The Caucasus is a historical, ethno-graphic region, very complex in its ethnic composition. The peculiarity of the geographical position of the Caucasus as a link between Europe and Asia, its proximity to the ancient civilizations of Asia Minor played a significant role in the development of culture and in the formation of some of the peoples inhabiting it.

General information. In a relatively small space of the Caucasus, many peoples are settled, different in number and speaking different languages. There are few areas on the globe with such a motley population. Along with large peoples, numbering millions of people, such as Azerbaijanis, Georgians and Armenians, in the Caucasus, especially in Dagestan, live peoples whose number does not exceed several thousand.

According to anthropological data, the entire population of the Caucasus, with the exception of the Nogais, who have Mongoloid features, belongs to a large caucasian race. Most inhabitants of the Caucasus are dark-pigmented. Light coloration of hair and eyes is found in some groups of the population of Western Georgia, in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, and also partially among the Abkhazians and Adyghe peoples.

The modern anthropological composition of the population of the Caucasus was formed in remote times - from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age - and testifies to the ancient ties of the Caucasus both with the regions of Western Asia and with the southern regions. of Eastern Europe and the Balkan Peninsula.

The most widely spoken languages ​​in the Caucasus are the Caucasian or Ibero-Caucasian languages. These languages ​​were formed in ancient times and were more widespread in the past. In science, the question has not yet been resolved whether the Caucasian languages ​​represent a single family of languages ​​or whether they are not connected by a unity of origin. Caucasian languages ​​are combined into three groups: southern, or Kartvelian, northwestern, or Abkhaz-Adyghe, and northeastern, or Nakh-Dagestan.

Kartvelian languages ​​are spoken by Georgians, both eastern and western. Georgians (3571 thousand) live in the Georgian SSR. Separate groups of them are settled in Azerbaijan, as well as abroad - in Turkey and Iran.

The Abkhaz-Adyghe languages ​​are spoken by Abkhazians, Abazins, Adyghes, Circassians and Kabardians. Abkhazians (91 thousand) live in a compact mass in the Abkhaz ASSR; Abaza (29 thousand) - in the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region; Adyghes (109 thousand) inhabit the Adygei Autonomous Region and some areas of the Krasnodar Territory, in particular Tuapse and Lazarevsky, Circassians (46 thousand) live in the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region of the Stavropol Territory and other places in the North Caucasus. Kabardians, Circassians and Adyghes speak the same language - the Adyghe language.

The Nakh languages ​​include the languages ​​of the Chechens (756 thousand) and the Ingush (186 thousand) - the main population of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, as well as the Kistins and Tsova-Tushins or Batsbi - a small people living in the mountains in northern Georgia on the border with the Chechen- Ingush ASSR.

Dagestan languages ​​are spoken by numerous peoples of Dagestan, who inhabit its mountainous regions. The largest of them are the Avars (483 thousand), living in the western part of Dagestan; Dargins (287 thousand) inhabiting it central part; next to the Dargins live Laks, or Laks (100 thousand); southern regions occupied by Lezgins (383 thousand), to the east of which live Taba-Sarans (75 thousand). The so-called Ando-Dido or Ando-Tsez peoples adjoin the Avars in language and geographically: Andians, Botlikhs, Didoys, Khvarshins, etc.; to the Dargins - Kubachins and Kaitaks, to the Lezgins - Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs, some of whom live in the regions of Azerbaijan bordering Dagestan.

A significant percentage of the population of the Caucasus is made up of peoples who speak the Turkic languages ​​of the Altaic language family. The most numerous of them are Azerbaijanis (5477 thousand) living in the Azerbaijan SSR, the Nakhichevan ASSR, as well as in Georgia and Dagestan. Outside the USSR, Azerbaijanis inhabit Iranian Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani language belongs to the Oguz branch of the Turkic languages ​​and shows the greatest similarity with the Turkmen.

To the north of the Azerbaijanis, on the flat part of Dagestan, live the Kumyks (228 thousand), who speak the Turkic language of the Kipchak group. The same group of Turkic languages ​​includes the language of two small closely related peoples of the North Caucasus - Balkars (66 thousand), inhabiting the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and Karachays (131 thousand), living within the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Region. The Nogais (60 thousand), who settled in the steppes of Northern Dagestan, are also Turkic-speaking. Stavropol Territory and other places in the North Caucasus. A small group of Trukhmen, or Turkmen, people from Central Asia live in the North Caucasus.

In the Caucasus, there are also peoples who speak the Iranian languages ​​of the Indo-European language family. The largest of them are the Ossetians (542 thousand), inhabiting the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the South Ossetian Autonomous Region of the Georgian SSR. In Azerbaijan, Iranian languages ​​are spoken by the Taly-shi in the southern regions of the republic and the Tats, settled mainly on the Absheron Peninsula and other places in Northern Azerbaijan, some of the Tats who profess Judaism are sometimes called Mountain Jews. They live in Dagestan, as well as in the cities of Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus. The language of the Kurds (116 thousand), who live in small groups in different regions of the Transcaucasus, also belongs to Iranian.

The language of Armenians stands apart in the Indo-European family (4151 thousand). More than half of the Armenians of the USSR live in the Armenian SSR. The rest of them live in Georgia, Azerbaijan and other regions of the country. More than a million Armenians are scattered throughout various countries of Asia (mainly Western Asia), Africa and Europe.

In addition to the above peoples, Greeks live in the Caucasus, speaking the Modern Greek language and partly Turkish (Uru-my), the Aisors, whose language belongs to the Semitic-Hamitic language family, the gypsies, who use one of the Indian languages, Georgian Jews speaking Georgian, etc.

After the annexation of the Caucasus to Russia, Russians and other peoples from European Russia began to settle there. Currently, there is a significant percentage of the Russian and Ukrainian population in the Caucasus.

Before the October Revolution, most of the languages ​​of the Caucasus were unwritten. Only the Armenians and Georgians had their own ancient script. In the 4th c. n. e. Armenian educator Mesrop Mashtots created the Armenian alphabet. Writing was created in the ancient Armenian language (grabar). Grabar existed as a literary language until the beginning of the 19th century. A rich scientific, artistic and other literature has been created in this language. At present, the literary language is the modern Armenian language (ashkha-rabar). At the beginning of N. e. there was also writing in the Georgian language. It was based on the Aramaic script. On the territory of Azerbaijan, during the period of Caucasian Albania, there was writing in one of the local languages. From the 7th c. Arabic writing began to spread. Under Soviet rule, writing in the Azerbaijani language was translated into Latin, and then into Russian graphics.

After the October Revolution, many non-written languages ​​of the peoples of the Caucasus were written on the basis of Russian graphics. Some small peoples who did not have their own written language, such as, for example, the Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs (in Dagestan) and others, use the Russian literary language.

Ethnogenesis and ethnic history. The Caucasus has been mastered by man since ancient times. Remains of early Paleolithic stone tools - Shellic, Achellian and Mousterian - were found there. For the era of the late Paleolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic in the Caucasus, one can trace the significant proximity of archaeological cultures, which makes it possible to talk about the historical relationship of the tribes inhabiting it. In the Bronze Age, there were separate cultural centers both in Transcaucasia and in the North Caucasus. But despite the originality of each culture, they still have common features.

Starting from the 2nd millennium BC. e. the peoples of the Caucasus are mentioned on the pages of written sources - in Assyrian, Urartian, ancient Greek and other written monuments.

The largest Caucasian-speaking people - Georgians (Kartvels) - formed on the territory they currently occupy from ancient local tribes. They also included part of the Khalds (Urartians). Kartvels were divided into western and eastern. The Kartvelian peoples include the Svans, Mingrelians, and the Laz, or Chans. Most of the latter live outside of Georgia, in Turkey. In the past, Western Georgians were more numerous and inhabited almost all of Western Georgia.

