Today we visited Maikop, capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adygheia. The Adyghe are a group of Muslim people living in the Caucasus mountains (and other places around the world). We began the day by visiting the national museum (pictured below). While in the museum, we viewed three different exhibits: 1. Adyghe history 2. World War II Memorial 3. Russian and German children's exhibit of reptiles.
The Adygheia history was very interesting. We were able to view models of traditional Adyghe villages, forms of transportation for land and sea, farm equipment, and more. My favorite items were the clothing that Adyghes wore. The women wore beautiful dresses with very intricate designs. At sixteen, Adyghe girls are given special rooms. However, they have to learn to sew three mats for the room before receiving it. Sewing and weaving were two skills that girls learned. We saw special gold thread that Adyghe girls used to sew patterns, dresses, etc.
The World War II exhibit was very nice as well. This exhibit focused on the impact Maikop played in the war and specifically the Adyghe peoples role. Many of Maikop's war heroes were on display, as well as stories of their war experiences.
The children's exhibit was very special. To help mend connections between Russia and Germany, this exhibit was created. Children in both countries were asked to create drawings, paintings, beadwork, and more of reptiles. Then the exhibit was shared to build relationships between the countries.
Next we walked across the street to the Maikop mosque. This was very interesting. We were greeted by two Adyghe women who lead us upstairs to the women's prayer quarters. They discussed the rituals used in the mosque and answered our questions. They were interested in our opinions and also asked us several questions. The women were very kind and open to sharing about their faith. I really learned a lot from this visit.
After our tour of the mosque, we had a fantastic lunch. When we arrived, the table was set for a feast (see picture below). There were fruits and vegetables, different kinds of fried breads, corn meal squares, two kinds of milk drinks (one that was warm and chocolate and one that was white), a dipping sauce for breads, and meat. There were so many choices, it was hard to pick something. We definitely had enough food and then some for our lunch. It was really great to taste traditional Adyghe food!!
As we entered the restaurant and during our meal, we were treated to traditional Adyghe dances. The two dancers below greeted us with a welcome dance as we entered the restaurant. Then as we were eating, they danced a wedding dance. As you can see from the picture, the women's dress is long and covers her feet. As a result, you get the sensation that she is floating over the floor as she dances. It was amazing! The man had crazy footwork too! Luckily I taped the performance so I can watch it again because all I could do was stare at their feet in amazement!! It was awesome!
After lunch, we were taken on a tour of the city of Maikop. We went to their war memorial which commemorates the Civil War and World Wars. Then we traveled to an ancient kurgan. This is a mound of earth that is built to cover a grave of a nobleman. As we were listening to our speaker, a women and three men came out of the house. They began to make a lot of noise and when I turned around, they were holding a blanket over a tree. I realized they were collecting berries from the tree. Later, one of the men (and this is a grandpa!) got a ladder and climbed up into the tree to get more berries. After about 10 minutes, the women told us to take a five minute break and eat the berries (she is below)! It was so nice and the berries were GOOD!!! This is just one more example of the hospitality we have received from complete strangers while in Russia!
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