N.S. Trubetskoy "On the peoples of the Caucasus". What peoples live in the North Caucasus

The Caucasus is the southern border of Europe and Asia, more than 30 nationalities live here. The Greater Caucasus Range divides the region in half: its northern slopes (Northern Caucasus) are almost completely part of Russia, the southern slopes are divided by Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. For centuries, the Caucasus remained an arena of rivalry between world powers: Byzantium, Persia, Ottoman Empire. At the end of XVIII - early XIX century, the Caucasus almost entirely entered into the composition Russian Empire. At the end of the twentieth century, with the collapse of the USSR, the Transcaucasian republics gained independence, the North Caucasian peoples remained part of Russia.

The western part stretches from the Taman Peninsula along the coastline of the Black Sea to Sochi. Caucasian ridge- this is the historical homeland of the Circassians (another name is the Adygs), a group of related peoples who speak the Adyghe language. After the Crimean War of 1853-1856, in which the Adyghe Circassians supported the Turks, most of them fled to the territory of the Ottoman Empire, and the Russians occupied the coast. The Western Adygs, who remained in the mountains and accepted Russian citizenship, began to be called Adyghes. Today they live on the territory of Adygea, the westernmost North Caucasian republic, from all sides, like an island, surrounded by Krasnodar Territory. To the east of Adygea, on the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the Circassians live, the eastern part of the Adyghe ethnic group, and even further - the Kabardians, also a people related to the Adygs. Adyghes, Kabardians and Circassians speak languages belonging to the same language family: Abkhaz-Adyghe. Like many North Caucasian peoples, the Circassians, at first pagans, converted to Christianity around the 6th century (almost four centuries before Rus'); there even existed their own episcopal chairs, however, with the fall of Byzantium, under the influence of Persian and later Ottoman influence, most of the Adygs converted to Islam by the 15th century, so now the Circassians, Adyghes and Kabardians are Muslims.

To the south of the Circassians and Kabardians live two close Turkic-speaking peoples: Karachays and Balkars. Ethnically, the Karachays constitute a single people with the Balkars, divided purely administratively: the former, together with the Circassians, who are not ethnically close to them, form Karachay-Cherkessia, the latter, with the Kabardians, form the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The reasons for this bizarre administrative division are unclear. Like the Circassians, these peoples once professed Christianity, but, having fallen out of the circle of Byzantine influence, they converted to Islam.

Ossetia is located to the east of Kabardino-Balkaria. The ancient Christian kingdom of the Ossetians (a people of Iranian origin) - Alania - was one of the largest Christian states in the Caucasus. Ossetians still remain the only North Caucasian people who have retained the Orthodox faith. By the time of the general Islamization, the Ossetians had managed to strengthen their faith enough to withstand external pressure and conjuncture, while other peoples, not completely outliving pagan beliefs, in fact, without becoming fully Christians, converted to Islam. At one time, the ancient Alanian kingdom included the lands of Karachays, Circassians, Balkars and Kabardians. Until now, communities of Mozdok Kabardians have survived, having preserved Orthodox self-identification. Before late XIX centuries, Balkar Muslims, who settled many Alanian lands after the fall of medieval Alania, preserved the “remnants” of Christianity in the form of veneration of churches, the sign of the cross.

To the east live two related peoples: the Ingush and the Chechens. Only in the early 90s of the twentieth century, these two peoples formed two separate republics on the site of the once united Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The vast majority of Ingush and Chechens are Muslims, Christianity is practiced only by Chechens living in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia.

From the eastern border of modern Chechnya to the Caspian Sea, Dagestan is located, on the territory of which more than ten nationalities live, of which the Chechens are closest to the nationalities that are part of the so-called Nakh-Dagestan language family: Avars, Lezgins, Laks, Dargins, Tabasarans and Aguls. All these peoples live in mountainous regions. On the Caspian coast of Dagestan there are Turkic-speaking Kumyks, and in the northeast - also Turkic-speaking Nogais. All these peoples practice Islam.

in the past, one of the large Adyghe tribes, now - ethnographic. group Adyghe. They live in the village of Shovgenovsky, Shovgenovsky district, Adygei Autonomous District. They speak the Abadzekh dialect Adyghe language, which is gradually being replaced by lit. Adyghe language. A. believers are Sunni Muslims. The main occupations are agriculture, animal husbandry, gardening.