Georgians began to form their statehood early. At the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. in the southwestern regions of the settlement of Georgian tribes, tribal unions of Diaohi and Kolkh were formed. In the first half of the 1st millennium BC. e. known association of Georgian tribes under the name Saspers, which covered a large area from Colchis to Media. Saspers played a significant role in the defeat of the Urartian kingdom. During this period, part of the ancient Khalds was assimilated by the Georgian tribes.

In the 6th c. BC e. in Western Georgia, the Colchis kingdom arose, in which agriculture, crafts, and trade were highly developed. Simultaneously with the Kingdom of Colchis, there was an Iberian (Kartli) state in Eastern Georgia.

Throughout the Middle Ages, due to feudal fragmentation, the Kartvelian people did not represent a monolithic ethnic array. Separate extraterritorial groups remained in it for a long time. Particularly distinguished were the highlander Georgians living in the north of Georgia in the spurs of the Main Caucasian Range; Svans, Khevsurs, Pshavs, Tushins; The Adjarians, who had been part of Turkey for a long time, converted to Islam and somewhat differed in culture from other Georgians, separated themselves.

In the process of development of capitalism in Georgia, the Georgian nation was formed. Under the conditions of Soviet power, when the Georgians received their statehood and all the conditions for economic, social and national development, the Georgian socialist nation was formed.

The ethnogenesis of the Abkhazians proceeded from ancient times on the territory of modern Abkhazia and adjacent regions. At the end of the 1st millennium BC. e. two tribal unions developed here: Abazgians and Apsils. From the name of the latter comes the self-name of the Abkhaz - ap-sua. In the 1st millennium BC. e. the ancestors of the Abkhaz experienced the cultural influence of the Hellenic world through the Greek colonies that arose on the Black Sea coast.

In the feudal period, the Abkhazian people took shape. After the October Revolution, the Abkhaz received their statehood and the process of formation of the Abkhaz socialist nation began.

The Adyghe peoples (the self-name of all three peoples is Adyghe) in the past lived in a compact mass in the lower reaches of the river. Kuban, its tributaries the Belaya and Laba, on the Taman Peninsula and along the Black Sea coast. Archaeological research carried out in this area shows that the ancestors of the Adyghe peoples inhabited this area from ancient times. Adyghe tribes, starting from the 1st millennium BC. e. perceived the cultural impact of the ancient world through the Bosporan kingdom. In the 13th - 14th centuries. part of the Circassians, who had significant development of cattle breeding, especially horse breeding, moved east, to the Terek, in search of free pastures, and later became known as Kabardians. These lands were formerly occupied by the Alans, who during the period of the Mongol-Tatar invasion were partly exterminated, partly driven south, into the mountains. Some groups of Alans were assimilated by the Kabardians. Kabardians who migrated at the beginning of the 19th century. in the upper reaches of the Kuban, received the name of the Circassians. The Adyghe tribes that remained in the old places made up the Adyghe people.

The ethnic history of the Adyghe peoples, like other highlanders of the North Caucasus and Dagestan, had its own characteristics. Feudal relations in the North Caucasus developed at a slower pace than in Transcaucasia, and were intertwined with patriarchal-communal relations. By the time the North Caucasus was annexed to Russia (mid-19th century), the mountain peoples were at different levels of feudal development. The Kabardians, who had a great influence on the social development of other highlanders of the North Caucasus, advanced further than others along the path of forming feudal relations.

The uneven socio-economic development was also reflected in the level of ethnic consolidation of these peoples. Most of them retained traces of tribal division, on the basis of which ethnoterritorial communities were formed, developing along the line of integration into the nationality. Earlier than others, this process was completed by the Kabardians.

Chechens (Nakhcho) and Ingush (Galga) are closely related peoples, formed from tribes related in origin, language and culture, which were the ancient population of the northeastern spurs of the Main Caucasian Range.

The peoples of Dagestan are also descendants of the most ancient Caucasian-speaking population of this region. Dagestan is the most ethnically diverse region of the Caucasus, in which, until recently, there were about thirty small peoples. The main reason for such a diversity of peoples and languages ​​in a relatively small area was geographical isolation: rugged mountain ranges contributed to the isolation of individual ethnic groups and the preservation of original features in their language and culture.

During the Middle Ages, early feudal state formations arose among a number of the largest peoples of Dagestan, but they did not lead to the consolidation of extraterritorial groupings into a single nationality. For example, one of the largest peoples of Dagestan, the Avars, had the Avar Khanate with its center in the village of Khunzakh. At the same time, there were the so-called "free", but dependent on the khan, Avar societies, which occupied separate gorges in the mountains, ethnically representing separate groups - "compatriots". The Avars did not have a single ethnic identity, but the compatriotic one was clearly manifested.

With the penetration of capitalist relations into Dagestan and the growth of otkhodnichestvo, the former isolation of individual peoples and their groups began to disappear. Under Soviet rule, ethnic processes in Dagestan took a completely different direction. Here there is a consolidation in the nationality of larger peoples with the simultaneous consolidation of small kindred ethnic groups in their composition - for example, the Ando-Dido peoples, related to them in origin and language, are united together with the Avars.

The Turkic-speaking Kumyks (Kumuk) live on the flat part of Dagestan. Their ethnogenesis involved both local Caucasian-speaking components and newcomer Turks: Bulgars, Khazars, and especially Kipchaks.

The Balkars (Taulu) and Karachais (Karachails) speak the same language, but are separated geographically - the Balkars live in the Terek basin, and the Karachais live in the Kuban basin, and between them is the Elbrus mountain system, which is difficult to access. Both of these peoples were formed from a mixture of the local Caucasian-speaking population, Iranian-speaking Alans and nomadic Turkic tribes, mainly Bulgars and Kipchaks. The language of the Balkars and Karachays belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic languages.

The Turkic-speaking Nogais (no-gai) living in the far north of Dagestan and beyond its borders are descendants of the population of the Golden Horde ulus, headed at the end of the 13th century. Temnik Nogai, from whose name their name comes. Ethnically, it was a mixed population, which included the Mongols and various groups of Turks, especially the Kipchaks, who passed on their language to the Nogais. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, part of the Nogai, who made up the large Nogai horde, in the middle of the 16th century. accepted Russian citizenship. Later, other Nogais, who roamed the steppes between the Caspian and Black Seas, became part of Russia.

The ethnogenesis of the Ossetians proceeded in the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus. Their language belongs to the Iranian languages, but it occupies a special place among them, revealing a close connection with the Caucasian languages ​​both in vocabulary and in phonetics. In anthropological and cultural terms, the Ossetians form a single whole with the peoples of the Caucasus. According to most researchers, the basis of the Ossetian people was made up of aboriginal Caucasian tribes, mixed with the Iranian-speaking Alans pushed back into the mountains.

The further ethnic history of the Ossetians has much in common with other peoples of the North Caucasus. Existing among the Ossetians until the middle of the 19th century. socio-economic relations with elements of feudalism did not lead to the formation of the Ossetian people. Separated groups of Ossetians were separate compatriot associations, named after the gorges they occupied in the Main Caucasian Range. In the pre-revolutionary period, part of the Ossetians descended to the plane in the Mozdok region, forming a group of Mozdok Ossetians.

After the October Revolution, the Ossetians received national autonomy. The North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed on the territory of the settlement of North Caucasian Ossetians. A relatively small group of Transcaucasian Ossetians received regional autonomy within the Georgian SSR.

Under Soviet rule, the majority of North Ossetians were resettled from the mountain gorges, which were inconvenient for life, to the plain, which violated the compatriot isolation and led to a mixture of individual groups, which, in the conditions of the socialist development of the economy, social relations and culture, put the Ossetians on the path of forming a socialist nation.

