"Legends of Dagestan". A new tourist route will appear in the republic

The Kubachins in "Derbent-name" tell about themselves: Our ancestors, including about one and a half hundred Frang masters, were taken from Rome by Iskander Zulkarnen (Alexander the Great) with him on a campaign to make weapons. They themselves separated from the army or were left for some unknown reason, but, finding themselves near the sea, they were settled by the then ruler of the Derbent coast in the area of ​​Kemakh (near Derbent, where they are engaged in dressing shells. But the climate of Kemakh, as well as the darsha (village near Majalis), where they were resettled a year later, turned out to be disastrous for them.Therefore, they retired to the mountains and chose the real place of our aul, where at all times, as now, everyone was a craftsman and no one was engaged in either agriculture or cattle breeding. Having settled here, our ancestors took wives from neighboring societies, lost their original language and became famous as the best craftsmen in Dagestan, supplying almost the entire region first with shells, chain mail, bows and arrows, and then with weapons and pistols.

Tarkovsky shamkhal and French gunsmiths.

Of all the existing legends about the origin of the Kubachins, the most common before the revolution was the legend that the Kubachins were French by origin. Here is a legend known from the last century in various versions.
Shamkhal Tarkovsky once turned to the French king with a request to send 40 gunsmiths to him. The king fulfilled the request of the shamkhalai. The masters first lived near the shamkhal, and then settled in Derbent. But the French were a quarrelsome people, they quarreled with the inhabitants of Derbent and therefore were forced to leave the city. When they left the city, the Derbents forever locked the gates behind them. From Derbent, the Kubachins went to the Dargins and settled among the Dargins, calling themselves Karbuks.

The hand thrown to the mother.

They say that Kubachi in translation means "chain mail". The Kala-Koreans also wanted to get this name, but they could not surpass their neighbors in making chain mail.
Kubachi formed from seven settlements; Datsi, Mazhi, Deshal, Mugli, Anchi-bachi, Shikhbala, Bakai. The ruins of these settlements have been preserved around modern Kubacha.
The Kubachins call themselves ugbuk. In translation, ugbuk means "gunsmith".
There were five defensive towers around Kubachi. The main one is Chabkan-chi. The remains of the towers have been preserved to this day. One of them has been converted into a residential building. Legends say that in the old days forty batyrts (heroes) lived in the towers. Batyrts were replaced and after the young man went to batyrts, the parents did not
had the right to see him until his shift was over. They say that one mother wished to see her son before returning, went up to the fortress tower and began to call him by name. The guards heard this, cut off her son's hand and threw the mother from the tower, shouting: "Look at what you can see with your son."

Radish, on the graves of heroes.

In one Kubachi legend, forty batyrts were killed during a skirmish with the Kala-Koreishians. The reason for the skirmish was a dispute over the ownership of a pasture on the slope of Mount Limtslyabai.
On the advice of the elders, the dead were buried that same night, and at the same time they beat drums and played zurnas in order to hide the grief of the aul from the neighbors.
For the same purpose, a radish was planted on the graves of the heroes. That's why now you call this place "Kala-ku."

The story of a vendetta.

In Western European literature, you can find many short stories and stories dedicated to the Corsican vendetta - the tribal custom of blood feud. In the mountains of Dagestan, there are stories about vendetta for whole novels. The custom of blood feud among the Dagestanis was: to fight as long as there is a bullet in the gun, a dagger on the belt and blood in the veins. Adat taught that a relative of the injured or killed should turn his revenge not only on the killer, but also on his relatives. The avenger and his relatives, in turn, took revenge on the avengers, and the massacre assumed grandiose proportions, the enmity became endless ...
An example of such a long-term blood feud is given in his work “Adata and legal proceedings on them” by A. V. Komarov. It was published 100 years ago in the first issue of the “Collections of information about the highlanders of the Caucasus”, published in Tiflis,
Three hundred years ago, says Komarov, one of the inhabitants of the village of Kadar stole a chicken from his neighbor and paid for it with a ram. Finding that Yusuf - that was the name of the neighbor - took too much interest, Omar from Kadar decided to equalize the score and stole two rams in response. In turn, Yusuf considered it necessary to do justice and recapture the cow from Omar, which then cost him a pair of good bulls. Having lost this personification of the wealth of the mountain peoples, Yusuf ambushed the Omar stallion, and his owner, not finding an equal reward for this loss, killed his neighbor and, fleeing revenge, fled from his native village.
Yusuf's relatives, guided by the local adat, first destroyed Omar's house, then killed the first relative of Omar that came across.
In turn, the relatives of the murdered man dealt with the relatives of Yusuf.
Two of Omar's relatives died in response.
The blood feud escalated, and its ends dragged on for three hundred years.
For three hundred years, people's blood has flowed because of one long-forgotten chicken!

