Kumyk from the Polovtsian family, or self-discovery. Kumyk from the Polovtsian clan, or self-discovery Who are the Kumyks

P. Kalininsky, Kirzavod and Yangi-Yurt microdistricts of Mozdok in the Mozdok region) and in Chechnya (Grozny and Gudermes districts - the villages of Vinogradnoye and Braguny). They are the second largest national minority in the Chechen Republic (after the Russians) and the fourth in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (after the Russians, Ingush and Armenians).

503.1 thousand people live in Russia in 2010, of which 431.7 thousand people live in Dagestan.

Number and settlement

The Kumyks are the second largest Turkic-speaking people in the Caucasus after the Azerbaijanis, while being the largest Turkic people in the North Caucasus and the third largest people of Dagestan. The territory of their traditional settlement is the Kumyk plane, the western coast of the Caspian Sea and the foothills of Dagestan.

Number of subjects of the Russian Federation

The subject of the Russian Federation	2002	2010
	Number	Number
Dagestan	365 804	431 736
Tyumen region	12 343	18 668
Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug	9 554	13 849
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	2 613	4 466
North Ossetia	12 659	16 092
Chechnya	8 883	12 221
Stavropol region	5 744	5 639
Moscow	1 615	2 351
Moscow region	818	1 622
Astrakhan region	1 356	1 558
Rostov region	1 341	1 511
Volgograd region	895	1 018
subjects with a Kumyk population of more than 1000 people are shown

Ethnonym

The origin of the ethnonym “Kumyk” (“K’umuk”) is not entirely clear. Most researchers (Bakikhanov, S.A. Tokarev, A.I. Tamai, S.Sh. Gadzhieva, etc.) derived the name from the Polovtsian ethnonym Kimaki or from another name for the Kipchaks - Kuman. According to P.K. Uslar, in the 19th century. in the North Caucasus, the terms Kumyk or Kumuk were used to refer to the Turkic-speaking inhabitants of the plain. In Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia, only Kumyks were referred to by the terms kumyk and kumuq. B. A. Alborov derived the ethnonym “Kumyk” from the Turkic word “kum” (sand, sandy desert). In turn, Y. A. Fedorov, based on written sources of the 8th-19th centuries, wrote that the ethnonym “gumik - kumyk - kumukh” is an indigenous Dagestan toponym associated with the Middle Ages.

In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, based on the works of the famous ethnographer and specialist on the Caucasus, Sakinat Khadzhieva, the following version of the ethnogenesis of the Kumyks was indicated:

Ancient tribes took part in the ethnogenesis of the Kumyks - the aborigines of North-Eastern Dagestan and alien Turkic-speaking tribes, especially the Kipchaks, whose language was adopted by the aborigines.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia: 30 volumes / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Sov. encyclical, 1969 – 1978

The most famous Caucasus expert Leonid Lavrov questioned the version of the “Turkishness” of the Kumyks:

It is unlikely that the Kumyks were Turkicized Dagestanis, as some claim. Rather, their ancestors should be considered the Kipchaks, Khazars and, perhaps, other Turks of the early Middle Ages. It would be advisable to find out whether the Kamaks who lived in Northern Dagestan at the beginning of our era are related to them

The great Russian orientalist Vladimir Minorsky put forward his version of the origin of the Kumyks:

The final formation of the Kumyk ethnos took place in the 12th-12th centuries.

In the territory of settlement of the Kumyk people, there were several states, of which the most famous were the Kingdom of the Huns, Dzhidan, and Tarkov Shamkhalate.

Anthropological type

Anthropologically, the Kumyks represent the Caspian subtype of the Caucasoid race. This also includes Azerbaijanis, Kurds of Transcaucasia, Tsakhurs, and Muslim Tats. The Caspian type is usually considered as a variety of the Mediterranean race or the Indo-Afghan race.

Ancient tribes took part in the ethnogenesis of the Kumyks - the aborigines of North-Eastern Dagestan and alien Turkic-speaking tribes, especially the Kipchaks, whose language was adopted by the aborigines. According to anthropological characteristics and the main features of culture and life, the Kumyks are close to other mountain peoples of Dagestan.

20th century studies

Soviet anthropologists classified the Kumyks as a Caucasian race and pointed out the anthropological similarities of the Kumyks with other peoples of Dagestan, contrasting them with the Mongoloid peoples. As Soviet and Russian anthropologist Valery Alekseev notes, the Caspian type, whose representatives include the Kumyks, in Dagestan almost always appears in a mixed form and therefore the peoples of central Dagestan cannot be included among the typical representatives of this variety. Regarding the Kumyks, he writes that they “they have the darkest pigmentation, which, in all likelihood, indicates the intensive participation of the Caspian type in the formation of their anthropological characteristics” .

Language

Among the dialects of the Kumyk language, Kaitag, Terek (Mozdok and Bragun Kumyks), Buynak and Khasavyurt are distinguished, and the latter two formed the basis of the literary Kumyk language.

The Kumyk language is one of the old written literary languages ​​of Dagestan. During the 20th century, the writing of the Kumyk language changed twice: the traditional Arabic script was replaced in 1929, first by the Latin alphabet, then in 1938 by the Cyrillic alphabet.

The Karachay-Balkar, Crimean Tatar and Karaite languages ​​are closest to the Kumyk language. .

The Russian language is also common among the Kumyks.

Religion

Believing Kumyks profess Sunni Islam. Most Kumyks belong to the Shafi'i madhhab, some to the Hanafi. In February 1992, as a result of a split in the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Dagestan, the Kumyk Spiritual Administration of Muslims was formed in Makhachkala.

Economy

Kumyks are a people of settled agricultural culture. Traditional for them are arable farming, gardening, viticulture, cultivated since the 8th-9th centuries. Historically, they were also involved in cattle breeding. The land of the Kumyks can rightfully be called the breadbasket of all of Dagestan; over 70 percent of the republic’s economy is concentrated here. Almost all industry is concentrated here (instrument making, mechanical engineering, canning, winemaking, etc.). Rice growing and fishing are developed. The subsoil is rich in oil, gas, mineral springs, raw materials for building materials (glass sand, gypsum, gravel, pebbles, etc.). There are considerable recreational resources (Caspian coast, mud and mineral springs with medicinal properties). These include hydrogen sulfide (Talgi), hydrocarbonate-sodium (Kayakent), chloride, calcareous, etc.

Culture

European traveler of the 18th century. Johann Anton Gildenstedt gave a description of the life of the Kumyks of that time:

Everyone is engaged in agriculture and some cattle breeding. Their grain plants: wheat, barley, millet, oats and mainly rice, they also cultivate cotton quite often, but mostly silk is only for their own needs. Fishing is of greater importance to them than to other Tatars, and they make their subsistence easier by catching sturgeon and other fish. Many Armenians live among them, in whose hands there is a small trade in supplies [necessary] for life - Kumyk products and other necessary [things]. Their dwellings and villages, like the rest of the Caucasian ones described many times, are made of light checkered buildings with willow wickerwork.

Literature and theater

In the folk memory of the Kumyks, examples of epic (heroic, historical and everyday songs, songs of didactic content (yyr'y), fairy tales, proverbs, riddles) and lyrical (quatrain song (“saryn”) and “yas” (mourning, lamentation) or "yas-yyr") poetry. In the pre-revolutionary period, Kumyk literature was influenced by Crimean Tatar and Tatar literature, and after the 1917 revolution the influence of Azerbaijani literature increased somewhat. In the first years of Soviet power, Kumyk literature continued traditional themes: the emancipation of man, the spiritual awakening of the people, the fight against ignorance, etc.

Cloth

Men wore thin tunic-like shirts, trousers, Circassian coats, beshmets and sheepskin coats, and women wore dresses, leather shoes, galoshes and socks, and the clothes were decorated with silver buckles, buttons, and a belt. Polsha dresses, consisting of a lower dress made of thin plain silk and an upper dress made of dense fabric with embroidery, embroidered scarves made of fine wool and silk scarves - “gulmeldas” with a characteristic pattern. Modern clothes are mainly of an urban type.

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Notes

2. . Retrieved December 24, 2009. .
11. . State Committee of Statistics of Ukraine.
12. (.rar)
13. . belstat.gov.by. .
14. (Latvian.)
15. see Terek Kumyks
16. :
29. Ageeva, R. A. What kind of tribe are we? Peoples of Russia: names and destinies. Dictionary-reference book. - Academia, 2000. - pp. 190-191. - ISBN 5-87444-033-X.
30. Uslar P.K. Ethnography of the Caucasus. Linguistics. 4. Lak language. Tiflis, 1890, p. 2.
31. G.S. Fedorov-Guseinov. History of the origin of the Kumyks. - Makhachkala: Dagestan book publishing house "Kumyk" - in Turkic (Kipchak) "expelled"., 1996. - P. 138-139.
32. N.G. Volkova. Names of Kumyks in Caucasian languages ​​// Ethnic onomastics. - M.: Nauka, 1984. - P. 23-24.
33. Languages ​​of the peoples of the USSR: in 5 volumes. Turkic languages. - M: Nauka, 1966. - T. 2. - P. 194.
34. Races and peoples. Vol. 26. - Science, 2001. - P. 78. - ISBN 5-02-008712-2.
35. Smirnov K. F. Archaeological research in Dagestan in 1948-1950. // Brief. message IMC XIV, 1952, p. 95-96
36. G.S. Fedorov-Guseinov. History of the origin of the Kumyks. - Makhachkala: Dagestan Book Publishing House, 1996. - P. 18.
37. S. A. Tokarev. Ethnography of the peoples of the USSR: historical foundations of life and culture. - Moscow University Publishing House, 1958. - P. 229.
38. Vasily Vladimirovich Bartold. Essays. - Science, 1968. - T. 5. - P. 213.
39. Sakinat Shikhamedovna Gadzhieva. Kumyks: historical and ethnographic research. - Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1961. - T. 5. - P. 44.
40. Lavrov L.I. Historical and ethnographic essays of the Caucasus. Leningrad. 1978. pp. 37-38.
41. V.F.Minorsky. History of Shirvan and Derbend X - XI centuries. - Eastern Literature Publishing House, 1963. - P. P. 145.
42. . Peoples of Russia. Encyclopedia. Moscow, Great Russian Encyclopedia 1994. .
43. Dagestan // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron
44. . "Demoscope". .
45. . "Demoscope". .
46. Yu. Kulchik, Kh. Dzhabrailov.. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HUMANITIES AND POLITICAL STUDIES. .
47. . "Demoscope". .
48. V. P. Alekseev. Geography of human races // Selected items in 5 volumes. T. 2. Anthropogeography. - M.: “Science”, 2007. - P. 188. - ISBN 978-5-02-035544-6.
49. Kumyks- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
50. Peoples of the Caucasus / Under the general. ed. S.P. Tolstova. - M.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1960. - T. 1. - P. 422.
51. Alekseev V. P. Favorites. Origin of the peoples of the Caucasus. - Science, 2009. - T. 5. - P. 228-229. - ISBN 978-5-02-035547-7.

    Original text(Russian)

    The distribution of the Caspian group of populations in Dagestan falls on the central, eastern and southern regions. In other words, it is represented among the Lezgin-speaking peoples, among the Dargin-Kaitags and Kumyks. However, it has already been noted that neither by the color of hair and eyes, lighter than in the Azerbaijani groups, nor by the size of the zygomatic diameter, noticeably larger than in Azerbaijan, the peoples of central Dagestan can be included among the typical representatives of the Caspian type. In Dagestan, this type almost always appears in a mixed form, showing either in pigmentation, or in the width of the face, or in both of these characteristics taken together, a certain approximation to the Caucasian group of populations. Thus, the territory of Dagestan represents the periphery of the Caspian-type area, and, consequently, the formation of the anthropological composition of the listed peoples is the result of mixing of representatives of the Caspian and Caucasian groups of populations of varying degrees of intensity. This, apparently, explains the local differences in the anthropological type of the Kumyks, Dargins and Lezgin-speaking peoples. The Kumyks have the darkest pigmentation, which, in all likelihood, indicates the intensive participation of the Caspian type in the formation of their anthropological characteristics; some Lezgin-speaking groups are moving closer to the Caucasian peoples.

52. Pieter Muysken.. - John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2008. - Vol. 90. - P. 74. - ISBN 9027231001, 9789027231000.

    Original text(Russian)

    Languages ​​used at present or in the past as lingua franca in the Caucasus
    Azeri in Southern Daghestan
    Kumyk in Northern Daghestan
    Avar in Western Daghestan
    Nogay in Northern Daghestan
    Circassian in Western Daghestan
    Russian across the Caucasus (since the second half on the 19th c.)
    ...
    Until the beginning of the 19th century Turkic Kumyk, beside Avar and Azeri, served as one of the Lingua francas in foothill and lowland Daghestan, whereas in Northern Daghestan this role was sometimes played by Nogay.

53. Kumyk language // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
54. Kumyk encyclopedic dictionary. Makhachkala. 2012. P. 218.
55. (Russian), Institute of Religion and Politics.
56. Yarlykapov A. A. Religious beliefs // Peoples of Dagestan / Rep. ed. S. A. Arutyunov, A. I. Osmanov, G. A. Sergeeva. - M.: “Science”, 2002. - P. 68. - ISBN 5-02-008808-0.
58. Johann Anton Gildenstedt.. - St. Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2002. - P. 255.
59. Kumyks // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
60. KUMYK LITERATURE // Literary encyclopedia.
61. (Russian), Literary encyclopedia.
62. Nina Stepanovna Nadyarnykh.. - Science, 2005. - P. 164.
63. (Russian), kino-teatr.ru.
64. Lev Mironovich Mints.. - Olma Media Group, 2007. - P. 276. - ISBN 5373010537, 9785373010535.

Links

Literature

• Adzhiev A. M., M.-R. A. Ibragimov. Kumyks // Peoples of Russia. Encyclopedia. M.: Scientific publishing house "Big Russian Encyclopedia", 1994. P. 214-216. ISBN 5-85270-082-7
• Kumyks // Peoples of Russia. Atlas of cultures and religions. - M.: Design. Information. Cartography, 2010. - 320 p. - ISBN 978-5-287-00718-8.
• // / Council of the Administration of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Public Relations Department; Ch. ed. R. G. Rafikov; Editorial Board: V. P. Krivonogov, R. D. Tsokaev. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - Krasnoyarsk: Platinum (PLATINA), 2008. - 224 p. - ISBN 978-5-98624-092-3.

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An excerpt characterizing the Kumyks

- I will definitely come to you! Many, many more times! – I promised with all my heart.
And the little girl looked after me with her warm, sad eyes, and seemed to understand everything... Everything that I was unable to tell her in our simple words.