In difficult historical conditions, the process of ethnogenesis of Azerbaijanis proceeded. On the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as in other regions of the Transcaucasus, various tribal associations and state formations began to emerge early. In the 6th c. BC e. the southern regions of Azerbaijan were part of the powerful Median state. In the 4th c. BC e. in South Azerbaijan, an independent state of Lesser Media or Atropatena arose (the word "Azerbaijan" itself comes from the distorted "Atropatena" by the Arabs). In this state, there was a process of rapprochement of various peoples (Mannaeans, Cadusians, Caspians, parts of the Medes, etc.), who spoke mainly Iranian languages. The most common among them was a language close to Talysh.

During this period (4th century BC), an Albanian union of tribes arose in the north of Azerbaijan, and then at the beginning of AD. e. the state of Albania was created, the borders of which in the south reached the river. Araks, in the north it included South Dagestan. In this state, there were more than twenty peoples who spoke Caucasian languages, the main role among which belonged to the language of Uti or Udin.

In 3-4 centuries. Atropatena and Albania were incorporated into Sasanian Iran. The Sassanids, in order to strengthen their dominance in the conquered territory, resettled there the population from Iran, in particular the Tats, who had settled in the northern regions of Azerbaijan.

By the 4th - 5th centuries. refers to the beginning of the penetration of various groups of Turks into Azerbaijan (Huns, Bulgarians, Khazars, etc.).

In the 11th century Azerbaijan was invaded by the Seljuk Turks. Subsequently, the influx of the Turkic population into Azerbaijan continued, especially during the period of the Mongol-Tatar conquest. In Azerbaijan, the Turkic language was spreading more and more, which became dominant by the 15th century. Since that time, the modern Azerbaijani language began to form, belonging to the Oguz branch of the Turkic languages.

In feudal Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani nationality began to take shape. As capitalist relations developed, it took the path of becoming a bourgeois nation.

During the Soviet period in Azerbaijan, along with the consolidation of the Azerbaijani socialist nation, there was a gradual merger with Azerbaijanis of small ethnic groups speaking both Iranian and Caucasian languages.

One of the major peoples of the Caucasus are the Armenians. They have an ancient culture and an eventful history. The self-name of Armenians is hai. The area where the process of formation of the Armenian people took place lies outside Soviet Armenia. There are two main stages in the ethnogenesis of the Armenians. The beginning of the first stage dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. The main role at this stage was played by the Hay and Armin tribes. Hayi, who probably spoke languages ​​close to Caucasian, in the 2nd millennium BC. e. created a tribal union in the east of Asia Minor. During this period, the Indo-Europeans, the Armins, who penetrated here from the Balkan Peninsula, mixed with the Khays. The second stage of the ethnogenesis of the Armenians took place on the territory of the state of Urartu in the 1st millennium BC. e., when the Khalds, or Urartians, took part in the formation of the Armenians. During this period, the political association of the ancestors of the Armenians Arme-Shupriya arose. After the defeat of the Urartian state in the 4th c. BC e. Armenians entered the historical arena. It is believed that the Iranian-speaking Cimmerians and Scythians, who penetrated during the 1st millennium BC, also became part of the Armenians. e. from the steppes of the North Caucasus to Transcaucasia and Asia Minor.

Due to the prevailing historical situation, due to the conquests of the Arabs, Seljuks, then the Mongols, Iran, Turkey, many Armenians left their homeland and moved to other countries. Before the First World War, a significant part of the Armenians lived in Turkey (more than 2 million). After the Armenian massacre of 1915, inspired by the Turkish government, when many Armenians were killed, the survivors moved to Russia, the countries of Western Asia, Western Europe and America. Now in Turkey the percentage of the rural Armenian population is negligible.

The formation of Soviet Armenia was a great event in the life of the long-suffering Armenian people. It has become a true free homeland of Armenians.

Economy. The Caucasus, as a special historical and ethnographic region, is distinguished by great originality in the occupations, life, material and spiritual culture of the peoples inhabiting it.

In the Caucasus, agriculture and cattle breeding have been developed since ancient times. The beginning of agriculture in the Caucasus dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. Previously, it spread to the Transcaucasus, and then to the North Caucasus. The most ancient grain crops were millet, wheat, barley, gomi, rye, rice, from the 18th century. began to grow corn. Different cultures prevailed in different regions. For example, the Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples preferred millet; thick millet porridge with spicy gravy was their favorite dish. Wheat was sown in many regions of the Caucasus, but especially in the North Caucasus and Eastern Georgia. In Western Georgia, corn dominated. Rice was bred in the humid regions of South Azerbaijan.

Viticulture has been known in Transcaucasia since the 2nd millennium BC. e. The peoples of the Caucasus have bred many different varieties of grapes. Along with viticulture, horticulture also developed early, especially in Transcaucasia.

Since ancient times, the land has been cultivated with a variety of wooden arable tools with iron tips. They were light and heavy. The lungs were used for shallow plowing, on soft soils, mainly in the mountains, where the fields were small. Sometimes the highlanders arranged artificial arable land: they brought earth in baskets to the terraces along the slopes of the mountains. Heavy plows, which were harnessed by several pairs of oxen, were used for deep plowing, mainly in flat areas.

Harvest was harvested everywhere with sickles. The grain was threshed with threshing boards with stone inserts on the underside. This method of threshing dates back to the Bronze Age.

Cattle breeding appeared in the Caucasus in the 3rd millennium BC. e. In the 2nd millennium BC. e. it became widespread in connection with the development of mountain pastures. During this period, a peculiar type of transhumance cattle breeding developed in the Caucasus, which exists to this day. In summer, cattle grazed in the mountains, in winter they were driven to the plains. Transhumance cattle breeding developed into nomadic only in some areas of Eastern Transcaucasia. There's cattle all year round kept on grazing, driving it from place to place along certain routes.

Beekeeping and sericulture also have an ancient history in the Caucasus.

Caucasian handicraft production and trade were developed early. Some crafts are more than one hundred years old. The most widespread were carpet weaving, jewelry making, weapons manufacturing, pottery and metal utensils, cloaks, weaving, embroidery, etc. The products of Caucasian craftsmen were known far beyond the Caucasus.

After joining Russia, the Caucasus was included in the all-Russian market, which made significant changes in the development of its economy. Agriculture and cattle breeding in the post-reform period began to develop along the capitalist path. The expansion of trade caused the decline of handicraft production, since the products of artisans could not withstand the competition of cheaper factory goods.

After the establishment of Soviet power in the Caucasus, a rapid rise in its economy began. Petroleum, oil refining, mining, machine-building, building materials, machine-tool, chemical, various branches of light industry, etc. began to develop; power stations, roads, etc. were built.

The creation of collective farms made it possible to significantly change the nature and direction of agriculture. The favorable natural conditions of the Caucasus make it possible to grow heat-loving crops that do not grow in other parts of the USSR. In subtropical areas, the focus is on tea and citrus crops. The area under vineyards and orchards is growing. Farming is carried out on the basis of the latest technology. Much attention is paid to the irrigation of drylands.

Cattle breeding also stepped forward. Collective farms are assigned permanent winter and summer pastures. A lot of work is being done to improve the breeds of livestock.

material culture. When characterizing the culture of the peoples of the Caucasus, one should distinguish between the North Caucasus, including Dagestan and Transcaucasia. Within these large areas, there are also features in the culture of large peoples or groups of small peoples. In the North Caucasus, a great cultural unity can be traced between all the Adyghe peoples, Ossetians, Balkars and Karachays. The population of Dagestan is associated with them, but still, the Dagestanis have a lot of originality in culture, which makes it possible to distinguish Dagestan as a special region, to which Chechnya and Ingushetia adjoin. In Transcaucasia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Eastern and Western Georgia are special regions.

In the pre-revolutionary period, the bulk of the population of the Caucasus were rural residents. There were few large cities in the Caucasus, of which highest value had Tbilisi (Tiflis) and Baku.