Abaza(otherwise the Abaza hordes) - in the sources of the XVI-XVIII centuries. the collective name of the peoples who inhabited the Black Sea coast of the North. Caucasus (Abkhazians, Sadzes, Ubykhs, Black Sea Adygs, etc.). However, most often this name meant the North Caucasus. Abazins. According to A. Genko, all the Abaza-speaking tribes constituted a fairly unified collective in linguistic terms, "mutual understanding within which in the past was much more achievable than at present" ( Slavic encyclopedia). See also Abaza

Zikhi - (Zigi), ancient tribes in the north-west of the Caucasus (1st century BC - 15th century).

Iberians - the ancient population of the territory of modern Eastern Georgian; lived in the territory of Iberia (Iveria).

Kasogi- the name of the Circassians in Russian chronicles. Kasogi - Russian. medieval name. Circassians living in the Kuban region. Mentioned for the first time. Byzantium authors at the turn of the VIII - IX centuries. The Arabs called the Kasogs "keshaks" (Masudi - X century) and considered them a powerful "comfortable" tribe. In the tenth century Kasogs were part of Khazaria. In 1022 Tmutarakan. book. Mstislav Vladimirovich the Brave defeated Kasozhsk. book. Rededu. In 1024, the kasogs took part in the struggle between Mstislav and his brother, led. book. Kyiv. Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise, for supremacy in Rus'. In 1223, the Kasogs were conquered by the Tatar-Mongols during the latter's campaign against the North. Caucasus and the Black Sea steppes. Later, the Kasogs apparently moved into the center. areas of the North. Caucasus.

Caspian Sea- Old Caucasian tribes of nomadic pastoralists in Vost. Azerbaijan (1st millennium BC)

Kerkety - ancient tribe northwestern Caucasus, the ancestors of the Circassians.

Kolkhs - the common name of the ancient agricultural tribes in the south-west of Transcaucasia in the 1st millennium BC. e.

Corax - ancient Greek name one of the Western Georgian tribes on the territory of modern Abkhazia (5th century BC - 2nd century AD)

The Caucasus, located between mighty mountain ranges and luxurious valleys, belongs to the most ancient regions with a multinational population. The peoples of the Caucasus, distinguished by their traditions and ethnic characteristics, live together here. Despite the territorial limitations of the region, it has bred about a hundred nationalities in its entire history.

Bearers of ethnic cultures in the region

Now the Caucasian mountain civilization, one of the oldest in the world, has a single type of culture. It consists not only of ethnic rituals, spiritual aspects, traditional features production, but also from all the material concepts of culture and family, public values proud mountaineers. That is why the modern Southern region of Russia is considered amazing and interesting.

For many centuries, the common Paleo-Caucasian roots have contributed to the unification and close partnership of the bearers of different ethnic cultures, living surrounded by mountain ranges. The peoples living side by side in the Caucasus have similar historical destinies and therefore a very fruitful cultural exchange is observed in this region.

To date, the carriers of ethnic cultures, which are autochthonous for this region, are:

Adygei, Avars and Akhvakhs.
Balkars and Ingush.
Dargins.
Ossetians and Chechens.
Circassians and Mingrelians.
Kumyks, Nogais and others.

The Caucasus is practically an international region. Most of it is inhabited by Russians and Chechens. As the history of the peoples of the Caucasus shows, the Chechens preferred to take root in the lands of Ciscaucasia, Dagestan, Ingushetia, as well as in the region of the Caucasus Range on the territory of Chechnya.

The central part of the region and North Ossetia are home to a very heterogeneous composition of the population. According to statistics, 30% of Russians and Ossetians live here, 5% of Ingush, the rest are:

Georgians.
Armenians.
Ukrainians.
Greeks, Tatars and other nationalities.

