The book is dedicated to one of the most interesting regions of the Caucasus from a historical and ethnographic point of view - Karachai. Karachaevsky ethnos was formed in the early Middle Ages in the space of the Upper Kuban, Eastern Zakubany and the upper reaches of Podkumka and Kuma. The early stages of the ethnic history of the Karachais are inextricably linked with Western Alania. Later stages - with the processes of infiltration into the Gornoalan environment of the Kipchaks (Polovtsy). Thus, the history of the Karachay ethnic group itself became an excellent illustration of the idea of ​ ​ the Caucasus as a unique crossroads of cultures.