All the way home from the cemetery, I was sulking at my grandmother for no reason, and, moreover, angry at myself for it... I looked very much like a ruffled sparrow, and my grandmother saw this perfectly well, which, naturally, irritated me even more and forced me to crawl deeper into my “safe shell”.... Most likely, it was just my childhood resentment that was raging because, as it turned out, she was hiding a lot from me and had not yet taught me anything, apparently considering me unworthy or incapable of more. And although my inner voice told me that I was completely and completely wrong here, I could not calm down and look at everything from the outside, as I did before, when I thought that I could be wrong...
Finally, my impatient soul was unable to withstand the silence any longer...
- Well, what did you talk about for so long? If, of course, I can know this...” I muttered offendedly.
“We didn’t talk, we thought,” the grandmother answered calmly, smiling.
It seemed like she was simply teasing me in order to provoke me into some actions that she alone understood...
- Well, then, what were you “thinking” about together? - and then, unable to bear it, she blurted out: - Why does Grandma teach Stella, but you don’t teach me?!.. Or do you think that I’m not capable of anything else?
“Well, first of all, stop boiling, otherwise steam will start coming out soon...” Grandma said calmly again. - And, secondly, - Stella still has a long way to go to reach you. And what do you want me to teach you, if even what you have, you haven’t quite figured it out yet?.. Figure it out - then we’ll talk.
I stared at my grandmother in a daze, as if I was seeing her for the first time... How is it that Stella is so far from me?! She does this!.. She knows so much!.. And what about me? If she did anything, she just helped someone. And I don’t know anything else.
My grandmother saw my complete confusion, but didn’t help at all, apparently believing that I had to go through this myself, and from the unexpected “positive” shock, all my thoughts went tumbling awry, and, unable to think soberly, I just I looked at her with big eyes and could not recover from the “killer” news that fell on me...
– What about the “floors”?.. I couldn’t get there myself?.. It was Stella’s grandmother who showed them to me! – I still stubbornly did not give up.
“Well, that’s why I showed it so that I could try it myself,” the grandmother stated an “indisputable” fact.
“Can I go there myself?!..” I asked dumbfounded.
- Surely! This is the simplest thing you can do. You just don't believe in yourself, that's why you don't try...
– I’m not trying?!.. – I was already choked by such terrible injustice... – All I do is try! But maybe not...
Suddenly I remembered how Stella repeated many, many times that I could do much more... But I can - what?!.. I had no idea what they were all talking about, but now I felt that I was beginning to calm down a little and think , which always helped me in any difficult circumstances. Life suddenly seemed not so unfair at all, and I gradually began to come to life...
Inspired by the positive news, all the following days I, of course, “tried”... Not sparing myself at all, and torturing my already exhausted physical body to pieces, I went to the “floors” dozens of times, not yet showing myself to Stella , because I wanted to give her a pleasant surprise, but at the same time not lose face by making some stupid mistake.
But finally, I decided to stop hiding and decided to visit my little friend.
“Oh, is it you?!..” a familiar voice immediately began to sound like happy bells. – Is it really you?! How did you come here?.. Did you come on your own?
Questions, as always, poured out of her like a hail, her cheerful face was shining, and it was a sincere pleasure for me to see this bright, fountain-like joy of hers.
- Well, shall we go for a walk? – I asked, smiling.
And Stella still couldn’t calm down from happiness that I managed to come on my own, and that now we can meet whenever we want and even without outside help!
“You see, I told you that you can do more!..” the little girl chirped happily. - Well, now everything is fine, now we don’t need anyone! Oh, it’s really good that you came, I wanted to show you something and was really looking forward to seeing you. But for this we will have to walk to a place that is not very pleasant...
– Do you mean “downstairs”? – Having understood what she was talking about, I immediately asked.
Stella nodded.
– What did you lose there?
“Oh, I didn’t lose it, I found it!” the little girl exclaimed victoriously. – Do you remember how I told you that there were good beings there, but you didn’t believe me then?
Frankly speaking, I didn’t really believe it even now, but, not wanting to offend my happy friend, I nodded in agreement.
“Well, now you’ll believe it!” Stella said contentedly. - Went?
This time, apparently having already gained some experience, we easily “slipped” down the “floors”, and I again saw a depressing picture, very similar to those seen before...
Some kind of black, stinking slurry was slurping underfoot, and streams of muddy, reddish water flowed from it... The scarlet sky darkened, blazing with bloody reflections of the glow, and, still hanging very low, drove somewhere a crimson mass of heavy clouds. .. And those, not giving in, hung heavy, swollen, pregnant, threatening to give birth to a terrible, sweeping waterfall... From time to time, a wall of brown-red, opaque water burst out of them with a resounding roar, hitting the ground so hard that it seemed - the sky is collapsing...
The trees stood bare and featureless, lazily moving their drooping, thorny branches. Further behind them stretched the joyless, burnt-out steppe, getting lost in the distance behind a wall of dirty, gray fog... Many gloomy, drooping human beings restlessly wandered back and forth, senselessly looking for something, not paying any attention to the world around them, which, and however, it did not evoke the slightest pleasure so that one would want to look at it... The whole landscape evoked horror and melancholy, seasoned with hopelessness...
“Oh, how scary it is here...” Stella whispered, shuddering. – No matter how many times I come here, I just can’t get used to it... How do these poor things live here?!
– Well, probably these “poor things” were too guilty once if they ended up here. No one sent them here - they just got what they deserved, right? – still not giving up, I said.
“But now you’ll look...” Stella whispered mysteriously.
A cave overgrown with grayish greenery suddenly appeared in front of us. And out of it, squinting, came a tall, stately man who in no way fit into this wretched, soul-chilling landscape...
- Hello, Sad! – Stella greeted the stranger affectionately. - I brought my friend! She doesn't believe that good people can be found here. And I wanted to show you to her... You don’t mind, do you?
“Hello, dear...” the man answered sadly, “But I’m not that good to show off to anyone.” You're wrong...
Oddly enough, I actually immediately liked this sad man for some reason. He exuded strength and warmth, and it was very pleasant to be around him. In any case, he was in no way like those weak-willed, grief-stricken people who surrendered to the mercy of fate, with whom this “floor” was chock-full.
“Tell us your story, sad man...” Stella asked with a bright smile.
“There’s nothing to tell, and there’s nothing particularly to be proud of...” the stranger shook his head. - And what do you need this for?
For some reason, I felt very sorry for him... Without knowing anything about him, I was already almost sure that this man could not have done anything truly bad. Well, I just couldn’t!.. Stela, smiling, followed my thoughts, which she apparently really liked...
“Well, okay, I agree - you’re right!..” Seeing her happy face, I finally honestly admitted.
“But you don’t know anything about him yet, but with him everything is not so simple,” Stella said, smiling slyly and contentedly. - Well, please tell her, Sad...
The man smiled sadly at us and said quietly:
– I’m here because I killed... I killed many. But it was not out of desire, but out of need...
I was immediately terribly upset - he killed!.. And I, stupid, believed it!.. But for some reason I stubbornly did not have the slightest feeling of rejection or hostility. I clearly liked the person, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do anything about it...
– Is it the same guilt – to kill at will or at necessity? – I asked. – Sometimes people have no choice, do they? For example: when they have to defend themselves or protect others. I have always admired heroes - warriors, knights. I generally always adored the latter... Is it possible to compare simple murderers with them?
He looked at me for a long time and sadly, and then also quietly answered:
- I don’t know, dear... The fact that I am here says that the guilt is the same... But the way I feel this guilt in my heart, then no... I never wanted to kill, I just defended my land, I was a hero there... But here it turned out that I was just killing... Is this right? I think no...
- So you were a warrior? – I asked hopefully. - But then, this is a big difference - you defended your home, your family, your children! And you don’t look like a murderer!..
- Well, we are all not like the way others see us... Because they see only what they want to see... or only what we want to show them... And about the war - I also first just as you thought, you were even proud... But here it turned out that there was nothing to be proud of. Murder is murder, and it doesn’t matter how it was committed.
“But this is not right!..” I was indignant. - What happens then - a maniac-killer turns out to be the same as a hero?!.. This simply cannot be, this should not happen!
Everything inside me was raging with indignation! And the man sadly looked at me with his sad, gray eyes, in which understanding was read...
“A hero and a murderer take lives in the same way.” Only, probably, there are “extenuating circumstances,” since a person protecting someone, even if he takes a life, does so for a bright and righteous reason. But, one way or another, they both have to pay for it... And it’s very bitter to pay, believe me...
– Can I ask you how long ago you lived? – I asked, a little embarrassed.
- Oh, quite a long time ago... This is the second time I’m here... For some reason, my two lives were similar - in both of them I fought for someone... Well, and then I paid... And it’s always just as bitter ... – the stranger fell silent for a long time, as if not wanting to talk about it anymore, but then he quietly continued. – There are people who love to fight. I always hated it. But for some reason, life is returning me to the same circle for the second time, as if I was locked in this, not allowing me to free myself... When I lived, all our peoples fought among themselves... Some seized foreign lands - others they defended the lands. Sons overthrew fathers, brothers killed brothers... Anything happened. Someone accomplished unimaginable feats, someone betrayed someone, and someone turned out to be simply a coward. But none of them even suspected how bitter the payment would be for everything they had done in that life...
– Did you have family there? – to change the subject, I asked. - Were there children?
- Certainly! But that was already so long ago!.. They once became great-grandfathers, then they died... And some are already living again. That was a long time ago...
“And you’re still here?!..” I whispered, looking around in horror.
I couldn’t even imagine that he had been existing here like this for many, many years, suffering and “paying” his guilt, without any hope of leaving this terrifying “floor” even before the time came for him to return to the physical Earth!.. And there he will again have to start all over again, so that later, when his next “physical” life ends, he will return (perhaps here!) with a whole new “baggage”, bad or good, depending on how he will live his “next” earthly life... And he could not have any hope of freeing himself from this vicious circle (be it good or bad), since, having begun his earthly life, each person “dooms” himself to this endless, an eternal circular “journey”... And, depending on his actions, returning to the “floors” can be very pleasant, or very scary...
“And if you don’t kill in your new life, you won’t come back to this “floor” again, right?” I asked hopefully.
- So I don’t remember anything, dear, when I return there... It is after death that we remember our lives and our mistakes. And as soon as we return to live, the memory immediately closes. That’s why, apparently, all the old “deeds” are repeated, because we don’t remember our old mistakes... But, to be honest, even if I knew that I would be “punished” again for this, I still would never stood aside if my family... or my country suffered. All this is strange... If you think about it, the one who “distributes” our guilt and payment, as if he wants only cowards and traitors to grow on earth... Otherwise, he would not punish scoundrels and heroes equally. Or is there still some difference in punishment?.. In fairness, there should be. After all, there are heroes who have accomplished inhuman feats... Songs are then written about them for centuries, legends live about them... They certainly cannot be “settled” among simple murderers!.. It’s a pity there is no one to ask...
– I also think this can’t happen! After all, there are people who performed miracles of human courage, and they, even after death, like the sun, illuminate the path for all those who survived for centuries. I really love reading about them, and I try to find as many books as possible that tell about human exploits. They help me live, help me cope with loneliness when it becomes too hard... The only thing I can’t understand is: why on Earth heroes always have to die so that people can see that they are right?.. And when the same thing happens the hero can no longer be resurrected, here everyone is finally indignant, human pride that has been dormant for a long time rises, and the crowd, burning with righteous anger, demolishes the “enemies” like specks of dust caught on their “right” path... - sincere indignation raged within me , and I probably talked too fast and too much, but I rarely had the opportunity to talk about what “hurts”... and I continued.
- After all, people first killed even their poor God, and only then began to pray to him. Is it really impossible to see the real truth even before it’s too late?.. Isn’t it better to save the same heroes, look up to them and learn from them?.. Do people always need a shock example of someone else’s courage so that they can believe in their own? ?.. Why is it necessary to kill, so that later you can erect a monument and glorify? Honestly, I would prefer to erect monuments to the living, if they are worth it...
What do you mean when you say someone is “distributing blame”? Is this God or what?.. But it’s not God who punishes... We punish ourselves. And we ourselves are responsible for everything.
“You don’t believe in God, dear?..” the sad man, who listened attentively to my “emotionally indignant” speech, was surprised.
– I haven’t found him yet... But if he really exists, then he must be kind. And for some reason many people are afraid of him, they are afraid of him... At our school they say: “A man sounds proud!” How can a person be proud if fear hangs over him all the time?!.. And there are too many different gods - each country has its own. And everyone is trying to prove that theirs is the best... No, I still don’t understand a lot... But how can you believe in something without understanding?.. In our school they teach that there is nothing after death ... But how can I believe this if I see something completely different?.. I think blind faith simply kills hope in people and increases fear. If they knew what was really happening, they would behave much more carefully... They would not care what happens next after their death. They would know that they would live again, and they would have to answer for the way they lived. Just not in front of the “terrible God”, of course... But in front of yourself. And no one will come to atone for their sins, but they will have to atone for their sins themselves... I wanted to tell someone about this, but no one wanted to listen to me. It’s probably much more convenient for everyone to live this way... And probably easier too,” I finally finished my “deadly long” speech.
I suddenly felt very sad. Somehow, this man managed to get me to talk about what had been “gnawing” at me inside since the day when I first “touched” the world of the dead, and in my naivety I thought that people needed to “just tell, and they will They will immediately believe and even be happy!... And, of course, they will immediately want to do only good things...” How naive a child do you have to be for such a stupid and impossible dream to be born in your heart?!! People don't like to know that there is something else "out there" - after death. Because if you admit this, it means that they will have to answer for everything they have done. But this is exactly what no one wants... People are like children, for some reason they are sure that if they close their eyes and see nothing, then nothing bad will happen to them... Or blame everything on the strong shoulders to this same God, who will “atone” all their sins for them, and then everything will be fine... But is this really right?.. I was just a ten-year-old girl, but even then many things did not fit into my mind. my simple, “childish” logical framework. In the book about God (the Bible), for example, it was said that pride is a great sin, and the same Christ (the son of man!!!) says that with his death he will atone for “all the sins of man”... What kind of Pride one had to have , to equate yourself with the entire human race taken together?!. And what kind of person would dare to think such a thing about himself?.. Son of God? Or the Son of Man?.. And the churches?!.. Each one more beautiful than the other. It’s as if the ancient architects tried very hard to “outdo” each other when building God’s house... Yes, churches really are incredibly beautiful, like museums. Each of them is a real work of art... But, if I understood correctly, a person went to church to talk with God, right? In that case, how could he find him in all that stunning, eye-catching gold luxury, which, for example, not only did not dispose me to open my heart, but, on the contrary, to close it as quickly as possible, so as not to see the same himself, bleeding, almost naked, brutally tortured God, crucified in the middle of all that shiny, sparkling, crushing gold, as if people were celebrating his death, and did not believe and did not rejoice at his life... Even in cemeteries, we all plant the living flowers so that they remind us of the life of the same dead. So why didn’t I see a statue of the living Christ in any church, to whom I could pray, talk to him, open my soul?.. And does the House of God mean only his death? .. Once I asked the priest why we don’t pray to the living God? He looked at me like I was an annoying fly and said that “this is so that we do not forget that he (God) gave his life for us, atoning for our sins, and now we must always remember that we are not his.” worthy (?!), and to repent of their sins as much as possible”... But if he has already redeemed them, then what should we repent of?.. And if we must repent, does that mean all this atonement is a lie? The priest got very angry and said that I had heretical thoughts and that I should atone for them by reading “Our Father” twenty times in the evening (!)... Comments, I think, are unnecessary...
I could continue for a very, very long time, since all this irritated me very much at that time, and I had thousands of questions to which no one gave me answers, but only advised me to simply “believe,” which I would never do in my life I couldn’t, because before I believed, I had to understand why, and if there was no logic in that same “faith,” then for me it was “looking for a black cat in a black room,” and such faith was not neither my heart nor my soul needs. And not because (as some told me) I had a “dark” soul that did not need God... On the contrary, I think that my soul was light enough to understand and accept, but there was nothing to accept ... And what could be explained if people themselves killed their God, and then suddenly decided that it would be “more correct” to worship him?.. So, in my opinion, it would be better not to kill, but to try to learn from him as much as possible, if he really was a real God... For some reason, at that time I felt much closer to our “old gods”, whose carved statues were erected in our city, and throughout Lithuania, a bunch of. These were funny and warm, cheerful and angry, sad and stern gods, who were not as incomprehensibly “tragic” as the same Christ, for whom they built amazingly expensive churches, as if really trying to atone for some sins...

“Old” Lithuanian Gods in my hometown of Alytus, homely and warm, like a simple friendly family...

These gods reminded me of kind characters from fairy tales, who were somewhat similar to our parents - they were kind and affectionate, but if necessary, they could severely punish us when we were too naughty. They were much closer to our soul than that incomprehensible, distant, and so terribly lost at human hands, God...
I ask believers not to be indignant when reading lines with my thoughts at that time. That was then, and I, as in everything else, was looking for my childhood truth in the same Faith. Therefore, I can only argue about this about my views and concepts that I have now, and which will be presented in this book much later. In the meantime, it was a time of “persistent search”, and it was not so easy for me...
“You’re a strange girl...” the sad stranger whispered thoughtfully.
- I'm not strange - I'm just alive. But I live among two worlds - the living and the dead... And I can see what many, unfortunately, do not see. That’s probably why no one believes me... But everything would be so much simpler if people listened and thought for at least a minute, even if they didn’t believe... But I think that if this happens when Someday, it certainly won’t happen today... And today I have to live with this...
“I’m so sorry, honey...” the man whispered. “And you know, there are a lot of people like me here.” There are thousands of them here... You would probably be interested in talking to them. There are even real heroes, not like me. There are many of them here...
I suddenly had a wild desire to help this sad, lonely man. True, I had absolutely no idea what I could do for him.
“Do you want us to create another world for you while you’re here?” Stella suddenly asked.
It was a great idea, and I felt a little ashamed that it hadn’t occurred to me first. Stella was a wonderful person, and somehow, she always found something nice that could bring joy to others.
– What kind of “other world”?.. – the man was surprised.
- But look... - and in his dark, gloomy cave a bright, joyful light suddenly shone!.. - How do you like this house?
Our “sad” friend’s eyes lit up happily. He looked around in confusion, not understanding what had happened here... And in his eerie, dark cave the sun was now shining cheerfully and brightly, lush greenery was fragrant, birdsong was ringing, and there was the amazing smell of blooming flowers... And in fact in its far corner a stream gurgled merrily, splashing droplets of the purest, freshest, crystal water...
- Here you go! As you like? – Stella asked cheerfully.
The man, completely stunned by what he saw, did not utter a word, only looked at all this beauty with eyes widened in surprise, in which trembling drops of “happy” tears shone like pure diamonds...
“Lord, it’s been so long since I’ve seen the sun!” he whispered quietly. -Who are you, girl?
- Oh, I'm just a person. The same as you - dead. But here she is, you already know - alive. We walk here together sometimes. And we help if we can, of course.
It was clear that the baby was happy with the effect produced and was literally fidgeting with the desire to prolong it...
- Do you really like? Do you want it to stay that way?
The man just nodded, unable to utter a word.
I didn’t even try to imagine what happiness he must have experienced after the black horror in which he found himself every day for so long!..
“Thank you, honey...” the man whispered quietly. - Just tell me, how can this remain?..
- Oh, it's simple! Your world will only be here, in this cave, and no one will see it except you. And if you don’t leave here, he will stay with you forever. Well, I’ll come to you to check... My name is Stella.
- I don’t know what to say for this... I don’t deserve it. This is probably wrong... My name is Luminary. Yes, he hasn’t brought very much “light” so far, as you can see...
- Oh, nevermind, bring me some more! – it was clear that the little girl was very proud of what she had done and was bursting with pleasure.
“Thank you, dears...” The luminary sat with his proud head bowed, and suddenly began to cry like a child...
“Well, what about others who are the same?..” I whispered quietly in Stella’s ear. – There must be a lot of them, right? What to do with them? After all, it’s not fair to help one. And who gave us the right to judge which of them is worthy of such help?
Stellino's face immediately frowned...
– I don’t know... But I know for sure that this is right. If it were wrong, we would not have succeeded. There are different laws here...
Suddenly it dawned on me:
- Wait a minute, what about our Harold?!.. After all, he was a knight, which means he also killed? How did he manage to stay there, on the “top floor”?..
“He paid for everything he did... I asked him about this - he paid very dearly...” Stella answered seriously, wrinkling her forehead funny.
- What did you pay with? - I did not understand.
“The essence...” the little girl whispered sadly. “He gave up part of his essence for what he did during his life.” But his essence was very high, therefore, even after giving away part of it, he was still able to remain “at the top.” But very few people can do this, only truly highly developed entities. Usually people lose too much and end up much lower than they were originally. How Shining...
It was amazing... This means that having done something bad on Earth, people lost some part of themselves (or rather, part of their evolutionary potential), and even at this, they still had to remain in that nightmarish horror, which was called - “lower” Astral... Yes, for mistakes, indeed, one had to pay dearly...
“Well, now we can go,” the little girl chirped, waving her hand contentedly. - Goodbye, Luminary! I will come to you!
We moved on, and our new friend was still sitting, frozen with unexpected happiness, greedily absorbing the warmth and beauty of the world created by Stella, and plunging into it as deeply as a dying person would do, absorbing the life that had suddenly returned to him... .
“Yes, that’s right, you were absolutely right!” I said thoughtfully.
Stella beamed.
Being in the most “rainbow” mood, we had just turned towards the mountains when a huge, spiked-clawed creature suddenly emerged from the clouds and rushed straight at us...
- Be careful! – Stela squealed, and I just managed to see two rows of razor-sharp teeth, and from a strong blow to the back, I rolled head over heels to the ground...
From the wild horror that gripped us, we rushed like bullets across a wide valley, not even thinking that we could quickly go to another “floor”... We simply did not have time to think about it - we were too scared.
The creature flew right above us, loudly clicking its gaping toothy beak, and we rushed as fast as we could, splashing vile slimy splashes to the sides, and mentally praying that something else would suddenly interest this creepy “miracle bird”... It was felt. that she was much faster and we simply had no chance to break away from her. As luck would have it, not a single tree grew nearby, there were no bushes, or even stones behind which one could hide, only an ominous black rock could be seen in the distance.
- There! – Stella shouted, pointing her finger at the same rock.
But suddenly, unexpectedly, right in front of us, a creature appeared from somewhere, the sight of which literally froze our blood in our veins... It appeared as if “straight out of thin air” and was truly terrifying... The huge black carcass was completely covered long, coarse hair, making him look like a pot-bellied bear, only this “bear” was as tall as a three-story house... The monster’s lumpy head was “crowned” with two huge curved horns, and the eerie mouth was decorated with a pair of incredibly long fangs, sharp as knives, just by looking to which, with fright, our legs gave way... And then, incredibly surprising us, the monster easily jumped up and... picked up the flying “muck” on one of its huge fangs... We froze in shock.
- Let's run!!! – Stella squealed. – Let’s run while he’s “busy”!..
And we were ready to rush again without looking back, when suddenly a thin voice sounded behind our backs:
- Girls, wait!!! No need to run away!.. Dean saved you, he is not an enemy!
We turned around sharply - a tiny, very beautiful black-eyed girl was standing behind us... and was calmly stroking the monster that had approached her!.. Our eyes widened in surprise... It was incredible! Certainly - it was a day of surprises!.. The girl, looking at us, smiled welcomingly, not at all afraid of the furry monster standing next to us.
- Please don't be afraid of him. He is very kind. We saw that Ovara was chasing you and decided to help. Dean was great, he made it on time. Really, my dear?
“Good” purred, which sounded like a slight earthquake, and, bending his head, licked the girl’s face.
– Who is Owara, and why did she attack us? – I asked.
“She attacks everyone, she’s a predator.” And very dangerous,” the girl answered calmly. – May I ask what you are doing here? You're not from here, girls?