By population within Russian Federation The third place is occupied by the Caucasus. This region has always been considered the region with the most intensive influx of population. And if earlier the main flows of movement were formed by migrants from the city to the suburbs, then in Lately the situation has reversed.

For five centuries, scientists have carefully studied the history of peoples North Caucasus. And, despite the fact that a huge factual material on this topic has already been accumulated, there is still a lot of unknown in the fertile Caucasian lands.

Formation of an ancient civilization

The formation of a multifaceted mountain civilization was under the yoke of complex processes of mutual relations numerous nations. Traditional beliefs and religious trends also had a special impact on its development. Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism are just some of the religions of the peoples of the North Caucasus, which contributed to the revival of a mighty civilization.

Cultures of the ancient countries of Urartu, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and medieval Iran, the Ottoman and Byzantine empires underlie the type of culture that is now relevant in the territory southern region Russia. Historians also consider India and China to be other indirect sources of the cultural formation of the mighty mountain civilization.

But the deepest and most lasting connection that was treasured ancient peoples Caucasus, there were relations with nearby: Armenia and Azerbaijan. But also rendered strong influence deepening of the North Caucasian culture at the time Eastern Slavs to many other nationalities, making adjustments to their everyday habits and traditions.

The culture of the peoples of the Caucasus has become one of those "highlights" that make the mechanism Russian culture more multifaceted. And the main qualities that make historical civilization very valuable for modern humanity are intolerance and tolerance.

Characteristic qualities of mountaineers

Tolerance still helps the North Caucasian nations to cooperate fruitfully with other peoples, loyally overcoming problems and striving to resolve conflicts peacefully. And thanks to intolerance (and in this particular situation it refers to the unacceptability of anything else), the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus were able to avoid excessive pressure from outside and preserve their "author's" identity.

And against the background of the popularization of tolerance in order to solve the problem of successful contact of the existing peoples, the history and traditions of the North Caucasian highlanders began to attract more scientists. They think that it is tolerance that contributes to the beneficial adaptation of mountain culture in the modern environment.

The Caucasus is both an amazing and complex region. And this means not only the religious features of this mountainous region, but also ethnic relations, linguistic specifics. The peoples of the North Caucasus are carriers of more than three dozen languages and dialects. Therefore, sometimes historians call this amazing corner of Russia “Russian Babylon”.

Scientists were able to identify three main linguistic directions, which became key for the formation of secondary ones. The languages of the peoples of the Caucasus are classified as follows:

East Caucasian. Dagestan came out of them, which are divided into several groups (Avar-Ando-Tsez, Nakh, Dargin, Lezgin and others), as well as Nakh languages. Nakh, in turn, is divided into two branches: Chechen, Ingush.
West Caucasian (they are also called Abkhaz-Adyghe). They are spoken by the Shapsug people, who live northwest of the resort town of Sochi. The Abazins, Adyghes, Abkhazians, Kabardians, and also Circassians also speak this language.
South Caucasian (Kartvelian) - distributed mainly in Georgia, as well as in the western part of Transcaucasia. They are divided into only two types of languages: southern and northern Kartavelian.

Almost all languages used in the North Caucasus remained unwritten until 1917. Only with the beginning of the 1920s did alphabets begin to be developed for the predominant part of the peoples of the region. They were based on Latin language. In the 30s, it was decided to replace the Latin alphabets with Russian-language ones, but in practice they turned out to be not so adapted to convey all the sound varieties of the highlanders.

One of the features of the southern region and the population living on its territory is the ethnic group of the peoples of the Caucasus. Characteristic for it is that numerous inconsistencies existed not only within the boundaries of a single established community, but also within each individual ethnic group.

Against this background, often in the Caucasus you can find entire villages, towns and communities that have become isolated from each other. As a result, “their own”, local customs, rituals, rituals, and traditions began to be created. Dagestan can be considered a vivid example of this. Here, the established rules and order in everyday life were observed by individual villages and even tukhums.

