Schafit

Aul is located on the right bank of the Ashe River, above the resort village of Ashe . It is located 14 km north of the district center - Lazarevskoye , 80 km northwest of Central Sochi and 220 km south of the city of Krasnodar (on the road). The distance from the village to the sea coast is 3.5 km.

It borders the lands of settlements: Ashe in the south, Khatlap in the northeast and Tikhonovka in the southeast. The highway "03K-444" passes through the aul.

Shkhafit is located in the foothill zone, on the southern slope of the Main Caucasus Range . The terrain is mostly mountainous and hilly. Between the village and the river Ashe stretches the plain territory. The average altitude in the territory of the aul is about 75 meters above sea level. The highest point in the vicinity of the aul is Mount Miseghuh (562 m), located north of the village.

The hydrographic network is represented mainly by the Ashe River. Within the aul, several spring rivers flow into it. A route leads through waterfalls leading to waterfalls in the headwaters of the Ashe River.

The climate in the aul is humid subtropical. The average annual air temperature is around + 13.5 ° C, with average July temperatures around + 24.0 ° C, and average January temperatures around + 6.0 ° C. The average annual rainfall is about 1400 mm. Most precipitation falls in the winter.

The name of the aul Shkhafit in the Adyghe language means “free”, in the literal translation - “free head” ^[1] .

Another name for the aul is also often used - Mukhortova Polyana, by the name of the Russian colonel who lived here at the end of the 19th century , who was assigned this plot of land near the left bank of the Asha River.

Until 1864, the Ashe River valley was densely populated by one of the Adyghe societies - Shapsugs . After the end of the Caucasian War, almost the entire surviving local population was evicted to the Ottoman Empire for their unwillingness to submit to the Russian Empire.

To completely oust the mountaineers, who continued to hide in hard-to-reach mountainous and wooded areas, several battalions were deployed, stationed in small detachments at 16 coastal points ^[2] .

The location of one of these parts was the Ashe River Valley. Here, 12 km from the sea, on the left bank of the river until 1874, a company of the 1st Caucasian Line Battalion was stationed. Company commander captain A.T. Mukhortov acquired a plot of land near the sea and built an estate called the Mukhortova Polyana.

At the end of the 19th century, the military Russian administration stopped the persecution of Adygs who continued to hide in the mountains and allowed them to settle in the mountainous regions of the Black Sea region.

In 1920, with the establishment of Soviet power, the private ownership of Mukhortov Polyana was transferred to the state land fund.

In 1925, at the request of the Shapsugsky Revolutionary Committee, part of the former estate of Mukhortov (about 40 hectares) was transferred to the Shapsugsky district to organize a new resettlement village, which received the official name - “Shkhafit” (“Free”).

Settling of Shkhafit began by migrants from the villages of Hadzhiko and Kalezh in 1927 . Among the first settlers were families - the Shkhalakhovs, Gvashevs, Shabo, Heishkho, Sizo, Khusht, Toh and Tlif. In 1930, 103 people lived in the aul.

In 1945, with the abolition of the Shapsugsky district, the village was transferred to the Lazarevsky district .

On February 10, 1961, the village of Shkhafit was included in the resort city of Sochi , with the status of a settlement as an intracity microdistrict.

In 1961-1993, the board and the central estate of the fruit and vegetable farm “Lazarevsky” were in charge of cultivating fruit crops, grapes, vegetables, tea, hazelnuts, and beekeeping.

In 1993, on the basis of the state farm, the joint-stock company Shapsug Tea was organized and now exists. In the vicinity of the aul, tea plantations are considered, which are considered the most northern in the world. There is a tea factory processing tea leaves.

In the village there are preserved ancient dolmens . Not far from the village on the opposite bank of the river is located popular with tourists - "White Rocks".

In the microdistrict there is only one street - “Adygea” and two lanes - “1st Adygea” and “2nd Adygea”.