Mamzyshkha, Mountain summit near Gagra, Abkhazia

Mamzyshkha is a 1,873-metre mountain in Abkhazia, six kilometres from Gagra. Its slopes are covered by dense forest up to the summit, where strong winds allow only grass to grow, in the alpine meadow zone. A 30-kilometre serpentine road designed by Iosif Maruashvili climbs to the top, and the Mamzyshkha ridge on the far side leads down towards the Blue Lake.

At the start of the 20th century, a 30-kilometre serpentine road designed by Iosif Malakiyevich Maruashvili was laid out to the summit; under Soviet rule it was almost entirely asphalted. A ski resort with a cableway and hotels was planned on top but never built. During the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict fierce fighting took place for the mountain, which Abkhazia considers strategic because its main roads to Russia run along it.

The name appears in Abkhaz as Мамӡышьха, in Georgian as მამძიშხა and in Russian as Мамдзышха. On the grass-covered summit, herders graze cattle and serve visitors thyme tea and alpine cheese; the mountain can also be left by paraglider, landing on Gagra's town beach.

The 30-kilometre serpentine road designed by Iosif Maruashvili, mostly asphalted in Soviet times, leads almost to the top, with viewpoints at different heights. The summit lies in the alpine meadow zone and is snow-covered eight months a year. In the remaining months, ascents are made by UAZ off-road vehicles or on horseback, taking a couple of hours; the descent by paraglider to the Gagra town beach takes from 30 minutes.

The 30-kilometre serpentine road to the top was designed in the early 20th century by Iosif Maruashvili and later asphalted in Soviet times; lookouts line it at different heights. A ski resort with a cable car and hotels was planned on the summit but never built. Shepherds graze cattle there and offer visitors thyme tea and alpine cheese.