Such endogamy led to the fact that the concepts of "one's own" and "alien" had clear designations and frameworks. The concepts of “Apsuara” and “Adygage” became characteristic of the Caucasian peoples, with the help of which the highlanders designated a set of moral norms for the behavior of the Abkhazians and Adyghes, respectively.

Such concepts became the personification of all the values of the peoples of the mountains: conceivable virtues, the importance of the family, traditions, etc. All this helped the mountaineers develop ethnocentrism, a sense of dominance and superiority over others (in particular, over other peoples).

Three very famous mountain rites

To date, three traditions of the peoples of the North Caucasus are considered the brightest and most famous:

Happy meeting. The concepts of the Caucasus and hospitality have long been considered synonymous. The customs associated with welcoming guests are firmly rooted in the ethnos of the highlanders and have become one of the most important aspects of their life. It is worth noting that the traditions of hospitality are still actively practiced in the modern South of the Caucasus, which is why tourists love to visit this region again and again.
Bride kidnapping. This custom can be attributed to the most controversial, but widespread throughout the region. Initially, the staging was supposed to help the groom's relatives avoid paying bride price. But later the plot of the kidnapping, agreed on both sides, began to be used for different situations. For example, when parents do not approve of the feelings of their children or when the youngest daughter plans to marry before the other ... In such situations, "stealing" the bride is a suitable solution, as well as "An ancient and beautiful custom", as one of the main characters of the famous " Caucasian captive". By the way, now for the implementation of such an undertaking, the heroes of the occasion can be punished by law, because the tradition of kidnapping is pursued by the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Tradition of blood feud. The Caucasus is a region where many traditions contradict the secular and moral standards of the state. And the customs of blood feud - the most a prime example. Surprisingly, this tradition has not ceased to exist since the very moment when the history of the North Caucasus began its independent development. With no statute of limitations this tradition is still practiced in some regions of the mountainous region.

There are other traditions of the peoples of the North Caucasus. There are interesting wedding ceremonies that surprise with their beauty and originality. For example, the tradition of "wedding concealment", which implies a separate celebration of marriage. Newlyweds the first days after the wedding celebrate the event in different houses they don't even see each other.

interesting and culinary traditions which the mountain peoples of the Caucasus still practice. No wonder hot Caucasians are recognized as the most skillful cooks. Juicy, fragrant, bright, with harmonious overflows of spices and taste, the traditional dishes of the highlanders are definitely worth a try. Popular among them are: pilaf, achma, kharcho, satsivi, khachapuri, kebab and everyone's favorite baklava.

Tribute to ancient traditions is also observed within the family in the Caucasus. Recognition of the authority and supremacy of elders is the basic foundation of the organization of families. It is worth noting that many scientists explain the phenomenon of Caucasian longevity by the fact that age and wisdom are still revered in this region.

These and other extraordinary traditions of the highlanders in many ways change their world for the better. Perhaps that is why many representatives of modern humanity are increasingly paying attention to them, trying to apply them in their society.

The epic of the charismatic highlanders

The general epic of the peoples of the Caucasus deserves special attention. Formed on the basis of legends about strong men breaking mountains with swords, demigod heroes fighting giants. It originated over many decades and took material from the 3rd century BC as its legacy.

Ancient legends eventually became cycles that were united by chronology and a common plot. emerging in Caucasian mountains and valleys of tradition formed the Nart epic. It is dominated by a pagan worldview, closely intertwined with the symbols and paraphernalia of monotheistic religions.

The peoples living in the Caucasus have formed a powerful epic, which has certain similarities with the epic works of other peoples. This leads scientists to the idea that all the historical materials of the highlanders are a beneficial product of their interaction with other communities in ancient times.

One can still praise and exalt the peoples of the Caucasus for a long time, who played a far from unimportant role in the formation of the culture of the great Russian State. But even this short review The characteristics of the population of this region testify to the diversity, value and richness of culture.