Only the mother stopped the blood feud.

In the mountains of Dagestan, in many auls in the old days, there was such a custom: if a mother adopts a blood relative, the bloodshed stops.
This custom is also reflected in fairy tales.
The intervention of a woman often stopped the most violent blood-revenge. To do this, the woman had only to step forward, remove the scarf from her head and throw it in front of the fighting bloodlines.
The Bashlins have a saying: whoever does not listen to the advice of his mother will not achieve his goal.

How the patient was treated in the mountains.

In pre-revolutionary Dagestan, there was essentially no treatment for the sick and wounded. The patient walked until he fell down for a time that would be pleasing to Allah Almighty.
The old women knew their medicines. For the most part there were various herbs, tinctures, and ointments from them. Malaria was treated with a medicine made from honey and vinegar. If the eyes hurt, leeches were put on the veins. And if a person's side hurts, take a black cat, tie her paws and put the cat's belly to the side of the patient. The more the cat screams, the better - it means that the disease passes from the patient into the cat's stomach.
If a person loses consciousness, it is best to attach a frog to his head.

The dog that saved Cala Koreish.

There is a legend in Kubachi that a girl, a mare and a dog are buried in one of the graves in Kala-Koreish. Old Dargin songs also mention the horse, which was placed in the graves of women. This is an echo of the legends about the Caucasian Amazons. Where does the dog come from?
It is said that this dog saved the Cala-Koreans, just as the geese saved Rome. Once, the dogs, sensing a sudden invasion of the Kubachins, raised such a bark that the Kala-Koreish even forgot about God and interrupted their prayer. It was Friday and all the men were in the mosque.

Pagan rite of the ancient Kubachins. Forgotten Gods, echoes of the ancient beliefs of the highlanders of Dagestan.

One of the ancient rites of the village of Kubachi resembles ancient funeral customs in Tibet. The Arab geographer Abu-Hamida Andalusi testifies to such a rite in the 12th century.
“There is a large mountain near Derbent, on top of which there are two villages. There lives in them a people called zirekhgeran, i.e. shell makers... They have no religion, and they do not pay jiz. When a man dies among them, and if he is a man, then they hand him over to the men who are underground, who dismember the bones of the deceased, clean them of meat and collect his meat and give it to be eaten by black crows. They stand with bows to prevent other birds from eating any of the meat. And if the deceased is a woman, then they pass her to other men above the ground, who pull her bones and give her meat to kites. And they stand with arrows to prevent other birds from approaching her meat.
Caucasian ethnographer A.V. Komarov, speaking in 1881 at the 1st archaeological congress in Tiflis, stated that he had heard a belief in southern Dagestan that recommended that some of the dead should not be buried, but put out in an open place until spirits flock and will take them.

Dagestan. Land of Warriors and Heroes
SmartNews collected the legends of the most ancient city in the country / 2014 article

Almost every city in our large country is fraught with legends and traditions that local residents have been passing on to each other for decades, or even hundreds of years. They are told to children and grandchildren, travelers, guests, collected in collections, compose songs about them. We have collected the most interesting and meaningful legends of the Russian regions, on the basis of which you can make an alternative history of the country. legends

Derbent, Naryn-kala citadel / Photo: Mark Redkin

Dagestan is rich not only in languages, but also in legends. Many books have been published about the myths, legends and tales of the land of mountains, many of which are directly confirmed by historical facts. And the most popular of these stories are epics about heroes and their exploits. SmartNews has collected the heroic legends of the oldest city on the planet - two thousand years old Derbent, which is located in the south of Dagestan. Derbent is the oldest city on the planet, which is preparing to celebrate its 2000th anniversary since its founding. During this time, thousands of stories took place on his land, which turned into myths and legends. The Laks have an epic about the heroine Parta Patima, who, like Joan of Arc, led the liberation movement. Lezgins annually celebrate a holiday dedicated to the epic about the hero Sharvili. Some legends about ancient Derbent are confirmed by historical information, some exist in the form of folk tales.