History of the origin of the Kumyks (G.S. Fedorov-Guseinov, Makhachkala, Dagknigoizdat, 1996, 163 pages)

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Among the large number of problems in the history of the peoples of Dagestan, questions about the origins of the peoples, their kinship, common features and characteristics await a priority solution. In other words, the problem of ethnogenesis and ethnic history is the most acute and pressing, requiring an urgent solution. Among them, the problem of the origin of the Kumyks is especially complex.

When solving it, scientists are divided into two groups, some of which consider the Kumyks as aliens, others as local in origin. The latter consider the local ethnic group, into whose environment the Turkic element penetrated, as the basis of ethnogenesis. Some of them consider the admixture of the Hun-Saviro-Bulgar and Khazar tribes to be decisive, others - the Kipchaks. Both need a more solid source base. This circumstance gave rise to the work of researchers Kadyradzhiev K.S. /Kadyradzhiev K.S., 1992/, Adzhieva M. /Adzhiev M., 1992/, Kandaurova A. /Kandaurov A., 1994/, who are looking for the ancestors of the Kumyks among the Sumerians, Cimmerians, Scythians, Huns, Khazars, Kipchaks.

I understand that these works are written with good intentions to give an answer to the question: “Who are the Kumyks ?»

Although I do not share many of the provisions in their works, they contain valuable observations. For example, Kadyradzhiev quite reasonably claims that the Kumyks formed as an aboriginal population.

Of particular note is the research of P.M. Magomedov and S.Sh. Gadzhieva, however, in their works the ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Kumyks is given a small part or section of large studies devoted to the ethnogenesis of all the peoples of Dagestan /Magomedov P.M., 1968.P.8/, or a historical and ethnographic study of the Kumyks /Gadzhieva S.Sh., 1961.P. .33-44/. The problem of ethnogenesis and the ethnic history of the Kumyks was most fully studied in the work of Y.A. Fedorov. / Fedorov Y.A., 1959.S. 104-116/.

Kumyks: origin

However, until now there has been no special work that would cover all the problems of the origin of the Kumyks. Many fundamental questions are controversial: what language did the population of North-Eastern Dagestan-Jdan speak in the 2nd-8th centuries, did the population of this region speak the Turkic language, as some researchers claim / Kadyradzhiev K.S., 1992/, who were the first Turkic-speaking tribes, settled in Primorsky Dagestan, and what role these newcomer tribes played in the material culture of the ancestors of the Kumyks.

These and many other questions are waiting to be resolved. Our monograph is intended to fill this gap, without which it is impossible to begin compiling the history of the Kumyks. In it, for the first time, the issues of ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Kumyks are studied in such a broad manner as an integral part of the ethnic history of the autochthonous peoples of Dagestan.

In the course of writing, another task arose before me - to refute the tendentious conclusions about the ethnogenesis and ethnic history of the Kumyks found in historical, especially in recent years, in journalistic literature.

For example, that the Kumyks, Nogais, Karachais, Balkars, Karaites, Gagauz and other Turkic-speaking peoples, and the Terek, Kuban, Siberian Cossacks - from the Polovtsian clan - are blood brothers / Adzhiev M., 1992 / Calls the direct ancestors of the Kumyks, Karachais, Balkars Huns, Bulgars, Khazars, Kipchaks H.H. Bidzhiev /Bidzhiev Kh.Kh., 1993/.

The book devotes a lot of space to and partially settled on the territory of North-Eastern Dagestan for a whole millennium, entering into socio-economic and cultural-political contacts with the ancestors of the Kumyks and other indigenous inhabitants of Dagestan.

The author based his research on methods of comprehensive study of the problem. Moreover, archaeological materials obtained as a result of both our own work and the work of different authors were used. As a result, the author managed to create a complete, integral, generalizing study, which solves many large and small problems on the origin and development of the Kumyk ethnic group. A significant part of the work is devoted to the history of early medieval Dagestan, where the idea is substantiated that the kingdom of Dzhidan was a large early medieval formation of the Kumyks, which included settlements, the ruins of which we see in the vicinity of Urtseki, Achisu, Karabudakhkent, Sutaykutan, Geli, Tarkov, etc. What is also fundamentally new in the work is that the author is the first to highlight archaeological materials associated with the Kipchaks in Dagestan.

The author expresses special gratitude to fellow Karabudakh-Kents: Abdullagatov. S.H. - Director of the Rassvet state farm, U.G. Gadzhiev -Director of the Republican Newspaper and Magazine Printing House, Kanzitdinov R.M. - Director of the small enterprise “Gereytyuz”, Nasrutdinov U.I. - the head of the administration of the Karabudakh-Kent region for his contribution to the publication of the book.

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Kumyks (self-name - kumuq) are a people in the Russian Federation - 277.2 thousand people, of which 231.8 thousand are in Dagestan, 9.9 thousand in Chechnya, 9.5 thousand in North Ossetia. Kumyks are a people of the Turkic tribe, belonging to its Pontic branch, living in Dagestan, north of Derbent, along the coast, between the Terek and Sulak rivers.

Some believe that the Kumaks occupied the coast of the Caspian Sea from ancient times and were known to Ptolemy under the name Kami, Kamaki, Klaproth sees in them the descendants of the Khazars, and Vambery admits that they settled in the places they now occupy during the prosperity of the Khazar kingdom, i.e. in the 8th century.

In terms of language and way of life, all Kumyks currently represent one ethnographic whole, but this can hardly be said regarding their origin. Local legends, in connection with the many surviving ethnographic terms, lead to the conclusion that at least some of the Kumyks were formed from very diverse elements, which is partly confirmed by the physical appearance of the inhabitants of this plane.

The fact that the Kumyks occupying the Kumyk plane included Kabardians is evidenced by their history. Although back in 1559 Agim, the prince of the Tyumen Kumyks, accepted Russian citizenship, and under Tsars Fyodor Ioannovich and Boris Godunov, fortresses were built here to protect against, nevertheless, local legends claim that 300 years ago the Kumyks were ruled by the shamkhal of the city of Tarki. After the death of Shamkhal Andiy, his eldest sons did not allow his third son Sultan-Muta, born from a woman who did not belong to the princely family, to participate in the inheritance. Sultan-Mut fled to Kabarda, recruited a detachment of several hundred people there and forced his brothers to cede part of their father's possessions to him. With his Kabardians, Sultan-Mut settled in Endrei, which quickly grew to the size of a large eastern city.

Located near the route from Persia to Russia, it became a trading center, mainly for the trade in child slaves. In 1604, the Kumyks rebelled and forced the Russian garrison to retire beyond the Terek. During this disturbance, according to legend, Sultan Mut fell. In 1722, during the campaign of Peter I to Persia, the Russians destroyed Endrei, which could no longer recover from this blow; in 1725 the city of Tarki was devastated by the Russians. At the same time, the fortress of the Holy Cross was founded on Sulak.

In the 19th century, the Kumyks generally belonged to the peaceful mountaineers, remaining loyal to Russia. Previously, the Kumyks were divided into many classes. At their head were biys or princes, followed by chanka or princely children from unequal marriages, then sala-uzdeni or independent nobles, uzdeni or noblemen who were in vassal relations to the princes, chagars or farmers, some of whom were free, others were depending on the princes and uzdens and paid them quitrents or cultivated their lands, and finally, coolies or slaves.

In the 1860s, the dependence of some classes on others was abolished, and representatives of the unprivileged classes were allocated land on a communal basis. The Kumyks were divided into a class of landowners - owners and people. The Kumyks are all Sunni Muslims and lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Traditional occupations: arable farming (wheat, barley, millet, rice, corn), cattle breeding (cattle, sheep, horses), as well as gardening, horticulture, viticulture, fishing, beekeeping, trade, salt and oil extraction, hunting. Home trades and crafts: cloth making, cotton weaving, carpet weaving (traditional women's occupations), leather, metal, wood, stone processing (men's occupations)

The customs and morals of the Kumyks are generally similar to the customs and morals of other Caucasian highlanders, but they do not look at customs as an inviolable shrine and easily allow deviations from them. Reconciliation in blood matters is arranged quite simply and easily. Kunakism among the Kumyks almost does not exist; the influence of kinship is limited to two or three generations. The traditional views of the Caucasian mountaineers on predation as an act of youth do not enjoy unshakable authority among the Kumyks. The main type of family is small with subordination to the eldest in age (a man, less often a woman), although the family council plays a large role in resolving important issues.

Traditional housing: ground turluch, adobe with a flat gable roof and stone with a flat roof (one-story, one-and-a-half stories, two-story). Food: flour, meat and dairy dishes - shorpa (soup), khinkal (a type of dumplings), kurze (dumplings), dolma , pilaf, shish kebab, sauce, porridge, numerous varieties of halva, pies, scrambled eggs, bread, as well as drinks (airan, sherbet, tea). Traditional mountain clothing is in some places replaced by European-cut dress.

They speak Kumyk language. Dialects: Buynak, Kaitag, Piedmont, Terek, Khasa-Vyurt. Writing based on the Russian alphabet. The Kumyk song reflects the moral character of the Kumyk - judicious and observant, with strict concepts of honor and loyalty to a given word, responsive to the grief of others, loving his land, prone to contemplation and philosophical reflection, but also able to have fun with his comrades . As a more cultured people, the Kumyks have always enjoyed great influence on neighboring tribes.

KUMYKS (self-name - kumuq), people in the Russian Federation (277.2 thousand people), in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia. The Kumyk language of the Kynchak group of Turkic languages. Believers are Sunni Muslims.

Ethnonym

The first mentions of the ethnonym Kumyks are found in the ancient authors Pliny the Elder, Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD) and others. The formation of the Kumyks as an ethnic group dates back to the 12th-13th centuries. There were a number of early state formations on the territory of the Kumyks.

Story

There is no consensus among scientists about the origin of the Kumyks. Bakikhanov wrote that “the Kumyk people probably descended from the Kemak, for Ptolemy calls the Kumyks “Kam” and “Kemak.” V.V. Bartold, in turn, believed that “in addition to the Nogais, the Kumyk nation was formed from the Turkified Lezgins,” meaning by the ethnonym “Lezgins” the highlanders of Dagestan. Linking the origin of the Kumyks with the Kipchaks, S. M. Bronevsky believed that the Kumyks appeared in Dagestan in the 12th-13th centuries. together with the Kipchaks.

According to the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries, 32,087 Kumyks lived in Dagestan. According to information from 1891, published in the “Alphabetical List of Peoples Living in the Russian Empire,” the Kumyks lived in the Dagestan and Terek regions with a total population of 108,800 people

Since 1921, the Kumyks have been part of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The first Soviet census of 1926 recorded 94,549 Kumyks in the USSR. In 1989, the socio-political organization Kumyk People's Movement "Tenglik" (KPV) was formed in Dagestan, heading towards achieving national-territorial autonomy of the Kumyk people. According to the census of the same year, 281,933 Kumyks lived in the USSR. At the II Congress of the CPV, held in November 1990, the “Declaration on self-determination of the Kumyk people” was adopted, setting forth the idea of ​​​​creating the Kumyk Republic within the RSFSR. On January 27 of the following year, the Second Congress of the Kumyk people was held, at which the governing body of the nation, the Milli Majlis, was elected.

Classes

Traditional occupations: arable farming (wheat, barley, millet, rice, corn); cattle breeding, including transhumance (cattle, sheep, horses), as well as gardening, vegetable gardening, viticulture, fishing, beekeeping, trade, salt and oil extraction, hunting. Home crafts and trades: cloth making, cotton weaving, carpet weaving (traditional women's occupations), leather, metal, wood, stone processing (men's occupations), etc.

Family

In the 19th century, remnants of patriarchal-tribal relations (tukhum, taipa, qavum) still remained. The main type of family is small with subordination to the eldest in age (a man, less often a woman), although the family council played a large role in resolving important issues. In addition to consanguineous ties, the institutions of atalystvo and kunachestvo were developed.

The village layout is horizontal. Traditional housing: ground-based, adobe with a flat gable roof and stone with a flat roof (one-story, one-and-a-half stories, two-story, various layouts).

Traditional clothing

National costume: men's - shirt, trousers, beshmet (kaptal), cherkeska (chepken), fur coat (ton), burka (yamuchu), papakha (papakh, berk), leather shoes; female - shirt dress, trousers (shalbar), various dresses (polsha, arsar, kabalai), scarves, chutku, leather boots, shoes, galoshes without backdrops. The costume, especially for women, was complemented with various decorations.

Folklore

Ritual poetry: songs of calling rain (Zemire, Sutkatun), sun (gyun chyk), harvesting (Gyudyurbay), Navruz; wedding (toy) and funeral poetry (yaslar, vayahlar). Epic poetry consists of heroic epics (in particular, about the Narts), heroic-historical and historical songs; folk prose - from fairy tales, legends, traditions, anecdotes, etc.; aphoristic genres - from proverbs, sayings and riddles. Musical folklore, choreography (a type of “Lezginka”), as well as folk games, etc. received great development.

Beliefs

Traditional beliefs and mythology among the Kumyks have been transformed. Rudimentally preserved ideas about the god Tengiri, the spirits of the earth, water, forest, house, and the demonic creatures Albasly, Kylychtoshe, Suvanasy, Basdyrykye, etc.

Living from generation to generation at the crossroads of all roads, the Kumyks were able to preserve their homeland, love for their homeland and their culture.

Kumyks

Tarki-Tau is a natural monument, a unique mountain, standing apart from a huge mountain monolith. There are legends and myths about it. On its plateau and slopes there are many sacred places, ziyarat - Valikyz pir, Kyrkyz-bulak, Loka, Kutlukyz-bulak, Sangyz, etc., highly revered by local residents. There are 542 mounds around Tarki-Tau and at its foot alone, many of which are known to residents by name. According to legends, in the old days there was a ban on pointing a finger at Tarki-Tau.

The favorable location of the Kumyk plane between the sea and the mountains, on the one hand, contributed to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, trade and crafts, on the other hand, it subjected the inhabitants of the plain to terrible trials by fire and sword of numerous hordes of conquerors of antiquity. But our ancestors survived these battles, moreover, they enriched their culture and knowledge with the achievements of alien peoples and preserved their land for subsequent generations.