PEOPLES

PEOPLES OF THE CAUCASUS

The Caucasus is a mighty mountain range stretching from west to east from Sea of Azov to the Caspian. Georgia and Azerbaijan are located in the southern spurs and valleys, in the western part its slopes descend to Black Sea coast Russia. The peoples that will be discussed in this article live in the mountains and foothills of the northern slopes. Administratively, the territory of the North Caucasus is divided among seven republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

The appearance of many indigenous people of the Caucasus is homogeneous. These are fair-skinned, mostly dark-eyed and dark-haired people with sharp features, with a large (“humped”) nose, and narrow lips. Highlanders are usually taller than plains dwellers. The Adyghe people often have blond hair and eyes (perhaps as a result of mixing with the peoples of Eastern Europe), and in the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, an admixture is felt, on the one hand, of Iranian blood (narrow faces), and on the other, Central Asian (small noses).

It is not for nothing that the Caucasus is called Babylon - almost 40 languages are "mixed" here. Scientists distinguish Western, Eastern and South Caucasian languages. West Caucasian, or Abkhazian-Adyghe, is spoken by Abkhazians, Abaza, Shapsugs (they live northwest of Sochi), Adyghes, Circassians, Kabardians. East Caucasian languages include Nakh and Dagestan. Ingush and Chechen are classified as Nakh, and Dagestan is divided into several subgroups. The largest of them is the Avaro-an-do-tsezskaya. However, Avar is not only the language of the Avars themselves. 15 small peoples live in Northern Dagestan, each of which inhabits only a few neighboring villages located in isolated high mountain valleys. These peoples speak different languages, and Avar for them is the language of interethnic communication, it is studied in schools. In Southern Dagestan, Lezgi languages are heard. Lezgins live not only in Dagestan, but also in the regions of Azerbaijan neighboring this republic. Bye Soviet Union was a single state, such a division was not very noticeable, but now, when the state border has passed between close relatives, friends, acquaintances, the people are experiencing it painfully. Lezgi languages are spoken by Tabasarans, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs and some others. Dargin (in particular, it is spoken in the famous village of Kubachi) and Lak languages predominate in Central Dagestan.

Turkic peoples also live in the North Caucasus - Kumyks, Nogais, Balkars and Karachays. There are mountain Jews - Tats (in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria). Their language, Tat, belongs to the Iranian group. Indo-European family. Ossetian also belongs to the Iranian group.

Until October 1917 almost all the languages of the North Caucasus were unwritten. In the 20s. for the languages of most of the Caucasian peoples, except for the smallest ones, alphabets were developed on the Latin basis; published a large number of books, newspapers and magazines. In the 30s. the Latin alphabet was replaced by Russian-based alphabets, but they turned out to be less adapted to the transmission of Caucasian speech sounds. Now books, newspapers, magazines are published in local languages, but he still reads literature in Russian large quantity of people.

In total, in the Caucasus, not counting the settlers (Slavs, Germans, Greeks, etc.), there are more than 50 large and small indigenous peoples. Russians also live here, mainly in cities, but partly in villages and Cossack villages: in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia, this is 10-15% of the total population, in Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria - up to 30%, in Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygea - up to 40-50%.

By religion, the majority of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus are Muslims. However, the Ossetians are mostly Orthodox, and the Mountain Jews profess Judaism. Traditional Islam for a long time coexisted with home-Sulman, pagan traditions and customs. At the end of the XX century. in some regions of the Caucasus, mainly in Chechnya and Dagestan, the ideas of Wahhabism became popular. This current, which arose on the Arabian Peninsula, requires strict observance of Islamic norms of life, the rejection of music, dances, and opposes the participation of women in public life.

CAUCASIAN TREAT

The traditional occupations of the peoples of the Caucasus are arable farming and transhumance. Many Karachay, Ossetian, Ingush, and Dagestan villages specialize in growing certain types of vegetables—cabbages, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and so on. sweaters, hats, shawls, etc. are knitted from the wool and down of sheep and goats.

Nutrition different peoples Caucasus is very similar. Its basis is cereals, dairy products, meat. The latter is 90% lamb, only Ossetians eat pork. Cattle are rarely slaughtered. True, everywhere, especially on the plains, a lot of birds are bred - chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese. The Adyghe and Kabardians know how to cook poultry well and in a variety of ways. The famous Caucasian kebabs are not cooked very often - lamb is either boiled or stewed. The ram is slaughtered and butchered strict rules. While the meat is fresh, from the intestines, stomach, offal they make different types boiled sausage, which can not be stored for a long time. Part of the meat is dried and dried for storage in reserve.

