Mashuk is an isolated mountain in the North Caucasus overlooking the city of Pyatigorsk in Stavropol Krai in Russia. The height of the mountain is 993 m.Mashuk is a laccolith with a crystal nucleus, buried under sedimentary rock . The top of the mountain is flattened and domelike. There is a cavern called "Proval" on the southern slope of Mashuk.The slopes of the mountain are covered with broadleaved forests . Also, there is the Perkalsky Dendrologic Orchard on the northern slope of the mountain, which contains approximately 800 kinds of different woody plants and brushwood.The duel between a famous Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov and Nikolai Martynov took place at the foot of Mashuk Mountain, where now there is an obelisk with the poet's alto-relievo. The grave of a prominent Russian topographer Andrei Pastukhov is located on the southern slope of the mountain. The legend has it that the mountain is named after a Kabard warrior Mashuk, who fought bravely against the Mongols and committed suicide by jumping of a cliff of the mountain when surrounded by the enemy.