The types of settlements and dwellings that existed in the Caucasus were closely related to natural conditions. This relationship continues to some extent even today.

Most of the villages in the mountainous areas were characterized by a significant crowding of buildings: the buildings were closely adjacent to one another. On the plane, the villages were located more freely, each house had a yard, and often a small plot of land.

All the peoples of the Caucasus for a long time preserved the custom according to which relatives settled together, forming a separate quarter. With the weakening of family ties, the local unity of kindred groups began to disappear.

In the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus, Dagestan and North Georgia, a typical dwelling was a quadrangular stone building, one- and two-story with a flat roof.

The houses of the inhabitants of the flat regions of the North Caucasus and Dagestan differed significantly from the mountain dwellings. The walls of the buildings were built of adobe or wattle. Turluch (wattle) buildings with a gable or four-slope roof were typical for the Adyghe peoples and for the inhabitants of some regions of the flat Dagestan.

The dwellings of the peoples of Transcaucasia had their own characteristics. In some regions of Armenia, South-Eastern Georgia and Western Azerbaijan, there were peculiar buildings, which were structures made of stone, sometimes somewhat recessed into the ground; the roof was a wooden stepped ceiling, which was covered with earth from the outside. This type of dwelling is one of the oldest in Transcaucasia and is closely related in its origin to the underground dwelling of the ancient settled population of Western Asia.

In other places in Eastern Georgia, dwellings were built of stone with a flat or gable roof, one or two stories high. In humid subtropical places in Western Georgia and in Abkhazia, houses were built of wood, on poles, with gable or four-slope roofs. The floor of such a house was raised high above the ground to protect the dwelling from dampness.

In East Azerbaijan, adobe, covered with clay, one-story dwellings with a flat roof, facing the street with blank walls, were typical.

During the years of Soviet power, the dwellings of the peoples of the Caucasus underwent significant changes and repeatedly acquired new forms, until the types that are widely used at the present time were developed. Now there is no such variety of dwellings as existed before the revolution. In all the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, stone remains the main building material. These places are dominated by two-story houses with flat, gable or hipped roofs. On the plain, adobe brick is used as a building material. Common in the development of the dwellings of all the peoples of the Caucasus is the tendency to increase its size and more careful decoration.

The appearance of collective farm villages has changed compared to the past. In the mountains, many villages were moved from inconvenient places to more convenient ones. Azerbaijanis and other peoples began to build houses with windows facing the street, high blank fences that separate the yard from the street disappear. The landscaping of villages and water supply improved. Many villages have water pipes, planting of fruit and ornamental plants is increasing. Most large settlements do not differ from urban settlements in terms of their amenities.

In the clothes of the peoples of the Caucasus in the pre-revolutionary period, a great variety was traced. It reflected ethnic characteristics, economic and cultural ties between peoples.

All the Adyghe peoples, Ossetians, Karachays, Balkars and Abkhazians had a lot in common in clothes. The men's costume of these peoples spread throughout the Caucasus. The main elements of this costume are: a beshmet (caftan), tight pants tucked into soft boots, a hat and a cloak, as well as a narrow belt-belt with silver decorations, on which they wore a saber, dagger, armchair. The upper classes wore a cherkeska (upper oar fitted clothes) with gazyrs for storing cartridges.

Women's clothing consisted of a shirt, long pants, a swinging dress at the waist, high headdresses and bedspreads. The dress was tied tightly at the waist with a belt. Among the Adyghe peoples and Abkhazians, a thin waist and flat chest were considered a sign of a girl's beauty, so before marriage, girls wore tight tight corsets that tightened their waist and chest. The costume clearly showed the social status of its owner. The costumes of the feudal nobility, especially women's, were distinguished by wealth and luxury.

The men's costume of the peoples of Dagestan in many ways resembled the clothes of the Circassians. Women's attire varied slightly among different peoples of Dagestan, but in general terms it was the same. It was a wide tunic-shaped shirt, belted with a belt, long trousers that were visible from under the shirt and a bag-like headdress in which hair was removed. Dagestan women wore a variety of heavy silver jewelry (belt, chest, temple) mainly of Kubachi production.

Shoes for both men and women were thick woolen socks and pads made from a whole piece of leather that covered the foot. Soft boots for men were festive. Such shoes were typical for the population of all mountainous regions of the Caucasus.

The clothes of the peoples of Transcaucasia differed to a large extent from the clothes of the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and Dagestan. Many parallels were observed in it with the clothes of the peoples of Western Asia, especially with the clothes of Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

The men's costume of the entire Transcaucasus as a whole was characterized by shirts, wide or narrow trousers tucked into boots or socks, and short swinging outerwear, belted with a belt. Before the revolution, the Adyghe male costume, especially the Circassian, was widespread among Georgians and Azerbaijanis. The clothes of Georgian women in their type resembled the clothes of women of the North Caucasus. It was a long shirt, which was worn with a long oar fitted dress, tied with a belt. On their heads, women wore a hoop covered with cloth, to which a thin long coverlet was attached - lechaks.

Armenian women dressed in bright shirts (yellow in western Armenia, red in eastern Armenia) and no less bright trousers. The shirt was worn with loose, lined clothing at the waist with shorter sleeves than the shirt. Armenian women wore small hard caps on their heads, which were tied with several scarves. It was customary to cover the lower part of the face with a handkerchief.

Azerbaijani women, in addition to shirts and trousers, also wore short jackets and wide skirts. Under the influence of the Muslim religion, Azerbaijani women, especially in cities, covered their faces with a veil when they went out into the street.

It was typical for women of all the peoples of the Caucasus to wear a variety of jewelry made by local craftsmen mainly from silver. Belts were especially richly decorated.

After the revolution, the traditional clothing of the peoples of the Caucasus, both male and female, began to quickly disappear. At present, the male Adyghe costume is preserved as the clothing of members of artistic ensembles, which has become widespread almost throughout the Caucasus. traditional elements women's clothing can still be seen on older women in many parts of the Caucasus.

social and family life. Among all the peoples of the Caucasus, especially among the North Caucasian highlanders and Dagestanis, in public life and everyday life, to a greater or lesser extent, traces of the patriarchal way of life were preserved, family ties were strictly maintained, which were especially clearly manifested in patronymic relations. Neighbor communities existed everywhere in the Caucasus, which were especially strong among the Western Circassians, Ossetians, as well as in Dagestan and Georgia.

In many regions of the Caucasus in the 19th century. large patriarchal families continued to exist. The main type of family in this period was small families, the way of which was distinguished by the same patriarchy. The dominant form of marriage was monogamy. Polygamy was rare, mainly among the privileged sections of the Muslim population, especially in Azerbaijan. Among many peoples of the Caucasus, kalym was common. The patriarchal nature of family life had a heavy impact on the position of women, especially among Muslims.

Under Soviet power, family life and the position of women among the peoples of the Caucasus changed radically. Soviet laws made women equal in rights with men. She got the opportunity to actively participate in work, social and cultural life.

religious beliefs. By religion, the entire population of the Caucasus was divided into two groups: Christians and Muslims. Christianity began to penetrate the Caucasus in the first centuries new era. Initially, it was established among the Armenians, who in 301 had their own church, which received the name "Armenian-Gregorian" after its founder, Archbishop Gregory the Illuminator. At first, the Armenian Church adhered to the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine orientation, but from the beginning of the 6th century. became independent, joining the Monophysite doctrine, which recognized only one "divine nature" of Christ. From Armenia, Christianity began to penetrate into southern Dagestan, northern Azerbaijan and Albania (6th century). Zoroastrianism was spread in South Azerbaijan during this period, in which great place occupied by fire-worshipping cults.

Christianity became the dominant religion in Georgia by the 4th century. (337). From Georgia and Byzantium, Christianity came to the Abkhazians and Adyghe tribes (6th - 7th centuries), Chechens (8th century), Ingush, Ossetians and other peoples.