Vegetable dishes are not typical for the North Caucasian cuisine, but vegetables are constantly eaten - fresh, pickled and pickled; they are also used as a filling for pies. In the Caucasus, they love hot dairy dishes - they dilute cheese crumbs and flour in melted sour cream, they drink a chilled sour-milk product - ayran. The well-known kefir is an invention of the Caucasian highlanders; it is fermented with special fungi in wineskins. The Karachays call this dairy product "gypy-airan".

In a traditional feast, bread is often replaced with other types of flour and cereal dishes. First of all, this various cereals. In the Western Caucasus, for example, with any dish much more often than bread, they eat cool millet or corn porridge. In the Eastern Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan), the most popular flour dish is khinkal (pieces of dough are boiled in meat broth or simply in water, and eaten with sauce). Both porridge and khinkal require less fuel for cooking than baking bread, and therefore are common where firewood is in short supply. In the highlands, among the shepherds, where there is very little fuel, the main food is oatmeal - fried to Brown wholemeal flour, which is kneaded with meat broth, syrup, butter, milk, in extreme cases, just water. Balls are molded from the resulting dough, and they are eaten with tea, broth, ayran. All kinds of pies are of great everyday and ritual significance in Caucasian cuisine - with meat, with potatoes, with beet tops and, of course, with cheese. Among Ossetians, for example, such a pie is called "fydiin". Three "walibakhs" (pies with cheese) must be on the festive table, and they are arranged so that they are visible from the sky to St. George, whom the Ossetians especially revere.

In autumn, housewives prepare jams, juices, syrups. Previously, sugar in the manufacture of sweets was replaced with honey, molasses or boiled grape juice. Traditional Caucasian sweetness - halva. It is made from toasted flour or cereal balls fried in oil, adding butter and honey (or sugar syrup). In Dagestan they prepare a kind of liquid halva - urbech. Roasted hemp, flax, sunflower or apricot seeds are ground with vegetable oil diluted in honey or sugar syrup.

Great things are done in the North Caucasus grape wine. Ossetians have been brewing barley beer for a long time; among the Adyghes, Kabardians, Circassians and Turkic peoples it is replaced by buza, or makhsyma, a kind of light beer made from millet. A stronger buza is obtained by adding honey.

Unlike their Christian neighbors - Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks - the mountain peoples of the Caucasus do not eat mushrooms, but gather wild berries, wild pears, and nuts. Hunting, favorite hobby mountaineers, has now lost its importance, since large sections of the mountains are occupied by nature reserves, and many animals, such as bison, are included in the International Red Book. There are a lot of wild boars in the forests, but they are rarely hunted, because Muslims do not eat pork.

CAUCASUS VILLAGES

Since ancient times, the inhabitants of many villages, in addition to Agriculture were engaged in handicrafts. The Balkars were famous as skillful masons; Laks made and repaired metal products, and at fairs - original centers of public life - residents of the village of Tsovkra (Dagestan) often performed, who mastered the art of tightrope walkers. Folk crafts of the North Caucasus are known far beyond its borders: painted ceramics and patterned carpets from the Lak village of Balkhar, wooden products with metal notches from the Avar village of Untsukul, silver jewelry from the village of Kubachi. In many villages, from Karachay-Cherkessia to Northern Dagestan, they are engaged in felting wool - they make cloaks, felt carpets. Burka is a necessary part of mountain and Cossack cavalry equipment. It protects from bad weather not only while riding - under a good cloak you can hide from bad weather, like in a small tent; it is absolutely irreplaceable for shepherds. In the villages of Southern Dagestan, especially among the Lezgins, magnificent pile carpets are made, which are highly valued all over the world.

