Circassian Coast

The Circassian coast lies beneath the western Caucasus, where wooded mountains approach the Black Sea. Bays and river mouths give access to the lands of the peoples known to medieval merchants as Circassians and Zikhs. Genoese traders maintained contacts and coastal posts in the region, linking it with Caffa and the ports near the Kerch Strait. The sea connected these mountain shores to a wider network of exchange.