The emergence of Islam in the Caucasus is associated with the aggressive campaigns of the Arabs (7th - 8th centuries). But Islam did not take deep roots under the Arabs. It really began to assert itself only after the Mongol-Tatar invasion. This primarily applies to the peoples of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. Islam began to spread in Abkhazia from the 15th century. after the Turkish conquest.

Among the peoples of the North Caucasus (Circassians, Circassians, Kabardians, Karachays and Balkars) Islam was spread by Turkish sultans and Crimean khans in the 15th - 17th centuries.

He penetrated to the Ossetians in the 17th - 18th centuries. from Kabarda and was adopted mainly only by the upper classes. In the 16th century Islam began to spread from Dagestan to Chechnya. The Ingush adopted this faith from the Chechens in the 19th century. The influence of Islam in Dagestan and Checheno-Ingushetia was especially strengthened during the period of the highlanders' movement under the leadership of Shamil.

However, neither Christianity nor Islam supplanted the ancient local beliefs. Many of them have become an integral part of the Christian and Muslim rituals.

During the years of Soviet power, a large amount of anti-religious agitation and mass work was carried out among the peoples of the Caucasus. The majority of the population has moved away from religion, and only a few, mostly elderly people, remain believers.

Folklore. The oral poetic creativity of the peoples of the Caucasus is rich and varied. It has centuries-old traditions and reflects the complex historical fate of the peoples of the Caucasus, their struggle for independence, the class struggle of the masses against the oppressors, and many aspects of folk life. For oral creativity Caucasian peoples characterized by a variety of subjects and genres. Many famous poets and writers, both local (Nizami Ganjevi, Mohammed Fuzuli, etc.) and Russians (Pushkin, Lermontov, Leo Tolstoy, etc.), borrowed stories from Caucasian life and folklore for their works.

In the poetic work of the peoples of the Caucasus, epic tales occupy a significant place. Georgians know the epic about the hero Amirani, who fought the ancient gods and was chained to a rock for it, the romantic epic Esteriani, which tells about the tragic love of Prince Abesalom and the shepherdess Eteri. Among the Armenians, the medieval epic "Sasun bogatyrs" or "David of Sasun" is widespread, reflecting the heroic struggle of the Armenian people against the enslavers.

In the North Caucasus, among the Ossetians, Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghes, Karachays, Balkars, and also Abkhazians, there is a Nart epic, legends about heroic Narts.

Fairy tales, fables, legends, proverbs, sayings, riddles are diverse among the peoples of the Caucasus, in which all aspects of folk life are reflected. Musical folklore is especially rich in the Caucasus. Georgian songwriting reached great perfection; they have a wide variety of voices.

Wandering folk singers - gusans (Armenians), mestvirs (Georgians), ashugs (Azerbaijanis, Dagestanis) acted as spokesmen for people's aspirations, keepers of a rich treasury of musical art and performers of folk songs. Their repertoire was very diverse. They sang their songs to the accompaniment musical instruments. Especially popular was the folk singer Sayang-Nova (18th century), who sang in Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani.

Oral poetic and musical folk art continues to develop today. It has been enriched with new content. Life is widely reflected in songs, fairy tales and other types of folk art. Soviet country. Many songs are dedicated to the heroic labor of the Soviet people, the friendship of peoples, exploits in the Great Patriotic War. Ensembles of amateur performances enjoy wide popularity among all the peoples of the Caucasus.

Many cities of the Caucasus, especially Baku, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Makhachkala, have now become major cultural centers where diverse scientific work is carried out, not only of all-Union, but often of world significance.

In the northern Caucasus, more than 50 original national ethnic groups live in compact groups on the lands of their ancient ancestors. For centuries, in the course of an eventful historical process in this region, completely different nations had a common destiny, and the so-called pan-Caucasian ethnographic unity gradually formed.

In total, 9,428,826 people live in the North Caucasian Federal District, of which the overwhelming majority are Russians - 2,854,040 inhabitants, but in the national regions and republics the share of Russians is noticeably smaller. The second largest people in the North are Chechens, their share is 1,355,857 people. And the third largest nation in the North Caucasus are the Avars, they are home to 865,348 people.

Adyghe

The Adyghes belong to the Adyghe ethnic group and call themselves "Adyghe". Today, the Adyghes are an ethnically independent community and have an administrative territory of residence in the Adygei Autonomous District in the Krasnodar Territory. They live in the number of 107,048 people in the lower reaches of the Laba and Kuban on an area of ​​​​4654 square meters. km.

The fertile lands of the vast plains and foothills with a temperate warm climate and black earth soils, oak and beech forests are perfect for the development of agriculture. Adygs have long been natives of this North Caucasian area. After the separation of the Kabardians from the single community of the Circassians, their subsequent resettlement, the tribes of Temirgoevs, Bzhedugs, Abadzekhs, Shapsugs, Natukhians remained in their native lands in the Kuban, from which a single Adyghe people was formed.

The number of all Adyghe tribes by the end of the Caucasian war reached 1 million people, but in 1864 many Adyghes moved to Turkey. Russian Circassians concentrated on a small area of ​​ancestral lands on and Laba. After the revolution in 1922, the Adyghes were singled out on a national basis in an autonomous region.

In 1936, the region was significantly expanded by joining the Giaginsky district and the city of Maykop. Maikop becomes the capital city of the region. In 1990, the Adyghe ASSR was separated from the Krasnodar Territory, and a little later, in 1992, an independent republic was formed. Since the Middle Ages, the Adyghe have retained their traditional economy, the cultivation of wheat, corn, barley, orchards and vineyards, and settled cattle breeding.

Armenians

190,825 Armenians live in the region, and although the Armenian ethnos historically formed noticeably to the south in the Armenian Highlands, part of this people lives within the North Caucasian Federal District. Armenians ancient people, which appeared on the historical arena in the XIII-VI centuries. BC e. as a result of the mixing of a large number of multilingual tribes of Urartians, Luvians and Hurrians in the Armenian Highlands. Armenian language belongs to a large Indo-European family of languages.

The historical process of the statehood of Armenians dates back 2.5 millennia, even under Alexander the Great Lesser Armenia was known, then in 316 BC. e. Ayrarat kingdom, later Sophene kingdom. In the III-II centuries. BC e. political and Cultural Center Armenians moved to Transcaucasia to the Ararat valley. From the 4th century n. e. Armenians adopted Christianity, the Armenian Apostolic Church, respected in the Christian world, was formed here. After the terrible genocide of 1915 by the Ottoman Turks, the majority of Armenians now live outside their historical homeland.

Circassians

The indigenous inhabitants of Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygeya and some regions of Kabardino-Balkaria are Circassians, a North Caucasian people of 61,409 people, of which 56.5 thousand live densely in 17 high-mountainous villages of Karachay-Cherkessia. Ancient Greek historians called them "kerket".

This ethnic group, according to archaeologists, includes the ancient Koban culture dating back to the 13th century. BC e. In the formation of the ethnographic group of the Circassians, "pro-Adygs" and "Provaynakhs" could participate. Scientists deny the participation of the ancient Scythians in the formation of the Circassian ethnic group.

In 1921, the Gorskaya ASSR was formed, and later in 1922, the national Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Okrug was formed in the RSFSR. That is why the Circassians were called Circassians for a long time, and a lot of time passed before the definition of the Circassians as an independent people. In 1957, in the Stavropol Territory, a separate ethnic Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Okrug was formed.

The main traditional occupations of the Circassians have long been distant mountain cattle breeding, breeding of cows, sheep, horses, goats. Orchards and vineyards have been growing in the valleys of Karachay-Cherkessia since ancient times, barley, weight and wheat have been grown. The Circassians were famous among other peoples for the manufacture of high-quality cloth and the manufacture of clothes from it, blacksmithing and the manufacture of weapons.