Ancient Caucasian villages are extremely picturesque. Stone houses with flat roofs open galleries with carved pillars are molded close to each other along the narrow streets. Often such a house is surrounded by defensive walls, and a tower with narrow loopholes rises next to it - earlier, the whole family hid in such towers during enemy raids. Now the towers are abandoned as unnecessary and are gradually being destroyed, so that the picturesqueness gradually disappears, and new houses are built of concrete or brick, with glazed verandas, often two or even three stories high.

These houses are not so original, but they are comfortable, and their furnishings sometimes do not differ from the city - a modern kitchen, plumbing, heating (although a toilet and even a washbasin are often located in the yard). New houses often serve only for receiving guests, and the family lives either on the ground floor or in an old house turned into a kind of living kitchen. In some places you can still see the ruins of ancient fortresses, walls and fortifications. In a number of places, cemeteries with old, well-preserved grave crypts have been preserved.

The Caucasus is a mighty mountain range stretching from west to east from the Sea of Azov to the Caspian. Georgia and Azerbaijan are located in the southern spurs and valleys, in the western part its slopes descend to the Black Sea coast of Russia. The peoples that will be discussed in this article live in the mountains and foothills of the northern slopes. Administratively, the territory of the North Caucasus is divided among seven republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

The appearance of many indigenous people of the Caucasus is homogeneous. These are fair-skinned, mostly dark-eyed and dark-haired people with sharp features, with a large (“humped”) nose, and narrow lips. Highlanders are usually taller than plains dwellers. The Adyghe people often have blond hair and eyes (possibly as a result of mixing with the peoples of Eastern Europe), and in the inhabitants of the coastal regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, an admixture is felt, on the one hand, of Iranian blood (narrow faces), and on the other hand, of Central Asian blood (small noses). ).

It is not for nothing that the Caucasus is called Babylon - almost 40 languages are "mixed" here. Scientists distinguish Western, Eastern and South Caucasian languages. West Caucasian, or Abkhazian-Adyghe, is spoken by Abkhazians, Abaza, Shapsugs (they live northwest of Sochi), Adyghes, Circassians, Kabardians. East Caucasian languages include Nakh and Dagestan. Ingush and Chechen are classified as Nakh, and Dagestan is divided into several subgroups. The largest of them is the Avaro-an-do-tsezskaya. However, Avar is not only the language of the Avars themselves. 15 small peoples live in Northern Dagestan, each of which inhabits only a few neighboring villages located in isolated high mountain valleys. These peoples speak different languages, and Avar for them is the language of interethnic communication, it is studied in schools. In Southern Dagestan, Lezgi languages are heard. Lezgins live not only in Dagestan, but also in the regions of Azerbaijan neighboring this republic. While the Soviet Union was a single state, such a division was not very noticeable, but now, when the state border has passed between close relatives, friends, acquaintances, the people are experiencing it painfully. Lezgi languages are spoken by Tabasarans, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs and some others. Dargin (in particular, it is spoken in the famous village of Kubachi) and Lak languages predominate in Central Dagestan.

Turkic peoples also live in the North Caucasus - Kumyks, Nogais, Balkars and Karachays. There are mountain Jews - Tats (in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Kabardino-Balkaria). Their language, Tat, belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family. Ossetian also belongs to the Iranian group.

Until October 1917 almost all the languages of the North Caucasus were unwritten. In the 20s. for the languages of most of the Caucasian peoples, except for the smallest ones, alphabets were developed on the Latin basis; A large number of books, newspapers and magazines were published. In the 30s. the Latin alphabet was replaced by Russian-based alphabets, but they turned out to be less adapted to the transmission of Caucasian speech sounds. Nowadays, books, newspapers, and magazines are published in local languages, but more people still read literature in Russian.

By religion, the majority of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus are Muslims. However, the Ossetians are mostly Orthodox, and the Mountain Jews profess Judaism. Traditional Islam has long coexisted with domo-Sulmanic, pagan traditions and customs. At the end of the XX century. in some regions of the Caucasus, mainly in Chechnya and Dagestan, the ideas of Wahhabism became popular. This trend, which arose on the Arabian Peninsula, requires strict observance of Islamic norms of life, the rejection of music, dance, and opposes the participation of women in public life.