How commander Abu Muslim al-Maslama took Derbent

Around the 7th century, during the time of the Arab Caliphate, after a long siege of Derbent, the Arab commander Abu Muslim al-Maslama doubted that he could take the city. The last hope was the traitor, who was brought to him by the soldiers. A defector, he kept saying that he knew how to force the Derbents to open the gates. In return, the traitor asked not to kill him and to spare close relatives. The commander guaranteed not only life, but also personal enrichment.

The traitor pointed out to the warriors a hill not far from the fortress. They dug it across and found pipes through which water enters the city. The soldiers of Abu Muslim al-Maslama slaughtered sheep, and their blood was poured into the water supply. So overnight, several thousand sheep were slaughtered. Scarlet water, undrinkable, began to flow into the city's reservoirs. The townspeople in a panic were forced to block the pipes. During the night, the tanks turned into a bloody mess. The blood began to rot, spreading an unpleasant odor. "Why don't the gates open?" - began to doubt Abu Muslim al-Maslam. The traitor asked to take the soldiers away from the fortress. Seeing that the Arabs retreated from the fortress, the townspeople opened the gates and poured out of the fortress away from the stench, where they were killed. Part of the legend is confirmed by historical information. Arabic sources briefly indicate that a traitor helped to take the city.
Huseynbala Huseynov, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Derbent News, author of the book Legends of Ancient Derbent

Breakthrough Maslama

Seven centuries later, at the end of the 14th century, having leveled the recalcitrant cities in Persia and the South Caucasus, Tamerlane's army approached Derbent with battering rams and battering rams. The Derbent Khan Ibrahim understood that his small army and even the great fortress walls could not stop the formidable conqueror. The headquarters of the commander was already in the city of Shamakhi, in the north of modern Azerbaijan. From the severed heads of those who resisted, Tamerlane built pyramids. This prospect did not suit Ibrahim Khan. And he moved forward to meet the army, but not with weapons, but with gifts.

Ibrahim Khan learned that according to the Mongolian tradition, it is customary to give gifts in the amount of nine pieces. He brought nine of the best horses, nine of the most beautiful concubines, nine precious jewelry to Tamerlane. Among the gifts were slaves - the most devoted. But there were eight of them. Tamerlane was indignant: "Where is the ninth slave?" “The ninth slave is me,” the ruler of Derbent replied. The commander was amazed at such an original expression of humility and changed his anger to mercy. The commander fulfilled the request of Ibrahim Khan - he did not give the city for plunder. And Ibrahim Khan was not hanged, but elevated, making the ruler of all Shirvan (a medieval state on the territory of modern Azerbaijan).

- The legend is not pure fiction, but is confirmed by historical facts. Tamerlane pursued the army of Tokhtamysh, and he needed an unhindered passage. Ibrahim Khan opened the Iron Gate for him - that was the name of the Derbent fortress in the old days, since it blocked the narrow passage between the mountains and the sea. Thus, Ibrahim Khan rendered an invaluable service to Tamerlane. The commander took the new ruler of Shirvan with him on a campaign. The empire from the lands conquered by Tamerlane quickly disintegrated. And the dynasty of Ibrahim Khan ruled Shirvan for another 150 years.
Veli Yusufov
_______

- When Peter I entered the city, a terrible earthquake broke out. The walls shook. Peter I did not lose his head, hit the walls with his foot, and the earthquake stopped. People gasped and fell on their knees before him. They thought that the king had caused the earthquake.
Magomed Khanmagomedov, journalist

Peter the Great in Derbent

Legend of the Forty Beauties

There were many beauties in the harem of the ruler of Derbent, but not enough Georgians. To make up for the deficiency, the khan supplied a detachment to Georgia. The nukers made a forced march across the Caucasus Range and returned with forty stolen Georgian beauties. But Derbent at that time was besieged by the enemy army.

- On the outskirts of the city, a detachment returning from Georgia entered into an unequal battle. The nukers managed to hide the kidnapped girls in a cave, blocking the entrance with heavy stones. The detachment fell, and no one knew about the girls imprisoned in the cave. Many years later, a shepherd accidentally climbed into the cave and discovered the bones of the girls. When Alexandre Dumas, the father, was in Derbent in 1858, he was told this legend. He went down into the cave and found animal bones there.
Veli Yusufov, head of the Naryn-Kala complex of the Derbent Museum-Reserve

The legend of how a woman became the ruler of Derbent

At the end of the 18th century, when the childless Khan of Derbent died, the winner in archery was supposed to become the ruler of the city. The galloping contenders had to hit the apple. Nobody has been able to do this. Then a man in a mask approached the jury. The judges asked to reveal the face and were refused.