Karachays

Another indigenous Turkic-speaking people who have lived for centuries in Karachay-Cherkessia along the valleys of the Kuban, Teberda, Urup and Bolshaya Laba are quite a few Karachays. Today, 211,122 people live in the North Caucasian Federal District.

For the first time, the “shorter” or “karochai” people are mentioned in the records of the Russian ambassador Fedot Yelchin in Mergelia in 1639. Later, the "Kharachays" living on the high peaks of the Kuban and speaking the "Tatar" language are mentioned more than once.

In the formation of the Karachay ethnic group in the VIII-XIV centuries. local Alans and Turkic-Kipchaks participated. The Circassians and Abazins are the closest peoples in terms of gene pool and language to the Karachays. After negotiations and the decision of the elders in 1828, the lands of the Karachays entered the Russian state.

During the Second World War, Karachaevskaya Autonomous District for a long time 1942-1943. was under fascist occupation. Due to complicity with enemies, showing the fascists the passes in Transcaucasia, mass entry into the ranks of the invaders, harboring German spies, in the fall of 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued a decree on the resettlement of 69,267 Korochaevs to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Karachays were searched for in other regions of the Caucasus, 2543 people were demobilized from the army.

For a long time, for three centuries from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the process of Islamization of the Karachai tribes went on, they still retained in their beliefs a certain mixture of paganism, worship of the highest spirit of nature Tengri, faith in natural magic, sacred stones and trees with Christian teachings and Islam. Today, the majority of Karachais are Sunni Muslims.

Balkars

One of the Turkic-speaking peoples of the region, living in the foothills and mountains in the center of the region in the upper reaches of Khaznidon, Chegem, Cherek, Malka and Baksan, are the Balkars. There are two versions of the origin of the ethnonym, some scientists suggest that the word "Balkar" is modified from "Malkar", a resident of the Malkar Gorge, or from the Balkan Bulgarians.

Today, the main Balkar population of 110,215 lives in Kabardino-Balkaria. The Balkars speak the Karachay-Balkarian language, which is practically not divided into dialects. The Balkars live high in the mountains and are considered one of the few high mountain peoples in Europe. Alan-Ossetian, Svan and Adyghe tribes participated in the long ethnogenesis of the Balkars.

For the first time, the ethnonym "Balkar" is mentioned in his notes of the 4th century. Mar Abas Katina, this invaluable information was preserved in the History of Armenia, written down in the 5th century by Movses Khorenatsi. In Russian historical documents, the ethnonym "Basians", referring to the Balkars, first appeared in 1629. Ossetians-Alans have long called the Balkars Ases.

Kabardians

More than 57% of the population of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria is made up of the Kabardian people, which is quite numerous for this region. Within the Russian part of the region, representatives of this ethnic group live 502,817 people. Circassians, Abkhazians and Adyghes are closest to the Kabardians in terms of language and cultural traditions. Kabardians speak their Kabardian language, close to Circassian, which belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe language group. In addition to Russia, the largest diaspora of Kabardians lives in Turkey.

Until the XIV century, the nearest peoples of the Adygs had a common history. Much later, different of these peoples acquired their own history. And antiquity from the IV millennium BC. e. under the common ethnonym, the Adygs were descendants of representatives of the original Maikop culture, it was from it that the North Caucasian, Kuban and Koban cultures subsequently appeared.

The emperor of Byzantium Konstantin Porphyrogenitus in 957 first mentions the country of the Kosogs, modern Kabardians. According to many researchers, the Scythians and Sarmatians participated in the ethogeny of the Kabardians. Since 1552, the Kabardian princes, headed by Temryuk Idarov, began a policy of rapprochement with Russia, so that it would help them defend themselves from the Crimean Khan. Later they participated in the capture of Kazan on the side of Ivan the Terrible, the Russian tsar even entered into a political marriage with the daughter of Temryuk Idarov.

Ossetians

main population North Ossetia Alania and South Ossetia are the descendants of the fearless warriors of antiquity, the Alans, opposing, and so unconquered by the great Tamerlane - the Ossetians. In total, 481,492 people live in the North Caucasus who feel they belong to the Ossetian ethnic group.

The ethnonym "Ossetian" appeared by the name of the region where representatives of this people "Ossetian" have long lived. This is how the Georgians called this region in the Caucasus Mountains. The word "axes" comes from the self-name of one of the genera of the Alans "ases". In the well-known code of warriors "Nart epic" there is another self-name of the Ossetians "Allon", from which the word "Alan" originated.

The Ossetian spoken language belongs to the Iranian group and is the only one among the languages ​​of the world that is closest to the ancient Scythian-Sarmatian language. In it, linguists distinguish two related dialects according to two sub-ethnic groups of Ossetians: Iron and Digor. The primacy in the number of speakers belongs to the Iron dialect, it became the basis for the literary Ossetian language.

The ancient Alans, descendants of the Pontic Scythians, participated in the ethnogenesis of the Ossetians, they mixed with local tribes. Even in the Middle Ages, the fearless Alans posed a great danger to the Khazars, were interesting as valiant warriors and allies for Byzantium, fought on equal terms with the Mongols and opposed Tamerlane.

Ingush

The indigenous people of Ingushetia, North Ossetia and the Sunzha region of Chechnya are the "Gargarei" mentioned by Strabo - the North Caucasian Ingush. Their ancestors were native to many Caucasian peoples of the Koban culture. Today, 418,996 Ingush live here in their native lands.

In the medieval period, the Ingush were in the alliance of the Alanian tribes, along with the ancestors of the Balkars and Ossetians, Chechens and Karachays. It is here in Ingushetia that the ruins of the so-called Ekazhevsko-Yandyr settlement are located, according to archaeologists, the capital city of Alanya - Magas.

After the defeat of Alania by the Mongols and the clash between the Alans and Tamerlane, the remnants of kindred tribes went to the mountains, and the formation of the Ingush ethnos began there. In the 15th century, the Ingush made several attempts to return to the plains, but in the campaign of 1562, Prince Temryuk was forced to return to the mountains.

The resettlement of the Ingush to the Tara Valley ended after joining Russia only in the 19th century. The Ingush have been part of Russia since 1770 after the decision of the elders. During the construction of the Georgian Military Highway through the lands of the Ingush in 1784, the fortress of Vladikavkaz was founded on the banks of the Terek.

Chechens

The indigenous people of Chechnya are Chechens, the self-name of the Vainakh tribe is “Nokhchi”. For the first time, a people with the name "Sasan", identical to "Nokhcha", was mentioned in the annals of the Persian Rashid-ad-Din of the 13th-14th centuries. Today, 1,335,857 Chechens live in the region, most of them in Chechnya.

Mountain Chechnya became part of the Russian state in 1781 by the decision of the honorary elders of 15 villages in the southern part of the republic. After a protracted and bloody Caucasian war, more than 5 thousand families of Chechens left for the Ottoman Empire, their descendants became the basis of the Chechen diasporas in Syria and Turkey.

In 1944, more than 0.5 million Chechens were resettled in Central Asia. The reason for the deportation was banditry, there were up to 200 bandit formations numbering up to 2-3 thousand people. Few people know that a serious reason for the deportation was the work since 1940 of the underground organization of Khasan Israilov, whose goal was to separate the region from the USSR and destroy all Russians here.

Nogais

Another Turkic people of the region are the Nogais, the self-name of the ethnic group is “nogai”, sometimes they are called Nogai Tatars or Crimean steppe Tatars. More than 20 ancient peoples participated in the formation of the ethnos, among them Siraks and Uighurs, Noimans and Dormens, Kereites and Ases, Kipchaks and Bulgars, Argyns and Keneges.