The Kumyks speak the Kumyk language, which has its own dialects: Buynak, Kaitag, Piedmont, Khasavyurt and Terek. In tsarist times, the Kumyk language was studied in gymnasiums and colleges in Vladikavkaz, Stavropol, Mozdok, Kizlyar, Temir-Khan-Shura. And today, many of the older generation of Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, and Chechens speak the Kumyk language.

The Kumyks have neighbors: Nogais in the north, Avars and Dargins in the west, Tabasarans and Lezgins in the south.

Before Russia came to the Caucasus, in the 18th–19th centuries, the Kumyk settlements were called the Tarkov Shamkhalate, the Mehtulin Khanate, the Zasulak Kumykia - Endireevskoye, Kostekskoye and Aksayevskoye possessions, in present-day Chechnya - the Bragun principality; Southern Kumyks were part of the Kaitag Utsmiystvo.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Kumykia was annexed to Russia. After the formation of the Dagestan region in 1860 with its center in the city of Temir-Khan-Shura, local feudal lords: shamkhals, khans and biys were left without power. Instead of the previous possessions, districts were created: from the Kaitag utsmiystvo and Tabasaran the Kaitago-Tabasaran district was formed, from the Tarkov Shamkhalate, the Mehtulin Khanate and the Prisulak naibstvo - the Temir-Khan-Shurinsky district of the Dagestan region; On the territory of the Endireevsky, Aksaevsky and Kostek possessions, the Kumyk (later Khasa-Vyurt) district of the Terek region was formed. Kumyks made up the main population of the Temir-Khan-Shurinsky and Khasavyurt districts.

Now more than half of the Kumyks are settled in 8 rural administrative districts of the Republic of Dagestan - Kumtorkalinsky, Karabudakhkentsky, Buynaksky, Kayakentsky, Babayurtsky, Khasavyurtsky, Kizilyurtsky, Kaitagsky. Kumyks are the oldest inhabitants of Dagestan in the cities of Makhachkala, Buinaksk, Khasavyurt, Kizilyurt, Izberbash and Kaspiysk. Some Kumyks live in urban-type settlements: Tarki, Tyube, Leninkent, Kyakhulai, Alburikent, Shamkhal, Mana-skent. In relatively large groups, numbering more than 22 thousand people, Kumyks live in the Gudermes and Grozny regions of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the Mozdok region of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. A small part of them are settled in the Stavropol Territory, the Tyumen Region of the Russian Federation, as well as in neighboring countries - Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The natural world of the Kumyk plane, foothills and coast is extremely rich and diverse. The main rivers crossing the Kumyk lands are Terek, Sulak, Shura, Ulluchay, Gamri, Manas, Aksai, Aktash. The Terek and Sulak carry water to the Caspian Sea, other rivers dry up in the summer or are completely taken apart for irrigation.

The forests are quite diverse in species composition: oak, hornbeam, beech, poplar, alder, elm, ash, walnut, cherry plum, dogwood. The predominant shrubs are medlar, rose hips, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel (hazelnut), blackberry, and grapes.

The fauna of Kumykia is also diverse. Wild boars, saigas, wolves, jackals, badgers, foxes, hares, hedgehogs, and weasels live here.

The bird world is represented by tree sparrows, pigeons, eagles, magpies, swallows, tits, ducks, and geese.

In river reservoirs and the Caspian Sea there are various types of fish: sturgeon, beluga, sterlet, carp, carp, pike, kutum, bream, salmon, rudd, mullet, asp, pike perch, perch, catfish. Fishing for herring and sprat has long been of great commercial importance here.

Unique natural monuments associated with the formation of the cultural heritage of the people require great attention from the state and the public. These include the sandy mountain Sary-Kum, Mount Tarki-Tau, Talginsky, Kayakent mineral and mud springs, Agrakhansky Bay.

Kumyk settlements

Before cities appeared on the Kumyk Plain, the main settlements of the Kumyks, as well as other peoples of Dagestan, were villages. They had in their name a reference to the location. So, among the northern Kumyks their names ended in yurt(Khasavyurt, Babayurt, Botayurt, Adilyangiyurt, Sultanyangiyurt, Karlanyurt, etc.), among the southern Kumyks “kent” and “gent” (Bashlykent, Kayakent, Yangikent, Usemikent, Alkhodzhakent, etc.). The Kumyks also have a word aul(Endireyaul, Kandauraul, Chontaul, Nutsalaul, Khalimbekaul, Muslimaul, Agachauul, etc.).

Botayurt became the most famous Kumyk village in agricultural terms after the construction of the Sulak-Yuzbash canal in 1874–1875 - Koysuv tatavul– (Koysuv ditch.) This canal, 60 versts long, ran through the middle of the village of Botayurt.

Its presence gave the Botayurt residents the opportunity to keep moisture-loving animals on their farmstead: draft buffaloes and milking buffaloes. The draft buffaloes delighted the cabbies with their mighty strength. They transported heavy loads from Botayurt to the city of Khasavyurt, from there to the city of Kizlyar and back.

A similar occupation for cab drivers is arbaci was called to carry kira(loads), and peasant cab drivers were called Kirechi. They harnessed buffaloes, oxen and horses, depending on what kind of cargo was being transported where. Hamish arba- a cart pulled by buffaloes, oguz arba- an ox-drawn cart at arba- horse-drawn carriage. Kirechi were hired by wealthy entrepreneurs and received money for their work, unlike plowmen - Sabanchy who worked in the field. Sabanchy- plowman, Arbachy-cab, suvchu- waterer, bavchu-gardener, Tuvarchi-shepherd, koichu- shepherd were the main professions of the botayurtists.

The most interesting settlements of the Kumyks - farmsteads - also bore their names depending on the place of foundation - flock among the Khasavyurt Kumyks (Germenchikotar, Chagarotar, Adillotar, Kachuvotar, etc.) and swings all other Kumyks. The residents who settled here were residents of nearby large villages, who raised livestock and sowed grain on the “flock” lands.

Gradually, from temporary small farms of 5-10 households, large settled farms grew, losing dependence on those villages from which farmers had once moved. This is how large villages were formed from small farms, preserving their origin in the name.

Since the 50s of the 20th century, during Soviet times, these settlements have grown so much that many of them do not differ from other large settlements either in the number of inhabitants, or in the type of buildings, or in their cultural appearance, although they continue to bear the old names to this day flock.

And large, large Kumyk villages, in turn, also consisted of so-called quarters. So, in Endirei there were 8 quarters that exist to this day: Boraganaul, Ariberiaul, Tyumenchogar, Aidemirchogar, Temirchogar, Adilgereychogar, Salaaul, Muhaul.

In one of the oldest villages in Dagestan, the original capital of the Khazar Kaganate, in the past the second most important military-strategic and trading point of Dagestan (after Derbent) and once the capital of the largest feudal principality in Dagestan - the Shamkhalate of Tarkovsky - the village of Tarki, there were 8 villages: Chog'araul, Dorgeraul, Utgchulakaaul, Bazaraul, Gyuntijmesaul, Tebebashaul, Bakaaul, Issisuvaul.

Each quarter had its own head, a princely family, who governed and kept order in their territory.

The development of capitalism quickly changed the appearance of Kumyk villages. New neighborhoods, streets, and new shopping arcades began to appear. When visiting the cities of Russia, rich Kumyks: merchants and landowners, adopted the experience of constructing residential buildings and commercial premises and built their own houses and commercial establishments in an urban manner.

On the main street there was a Juma mosque with a high minaret, where all important issues of the villagers were usually resolved. This street is always called ulluoram(among the northern Kumyks) or ulluelchi(among the southern Kumyks). It was always a little wider than the other secondary streets, and lined with better houses.

These transformations were especially evident in the example of the ancient Kumyk village of Aksai (Yakhsai).

The village of Yakhsai consisted of the following quarters: Alekeyaul, Zagyaul, Kamaraul, Oruskhanaul, Pokluaul, Sabanayaul, Tobenaul, Tyumenaul, Chag'araul. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new quarter appeared in the village, named after the founders - German colonists, Nemis-kutur (i.e., German farm).

Pre-revolutionary Yakhsai became known as one of the craft centers of the North Caucasus. At the beginning of the 20th century in the village. Yakhsai had about 50 commercial, industrial and handicraft enterprises: tanneries, workshops, factories for firing bricks and tiles. Merchants of the I, II and III guilds lived in the village, through whose efforts foreign goods also came here.

By the end of the 19th century. Yakhsay became a fairly large settlement for that period, with a main street paved with stone, Tash-oram (stone street). Tash-Oram ran past the bridge over the Yakhsaysuv River to the square with the Juma Mosque, opened in 1856, and a madrasah. On both sides of the street there was a school, a pharmacy, a chain of stores, a hotel, as well as one or two-story stone houses covered with tiles.

In 1879, a Russian elementary school was opened in Yakhsay. The villagers, at their own expense, renovated 18 rooms of the state-owned building, which was handed over to the community to open a school.

As a result of many years of communication as neighbors with the Russian people - Terek Cossacks and farm peasants in the houses of the Yakhsayans next to koryuk-stove in the yard a Russian stove appeared in the house, a bed - instead takhtamek, table, chairs, samovar, kerosene lamp - instead sham chirak.

During these same years, several Muslim schools operated in the village, where Arabic and Turkish languages, arithmetic, history, geography, logic and other subjects were studied. Since the 19th century, Yakhsai has also been known as one of the religious centers of Dagestan. The best experts in Arabic-language sciences were recruited to teach in the rural madrasah.

The most famous of the teachers of the madrasah is Sala-Uzden Yusup-kadi (Gadzhi-Yusup) Klychev, better known as Yusup Yakhsaysky. He was a prominent theologian, Arabic scholar and author of works on philosophy and logic, knew medicine well, and was considered one of the prominent religious opponents of Imam Shamil. Yusup Yakhsaysky in the fight against muridism was supported by Said Arakansky, Mama-Gishi-Bek Endireisky, Mirza-tagi-mullah of Derbent, Ayub-kadi Dzhengutaisky, Nurmagomed-kadi Khunzakhsky, Barka-kadi Kakamakha, Zukhum-kadi Akushinsky, Aslan-kadi Tsudaharsky and others .

In 1887, for the first time in the history of this Kumyk village, a state census was conducted here. According to it, in Yakhsai there were 1182 households, where 6610 people lived. Of these, 6,200 were peasants, 135 biys and chankas, 216 artisans, 39 clergy. In those years, 758 lived in Yakhsai chewing(Jews), 131 tinkers (Laks), 23 michygysh(Chechens). Shops - stalls ( putkalar) there were 50, mills – 11, mosques – 10.

Such rapid production growth in Yakhsai marked the beginning of cultural and educational growth. To this day it is called the village of generals, poets and ministers. Thus, even in pre-revolutionary times, 5 Yakhsayites were awarded the rank of general. During Soviet times, 18 natives of the village received the military rank of colonel. In 1918, Yakhsaite Yusup Gadzhiev was appointed Minister of Finance of the Provisional Government of Dagestan. In Soviet times, this village gave three more ministers: Akhmed Ozdeadzhiev - agriculture, Khalit Magidov - education and Kandaur Akavov - agricultural machinery.

Poets and writers of Yakhsai are represented by the names of Magomed-effendi Osmanov, Manay Alibekov, Abdulla Magomedov, Alim-Pasha Salavatov, Bagavdin Astemirov, Abdul-Vagab Suleymanov, Sharip Alberiyev, Sirazhdin Tokbolatov, Murad Adzhi and others, in the field of art - Hamid Rustamov, Baysoltan Osaev, Biymurzy Mantaev, Nariman Akavov, etc. Many scientists, famous doctors, athletes, etc. also came from Yakhsai.

The ancient Kumyk village of Erpeli is located in a picturesque, amazingly beautiful area. Excellent natural and climatic conditions, soft mountains with thick grass, stretching from south to west, make it possible to keep tens of thousands of heads of large and small ruminants and herds of horses here. There are numerous springs, and at the foot there are ancient forests. The mountains of Ismailtau, Apke, Tavyol, Yassy-but, Madigin, Salatau, Belbuvgan, Zhangere and others are the pride of the Erpelin people. The forests were inhabited by brown bears, wild boars, gazelles, hares, badgers, foxes, wolves, squirrels and many other wild animals and birds. In the forests, the Erpelinians prepared firewood for the winter and building materials.

Now the forests are under strict protection. Gas is now used for heating. Three rivers flow from the foot of the mountains: Chernaya - Karaozen, Belaya - Akyozen and Severnaya - Artozen, cutting the village into three parts.

There are also inexplicable miracles...On the left slope of a mountain called Buzluyurek (Ice Heart), nature has dug a tunnel, the end of which no one has yet seen. There is always water in this tunnel. In summer it turns into strong ice, and in winter it melts, but does not flow anywhere!

But Erpeli is famous not so much for its nature as for its hospitable and friendly people. For a long time, Avars lived in the lower reaches of the Erpelin Mountains in 3 or 5–7 houses, feeding themselves from their plots and keeping livestock. In the 30s and 40s, the Erpelin residents invited them all to the village, allocated them the best irrigated land to start farming on the western edge of the village, helped them settle in a new place, and accepted them into the collective farm. Nowadays their houses alternate with those of the Erpelinians, and they themselves became related to the local residents through marriage. Erpeli is one of the largest international villages in the Caucasus. Armenians, Iranians (Persians), Karachais, Tatars, Russians and representatives of almost all nationalities of Dagestan live here.

Therefore, it is not surprising that on such land and in such conditions dynasties of famous statesmen of Imperial Russia, the mighty USSR and present-day Russia were born. This can be seen in the example of the Apashev-Bexultanov family.

Daniyal Apashev (born in 1870 in the village of Erpeli, Temir-Khan-Shurinsky district) is a major social and political figure in Dagestan in 1914–1920. Commandant of the city of Temir-Khan-Shura, chairman of the parliament of the Mountain Republic (1919–1920). Shot by the Cheka.

Suyunchgirey Apashev is the eldest son of Daniyal Apashev, a volunteer of the legendary Wild Division (Dagestan Cavalry Regiment). Died in Austria in 1915. He was buried in his homeland, in the village. Erpeli.

Magomed Apashev is the youngest son of Daniyal Apashev. At the age of 14 he was forced to run away from home. When the Cheka officers came for Magomed, he was already far from Temir-Khan-Shura. From Baku, his father’s kunaks transported him to Central Asia, to Tashkent. In 1926–1931 studied at the Central Asian Institute of Mechanization (Tashkent), from which he graduated with honors and became a specialist in internal combustion engines. Since 1933, he worked at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant - the famous ChTZ. In 1939 – postgraduate studies at the Moscow Automechanical Institute. Recognition of the scientific achievements of Doctor of Technical Sciences Magomed Daniyalovich Apashev was his appointment in 1950 as head of the department for rocket launch engines at the Institute of Engines of the USSR Academy of Sciences. He formed a scientific school of 19 doctors and more than 30 candidates of science, published more than 200 scientific papers, 2 textbooks for higher education, one of which is still successfully used by students of a number of universities, including foreign ones.

M. D. Apashev received more than 15 patents for inventions in the field of rocketry and spacecraft. Almost all of his scientific works are still strictly classified.

Abdulzagir Beksultanov is an energetic, tireless worker who, during the Great Patriotic War, donated all his savings - 25,000 rubles - to the State Bank to help the Red Army, for which he received a letter of gratitude from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin. The letter was published in the newspaper “Dagestanskaya Pravda”, No. 43 (6569) on March 1, 1944, and is located in the National Library. R. Gamzatova.

Kamil Apashev is the uncle of the Beksultanov brothers. During the Great Patriotic War he was a battalion commander. He died a heroic death in the battles for Sevastopol.

Beksultanov Aburagim Abdulzagirovich is the elder brother, who for many years successfully headed the largest, multinational Khasavyurt district.

Beksultanov Abdulbasir Abdulzagirovich, an honored builder of the republic, at the head of the PMK, in a short period of time, rebuilt the village of Pervomaiskoe, destroyed as a result of a militant attack in 1996.

Beksultanov Beksultan Abdulzagirovich is a courageous, cheerful person, director of the College of Finance and Economics (Makhachkala).

Beksultanov Kamil Beksultanovich – Director of the Department of Financing of State Programs and Accounting of the Ministry of Regional Development of Russia. Lives and works in Moscow.

Ancient Kumyk villages located near caravan routes were often invaded and destroyed by numerous conquerors - Tamerlane, Genghis Khan, Nadir Shah, the tsarist army of the times of imperial Russia, and even their warlike neighbors.

Among them, a special place is occupied by the village of Aksai, destroyed by order of Yermolov in 1818, the village of Endirei, destroyed in 1722 by the army of Peter the Great, and the southern Kumyk village of Bashly was burned in 1877. The people composed a song that contains the following lines:

The villages of Sala-Uzden were razed to the ground,

Black beards turned white.

They were nice men

Now they are being trampled by the unworthy.

The Mahdi's cause was ruined

His own naibs.

The city of Bashly was glorious,

Now there are only cliffs around him.

After six years full of severe hardships, spent in forest huts and dugouts, the Bashlin residents were amnestied, but they were forbidden to restore one common village. At first, the tsarist authorities were going to resettle them in six places, then, at the request of the population, a decision was made to found three villages. Moreover, each tukhum (clan), by decree of the district administration, was divided into three parts, each of which was allocated a certain place in one of the villages, but the entire clan was strictly forbidden to settle compactly.

