a town and fortress of Asiatic Russia, in the government of Caucasus, on the river Mulka or Balk, which a little lower falls into the Terek. It is the strongest place on the Caucasian line of posts, having been founded in the year 1776; and it remained the capital of the province of Caucasus, until it was constituted a government in 1785. It is twenty-four miles north-west of Mozdok.