The ethnonym "Nogay" belongs to the name of the Golden Horde political figure of the XIII century temnik Beklerbek Nogay, who united all the disparate proto-Nogai ethnic groups into a single ethnic group under his command. The first state association of the Nogais was the so-called Nogai Horde, it appeared on the historical arena with the collapse of the Golden Horde.

The formation of the Nogai state continued under the Golden Horde temnik Edyge, the legendary and heroic ruler, the preacher of Islam, continued to unite the Nogais. He continued all the traditions of Nogai's rule and completely separated the Nogais from the power of the khans of the Golden Horde. The Nogai Horde is mentioned in chronicles and Russian embassy books for 1479, 1481, 1486, letters of European rulers, King of Poland Sigismund I, in letters and letters of Russia and medieval Poland, Crimean khans.

Through the capital city of the Nogai Horde, Saraichik, on the Ural River, caravan routes between Central Asia and Europe passed. The Nogais became part of the Russian state by the decision of the elders of the clans in 1783, one hundred confirmed by the Manifesto of Catherine II. In separate groups, the Nogai still fought for independence, but the military talent of A. V. Suvorov did not leave them a chance. Only a small part of the Nogais took refuge in the interfluve of the Terek and Kuma, on the territory of modern Chechnya.

Other nations

Many other ethnic groups and nationalities live in the foothills of the Caucasus. There are 865,348 Avars, 466,769 Kumyks, 166,526 Laks, 541,552 Dargins according to the results of the last census, 396,408 Lezgins, 29,979 Aguls, 29,413 Rutuls, 127,941 tabasarans and others.

According to historians, philologists and archaeologists, the descendants of about 60 different language groups, and over 30 nationalities. Over the centuries-old period of the formation of nationalities on the territory bordering constant wars and devastation, the ethnic group was able to carry its culture and customs through the centuries. Getting acquainted with each of them is overwork, but it will be at least interesting to learn about most of them.

Leading your tour about the peoples of the Caucasus, I would like to determine the path along which we will go through getting acquainted with the general facts characteristic of a particular ethnic group. Let's start with the Western Caucasus, and the westernmost people - Abkhazians. Let's finish our acquaintance in the east, together with Lezgins. But let's not forget the nomadic tribes.

Let's start with them in order to get acquainted with the geographical features of the Caucasus, in order to understand the specifics of the life of all other nationalities. The fact is that the North Caucasus predisposes to farming. Therefore, many nomadic tribes settled down and began to build their own culture already on the ground. Starting from Abkhazians and ending with residents Alanya.

Southern part of the Caucasus

But as for the southern part of the Caucasus, the soil in these places is barren. The water that comes from the mountains reaches the plains in a stagnant form, because the irrigation systems are far from perfect. Therefore, as soon as summer comes, nomadic tribes go higher and higher into the mountains. It all depends on the conditions for the livestock. If there is enough food, the height remains unchanged.

With the onset of cold weather, nomads descend from the mountains. Tatars, Nogais and Trukhmens live on the principle of trampled grass: as soon as the grass is trampled under their feet, it's time to move. And already, depending on the time of year, they determine up into the mountains, or go down.

Map of the settlement of nationalities:

Now let's return to the tribes settled in ancient times, who chose agriculture as the basis of their life.

The most numerous peoples of the North Caucasus

Abkhazians

- the most western people of the Caucasus. Most are Christians, but since the 15th century, due to the expansion of the territory, Sunni Muslims have been added.

The total number of Abkhazians around the world is about 200 thousand people in 52 countries of the world.

The cultural component of the Christian people is traditional in this area. Since ancient times they have been engaged in and famous for carpet weaving, embroidery, and carving.

The next ethnic group in the direction to the east. The northern slopes of the Caucasus, as well as the plains near the Terek and Sunzha, are their habitat. The current territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, however, has nothing in common with the Karachays, except for the territory. At the same time, there is a relationship with the Kabardians, however, due to the administrative-territorial division, they also share the territory with the distantly related Balkars.

All of them belong to the Adygs. The cultural heritage of which has made a huge contribution to the world heritage of blacksmithing and jewelry.

Svans

- the northern branch of Georgians, which has retained its own language and cultural heritage. The territory of residence is the highest mountainous part of Georgia, it is from 1000 to 2500 meters above sea level.

A characteristic feature of the cultural life of the Svans is the absence of serfdom and the conditional principle of the nobility. There were no wars of conquest. In total, there are about 30,000 Svans around the world.

Ossetians

- an ancient people of Iranian origin. The Ossetian kingdom of Alania is one of the most ancient and carried through the centuries Christianity in its original form. Many republics converted to Islam due to unsettled Christianity, but Alania - largest territory North Caucasus inherited Christianity. The moment of Islamization has passed by.

and Chechens

- kindred peoples. Most profess Islam, with the exception of only those living in Georgia. The total number of nations is about 2 million people.

Lezgins

The easternmost region is represented by the peoples of present-day Dagestan. And the most common not only in Dagestan, but also in Azerbaijan - Lezgins have a rich cultural heritage.

Geographical position played a decisive role in the formation of the Caucasian peoples. Located on the borders of the Ottoman Empire, Byzantium, Russian Empire- he was predetermined military past, the features of which were reflected in the character and specifics of the peoples of the Caucasus. However, it is worth noting that the cultural heritage was preserved, despite the oppression of neighboring empires.

- many peoples who spoke different languages. However, such a systematization did not take shape immediately. Despite the same way of life, each of the local peoples has its own unique origin.

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Scientists identify a group autochthonous peoples, (translated from Greek - local, indigenous, aboriginal), which have lived in the area since their formation. In the northern and Central Caucasus, these are, which are represented by three peoples

• Kabardians, 386 thousand people, live in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, North Ossetia. The language belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the Iberian-Caucasian language. Believers are Sunni Muslims;
• Adyghe, 123,000, of which 96,000 live in the Republic of Adygea, Sunni Muslims
• Circassians, 51,000 people, more than 40 thousand live in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

The descendants of the Adygs live in a number of states: Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia.

The Abkhaz-Adyghe language group includes the people Abaza(self-name abaza), 33,000 people, 27 thousand live in the KChR and the Republic of Adygea (eastern part), Sunnis. The descendants of the Abazins, like the Adygs, live in Turkey and the countries of the Middle East, and linguistically their descendants are the Abkhazians (self-name- absula).

Another large group of indigenous peoples that occupies the North Caucasus are representatives Nakh group of languages:

• Chechens(self-name - nokhchiy), 800,000 people, live in the Republic of Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan (Akkin Chechens, 58,000 people), Sunni Muslims. Diasporas of descendants of Chechens live in the Middle East;
• Ingush(self-name - galgai), 215,000 people, most live in the Republic of Ingushetia, the Chechen Republic and North Ossetia, Sunni Muslims;
• cysts(self-name - cysts), in the mountainous regions of the Republic of Chechnya, speak Nakh dialects.

Chechens and Ingush have a common name Vainakhs.