While struggling with the memory of the uprising and even going so far as to ban the restoration of Bashla, the tsarist administration did not take into account one thing - the ancient city, destroyed to the ground, perished, but did not submit.

In total, representatives of 2,852 families took part in the uprising in the Kaytago-Tabasaran district. In order to further punish them, a fine of three rubles per yard was collected from them annually. Considering that a cow in those years cost from 6 to 8 rubles, then this was a lot of money.

The Caucasian War, and then the land decrees of the tsarist administration, were also the reason for the division of the once entire territory of the Kumyk Plain. Thus, several Kumyk villages were assigned to the Terek region. Now these villages are located on the territory of present-day Chechnya - Braguny, Darbankha - New Braguny, the city of Gudermes, Gudermes district, village. Bammatyurt (Vinogradnoe) Grozny rural district; in Ossetia - in the settlements of Kizlyar (Bekish-Yurt / Bekovichi / Kuchuk-Yurt), Borasuvotar, Malgobekotar.

In the Mozdok district, the village of Kuchukyurt, the director of a secondary school, Rasul Aliyev, has been selflessly engaged in preserving and promoting the cultural and historical heritage of the Kumyk people for many years, promoting the placement of gifted school graduates in universities in Moscow and Dagestan, finding patrons for the village’s sports teams, so that The connection between generations was not interrupted for a minute...

Kumyks also live in the city of Malgobek in Ingushetia. Here, near the village of Plievo, there is Borga Kas- Mausoleum of the Bragun khans, a sacred place - ziyarat with an inscription on the walls, sayings from the Koran in Arabic, dated 808 AH, i.e. 1405-1406, and the name of the buried (last) - Bek-Sultan b. Keep it cool.

Great trials with fire and sword fell on the lot of the Braguns - Terek Kumyks, as they are called now. The huge hordes of the Mongol-Tatar military leader, the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh and the Central Asian conqueror Tamerlane - Aksak Temir left their terrible mark on the memory of our people. And the most terrible disaster of that time, which overtook our ancestors and almost the entire North Caucasus, was the plague (bubonic plague - Black Death). But the people did not disappear. Our surviving ancestors, individually and in groups, gathered and rebuilt their villages. The Braguns, a tribe of Borgans, descendants of the Barsils, defended their land. In the most difficult conditions of combat and terrible diseases, the Braguns survived and live in these villages even now, on their native Terek-Sulak Plain.

Power among the Braguns was inherited. The Khudaynad dynasty ruled them until the end of the 19th century, until the establishment of Soviet power in the North Caucasus. The last prince of the Braguns was Umalat Taymazov, a descendant of Khudaynad. He built a mosque in the village. Braguns still at that time. Now the mosque has been restored and is functioning. The imam here is Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov's student Magomed - Sharip-Khadzhi Mur-tazaliev.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Braguns all stood up to defend their homeland: male militiamen at the front, women and old people in the rear at work to build fortifications before the fascists advancing in the Caucasus. 180 people from Bragunov went to the front, 86 of them did not return. Four: Aliyev, Guseikhanov, Mamaev and Mezhidov were awarded the highest military awards - the Order of Glory. In 1946, for participation in work on the labor front, they were awarded medals “For Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.” 97 people - old people, women, teenagers, 9 braguns were awarded the medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus”.

The harsh mountains of the Caucasus,

Engulfed in eternal war,

It thunders and makes a majestic noise

Your voice is so rebellious.

Throwing their chests onto the trunk,

Ready to join the fight.

The sea splashes wearily

Throwing yourself onto the steep shore.

People live in the Caucasus

Sealed by the friendship of centuries.

Interlinear translation from Kumyk by M. Atabaev (“Boraguntsam”)

You can support the words of Akhmat Khubiev, a history teacher from the villages. Braguns of the Gudermes region of Chechnya: “I think the main thing is that the braguns currently live calmly, are confident in their security, feel the strength and justice of the authorities, and this is a great achievement, this is the result of the activities of the presidential team led by Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov. This is what every inhabitant of the ancient Bragun tribe thinks.”

During the Caucasian War, large, well-protected villages also suffered. This happened with the village of Tarki, which was severely devastated by the raids of the first imam of Dagestan, Kazi-Magomed, and subsequently by the murids of Imam Shamil. In order to protect the people from extermination and slavery, Shamkhal Tarkovsky Abu Muslim Khan, at the height of hostilities in Dagestan, prophetically called on the Kumyks to remain faithful and devoted to Russia. By the end of his life, Imam Shamil repented that he had fought for 25 years with such a strong power as Russia.

The wars that swept both the Kumyk Plain and throughout Dagestan caused serious damage to the economy and economy of the region, depleted material and human resources, and suspended the development of the Land of Mountains.

Only in alliance with a strong and powerful European state with a developed economy and advanced culture did the peoples of Dagestan see their future and in the middle of the 19th century they finally became part of Russia.

How the Kumyks lived and what they did

Favorable natural and climatic conditions of the Kumyk plane contributed to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Agriculture was the main occupation. They grew wheat, barley, millet, and corn.

In the spring, all residents of the villages went out into the field together to begin arable work. The day of the first furrow was celebrated with special solemnity. The first furrow was made bereketli- a peasant who was experienced, successful, receiving a good harvest.

The labor custom of the Kumyks is to invite relatives or neighbors to do difficult work. This custom is called Bulka. Poor peasants united in two or three households during plowing, and shared the use of oxen and agricultural tools. This method of mutual assistance was called ortak.

The Kumyks planted pumpkins, watermelons, melons, beans, and cucumbers in the spring.

After sowing the seeds, the entire field was watered. Autumn watering was considered the most valuable. No wonder the Kumyks created a proverb: “Gyuz suv – yuz suv”(Autumn watering - watering a hundred times). To irrigate their fields, peasants used sources located nearby: rivers, springs, and ran canals and ditches from them to the fields.

soil Tarlava farmers irrigated the crop fields using ditches dug kumuk bel an iron bayonet shovel with a foot pedal. The ditch was called tatavul. Were there el tatawul– a channel common to all, bash tatavul– head ditch, airyk tatavul- drainage ditch.

Along the plowed field - tarlav from the very beginning to the end, a deep cut was made with an iron plow - karamuk. It served to drain water between the ridges of arable land.

Surface and deep irrigation were used depending on the time of year and the crop that was sown in a given area of ​​the field. In the first case, the irrigator passed water quickly along the furrows, not allowing it to be absorbed into the soil; in the second case, in the right place karamuqa(slots) he did boogan(dam) so that the water stops and seeps deeply into the soil. At the same time, the waterer - suvchu with his inseparable shovel kumuk bel with the pedal, he leveled out the bulges and depressions that appeared in this area of ​​the field, which could lead to the formation of puddles or under-watering.

The peasant determined the time of watering the growing corn by its stalks: if they turned black, then they needed moisture, and if they turned yellow, it means they were waterlogged and did not need water.

In the last days of May, haymaking took place. Only men mowed. They stung everywhere with sickles, and rare herbs were removed with a scythe. They dried the hay right there in the field.

After the end of the harvest, the grain was transported to the threshing floor. indir. At the same time, the current for threshing was prepared. Threshing was carried out very carefully using threshing boards - balbular, seated with flint stones. Bulls or buffalos walked almost all day with threshing boards along the sheaves spread throughout the current so that the grain was separated from the straw. Right there on the lek, according to Muslim custom, the peasants allocated a tenth of the harvest - sunset– for the mosque for the benefit of those in need.

Land and irrigation water were the main, most valuable assets of the peasants - Sabanchy. The lands adjacent to the water had great fertility and allowed their inhabitants to successfully engage in arable farming. The temperate climate of the region was quite favorable for this.

Peasant grain growers grew several varieties of wheat: so be it– white wheat, sari Budai - sexual (yellow) wheat, arysh budai- rye. Also sown: arpa– barley, Sulu– oats, tari– millet, gyabizhay– corn, grew orchards and vineyards, engaged in melon growing, grew madder, a plant that produces dyes, – Boyav Tamur.

Gardeners cultivated different varieties of apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches, and quinces. Local pears were known: Tavukbut Gyarmut- Chicken's leg, gulgyan– floral, Güzlük Gyarmut– autumn. The apples were called: sut alma – dairy, kiiz alma – felt, kyzyl alma - red, turshlu alma– sweet and sour. There were two varieties of apricots: kaisyn kurege– sweet boned apricots and muttering curege– bitter bones, dried apricots. Yazlyk kokan, guzlyuk kokan, alcha kokan– local plum varieties.

Peasants sowed local varieties of corn: kyrk gunlyuk- forty days, saree gyabizhai– yellow corn, ak gyabizhay- white corn.

The rich, lush pastures of the Kumyk plane were favorable for the breeding of cows, bulls, buffaloes, horses and even camels. Buffalo milk was especially valued for its high fat content and great nutritional value. The sour cream made from buffalo milk was especially tasty.

We also had buffalos at home gamush. They are one and a half times larger than cows, they have large semicircular horns and very kind, attentive eyes. We called the little buffaloes Gödek. The adults entrusted us with caring for our animals: cleaning up after them, feeding and watering them, scrubbing them with a special brush; they loved this very much.

My mother and grandmother raised chickens, ducks and turkeys. In our family, everything was our own - bread, meat, milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruits.

Traditional housing

Kumyk dwelling - wow there were three types: one-story - erden yay, one and a half storey - wow and two-story - eki kat uy. In the foothill zone, two-story dwellings predominated. The main building materials were straw, reeds, clay, and pebbles.

In places with forests and mountains, the Kumyks built buildings using stone and wood: mosques, merchant houses, and administrative buildings are still preserved in Endirei. In the past, poor people's rooms had no windows. They were replaced by a small hole in the roof or above the door.

In rich houses, windows were made, and they usually faced the courtyard. Only the blank walls of the houses faced the street.

The houses were oriented with windows to the south. This helped protect from direct rays of the sun in summer, and from cold winds in winter, protecting residents from drafts.

Under Soviet rule, Kumyk housing changed significantly. Instead of a flat adobe roof, there is now a gable tile roof. The interior decoration of the house has also changed. Instead of a wall fireplace, which provided almost no heat, stoves of a special design with an oven and a cast-iron stove are installed.

The stoves were heated with brushwood and firewood collected from the forest. It was not an easy, difficult task - to go into the forest every day to collect firewood, in any weather. First, chop it, then load it onto the cart, then, after bringing it home, break it again, chop it into small logs, and put it in reserve.

Under Soviet rule, gasification began to develop in Russia, and through the efforts of the Hero of Socialist Labor Ilmutdin Nasrutdinov and his son Nasrutdin Ilmutdinovich, the residents of Dagestan were among the first in the country to use gas, a wonderful blue fuel.

What the Kumyks ate and drank

The main food products of the Kumyks were agricultural products: flour - wheat, barley, corn, cereals - wheat, corn, millet, as well as beans, rice and livestock products - meat, fat, butter, milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese. They also ate poultry meat, hunted game, and fished - balyk: bekra(sturgeon), yayyn(som), irgay(salmon), chorpan(pike), carp(carp). Fish was eaten boiled, fried, or dried. Old people say that dried fish was even used to prepare khinkal.

Corn flour was then the main food product in a peasant family. Only rich Kumyks consumed wheat flour.

From corn flour, women prepared a round and flat cake called Michari, and haltam- dumplings and bulamuk- hominy. Corn dough was baked in a low-power bakery - kyoryuk, heated with wood.

Koryuk- this is actually a Kumyk invention, it differs from the Central Asian or Transcaucasian tandoor, deepened into the ground. Koryuk is built in a specially designated room in the yard by the owner, often under a canopy at the gate. This is done so that neighboring women who do not have the opportunity to build a kyoryuk and provide it with firewood can also use it. By the billowing smoke, the neighbors knew that the koryuk was heated, and they hurried there with their dough - some made from corn flour, and some from wheat flour.

Women expertly prepared cornmeal Michari- churek. It had a round shape with a diameter of 20–25 centimeters, a thickness of about two centimeters, and a weight of more than a kilogram. Yarty Michari, Sav Sogan, which means: “Half a michari and a whole onion is the norm for a man,” people joked with this saying, emphasizing the “advantages” of corn churek, which causes heartburn and does not maintain a feeling of fullness for long.

From wheat flour they baked their daily bread, called etmecom. There were different varieties of etmek. They were called like this: kysyr etmek- a product made from unleavened dough, khamur etmek- a product made from fermented dough, maily etmek– puff pastry filled with melted butter, kaalach- curl, dopuina– bun without filling, chapilek- a product baked in the form of a flat circle from unleavened or fermented dough. Chapilek can also be made from corn flour. Mavarik, katlanchyk, lokum, minav, solak, yimishaklar are also bread products made from wheat flour.

Kumyk women know how to prepare different soups - shor-palar. They are basically the following: Burchak Shorpa– bean soup with dried meat, ilashgy– noodles with chicken meat, hefty shorpa– rice – milk soup, kabak shorpa– black pumpkin pulp soup with milk, cheese - gyinkal cheese– soup with dumplings, uvmach shorpa, tea shorpa– flour soups without meat, balyk shorpa– fish soup like Russian fish soup, kozukkulak shorpa– sorrel soup similar to green borscht, Kurze- a type of dumplings stuffed with minced meat soaked in vinegar - khantse, tavuk shorpa– chicken soup with boiled onions.

Chudu is a favorite dish of the Kumyks, made from unleavened dough of wheat flour in the form of a thin, flat mug the size of a plate with various fillings. There are: this is a miracle- miracle with meat, karyn miracle- miracle with tripe, bishlak miracle- a miracle with cottage cheese, kabak miracle- miracle with pumpkin, whose miracle– with fermented milk, sogan miracle- a miracle with onions, from wild onions - Khaliyar miracle, kychytgan miracle- a miracle with nettles, albota miracle– miracle with quinoa, stuffed with horse sorrel – atkulak miracle and many more varieties.

Among sweet foods, the Kumyks preferred halva - gyaliva. It is prepared in different varieties: dugi-gyaliva– halva made from rice flour, Ungyaliva– from wheat flour, koz-gyaliva- from nuts, uvmach-gyaliwa– from dough grains seasoned with honey – ball, party.

The biggest delicacy for rural children was watermelon jam or syrup - touchup. It was made from the pulp of watermelons. The day when tushap was cooked was a holiday for rural children. They ate their fill of watermelons when they came to the courtyard where the women were on a hot fire. otagya- a hearth dug in the ground, in a large vessel sylapchi, similar to a shallow round trough, watermelon juice was boiled until it became syrup, and then watermelon honey - touchup.

To get what you need for one family tushapa I had to cut hundreds of watermelons. Cut watermelons became a tasty morsel for the children who gathered in the yard of the one who cooked tushap that day.

Arts and crafts

Possessing centuries-old knowledge of their ancestors and a good raw material base, the Kumyks mastered all the intricacies of processing raw materials and manufacturing finished products. Thus, wool was used to make cloth, patterned felt rugs, carpets, cotton was used to make fabrics for clothing, silk was used for scarves, belts, and threads; sheepskin - for clothes, hats.

Seamstresses from Yakhsay were famous throughout the Caucasus for their knitting of silk scarves. chille tastar and camel wool carpets. The wealthy part of them was famous for their embroidery made of gold and silver threads.

Animal skins were of great importance for making clothing. The Kumyks made men's hats and fur coats from the skins of rams and sheep - sheepskins, and shoes from the skins of cattle and goats.

Carpet weaving

Among household crafts, carpet weaving occupied a large place. The Kumyks wove both pile carpets - khali, and lint-free - smooth double-sided carpets, known as doom, patterned felt carpets – arbabash. In addition, they made wool bags - dorbalar, kaplar, saddlebags – Khurzhun, blankets - chul, saddle mats, as well as felted felts - kiiz, sweatshirts – terlik, prayer rugs – namazlyk, simple burkas – yamcular, as well as mats - chipta and etc.

The centers of carpet production were Tarki, Kumtorkala, Andirei, Nizhneye Kazanische, Verkhnee Kazanische, Kayakent. Felt production was particularly developed among the northern Kumyks.

Among the Kumyk carpet products, lint-free one-sided carpets, known as sumak. The carpets' designs are mostly geometric and feature original designs and colors. Northern Kumyks also make felt rugs decorated with geometric and floral patterns.

Along with smooth carpets, striped carpets, the so-called Kayakent carpets. They were produced and are now produced mainly in the villages. Kayakent. As well as Duma, they are double-sided, dense and covered with ornaments. According to experts, Kayakent rugs were previously recognized as genuine masterpieces of carpet art.

The most typical for Kumyk carpet weaving can be considered a kind of felt carpet - arbabash with a mortise pattern. Arbabashi were 1.5–2 meters wide and from 2 to 5 meters long. They were usually made from two felts of the same size, pre-painted in different colors. For Khurzhun, kap And dorba The same wool yarn was used as for the carpets.

Woodworking

Walnut and apricot trees growing on the Kumyk plain and in the foothills were used to make household utensils: troughs intended for kneading dough - kershen, chara, trays – tep-si, buckets – forehead, barrels – cherme, spoons – kashyk, mortars – ayak; furnishings: small chairs and stools on four legs, bunks - takhtemek, occupying almost a third of the room.

Wicker barns for storing grain and flour were widely used on the farm - refugee, large baskets without a bottom, which were placed on a cart for transporting ears of corn and chaff - roan, small-sized baskets with a wicker bottom - even.