CAUCASIAN TREAT

The nutrition of different peoples of the Caucasus is very similar. Its basis is cereals, dairy products, meat. The latter is 90% lamb, only Ossetians eat pork. Cattle are rarely slaughtered. True, everywhere, especially on the plains, a lot of birds are bred - chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese. The Adyghe and Kabardians know how to cook poultry well and in a variety of ways. The famous Caucasian kebabs are not cooked very often - lamb is either boiled or stewed. The ram is slaughtered and butchered according to strict rules. While the meat is fresh, different types of boiled sausages are made from the intestines, stomach, offal, which cannot be stored for a long time. Part of the meat is dried and dried for storage in reserve.

In a traditional feast, bread is often replaced with other types of flour and cereal dishes. First of all, these are various cereals. In the Western Caucasus, for example, with any dish, they eat steep millet or corn porridge much more often than bread. In the Eastern Caucasus (Chechnya, Dagestan), the most popular flour dish is khinkal (pieces of dough are boiled in meat broth or simply in water, and eaten with sauce). Both porridge and khinkal require less fuel for cooking than baking bread, and therefore are common where firewood is in short supply. In the highlands, among the shepherds, where there is very little fuel, the main food is oatmeal - wholemeal fried to brown, which is kneaded with meat broth, syrup, butter, milk, in extreme cases, just water. Balls are molded from the resulting dough, and they are eaten with tea, broth, ayran. All kinds of pies are of great everyday and ritual significance in Caucasian cuisine - with meat, with potatoes, with beet tops and, of course, with cheese. Among Ossetians, for example, such a pie is called "fydiin". Three "walibakhs" (pies with cheese) must be on the festive table, and they are arranged so that they are visible from the sky to St. George, whom the Ossetians especially revere.

Fine grape wine is made in the North Caucasus. Ossetians have been brewing barley beer for a long time; among the Adyghes, Kabardians, Circassians and Turkic peoples, it is replaced by buza, or makhsyma, a kind of light beer made from millet. A stronger buza is obtained by adding honey.

Unlike their Christian neighbors - Russians, Georgians, Armenians, Greeks - the mountain peoples of the Caucasus do not eat mushrooms, but gather wild berries, wild pears, and nuts. Hunting, a favorite pastime of the highlanders, has now lost its importance, since large sections of the mountains are occupied by nature reserves, and many animals, such as bison, are included in the International Red Book. There are a lot of wild boars in the forests, but they are rarely hunted, because Muslims do not eat pork.

CAUCASUS VILLAGES

Since ancient times, the inhabitants of many villages, in addition to agriculture, were engaged in crafts. The Balkars were famous as skillful masons; Laks made and repaired metal products, and at fairs - original centers of public life - residents of the village of Tsovkra (Dagestan) often performed, who mastered the art of tightrope walkers. Folk crafts of the North Caucasus are known far beyond its borders: painted ceramics and patterned carpets from the Lak village of Balkhar, wooden products with metal notches from the Avar village of Untsukul, silver jewelry from the village of Kubachi. In many villages, from Karachay-Cherkessia to Northern Dagestan, they are engaged in felting wool - they make cloaks, felt carpets. Burka is a necessary part of mountain and Cossack cavalry equipment. It protects from bad weather not only while riding - under a good cloak you can hide from bad weather, like in a small tent; it is absolutely irreplaceable for shepherds. In the villages of Southern Dagestan, especially among the Lezgins, magnificent pile carpets are made, which are highly valued all over the world.

Ancient Caucasian villages are extremely picturesque. Stone houses with flat roofs and open galleries with carved pillars are molded close to each other along the narrow streets. Often such a house is surrounded by defensive walls, and a tower with narrow loopholes rises next to it - earlier, the whole family hid in such towers during enemy raids. Now the towers are abandoned as unnecessary and are gradually being destroyed, so that the picturesqueness gradually disappears, and new houses are built of concrete or brick, with glazed verandas, often two or even three stories high.