- The judges, after consulting, allowed the shooter. The last competitor galloped and hit the apple, after which the mask was dropped. The pretender to the throne turned out to be a girl, the sister of the ruler of the neighboring state of the Kaitag utsmi Emir-Gamza. The name of the girl was Umu-Kusyum, and the nickname was Tuti-Bike. The judges considered her superiority over men a sign from the Almighty and declared her the ruler of Derbent. Although according to worldly laws, a man was supposed to rule the city.
Veli Yusufov, head of the Naryn-Kala complex of the Derbent Museum-Reserve

Derbent, the history of the conquest, the spread of Islam, the architecture of the city

© 2013

Musa Musaev, Ksenia Gagai, Gulayat Chelebova,
Natalia Grebneva, Stanislav Zakharkin
SmartNews, March 10, 2014

Dagestanis is a generally accepted term for peoples who originally live in the territory currently called the Republic of Dagestan. (40.2 thousand hours). According to 1998 data, 2.095 million people live here. There are about 30 peoples and ethnographic groups in Dagestan. In addition to Russians, Azerbaijanis and Chechens, who make up a large proportion of the population of the republic, these are Avars, Dargins, Kumti, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, Nogais, Rutuls, Aguls, Tats, and others.

The Dagestan language is a branch of the Iberian-Caucasian languages. Consists of groups or individual languages: 1) Avar-Adnotsez group - Avar, Andi, Botlikh, Godoberi, Karata, Akhvakh, Bagvalin, Tindian, Chamalin; Tsez languages ​​- Tsez (or Dido), Khvarshinsky, Ginukhsky, Bezhitinsky (or Kapuchinsky), Gunzibsky; 2) Dargin language; 3) Lak language; 4) Lezghian group - Lezghian, Tabasaran, Agul, Rutul, Tsakhur, Kryz, Budukh, Khinalug, Archa, Udinsky.

Writing in the Avar, Agul, Dargin, Lak, Lezgin, Tabasaran languages ​​is based on the Russian alphabet.

All works presented in this section are published according to the book "Dagestan folk tales" - M., Detgiz, 1951. Preparation of the text by N. Kalieva.

SEA HORSE

There lived in ancient times a man, and he had three sons. Every day they came early in the morning to their father to find out if he was well, if he wanted anything.

Once they came to him and saw him in great sorrow.

What's wrong with you, father? the sons asked. - Did the bad news upset you or what kind of misfortune happened? Why are you so unhappy?

There was no bad news, and trouble did not happen to me either, - answered the father. - The dream that I saw that night does not give me rest ... I dreamed that the sun rose over the sea, and after it a snow-white horse swam to the seashore. In an instant, he ran three times around the earth and again sunk into the sea, and after him my heart also fell to the bottom of the sea. From the hour I saw this dream, our house and the whole world became not dear to me.

Calm down, father! the sons said. - We will go after this miracle - and we will find it or we will not return.

They jumped on their horses and rode off.

At noon on the third day, the brothers found themselves at the crossroads of three roads and saw a stone on which the following words were carved: “Whoever goes to the right will live. Whoever goes to the left will also be alive. Whoever goes straight - either finds happiness, or disappears himself.

The older brother went on the right road, the middle one turned left, and the younger one drove the horse straight ahead.

Why are you driving down this dangerous road? the brothers shouted. - Come with us!

No, he replied. - Come what may... If I die, tell my father how they broke up.

And he rode without looking back along the straight path.

He rode, rode ... He rode during the day, he rode at night, crossed one of our mountains and two others, passed three valleys and five gorges, and lost count of the paths; finally reached the dense forest.

He strayed in this forest for a day, strayed for a week, strayed for a month, strayed for a year, but he could not find a trace of a man, or a place to live, or a way out of the forest.

Hunger and thirst tormented him, his clothes were worn out and hung in tatters, his horse fell, and his battle sword became covered with rust.

And so, when the young man had already begun to despair and lost hope, he saw a trace of a human foot on the ground. Only that leg was unusual: three arshins long, arshins wide. The young man was not afraid, he followed the trail.

The forest parted before him, and he came out into a large clearing, in the middle of which stood a palace, tall, to the very sky.

