Beslan
Encyclopedia
Beslan is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia
. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz
and Mozdok. Population:
and Baku
, and is the starting point of a branch line to Vladikavkaz. It is an industrial-agricultural town dominated by a large corn processing plant established in the 1940s.
and was named Beslanykau ("the settlement of Beslan") after a local lord, Beslan Tulatov. In official use, though, the town was known after Tulatov's surname as Tulatovo or Tulatovskoye. It was renamed Iriston (Ossetia) in 1941 and in 1950, when the rapidly industrializing town was unified into a single municipality, it was renamed as Beslan.
. The siege ended on September 3 with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and the Russian security forces. According to official data, 334 civilians were killed, 186 of them children, and hundreds more wounded. All but one of the hostage-takers were killed. The survivor was arrested. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.
Beslan lies about 18 miles (29 km) north of Vladikavkaz
, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania. It is also 60 miles (96.6 km) southeast of Nalchik
, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, and about 950 miles (1,528.9 km) south of Moscow
. It is in proximity to the Ingushetia
border.
and his son; the teacher died during the Beslan school hostage crisis
in 2004 at School Number One (SNO). The governments of Greece and Norway paid 2.5 million euros through the United Nations
Program of Development to have the school built. The school's athletic programmes specialize in football (soccer).
One school in town is the School on Kominterna Street. It replaced SNO, which closed after the hostage crisis. Officials chose not to give the replacement school, located across the street from School Number One, a number. Immediately after SNO closed, classes for children who would have attended SNO were held at School No. 6.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
and Mozdok. Population:
Overview
Beslan is an important railway junction, situated on the main line between Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
and Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, and is the starting point of a branch line to Vladikavkaz. It is an industrial-agricultural town dominated by a large corn processing plant established in the 1940s.
History
The town was founded in 1847 by migrants from elsewhere in OssetiaOssetia
Ossetia Ossetic: Ир, Ирыстон Ir, Iryston; Russian: Осетия, Osetiya; Georgian: ოსეთი, Oset'i) is an ethnolinguistic region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, largely inhabited by the Ossetians. The Ossetian language is part of the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-European...
and was named Beslanykau ("the settlement of Beslan") after a local lord, Beslan Tulatov. In official use, though, the town was known after Tulatov's surname as Tulatovo or Tulatovskoye. It was renamed Iriston (Ossetia) in 1941 and in 1950, when the rapidly industrializing town was unified into a single municipality, it was renamed as Beslan.
Beslan school hostage crisis
On September 1, 2004, Beslan's Secondary School No. 1 was seized by a group of at least thirty-two Islamist terrorists related to the Second Chechen WarSecond Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
. The siege ended on September 3 with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and the Russian security forces. According to official data, 334 civilians were killed, 186 of them children, and hundreds more wounded. All but one of the hostage-takers were killed. The survivor was arrested. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.
Geography
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania. It is also 60 miles (96.6 km) southeast of Nalchik
Nalchik
Nalchik is the capital city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia, situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about northwest of Beslan in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. It covers an area of...
, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, and about 950 miles (1,528.9 km) south of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. It is in proximity to the Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
border.
Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups in the town (2002 data):- OssetiansOssetiansThe Ossetians are an Iranic ethnic group of the Caucasus Mountains, eponymous of the region known as Ossetia.They speak Ossetic, an Iranian language of the Eastern branch, with most also fluent in Russian as a second language....
(81.78%) - RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(13.51%)
Education
One school in Beslan is the Ivan and Constantine Kanidis School. It was dedicated in 2010. It was named after teacher Ivan (Yanis) KanidisYanis Kanidis
Yanis Kanidis was a Greek-Russian physical education teacher. When armed Chechen extremists took more than 1200 school children and adults hostage on September 1, 2004 in the Russian town of Beslan in North Ossetia, in what has become known as the Beslan school hostage crisis, 74-year-old...
and his son; the teacher died during the Beslan school hostage crisis
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
in 2004 at School Number One (SNO). The governments of Greece and Norway paid 2.5 million euros through the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Program of Development to have the school built. The school's athletic programmes specialize in football (soccer).
One school in town is the School on Kominterna Street. It replaced SNO, which closed after the hostage crisis. Officials chose not to give the replacement school, located across the street from School Number One, a number. Immediately after SNO closed, classes for children who would have attended SNO were held at School No. 6.