Metal processing. Weapons production

Even in ancient times, the Kumyks knew how to mine iron ore and obtain iron from it. For agricultural needs, blacksmiths made sickles - orak, braids – chalgyi, axes – bantha, plowshares – Saban Temir, horseshoes – cash, knives – bichak, shovels with a narrow end - white, later - hoops on the wheels of carts.

The steel forge workshop of a Kumyk was equipped almost in the same way as a similar workshop of a Kubachi or Amuzgin. The Kumyks' weapons production had its own centers, while there were steel forge workshops in almost every village. The centers of weapons production within Kumykia were Verkhneye Kazanishche, Tarki, and Andirei. “Andrey’s village is now a peaceful village, famous for the manufacture of Asian weapons,” wrote P. Khitsunov about Andrey in the newspaper “Caucasus” (1846, No. 16).

Men's and women's clothing

The light underwear of the Kumyks for men was a long shirt - goylek and pants - ishtan. They were sewn from simple cotton fabrics. Over the shirt - beshmet - kaptal. The beshmet was sewn from dark material - cotton, wool or silk. Gradually the beshmet replaced Caucasian shirt with front fastening and stand-up collar. A Circassian coat was worn on a beshmet or shirt - chopken, which was sewn from semi-woven fabrics. In winter, a sheepskin coat was worn over a beshmet or Circassian coat - tone. When setting out on a journey in bad weather, the Kumyks, like many other peoples of the Caucasus, put on a thick cloth bashlyk over their hats - bashlyk, a pointed hood with long bladed stripes on both sides for tying at the neck. The headdress of the Kumyks was a sheepskin hat - papakha.

Footwear: light morocco boots, charms, shoes with thick soles. Boys, starting from five to seven years old, wore the same clothes, with the exception of a burqa and a hood. In the cold season, boys wore toshluk- a type of padded jacket or sleeveless jacket made of silk or wool.

Kumyk women's clothing was more varied. Underwear: ich golek And byurushme gölek– long shirts; Belt clothing - bloomers or wide pants. Several types of outer dress: swing dress, arsar, open dress, half, fancy dress type arsara, kabalay.

The Kumyks wore a bandage on their heads sensitive. On top of it - a silk, wool, tulle or chintz scarf - yavluk.

The woman's shoes were wool socks zhorab home-knitted and morocco dudes – machiiler. Women wore leather galoshes over their boots in winter and in bad weather when going outside. kalushlar or shoes - shoe. Girls from five to seven years old wore the same clothes as young women. Unlike women who loved strict colors, they were given clothes in brighter colors and bought colorful scarves. Chutku girls might not wear them until they were 10–11 years old.

Cosmetics: whitewash – both and blush - engilik. They especially liked to line their eyes, eyebrows and eyelashes with antimony - Surme, which was also used to treat eye diseases. Many women, especially older women, dyed their hair with henna. This was done both for beauty and to strengthen the hair roots. It was believed that henna also helps with headaches.

Family

Since ancient times, Kumyks have built family life on the basis of the Koran and Sharia. Religion obliges a person to be cultured towards his loved ones and neighbors, towards people of other nationalities. A person who prays should not say bad words, behave badly at home and in public, drink alcohol, try drugs and smoke. Must be clean, study well, play sports, respect and help elders, not offend younger children or pets, and not break trees.

Family has always been and is highly valued by the Kumyks, and marriage was a necessity.

Family is the basis of any tukhum (clan) and a guarantee of a secure old age. Among the Kumyks, as well as among other peoples professing Islam, marriage was considered a sacred duty of a Muslim: “A person who is married has more merit before God than the most devout Muslim who remains single.”

The free communication of young people among the Kumyks was somewhat constrained by adat norms. But, despite this, boys and girls always found an opportunity to meet - at harvest time or haymaking, during the tanning of hides, at the spring where the girls went for water. A kind of viewing of brides by young people often took place at the spring. The girls wore their most elegant dresses when they went to fetch water. In the morning and evening it was a kind of parade of dressed up girls. The young people could exchange a few words with them here, exchange glances. More daring boys could ask the girl for a drink.

Communication between young people at the spring, as well as at various entertainment events and holidays, contributed to a certain freedom in choosing a bride and groom. The marriageable age for girls was 16–17, sometimes 14–15 or even 12–13 years. For boys, the normal age for marriage was 16–18 years old. The husband was supposed to be 3–5 years older than his wife.

The social and national identity of the bride and groom was and is of great importance. When concluding a marriage, they always paid attention to the origin and pedigree of the future family partner. The same importance was attached to health: whether there are any chronic diseases in the family. The wife had to be of pure, good origin - so that she would not be illegitimate or of bad behavior; to perform the rituals of the Muslim faith; retained her virginity; if a widow and an undivorced wife, so that she is able to have children.

The social status of the bride’s parents must be taken into account: whether they are poor, middle peasants or rich. Usually this question was approached like this: I have two bulls, and they have two bulls - that means it’s suitable. They tried to ask for a daughter from someone who had two bulls, not four. The one who has four bulls will look for an equal groom. So the conversation began with people who were equal in all respects.

If one of the poor, for a certain reason, married the daughter of a representative of the upper class, then he had to obey his wife in everything. She and her relatives often reproached him for his poor origin. All this led to frequent family quarrels. A woman from a poor class who married a rich man endured reproaches, abuse, humiliation, insults and bullying from her husband and his relatives.

But the final word in choosing a bride or groom belonged to the parents. A girl should have a good character and hard work, and treat her husband’s parents with deep respect. When choosing a bride, they always paid attention to her work skills, which were observed during the girl’s participation in various jobs.

The parents of the future groom and his relatives looked closely at the girls long before the matchmaking. During collective work, women, especially those who had the intention of wooing, observed the girls and their hard work. They told me such a case. One very poor woman wanted to find a good bride for her only son, who would know the value of hard-earned bread. Dressed as a beggar, she entered every house where she had a daughter of marriageable age and asked for the leftovers after kneading the dough. Several girls brought her whole tubs of such leftovers. And one girl apologized and said that she didn’t have such leftovers, but she could give her flour. The woman thanked her and sent matchmakers to this house.

Having a daughter-in-law and continuing to work around the house was considered unworthy of a mother-in-law. It was considered unacceptable if the daughter-in-law got up in the morning later than her mother-in-law. She could not sit idle while her mother-in-law did housework. The main concern of the mother-in-law was observing customs and traditions in the family and looking after the children.

Sometimes marriage was carried out by the escape of a young man and a girl or the abduction of the bride.

The groom's parents themselves could not match the bride. To do this, they chose one of their respected acquaintances. According to custom, the matchmaker visited the bride's house several times. Sometimes they matched small children.

Payment was required kalyma(bride price). Kalym was divided into two approximately equal parts. Half went to “reimbursement” the bride’s family, the other was intended for her to acquire the necessary household supplies. The girl, in addition, was entitled to a dowry consisting of household utensils and livestock. After all property agreements, the day of the bride’s official engagement was set - geleshmek.

Betrothal in its form had the character of a solemn act of notifying relatives, loved ones, and fellow villagers about the intention of two families to become related, therefore not only relatives, but also many fellow villagers were invited. After it, neither party could refuse the marriage without compelling reasons. The bride's parents were given an expensive gift at the engagement party.

Sometimes the engagement took place in a narrower circle. The betrothal procedure depended on the status of the family (economic, class). There could be some other reasons, for example, the recent death of a relative, a serious illness of a loved one, etc.

They usually brought a ring and a scarf to the engagement party. The next morning, the bride's friends or cousins ​​went to fetch water, wearing a scarf and ring brought by the matchmakers. This announced the betrothal and made the gifts public.

The northern Kumyks had a widespread custom Khinjal Baylav(put on a dagger). According to this custom, at someone’s wedding, some young relative of a young man would tie a dagger to an equally young relative of a girl. This meant that the girl was betrothed from that day on. This was usually practiced between close friends. It happened that the girl’s parents were not satisfied with the groom and the dagger was returned. But more often, if the girl’s brother or cousin accepted the dagger, in order not to hurt his pride, they agreed to marry off their daughter.

Unlike the northern ones, the southern Kumyks did not have this custom, but had another, which was called kIana Baylav(tie a scarf). If custom Khinjal Baylav practiced among close friends, then the custom kIana Baylav- among close relatives. In the latter case, at the wedding of one of their close relatives, by mutual agreement of the parties, the girl was invited to dance and during the dance, a white silk scarf was thrown over her head and presented with money. This was done in cases where for some reason it was not possible to perform the ceremony of matchmaking and betrothal.

After the engagement, the bride stayed at home for up to twenty days until she received permission from the groom to go outside.

Before the wedding, the bride and groom did not meet each other in front of their fellow villagers; they could only see each other secretly.

Wedding - that lasted three days. Helpers at the wedding were those whose hearts ache for the owners of the wedding house - zhany avruigan adamlar bolma gerek. They were completely trusted with all economic functions. Neither the father, nor the mother, nor the groom’s sisters and brothers participated in organizing the feast. They only accepted congratulations. Receiving a “position” at a wedding was considered a great honor for any of the villagers. Many of those who were not given such an honor were offended, considering themselves left out.

After the wedding, all the organizers of the celebration received good gifts.

On the first day, in the morning, mostly close relatives and neighbors, as well as musicians, came to the wedding. The women present went out to meet the musicians on the street. At the same time, they sang ritual songs on this occasion - gyalalaylar(for all Kumyks).

The treat was prepared separately for men and women. All the guests brought gifts. The bride was given what she needed in the household, and the groom was given food and money. Dancing and singing were obligatory. By the end of the first day of the wedding, guests from neighboring villages arrived. They were housed overnight with neighbors who volunteered their services. The neighbors who “didn’t get” the guests were offended by this and asked to send at least one of them to them. All conditions for relaxation and pleasant pastime were created for guests.

Before the bride was taken to the groom's house, the marriage took place - gebin kyyiv.

On the second day of the wedding, the bride was solemnly taken to the groom's house. The bride was dressed in new clothes sent by the groom and wrapped in a blanket. They went for the bride either at noon (among the northern Kumyks) or at dusk (among the southern Kumyks) on the second day of the wedding. They transported her on a cart. The bride was accompanied by a large retinue of her friends - kudagyiz-lar and several men - kudalar, whose duties were to ensure that the girl was given a good reception and to protect her if necessary.

The bride was transported to her husband’s house in a special cart with a high top woven from hazel, covered with a patterned carpet. The girl was seen off by her friends and men - her neighbors, guests of honor. Among them, the most important was the steward and guardian of the bride, an elderly woman, most often the wife of a paternal uncle or the wife of an older brother. Northern Kumyks called such a woman abay katyn or where is katyn, southern – eltgen katun, alyp baragan katun, eltegen katun(accompanying woman).

During the bride's move kudagyizlar they performed ritual songs praising the girl, her family, the groom, and his family. At this time, the groom's friends opened fire, which was practiced among many peoples of the Caucasus and was usually interpreted as a magical protective action. Over time, this custom lost both its symbolic and magical meaning and was seen as a demonstration of courage, dexterity, and a manifestation of joy.

Those accompanying the bride demanded a reward for permission to bring her into the house. Usually it was a dagger that was received by a teenager leading oxen harnessed to a wedding cart.

When the bride and her retinue entered the courtyard, they showered her with flour, rice, nuts, and sweets so that she would live in prosperity in this house and have many children.

Her relative or neighbor with many children would dip her finger into a bowl of honey and let the bride lick it. Then, dipping the bride's hand in honey, she made an imprint on the wall. All this, according to legend, was supposed to contribute to a happy life.

A silk cloth or rug was always laid at the entrance to the room. This ritual was called en yaya(spread the material). The linen and rug were then given away where is katyn. Honey, silk, rug, linen, according to the Kumyks, were supposed to symbolize abundance, prosperity, peace in this house. In turn, the bride brought sherbet with her, which was first tasted by the most prosperous relative of the groom, then the rest.

Among the Kumyks of the Karabudakhkent region, from the moment the wedding train with the bride entered the courtyard of the groom's house, the mother-in-law did not get up from her seat until the bride entered the room. In addition, she crossed her arms and held them under her arms. This symbolized the mother-in-law’s intention to rest when her daughter-in-law came to the house. If at this moment the mother-in-law is on her feet, then she, they say, may find herself at the beck and call of her daughter-in-law in the future.

In the groom's house, the bride was placed in the corner behind a screen - chibyldyrik. The bride's friends sat next to her.

The men accompanying the bride were in the room until the groom arrived. They gave the groom's relatives difficult tasks, for example, bringing watermelon in winter or ice in summer. The demands were the most unexpected, and this whole ritual brought extraordinary excitement and fun to the wedding celebration.

To enter the bride's room, the groom had to give her a gift and solve a riddle. The bride also guessed riddles. The newlyweds did not participate in the celebration. The bride sat in the corner of the room, behind a curtain, and the groom went to his relatives and appeared in the house only after all the guests had left.

On the morning of the second day the ritual was performed bet achyv(face opening). The bride's face was usually revealed by the girl. She was given the best gift, often the same silk scarf that covered the newlywed's face. That same morning, the young woman presented all the groom’s relatives with gifts - Berne(among the southern Kumyks), sandyk sep(in the northern ones). Gifts were distributed first to the mother-in-law, then to the sisters-in-law, to the aunts, then to the rest. Besides, where is katyn She treated everyone who came to sweets.

On the second day of the wedding, equestrian competitions were held. They were notified about them in advance so that participants from other villages could come. The wedding host offered a cow or a calf as a prize. Often the prizes were a silver dagger, a foal, and silver money.

Played a big role at the wedding khan(among the northern Kumyks) or Shah(among the southern ones), which was usually a cheerful, witty person who knew how to maintain order, who knew local customs, the morals of the village residents, and even the tastes of individuals. Wedding shahs and khans chose their assistants - jallats(executioners) and with their participation performed performances demonstrating their “unlimited power,” which in the most unexpected way could affect any wedding guest.

In the villages of Majalis, Yangikent and Tumeller they said that the Shah gave instructions to take away weapons from all men who came to the wedding. Jallat guarded these weapons in a special room and returned them to their owners after the wedding.

In the village of Tumeller, old people recalled that at weddings the shahs gave orders, for example, to bring the groom’s father and mother to him, bring a mattress, blanket, pillow, lay them in the middle of the circle in the courtyard and lie down hugging in bed. Or they forced one of the close relatives to bring his wife on his back, in a wicker basket, etc. The jokes did not offend anyone, on the contrary, the more original Shah came up with a “punishment”, the more the guests had fun.

The most fun wedding participants were dombaylar(among the northern Kumyks), karchilar(in the south) - jesters who put on various masks and amused the wedding participants. Jesters could come to a wedding without an invitation. Often close relatives of the groom dressed up as jesters, and they changed their appearance so skillfully that no one recognized them (they dressed up in a man’s suit, in a fur coat turned inside out). It is interesting to note that the jesters were allowed to say whatever they wanted to any wedding participant. At the same time, no one should be offended by them. They ridiculed greed, envy, lies and other vices of those present, albeit in a humorous manner. The jesters were allowed liberties, for example, to hug anyone, lie at someone’s feet, or lean on their elbows. Jesters could approach the khans and talk to them as equals. It was forbidden to offend the jester. If it happened that someone accidentally offended the jester in some way, everyone condemned this person. The jester received gifts and other signs of respect at the wedding.

On the evening of the fourth day after the wedding, the husband’s relatives came to see the newlywed. She was asked various humorous questions, to which she did not pay attention, but only treated the guests to wine and sweets. After two or three weeks, the ritual of the newlywed’s first trip to fetch water was performed. She was accompanied by her relatives, led by her husband's eldest relative. The procession moved to the source accompanied by music and songs, and those they met were presented with sweets.

A month after the wedding, the daughter-in-law was led into the large room of her husband's house. A magnificent ceremony was held on this occasion. The young woman was accompanied by her mentor and friends. They carried gifts on their heads for their husband's relatives: felt carpets, pieces of fabric, small embroidered items. The husband's relatives greeted the daughter-in-law and wished her well-being. Then she returned to her room, where she treated her friends.

The daughter-in-law was not immediately allowed to participate in the economic life of the family. For the first time after the wedding, she could not speak to anyone except her husband. When the mother-in-law lifted the conversation ban, the daughter-in-law had to give her a gift. The ban on conversation between the daughter-in-law and the father-in-law lasted especially long, sometimes for several years. The ritual of lifting the ban was accompanied by a celebration with the participation of loved ones and the exchange of gifts between father-in-law and daughter-in-law.

In the Kumyk family, a custom was strictly observed, according to which from the first days of marriage the daughter-in-law had to come up with beautiful names for her new relatives - affectionate for the young and respectful for the old.

After marriage, the wife passed not only into power, but also into the dependency of her husband. The bride's parents did not interfere in the relationship between the young couple; moreover, they oriented their daughters towards submission to their husbands even in cases where family relationships were difficult. A woman could not at her own discretion leave her husband’s house and go to her parents or relatives.

Divorces among Kumyks were extremely rare. The initiative usually came from a man. During a divorce, he returned that part of the bride price that was intended for the maintenance of his wife. The woman could take her personal belongings with her.

All power was concentrated in the head of the family, usually the eldest man - grandfather, father, brother. He determined the internal routine of the family, could interfere in the personal affairs and relationships of adult family members, and had the final say in choosing the bride or groom. Responsibilities are usually fairly divided among family members.

Family tree

Try to fill it out with the help of adults. Start with the names of grandparents, etc.