Looks the hardest Dagestan branch of the Ibero-Caucasian languages, it is divided into four groups:

1. Avaro-Ando-Tsez group, which includes 14 languages. The most significant is the language spoken Avars(self-name - maarulal), 544,000 people, the central and mountainous regions of Dagestan, there are Avars settlements in the Stavropol Territory and northern Azerbaijan, Sunni Muslims.
   The other 13 peoples belonging to this group are much inferior in number and have significant differences from Avar language(for example, andeans- 25 thousand, tindinians or tyndals- 10 thousand people).
2. Dargin language group. The main people Dagrinians(self-name - dargan), 354 thousand people, while more than 280 thousand live in the mountainous regions of Dagestan. Large diasporas of the Dargins live in the Stavropol Territory and Kalmykia. Muslims are Sunnis.
3. Lak language group. The main people Laks (Laki, Kazikumukh), 106 thousand people, in mountainous Dagestan - 92,000, Muslims - Sunnis.
4. Lezgi language group- south of Dagestan with the city of Derbent, people Lezgins(self-name - lezgiar), 257,000, over 200,000 live in Dagestan itself. A large diaspora exists in Azerbaijan. In religious terms: Dagestani Lezgins are Sunni Muslims, and Azerbaijani Lezgins are Shiite Muslims.
   • Tabasarans (Tabasaran), 94,000 people, 80,000 of them live in Dagestan, the rest in Azerbaijan, Sunni Muslims;
   • rutulians (myh abdyr), 20,000 people, of which 15,000 live in Dagestan, Sunni Muslims;
   • tsakhuri (yykhby), 20,000, mostly in Azerbaijan, Sunni Muslims;
   • agul (agul), 18,000 people, 14,000 in Dagestan, Sunni Muslims.
     The Lezgi group includes 5 more languages spoken by minority peoples.

Peoples who later settled in the North Caucasus region

Unlike the autochthonous peoples, the ancestors Ossetian came to the North Caucasus later and for a long time they were known as Alan from the 1st century AD. According to the language, Ossetians belong to Iranian language group and their closest relatives are Iranians (Persians) and Tajiks. Ossetians live on the territory of North Ossetia, numbering 340,000 people. In the Ossetian language itself, three large dialects are distinguished, according to which self-names are derived:

• Iranians (Iron)- Orthodox;
• Digorians (Digoron)- Sunni Muslims
• kudartsy (kudaron)- South Ossetia, Orthodox.

A special group is made up of peoples whose formation and appearance in the North Caucasus is associated with the late Middle Ages (15-17 centuries). Linguistically, they are Turks:

1. Karachays (Karachayly), 150,000 people, of which 129 thousand live in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. There are Karachay diasporas in the Stavropol Territory, Central Asia, Turkey, and Syria. The language belongs to the Kypchak group of Turkic languages ​​(Polovtsy). Sunni Muslims;
2. Balkars (taulu), highlanders, 80,000 people, of which 70,000 live in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Large diasporas in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Muslims are Sunnis;
3. Kumyks (Kumuk), 278,000 people, mainly live in Northern Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia. Muslims are Sunnis;
4. Nogais (Nogaylar), 75,000, are divided into three groups according to territory and dialect:
   • Kuban Nogais (ak Nagais) living in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic;
   • Achikulak Nogais living in the Neftekumsk region of the Stavropol Territory;
   • Kara Nagai (Nogai steppe), Sunni Muslims.
5. Turkmens (Truhmens), 13.5 thousand people live in the Turkmen region of the Stavropol Territory, but the language belongs to Oguz group of Turkic languages, Sunni Muslims.

Separately, it should be noted that appeared in the North Caucasus in the middle of the 17th century. Kalmyks (halmg), 146,000 people, the language belongs to the Mongolian language group (Mongols and Buryats are related in language). Religiously, they are Buddhists. Those of the Kalmyks who were in the Cossack class of the Don army, professed Orthodoxy, were called buzaavy. Most of them are nomadic Kalmyks - turguts.

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According to the 2010 census, 142 peoples live in the North Caucasus (in Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and the Stavropol Territory). Of these, only 36 are indigenous, that is, they have lived in this territory for centuries. The rest are strangers.

In this regard, by the way, the question arises: how long does it take to live in a certain area in order to become an “indigenous people”? And is it possible, for example, to include Jews who have lived in the North Caucasus for millennia under this definition? Or, say, the Karaites, who are considered to come from the Hittite kingdom? There are not many of them, but they are also represented in the region.

indigenous peoples

The indigenous peoples of the Caucasus prefer to live on their lands. Abazins settle in Karachay-Cherkessia, where their number exceeds 36 thousand. Abkhazians live there, or in the Stavropol Territory. But most of all in this republic are Karachays (194,324 people) and Circassians (56,446). There are also 15,654 Nogais living in Karachay-Cherkessia.

850,011 Avars, 490,384 Dargins, 385,240 Lezgins, 118,848 Tabasarans, 40,407 Nogais, 27,849 Rutuls (south of Dagestan), almost 30,000 Aguls and a little more than 3,000 Tatars live in Dagestan.

Ossetians (459,688 people) settle on their lands in North Ossetia. About 10,000 Ossetians live in Kabardino-Balkaria, just over 3,000 live in Karachay-Cherkessia, and only 585 people live in Chechnya.

The majority of Chechens live in Chechnya itself - 1,206,551 people. Moreover, almost 100 thousand know only their native language. About 100,000 more Chechens live in Dagestan, and about 12,000 live in Stavropol. About 3 thousand Nogais live in Chechnya, about 5 thousand Avars, almost one and a half thousand Tatars, the same number of Turks and Tabasarans. 12,221 Kumyks also live there. Russians in Chechnya left 24,382 people, Cossacks - 305.

The Balkars (108,587) populate Kabardino-Balkaria and almost never settle in other parts of the North Caucasus. In addition to them, half a million Kabardians and about 14 thousand Turks live in the republic. Among the large national diasporas, one can single out Koreans, Ossetians, Tatars, Circassians and Gypsies. Incidentally, the latter are most numerous in the Stavropol Territory, there are over 30,000 of them. And about 3 thousand more live in Kabardino-Balkaria. There are few gypsies in other republics.

Ingush in the amount of 385,537 people live in their native Ingushetia. In addition to them, 18,765 Chechens, 3,215 Russians, and 732 Turks live there. Among rare nationalities there are Yezidis, Karelians, Chinese, Estonians and Itelmens.

The Russian population is concentrated mainly on the arable land of Stavropol - 223,153 people. Another 193,155 people live in Kabardino-Balkaria, about 3,000 live in Ingushetia, a little over 150,000 live in Karachay-Cherkessia, and 104,020 live in Dagestan. 147,090 Russians live in North Ossetia.

Alien peoples

Among the alien peoples, several groups can be distinguished. These are people from the Middle East and Central Asia, for example, Pakistanis, Afghans, Persians, Turks, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds.

The second group is people from various regions of Russia: Mansi, Khanty, Mari, Mordovians and even Mordvin-Moksha, Nenets, Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Tuvans, Buryats, Kalmyks, Karelians, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Chuvashs, Shors , Evenks and Evenki-Lamuts, Yakuts (most of them are in the Stavropol Territory - 43 people, and not at all in Ingushetia), Aleuts, Kamchadals, Yukagirs, Koryaks (9 people live in the Stavropol Territory and one in Dagestan), Sekulps (a rare northern nationality ), Kereks and one representative of the Kety people from the banks of the Yenisei.

There is a fairly large diaspora of Germans in the Stavropol Territory - 5,288 people. Germans also live in Dagestan, Ossetia and Chechnya.

Among the population of the North Caucasus there are also those who came from the CIS countries. Most Ukrainians are in the Stavropol Territory - 30,373 people. Of all the republics, the largest diaspora is located in North Ossetia - there were just over three thousand Ukrainians in 2010. Incidentally, in connection with recent events their numbers could grow exponentially.

Azerbaijanis settled throughout the region. Most of them are in Dagestan - 130,919, in Stavropol - 17,800, in Ossetia - 2,857, in Chechnya - 696, in Kabardino-Balkaria - 2,063, in Karachay-Cherkessia - 976 people.

Armenians also spread across North Caucasus. There are 161,324 in Stavropol, 16,235 in North Ossetia, 5,002 in Kabardino-Balkaria and 4,997 in Dagestan.

Moldovans also live in the North Caucasus, in total about one and a half thousand people.

Presented in the North Caucasus and guests from distant countries. These are Serbs and Croats, Slovenes and Slovaks, Romanians, Finns, French, British, Americans, Spaniards, Italians, Indians, Cubans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and even Mongols. But, of course, there are few of them - only a few people.