Столовая гора, Stolovaya gora) is a mountain in the North Caucasus of Russia, in the Dzheyrakhsky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, bordering the Prigorodny District of North Ossetia–Alania. The mountain has a broad, relatively flat summit and an elevation of about 3,000 m (9,843 ft).

The mountain is a prominent landmark of the central North Caucasus and is visible from the surrounding lowlands, including Magas, the capital of Ingushetia, and Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia–Alania.

Geography

Myat-Loam forms part of the Skalisty Range of the Greater Caucasus. The mountain's characteristic flat-topped profile is the origin of its Russian name Stolovaya, meaning "table-shaped". Sources give slightly different elevations for the summit. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations gives 3,003 m (9,852 ft), while map-based sources give approximately 2,994 m (9,823 ft).

The mountain is situated near the village of Beyni in the Dzheyrakhsky District. A hiking route to the summit passes through the historic sanctuary of Myat-Seli.

Nomenclature

The Ingush name of the mountain is Myat-Loam, meaning "Table Mountain". The name is recorded in scholarly literature on the traditional Ingush calendar, which notes that the mountain was used as a high observation point for observing sunrise and sunset.

Cultural significance

The mountain has cultural significance in Ingushetia and is represented on the coat of arms of the Republic of Ingushetia.

Myat-Loam was regarded as a sacred mountain by the Ingush in ancient times, and served as a setting for communal ritual observances associated with the historic Myat-Seli sanctuary on its slopes. According to traditional accounts, communal prayers for rain were performed during periods of drought at rural and patrimonial sanctuaries. The ritual associated with Myat-Seli took place at the sanctuary on the plateau of Myat-Loam and was traditionally conducted on Wednesdays. Participants from neighboring villages formed a procession led by a priest and ascended the mountain to the sanctuary. A sacrificial bull accompanied the procession, its horns reportedly wrapped in white material. Upon reaching the sanctuary, the animal was positioned facing east, after which the chief priest recited a prayer invoking rain and a plentiful harvest.

Gallery

• 
  Myat-Loam on the coat of arms of Ingushetia
• 
  Myat-Loam on the coat of arms of Vladikavkaz
• 
  View of Ingush village Zaur and Myat-Loam in 1782, by M. Ivanov
• 
  View of Kazbek from Myat-Loam (Table Mountain), mid-19th century, by G. Gagarin
• 
  View from Vladikavkaz in November 2009
• 
  View from Vladikavkaz in February 2010

References

External links

• Table Mountain route — Kavkaz.travel
• Table Mountain (Caucasus) — Wikimedia Commons