Birth of a child

For Kumyks, the birth of a child has always been a significant and joyful event. And the appearance of a son, the successor of the family on the paternal side, was celebrated especially solemnly. Having many children, both before and now, is considered a sign of family well-being. Childlessness in a family was considered a great misfortune. To help a woman become a mother, they resorted to the help of witch doctors - healers who treated them with prayers and spells. They also took women to the hot sulfur springs of Talgi and Kayakent.

Pregnant woman mother-in-law I tried to free her from work, worries, and feed her better. A woman gave birth at home with the help of a female assistant anachi katyn, who later became the second, godmother of the child.

The good news of the birth of a child was first reported to the husband's mother, and then to everyone else. All relatives, friends and acquaintances came to congratulate the family on the birth of the child. Everyone was necessarily invited to the table and treated. After about a week, the child was ceremonially placed in the cradle and given a name. As a rule, he was named after older relatives or given the Muslim names of saints. It was obligatory to give children affectionate names, which they used until they reached adulthood.

On the fortieth day, the child’s head was shaved, and a little later his nails were trimmed. At the age of 3–5 years, boys were circumcised (sunnet). In Kumyk families, the child was looked after by grandparents.

The most desired thing in the family was the birth of a boy - a successor to the family. If several boys were born, the youngest was obliged to stay with his parents in the parental home, while the older ones could separate and live independently with their families.

This is how children were raised

As boys, their father and older brothers were gradually accustomed to male types of work: herding cattle, caring for them - feeding them, taking them to watering places, guarding vegetable gardens and melon fields, carrying crops from the field on a cart, chopping firewood, and performing other simple work.

From childhood we were taught to ride horses, care for horses, and take care of yard dogs. Sometimes they were sent, especially in the evening hours, on various errands to other families, to the other end of the village. They wanted us not to be afraid of the dark, to learn to endure difficulties, to toughen ourselves up, to develop endurance. The “lessons” began with simple assignments and ended with us doing independent work.

The mother’s “lessons” to the girls were more complex and varied. From a very young age, the daughter provided all possible assistance to her mother in household chores, gradually becoming involved in complex labor processes. She learned from her elders how to wash clothes on her own, clean rooms, knead dough, bake bread, cook, sew, embroider. When the mother put the baby to bed, the older girl rocked the cradle. She took him out for a walk. If there was an older girl, the mother never went to fetch water herself. This was the direct responsibility of the daughter.

Like other peoples of Dagestan, a mother was judged by her daughter, and a daughter by her mother. If the girl grew up neat and hardworking, the mother acquired a good reputation. Often the neighbors compared the daughter with the mother and said: “The daughter is just like the mother” or “She will be like the mother.” Miscalculations in the girl’s behavior were explained by the fact that her mother was a bad housewife and teacher.

ethnoscience

The experience of traditional medicine has been passed down from generation to generation. Most medicines were based on plants. For stomach illness Ashkazan treated with infusion of wild rosemary and plantain Yara Yaprak and nettle infusion kychytkan, hawthorn root Tulana used for hypertension, rosehip root it's a breaker– for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Linden flowers are brewed for coughs. Badger lard is considered a good remedy for severe coughs and sore throats. parsuk may. In the treatment of skin diseases kavargan(eczema) use burdock leaves hamharti, which are scrolled through a meat grinder, applied to the sore spot and bandaged with a rag. Sometimes burdock was applied to a sore spot, after softening the hard parts of the leaves. There were also unusual methods of treatment, which consisted in the fact that when a person cuts himself, you need to bite his finger hard, and then just apply a bandage.

One of the common methods of treatment was therapeutic massage. It was indispensable for headaches, hypertension, and abdominal diseases. Among the medicines, animal fats and food products were often found.

External and internal, contagious and non-contagious diseases were known. Colds were treated with warming agents (hot food and rubbing), bronchitis and tuberculosis were fought mainly with increased nutrition and fresh foods.

Warming procedures in the skin of a freshly slaughtered animal were widespread. The patient was wrapped in such a skin and covered with felt for the required period.

The healing properties of sulfur mineral springs and medicinal mud (Talgi, Kayakent, etc.) were successfully used.

Kumyk doctors relieved headaches with bloodletting and leeches Syulyuk. Wounds were disinfected with fresh ash or a burnt piece of felt. A mixture of oil, sulfur and charcoal was used to treat scabies.

Doctors - chiropractors - were especially respected by the people. syuk mouth. Chiropractors were able to set fractures of limbs, collarbones, hips, and joint dislocations. Two planks with fabric tape were used to fix the fractures taktalemak. For chest contusions and rib fractures, a bandage was used using a test mixed with egg whites - kirish uruv.

Local surgeons also circumcised boys - sunnet, children had their teeth removed.

From an early age, hygiene skills were instilled in the family. It was obligatory to bathe once a week. For this purpose, each family had a large silpachi and small ashlav basins.

Many methods of traditional medicine were based on practical experience developed by the people over many centuries and brought great benefit to people.

With the annexation of Dagestan to Russia, in the second half of the 19th century, healthcare of a modern type for those years began to operate. At first these were hospitals, then medical centers appeared, where Russian doctors and paramedics worked.

The first Kumyk doctors were the Klychev brothers from Aksay - Abdulazim and Yusup, who graduated from medical institutes.

Hospitality and kunachestvo

“You can meet an enemy every day. If we talk about beauty, then there is an even better one. And you must receive the guests who come to you from your fathers promptly and with dignity.”

- says the mother to her son Aigazi (“Song about Aigazi”).

This is the true attitude in the Caucasus towards kunaks and friends who came from distant places to the house of a mountaineer or a resident of the Kumyk plane. Since ancient times, there was a custom when someone in need of an overnight stay could approach any house and ask: “Would the owners wish to receive guests?” – and a cordial positive answer immediately followed. Refusal of such a service to a guest was considered an inhumane, immoral act and was condemned by society.

"With kunak and bereket(prosperity) comes,” the Kumyks said in the old days. The southern Kumyks most often had guests from the Dargin, Tabasaran, Lak, Rutul, and Agul societies. These kunaks went through the territory of the southern Kumyks to Derbent, for winter kutans, various crafts and stopped here along the way. Of course, the mountaineers came to Kumyk villages on business and for trade. Such close ties existed among the northern Kumyks with their neighbors, the Avars, Chechens, Laks, Russians, and Ossetians.

To strengthen friendship, the Kunaks gave the same names to their children. If a visitor had several kunaks, then one was considered the main one. The guest first went to him, and then he could go to another kunak, having first left one of his things: a cloak, a cap, a whip, a saddle and even a horse.

With the advent of Russian settlements on the Terek, kunat ties began between the Kumyks and Terek Cossacks. These connections did not stop during the Caucasian War. Through the kunas, wealthy Kumyks began to send their sons to the families of Terek Cossacks and other Russian families to teach the Russian language in village schools. On the other hand, the Cossacks, living next door to the highlanders, “not only got used to their way of life, but also accepted their customs and clothing, know the mountains, the location and have connections with the highlanders,” noted the unknown author.

Kumyk holidays

Traditional holidays of the peoples of Dagestan represent an important part of their spiritual culture. The first annual holiday and the ritual associated with it among the Kumyks was dedicated to seeing off winter and welcoming spring - Navruz-Bayram or Yangy Yilny Bayramy, which is usually celebrated on the vernal equinox on March 21.

Before the holiday, they cleaned the houses, whitewashed the walls, did a big laundry, dressed in everything clean, took everything out of the house and from the courtyards that had become unusable and burned it.

They made fires in the courtyards of houses, on the streets, outside the village. All participants of the holiday, especially young men and teenagers, jumped over the fires. This custom was called “burning of winter” - kysh gyudyuryuv.

Another no less important and most joyful holiday for us children was the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting - abstinence from food and drink, which lasted during the holy month of Ramadan.

The tradition of celebrating the day of breaking the fast dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, from 624. This is a holiday for all Muslims. Three days before the holiday, our grandmothers and mothers began to prepare all sorts of goodies and buy gifts for their closest relatives. And the fathers chose well-fed animals to sacrifice.

On the day of the holiday, Muslims visit the graves of the dead and distribute sadaqa, perform festive ritual prayer, put on their best clothes, prepare traditional dishes, and after prayer they set festive tables, invite neighbors, relatives and friends to visit, make return visits with gifts, rejoice and have fun.

And we, the children, got up early in the morning, united in noisy groups and threw canvas bags behind our backs, and went to congratulate our neighbors on the street. We knocked on the door briskly, and when it was opened for us, we vied with each other to congratulate the owners of the house with the words:

– Tutkan orazany Allah kabul etsin! – Seneca and etsin,- they answered us and filled our bags with all sorts of sweets: sweets and pastries... And now my grandchildren are knocking on the doors of their neighbors with the words familiar from my childhood: “... Allah kabul etsin”...

The holiday of Eid al-Fitr is celebrated after the end of the Hajj and 70 days after the holiday of Eid al-Adha in memory of the sacrifice of the prophet Ibrahim.

According to the Koran, the angel Gabriel appeared to the prophet Ibrahim in a dream and conveyed to him the command of Allah to sacrifice his son.

Ibrahim went to the Mina valley to the place where Mecca now stands and began preparations. His son, who knew about this, did not resist, as he was obedient to his father and Allah. However, this turned out to be a test from Allah, and when the sacrifice was almost made, Allah made sure that the knife could not cut, and then the angel Gabriel gave the prophet Ibrahim a ram as a replacement.

Eid al-Fitr celebrations begin in the morning. After performing ablution and putting on new clothes, the Muslim goes to the mosque for morning prayer. After completing the prayer, the believers return to their place, where they sing praises to Allah in chorus. Then they go to the mosque, where the mullah delivers a sermon. At the end of the sermon, participants visit the cemetery and pray for the deceased. Returning home, they begin the ritual of sacrifice.

For those who worship the Koran,

This important holiday is coming!

His name is Kurban Bayram,

Accept it bravely in your soul!

Sacrifice a lamb

Sermon prayers will be

We must not forget about the poor

Allah will not forget you!

Be merciful like Allah

Glorifying His greatness!

Be pure in soul and body,

Repeating Takbir diligently.

The rules of the holiday require treating everyone, especially the poor. In the days following the holiday, it is necessary to visit relatives and friends.

Myths, fairy tales, legends and traditions

Myths, fairy tales, legends, traditions, and proverbs were the main source of information among the majority of the illiterate population of the Kumyk plane. Oral folk tales were passed down from generation to generation, forming the spiritual support of the people.

Wise old man

One day a noble biy was traveling with three viziers, inspecting his possessions and saw an old man reaping wheat.

- Hey, old man! - shouted the bey. “I see that the top of your mountain is covered with white snow.”

- What a mountain! - the old man responded. - Already the plain, my bey, is covered with a white haze...

– How are you doing with food? - I'm managing, thank you. I chew bread with meat. -What are you doing, old man? - I lent it, and now I receive this debt. - And if I sent you three fat drakes, what would you do with them?

– I plucked it to the last feather.

Finally, the senior vizier could not stand it and asked:

– What, venerable biy, were you and the old man talking about? I must admit, I didn’t understand anything.

- Understood nothing? Well, what about you? – the biy addressed the junior viziers.

- We didn’t understand a word! - they said in response. The biy got angry:

“What kind of advisers are you, my smart viziers, when you can’t understand a simple conversation!” Either you guess what was discussed, or I don’t need you anymore. I'll drive everyone away!

The viziers moved aside and began to confer. And they thought this way and that... They couldn’t come up with anything! We decided: “Let’s go back to the old man and ask him himself.”

They returned to the old man’s field, and the senior vizier shouted:

- Old man, oh old man! Biy drove us out because we did not understand what you were talking about. Won't you tell us?

- Why not tell me? I'll tell you! Only for this you give me your horses and clothes.

The viziers looked at each other and hesitated. I really didn’t want to give them fast horses and an expensive dress. What can you do! If the bey drives you away, it will be very bad!

They got off their horses, took off everything and said:

- Well, come on, old man, tell me your secret.

And the old man said:

- When the biy shouted: “The top of your mountain is covered with white snow!” - this meant: “You’ve gone completely grey, old man!” And I answered: “The plain is already covered with white haze.” This meant: “My eyes began to see poorly.” Biy asked me: “How are you doing with food?” And I answered him: “I chew bread with meat.” It meant: “I chew with my gums.” (I don’t have any teeth left!) “What are you doing?” – the bey then asked. And I answered: “I lent money, but now I receive debts.” This meant: “I threw grains of wheat into the ground in the spring, as if I had given it a debt, and now the earth returns the debts to me with a harvest.” The last question the bi asked me was about fat drakes: what would I do with them if I came across them? And I answered: “I would pluck to the last feather.” So I got you! - concluded the old man. “You stand in front of me like plucked drakes, without a single feather.”

Arslanali-haji
("Lom-haji")

Arslanali-haji was born in the village of Nizhneye Kazanishche, and his ancestors were from Tarka. According to the old-timers of Nizhny Kazanishche, he possessed enormous physical strength, which the Almighty endowed him with.

He received the nickname “Lom-haji”, according to some sources, due to the fact that he could break metal scrap, and according to other sources, due to the fact that with his own crowbar and pickaxe he paved the road to the village of Betaul through rocky rock.

He was a very pious and educated man, an alim. He did not demonstrate his strength unnecessarily, being endowed with modesty by nature. His son Absalam also had considerable power.

There are many stories about Arslanali-haji. Here are some of them.

Two residents of Nizhny Kazanishche, having quarreled among themselves, began to sort things out. Arslanali tried to reconcile them. They, in turn, insulted him. Angry, Arslanali threw both of them onto the roof.

One day Arslanali was returning from Chirkei, where his acquaintance lived. In a field near Chirkei, he decided to lie down and rest. After some time, he was awakened by 6-7 armed Chirkeans, dissatisfied with the fact that his horse, while he was sleeping, allegedly caused them great damage by eating the hay stored for the winter. Arslanali apologized and asked them how much they valued the damage - Arslanali wanted to pay them compensation. But I received mockery and insults in response.

Enraged, Arslanali pounced on them and, having laid the insolent men crosswise, sat on top of them and gave each of them a smack. At that moment, a villager passing by, hearing the cries of people calling for help, asked Arslanali to let them go and forgive them. Which he did, since he had a kind heart and an easy-going character.

Spiritual culture. Religion

Islam and Arab-Muslim culture came to Dagestan during the era of the Arab Caliphate. In the Middle Ages, several centers of Muslim theology, Arabic-language culture and science arose in Dagestan - Derbent, Akhty, Tsakhur, Kumukh, Akusha, Sogratl, Khunzakh, Enderi, Yarag, Bashly.

The Kumyk people have a special attitude towards Muslim places of worship - mosques, madrasah buildings, sanctuaries, khalvatam. Each community considered it its duty to take care of these buildings, preserve them, and provide constant care for them.

Among the holy places, they are especially revered Utamysh halvat which are located near the villages. Utamysh, Kayakent district. According to the Utamysh people, holy sheikhs are buried here - Arab preachers who at one time came here as missionaries and remained permanently. There are 24 of their graves in total, and they are revered by local residents.

A common religious structure – khalvat – was built over the graves.

Kumyks are Sunni Muslims who profess Islam. Islam is a world religion subject to the laws of Allah. Allah Almighty is the supreme power of all Muslims. He has 99 names, which are written in the Koran, the holy book of Muslims. The following hadith of the Prophet Muhammad is known: “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred without one. The one who begins to list them will enter paradise.” Allah conveyed His will to people through the prophets. The last of them was Mohammed.

Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was born in Mecca (modern Saudi Arabia) around 570 AD. e. This outstanding man is an example for each of us: prophet, ruler, philosopher, speaker, warrior, husband, friend, father, uncle, nephew, grandfather - whoever Muhammad was, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he fulfilled his destiny perfect! He was a man full of love, patience, courage, wisdom, generosity, nobility... A man who inspired millions of people around the world.

One hadith tells how once, while walking through the market, the prophet Muhammad stopped in front of a food vendor. From above, all the food looked good, but when he got to those below, the prophet discovered that the food was wet. He asked: “O master of food, what is this?” The merchant replied: “She got wet from the rain, O Messenger of Allah.” Then the prophet said: “Why didn’t you put it on top so that others could see that it was wet? After all, the one who deceives is not one of us” (Sahih Muslim).

Muslim society is built on purity of feelings, love, sincerity towards every Muslim and fulfillment of promises. Members of Muslim society must be pious, truthful and faithful. Deception and fraud are qualities that are alien to Islamic society and go against the personality of a noble Muslim. There should be no place among Muslims for swindlers, traitors and deceivers.

Famous religious and historical figures

Aktashi Avabi Muhammad– scientist-historian, chronicler, author of “Derbend-name”.

Aksaevsky Yusuf-Kadi (Yakhsayly)- a famous Arabist scholar, religious thinker in Dagestan in the 14th century.

Dagestan Ali-Kuli-Khan Valikh - prince, an outstanding poet and encyclopedist of the Muslim East, descended from the family of Shamkhals Tarkovsky. He spoke Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Turkic languages.

Kurumov Kasim- genus. in 1805 in the Kumyk village of Bekisyurt (Little Kabarda), from Uzdeni. Active participant in the Caucasian War (1829–1859), major general (1867), prominent public figure. He had a Muslim and military education. In addition to his native Kumyk language, he knew Arabic, Russian, Chechen, Avar, and was a translator for the governor, General Baryatinsky.

Mehdi II- Tarkovsky Shamkhal (1794–1830), lieutenant general of the Russian Army.

Mustafayev Abdul-Basir-haji(1865–1932) - a famous Arabist scholar, religious and socio-political figure of the early 20th century. In 1919, he was appointed Sheikh-ul Islam of Dagestan, chairman of the Sharia court.

