Assa (river)
The Assa is a right tributary of the Sunzha in Georgia and Russia. It flows through the Dusheti Municipality of Mtskheta-Mtianeti in Georgia as well as Dzheyrakhsky and Sunzhensky Districts of Ingushetia and in Sernovodsky and Achkhoy-Martanovsky Districts of Chechnya, Russia.
Etymology
The river is connected by some authors with the Alans in its ethnonym Yasy, as known in the Russian sources.Geography
It measures long, and incorporates a drainage basin which is. The basin includes the major part of Ingushetia, areas in the west of Chechnya, as well as minor areas in the north of Georgia. Within the river basin, more than 70% of the territory is subjected to avalanches.The river's source is on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus in Khevsureti from where it flows north and crosses into Russia. The Assa accepts the Guloykhi from the right and flows through the Erzi Nature Reserve. North of the stanitsa of Nesterovskaya, the Assa turns east, crosses into Chechnya, flows through the stanitsa of Assinovskaya, and accepts the Fortanga from the right. The mouth of the Assa is at the locality of Zakan-Yurt. The principal tributary of the Assa is the Fortanga.
The Assa and Terek also flow through the Republic of Ingushetia in a south to north direction. The Assa, Terek and Gulaykhi river valleys are known for their large complex of stone battle towers and dwellings, burial crypts, pagan sanctuaries, and Christian churches". The Ingushes culture of the North Caucasus, one of the ancient cultures, is well preserved here by the Dzheyrakh-Assa Historical and Architectural State Museum. The village of Alkhaste is situated on the river's left bank, while the rural locality of Samashki is located on the river's outskirts. The village of Alkun is split in two by the river Assa into Lower and Upper Alkun.
The climate in the river valley is characterized as having a frequent drying effect which supports special microzones.
History
In the Middle Ages, a mine was located on the right bank, measuring in length and in width. Finds included an iron bar and working of native gold.Though construction of a railway tunnel was envisaged from Georgia to Russia in the 1980s, including passage through the Assa River valley, construction was suspended a decade later.