"Caucasian Knot" presents project "Maps of Peaceful Caucasus"

The "Caucasian Knot" is placing its content into the information layers on Yandex.Maps to provide more opportunities to Runet visitors for getting acquainted with unique places in the Caucasus and pieces of its history embodied in tales and legends. With this aim the project "Maps of Peaceful Caucasus" has been created, which allows making a fascinating on-line journey over the region.

The image of the Caucasus and the nations living there is formed not only by daily news reports about conflicts, but also by history-keeping tales and legends which live through centuries and are transferred from mouth to mouth and from generation to generation.

Development of information technologies opens new opportunities for preservation and promotion of cultural heritage. Participation in formation of the region's image and projecting its future becomes same accessible to the reader as to journalists and experts who professionally cover the region. Every advanced Internet user can narrate to dozens of millions of Runet users on what he or she knows about traditions and customs of his or her ethnos, and about unique features of the locality, where he or she lives.

More opportunities imply higher responsibility. Those who earlier just kept criticizing the press, radio and television for retransmitting stereotypes about the region, now can take personal responsibility and use a chance to disperse stereotypes by presenting truthful and trustworthy information about the events and happenings, where he or she was a participant or a witness. Now, every reader of the "Caucasian Knot" gets these chances.

In the course debates at forums and in blogs, by leaving comments on the news, interviews, articles and reports, active users not only express their attitude to what they have read, contributing to opinion exchange on the regional events, but also present facts and stories about the Caucasus, which cannot be found in news tapes, thus, making a valuable contribution into reconstruction of the real course of events.

With the aim to acquaint as many people as possible with unique sights of the Caucasus and pieces of their history embodied in national tales and legends, the "Caucasian Knot" starts a new project "Maps of Peaceful Caucasus". The Yandex.Maps has launched a service, which allows, while viewing the map of the Southern Federal District, reading the "Caucasian Knot" materials on the geography and cultural heritage of the region. Currently, the service is presented by two thematic layers - "Legends of the Caucasus" and "Travels in Winter Caucasus" (we apologize but at the moment the service is only in Russian).

The first layer will acquaint readers with tales and legends of Caucasian nations, while the second one will tell about opportunities for mountaineering and rest. The texts on tourism contain not only general data about resort zones, but also photos of described localities and practical information to help those, who have decided to spend their winter time in the Caucasus, in making their choice of the rest pace or travel route.

With the further development of the project, an important role will belong to the reader. Everyone who lives in the Caucasus or happened to be its guest and now wants to present this unique region to those who have not been there yet can participate in creating its image. It can be done by placing in the Wiki of the "Caucasian Knot" a legend or an article with description of geographical sights. The most interesting materials will be placed onto the Yandex.Maps, from where millions of Runet users will get access to them.

The readers are offered to listen to the audio record of the report which had been put on air by the Radio of Kabardino-Balkaria, where Anna Otmakhova, deputy editor-in-chief of the Internet edition "Caucasian Knot" tells about the new project.