Soltan-Mut- Kumyk Murza, ruler of the Endirean possession, a famous politician and commander, under whom Kumykia reached the peak of its power, for decades (late 16th – early 17th centuries) successfully repelling numerous attacks from its neighbors. Soltan-Mut was not only a talented commander, but also a far-sighted politician and organizer. Having united people around the idea of ​​achieving prosperity through creative labor, he encouraged internal trade, as well as trade of his residents with neighboring lands, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding and crafts. Under Soltan-Mut, Endirei became a thriving large city. Under him, other villages arose: Aksai, Karlanyurt, Bamatyurt, Botashyurt, Aznavour village, Salayurt, Tonayurt, Saltaneevo place, Cherivkala fortress, the already existing Bavtugai (Guen-Kala), Karagach, Kostek, etc. grew. Endirei was called Yarta Istanbul (Half of Istanbul) for its size and beauty.

Tashav – Haji- comes from villages. Endirei, an active, influential associate of Shamil, naib. He had great authority both in the Kumyk lands and in Chechnya, where he moved in the 30s of the 19th century. He was called the “Upright One,” was an unwavering supporter of the observance of Sharia by all Muslims, and always opposed the use

naibs and other officials of the Imamate of their position of power for personal purposes and for material enrichment.

Shikhaliev (Sheikh-Ali) Devlet-Mirza- genus. in 1811 in the village. Endirei, lieutenant colonel, participant in the Caucasian War, ethnographer scientist, chief police officer of the Mohammedan peoples of the Stavropol province, author of the famous book “The Kumyk’s Story about the Kumyks” (1848).

Political, military and economic figures

Apashev Daniyal- head of the first capital of Dagestan - Temir-Khan-Shura, chairman of the parliament of the Mountain Republic and the Dagestan Milli-Committee during the Civil War, a famous organizer and social and political figure in the North Caucasus. Founder of the Dagestan National Police.

Aliyev Nariman– Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, full member of the Academy of Technological Sciences of the Russian Federation and the National Academy of Sciences of Dagestan. Hero of Socialist Labor. Since 1976, General Director of NPO Dagagrovinprom.

Bammatov Gaidar(Gaydar Bammat) – b. in 1889 in the village. Kafir-Kumukh Temir-Khan-Shurinsky district. A prominent political figure of the first half of the 20th century, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Mountain People of the North Caucasus and Dagestan.

Kaplanov Rashid Khan- Kumyk prince, graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1910–1913 taught at Istanbul University. Minister of Internal Affairs of the Mountain Republic (1918–1919), Minister of Public Education and Religious Affairs (1919) and Trade, Industry and Food of the Azerbaijan Republic (1919–1920).

Korkmasov Jalalutdin– revolutionary, famous socio-political and statesman. He graduated from the Sorbonne University (France) in 1910, published the newspaper “Istanbul News” (1908). First Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the DASSR, author of the first Constitution of the DASSR. Repressed, later rehabilitated.

Mirzabekov Abdurazak– since 1984 – Deputy Chairman, since August 1987 – Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Reformer. Maecenas. On October 11, 2012, a monument to him was unveiled in Makhachkala.

Nasrutdinov Nasrutdin– in 1957 graduated from the Grozny Oil Institute named after. M. D. Millionshchikova. General Director of the Daggazprom association, deputy of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan (1995–1999, 1999–2000). Leading a team of like-minded people, he created a powerful branch of the national economy in Dagestan - Dagestangazprom. Since 1992 - General Director of Dagestangazprom, since 2009 - Advisor to the General Director of Gazpromtransgaz Makhachkala LLC.

Tarkovsky Jamalutdin- genus. in 1849 in the village. Nizhnye Kazanische Temir-Khan-Shurinsky district. Prince, landowner. Social and political figure of Dagestan at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries. Since 1885, naib (chief) of the Temir-Khan-Shurinsky naibstvo (section).

Tsokolaev-Kachalaev Eldar- Colonel General of Aviation. Since 1983, Commander of the Air Force - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Far East. His operational subordination included three front-line air armies, naval missile-carrying carrier-based aviation of the Pacific Fleet, air defense aviation and one long-range aviation air army, stationed from the Urals to the Commander Islands and from Franz Josef Land to the People's Republic of China and Korea.

Shikhsaidov Shikhsaid- political and statesman of Dagestan, agricultural scientist. He held the positions of secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU (1962–1975), first secretary of the regional committee of the Komsomol (1956–1960), director of the Research Institute of Agriculture (1975–1982). Founder of industrial poultry farming in Dagestan.

Shikhsaidov Khizri- political and statesman of Dagestan. Deputy of the State Duma (2007–2013), Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Dagestan (1997–2004) and First Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Dagestan. Currently Chairman of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Dagestan.

Creative intelligentsia

Abukov Kamal- People's writer of Dagestan, critic, playwright. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Dag State University, the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee. Currently, he is a professor at Daggospeduniversity, Doctor of Philology, member of the USSR Writers' Union, member of the board of the Writers' Union of the Republic of Dagestan.

Adzhiev Anvar- genus. in 1914 in the village. Kostek. People's poet of Dagestan. Translator, member of the USSR Writers' Union since 1944.

Akaev Abusufyan- genus. in 1872 in the village. Nizhneye Kazanische. A learned theologian, Sufi, poet, publisher and one of the founders of the first Islamic printing house in Temir-Khan-Shur.

Astemirov Bagautdin- poet, first chairman of the board of the Writers' Union of Dagestan, People's Commissar of Education of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1933–1937).

Atabaev Magomed- People's poet of Dagestan, writer, playwright, translator. Graduated from the Literary Institute named after. Gorky. He worked as a literary worker for the republican newspaper "Leninsky Put", an editor of fiction at the Dagestan book publishing house, and an editor for the Kumyk edition of the almanac "Friendship". Now he is the editor of the Kumyk edition of the magazine “Literary Dagestan”. Author of more than 60 books and about 250 songs.

Atkay (Adjamatov Atkay)- People's poet of Dagestan, playwright, translator. He studied at the Higher Literary Courses at the Literary Institute. M. Gorky (Moscow). Member of the USSR Writers' Union since 1934. People's poet of Dagestan, laureate of the Republican Prize named after. S. Stalsky. In Makhachkala, on the house on M. Gadzhieva Street, 3, where Atkai lived, a memorial plaque was installed.

Bagautdinov Magomed-Zapir- famous singer, performer of Kumyk songs. In 1976 he graduated from the Makhachkala Music College in vocal class, soloist of the Dagestan State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company choir, and since 1996 - soloist of the Dagestan State Opera and Ballet Theater. Participant of international folklore festivals in France, Bulgaria, Hungary. Honored Artist of the DASSR (1976), People's Artist of the Republic of Dagestan.

Batalbekova Isbat- outstanding singer, People's Artist of the RSFSR (1974). Laureate of the Stalin Prize, awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, laureate of the USSR State Prize.

Batymurzaev Zainalabid- poet, publicist, revolutionary, active participant in the civil war.

Batyrmurzaev Nukhay- famous Kumyk poet, prose writer, translator. Together with his son Zainalabid, he actively participated in the revolutionary movement and published the magazine “Tang Cholpan”.

Beybulatov Temir-Bulat- genus. in 1879 in the village. Betaul (now the Nizhny Kazanishche quarter), poet, translator, folklorist, playwright, director, composer and actor.

Irchi Kazak- genus. OK. 1830 in the village. Muslimaul of the Tarkov Shamkhalate. Classic of Dagestan literature, poet, founder of Kumyk literature.

Ibragimov-Kizlyarsky Abdulguseyn– author of the novel “Amankhor” - the first historical novel in the Kumyk language. The essay “Tarihi Kyz-larkala” was written in the Kumyk language in 1915–1916. in two versions.

Magomedov Abdulla- People's poet of Dagestan, representative of oral Kumyk poetry, one of the founders of Kumyk Soviet poetry, participant in the All-Dagestan Writers' Congress, member of the USSR Writers' Union since 1934. In 1936, he was elected a member of the board of the Dagestan Writers' Union. He was awarded the title of People's Poet by the same Decree with Suleiman Stalsky and Gamzat Tsadasa on the eve of the First All-Dagestan Congress of Writers (June 1934).

Muradova Bariyat– an outstanding actress, performer of Kumyk folk songs. She was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner of Labor, Friendship of Peoples, and the Badge of Honor. Laureate of the State Prize named after. K. Stanislavsky. People's Artist of the Republic of Dagestan (1935), People's Artist of the RSFSR (1940), People's Artist of the USSR (1960). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the 1st convocation, Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 5th convocation (1958–1962). Member of the Soviet Peace Committee.

Salavatov Alim-Pasha- poet, playwright, theater figure, founder of Kumyk drama. Member of the Union of Writers of the USSR since 1936. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he volunteered to join the army and in 1942 died a heroic death in battle on the Crimean Front. A street in Makhachkala, the Izberbash Pedagogical School, and the Kumyk Musical and Drama Theater are named after him.

Sultanov Kamil- genus. in 1911 in the village. Turshunai, Terek region (now Babayurt district), from the family of Kumyk princes Kaplanov. Famous literary critic, poet, writer, translator. Member of the Union of Writers of the USSR since 1942. He was director of Dagknigizdat.

Heroes of the Motherland

Abdulaev Abdurakhman- genus. to the village of Mutsalaul, Khasavyurt region in 1919, a participant in the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars. Cavalier of the Order of Glory, III degree, Hero of the Soviet Union.

Abduragimov Magomedshamil- genus. in 1980 in the village. Kakamahi, Kara-Budakhkent district. Senior police lieutenant. Winner of the World Cup in Thai boxing, international master of sports. Hero of Russia (posthumously, 2006). In October 2005, during a check at one of the addresses on Pervomaiskaya Street in Makhachkala, fire was opened on the operatives. Abduragimov entered the house and neutralized the terrorist planting the explosive device. During the battle, Sergei Podvalny, who later also became a Hero of Russia (posthumously), also died, and two more policemen were injured.

Akaev Yusup(1922–1949) - naval attack pilot, during the Great Patriotic War, commander of the 2nd aviation squadron of the 47th attack air regiment of the 11th attack aviation division of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force. Hero of the Soviet Union (1944), major. Awarded 3 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, Alexander Nevsky.

Askerov Asker- genus. in 1980 in the village. Khalimbekaul, Buinaksky district. In the Ministry of Internal Affairs since 1997. In 2001 he graduated from the Omsk Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in September 2004 he headed the criminal investigation department of the internal affairs department of the Buinaksky district of the Republic of Dagestan. On the night of May 29, 2005, the department received information about the mining of a tunnel on the Buynaksk-Untsukul highway. Observation showed that three unknown persons were planting landmines. Having decided to detain the criminal providing cover, A.M. Askerov blocked possible escape routes and neutralized him. Then he rushed towards the main group. Having discovered the pursuit, the criminals opened fire on the policeman and wounded him, but Askerov overtook one of the bandits. A fight ensued. While resisting, the terrorist took out the control panel for the landmine. Knowing well that an explosion would follow, the policeman, bleeding, tore out the remote control and threw it into the gorge, but the bandit still managed to shoot at the officer. His comrades arrived in time and evacuated him from the battlefield; Asker died on the way to the hospital. As a result of an inspection on the mountainside along the sides of a 137-meter-long road near the tunnel, sappers discovered 27 powerful artillery landmines! At the cost of his life, a police officer prevented a major terrorist attack that threatened Dagestan with tragic consequences. For the courage and heroism shown in the performance of official duty, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 23, 2005, senior police lieutenant Askerov Asker Magomedaminovich was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously). A bust of the Hero was erected on the territory of the Omsk Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and a scholarship was established in his name.

Datuev Abdurazak- genus. in 1909 in the village. Karlanyurt, Khasavyurt district, Terek region (now Khasavyurt district). Senior sergeant, participant in the Great Patriotic War, full holder of the Order of Glory.

Dzhumagulov Elmurza(Mikhail Borisovich on the award list) (1921–2013) participant in the Great Patriotic War, tank driver, Hero of the Soviet Union, colonel.

Ismailov Abdulkhakim(1916–2010) - Hero of the Russian Federation, participant in the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars, depicted in the famous photograph of Yevgeny Khaldei “The Banner over the Reichstag” as a participant in the hoisting of the red banner over the defeated Reichstag, sergeant, intelligence officer.

Sultanov Isa(1917–1945) - in the Soviet Army since 1939. In August 1941 he graduated from the Kharkov Tank School. January 25, 1945 platoon commander of the 126th Tank Regiment of the 17th Guards Mechanized Brigade, senior lieutenant. He died in 1945 in the battle for crossing the Oder River (Germany). Buried in the mountains. Keben. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded posthumously.

Scientists

Adzhiev Murad– writer, publicist, author of a series of popular books in the folk history genre. A geographer by training, he has a PhD in Economics.

Akavov Zabit– Doctor of Philology, Professor, since 1979 – Head. Department of Literature of the Daggospedagogical University. Honored Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Aliev Kamil- genus. in 1947 in the village. Bammatyurt, Khasavyurt district. Prominent public figure. Editor-in-chief of the republican newspaper "Yoldash" ("Comrade"), chairman of the Kumyk Scientific and Cultural Society (KNKO), founder and head of the Internet site "Kumyk World". Historian and publicist. Candidate of Philosophical Sciences. Author of more than 170 scientific and journalistic articles.

Askerkhanov Rashid– doctor, cardiologist, doctor of medical sciences. Honorary member of surgical societies of Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. Author of more than 400 scientific papers and 12 separate books. He performed the first heart surgery for defects in Dagestan in 1958. Participant of the Great Patriotic War.

Buchaev Hamid– President of the Dagestan State Institute of National Economy under the Government of the Republic of Dagestan, Doctor of Economics, Professor, author of more than 400 scientific works, 62 monographs. Full member of the National Academy of Sciences of Dagestan, International and Russian Engineering, New York Academy of Sciences of the USA, corresponding member of the Academy of Technical Sciences of Russia.

Gadzhieva Sakinat– an outstanding scientist-ethnographer, Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation and Republic of Dagestan, author of the two-volume scientific book “Kumyks”.

Dzhambulatov Magomed– Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Honored Scientist of the RSFSR. For more than forty years, Magomed Mamaevich Dzhambulatov headed the Dagestan State Agricultural Institute. Over the years, the university has grown into a large multidisciplinary educational, research and production complex.

Korkmasov Anatoly- genus. in 1952 in the city of Kzyl-Orda, Kazakh SSR. Famous historian, publicist, researcher, lawyer, colonel of justice, grandson of Jelalutdin Korkmasov. In 1970, after graduating from high school in Makhachkala, he entered the navigation department of the Higher Naval School in Sevastopol, served on special purpose ships of the 8th Indian squadron with a long stay in the Indian and Atlantic oceans, the Persian and Ottoman gulfs. Awarded the "Excellence in the Navy" badge of the USSR.

Tamai Abdullah- Oriental historian. In 1930 he graduated from the Leningrad Oriental Institute, majoring in historian-orientalist, candidate of historical sciences. In addition to his native Kumyk and Russian, he was fluent in Turkish, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Tatar, Turkmen, and German (with a dictionary).

Sports glory

Abushev Magomed-Hasan- Olympian, Soviet freestyle wrestler. In 1980, in the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, a student of the Honored Trainer of the RSFSR I. Kadyrov, he won an Olympic gold medal.

Absaidov Saipulla– freestyle wrestler, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Champion of the 1980 Olympic Games in 1st welterweight. At the end of 2009, he headed the freestyle wrestling team of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On August 31, 2012, the President of Azerbaijan and the National Olympic Committee, Ilham Aliyev, awarded Absaidov the Order of Shohrat (Glory).

Akhmedov Bakhtiyar– freestyle wrestler, winner of the 2008 Olympic Games, Grand Prix of the “Ivan Yarygin” championship, weight category - 120 kg. Honored Master of Sports.

Gaidarbekov Zagir– two-time world champion in wushu sanda (1993–1995), two-time European champion, two-time champion of the USSR, two-time winner of the Russian Cup and European Cup in wushu sanda.

Porsukov Ali– international master of sports in boxing, world champion in wushu sanda and kickboxing. In August 1999 he became the world champion in kickboxing.

Khasaev (Buglensky) Al-Klych– freestyle wrestler, multiple world champion. A phenomenon in the history of world sports. Even in his youth, Al-Klych showed extraordinary physical abilities that delighted his peers and fellow villagers. He performed with stunning success in the cities of the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. The wrestler's greatest fame was brought to him by his magnificent victories in the sports arenas of Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, and France. He is the only person to defeat the champion of champions Ivan Poddubny. He was shot on July 11, 1920. When Al-Klych was led to execution, he tore off the square rail and bent it into a spiral, leaving his descendants with material evidence of his unique strength.

Yakhyaev Magomed– two-time champion of Russia in weightlifting (1949, 1950), multiple record holder of Dagestan in triathlon (50s).

Conclusion

Well, here is my book, the mini-encyclopedia, has come to an end... Now, knowing how and what the Kumyks lived and live for centuries in our multinational Dagestan, it will be much easier for you to search for your meaning of life in this very difficult time.

No matter how hard it may be for you on the way to your dream, always remember at what cost our ancestors managed to defend their Motherland, always rely on the traditions and adats of the people. Take care of the honor of your family name, tukhum, homeland. Be united with the multinational people of Dagestan and Russia. Unity is our strength.

Good luck, my young friends. Yahshi ate!!!

References

Gadzhieva S.Sh. Kumyks. Book 1. Makhachkala, 2000