Maykop, Republic of Adygea, Southern Federal District, Russia

🇷🇺 Maykop (Мыекъуапэ; Mıéquapə) is the capital city of the Republic of Adygea in Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River (a tributary of the Kuban River). It borders Maykopsky District, from which it is administratively and municipally separate, to the east and south; Giaginsky District to the north, and Belorechensky District of Krasnodar Krai to the west.

The city gave its name to the early Bronze Age Maykop culture after the discovery of a royal burial site there in 1897. Following the establishment of a military camp in 1825, the Imperial Russian Army built a military fort at Maykop in 1857. In 1910 oil deposits were discovered in the vicinity of Maykop. In 1936, Maykop and the surrounding region merged with Adyghe Autonomous Oblast and became the administrative centre of the autonomy. The Wehrmacht occupied Maykop on 10 August 1942 without a fight as a result of a Brandenburger commando operation. German attempts to re-start oil production in the scorched-earth area proved only minimally successful. On 29 January 1943, the Transcaucasian Front of the Red Army re-took the town. Since 1991 Maykop has served as the capital of the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation.

Economy The discovery of extensive underground oil reserves has made Maykop a major centre for oil extraction for the Soviet Union and, subsequently, Russia. Other economically important sectors are food processing and the timber industry.