The young man entered the palace and saw the giantess, the old woman Kart, who was dozing by the hearth. In an instant, he rushed to her and touched her breasts with his lips - as a sign that he wanted to be her son.

Well, you are smart! said old Kart. - Now you, according to our custom, have become my named son, and I have become your mother ... If you didn’t do this, it would have been bad for you. Where are you from and what do you need? continued the old woman.

The young man told her about everything.

Old Kart thought for a moment.

I have seven giant sons,” she said. - Every day they go to the forest to hunt. Let's go today, and it's time for them to come back. If they see you, they will kill you. Hide in this chest. And about how to find you a sea horse, I will ask them. My youngest son is such a smart guy, he knows everything in the world!

As soon as the young man climbed into the chest, the hounds barked in the yard. It was the seven giants who returned from the hunt. Each carried a plane tree uprooted on his shoulder, each had a dead deer tied to the plane tree.

All seven of them went into the palace and, wagging their noses, said:

It smells of human spirit here! Human spirit!

You're out of your mind, you bastards! old Kart shouted at them. - How can a human spirit be here? You yourself probably picked it up while wandering through the forests.

Just then the meat was cooked, boiling on the hearth in a huge cauldron, and the giantess brought it to the table, and next to it put a jug that contained a whole lake of mash.

When the sons had eaten and drunk, the mother asked:

Is it true that there is a snow-white horse in the world that comes out of the sea in the morning and circles the earth three times in the blink of an eye?

The six older giants did not answer, but the youngest said:

There really is such a horse. This is the horse of the Sea Shah, who lives at the bottom of the sea. Every day, at sunrise, this horse swims out onto land, in one instant runs around the world three times, bathes along the way in a milky lake, wallows on white sand and again goes under water ... There, on the seashore, where he frolics, there is a plane tree. It is so high that its top reaches the very sky, and on its very top hang a golden saddle and a silver bridle. Whoever catches a sea horse and puts this harness on him, he will be his master ...

Enough son! You are tired, it's time to rest, - interrupted the mother, and the giants obediently went to rest.

When they fell asleep, the old woman Kart released the young man from the chest, gave him clothes, weapons, a good horse and showed him the way to the sea.

He rode for a long time, he rode during the day, he rode at night. He finally arrived at the seashore, dug a hole in the sand and hid in it.

He didn't close his eyes until sunrise. When it began to get light and the sun rose from behind the calm sea, the young man saw a snow-white horse swim out of the depths of the sea after him.

In an instant, that horse ran around the earth three times, bathed in the milky lake and began to wallow on the white sand.

Then the young man soared like a bird and wrapped himself around his neck.

The sea horse jumped up to the very clouds three times and hit the shore three times so that the earth trembled under his hooves, but the young man did not spread his arms, but pressed closer and closer to his neck.

You won! Now I am yours forever, - said the horse in a human voice. - Saddle me, put on a bridle, and I will take you wherever you want.

The young man took a golden saddle and a silver bridle from the plane tree, put it on the horse and said:

Take me to my father!

The horse galloped, but the dark night caught them on the way, and they stopped for the night.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night it became as bright as day. The young man asked:

What is it that glows?

They rode into the light and in the middle of a small clearing they saw something shining like the sun. Coming closer, the young man shouted:

Yes, it's a golden pen! Take it or not, what do you think?

Don't take it, you'll regret it. If you take it, you will repent, - the sea horse answered him.

It’s better to take it and repent than not to take it and regret it, the young man decided.

He picked up the pen, put it over the side of the hat, and they went on.

Soon a large city, ruled by the Crooked Shah, stood in their way. Strong walls surrounded the city, and all the gates were locked at night.

Finding a spring near the city wall, the horse got drunk and asked:

Let me out on the grass. And when you need me - just click, and even if I'm behind seven mountains - I'll immediately come to you.

The young man let him go, put the pen in his pocket, put a saddle under his head, covered himself with a cloak and fell asleep like a man who has not slept for sixty days.

And the inhabitants of that city, seeing that the night suddenly became bright as day, and then darkened again, rushed to their Crooked Shah and reported to him about this miracle.

The crooked shah was even more frightened than his subjects, ordered to put more watchmen on the city wall and did not close his eyes from fear all night.

As soon as it began to dawn, the Crooked Shah sent out a hundred horsemen to reconnoiter, armed as for battle. They saw the young man, woke him up with a poke and a push, and took him to the palace.

Who are you? Where is your country and why did you come to us? asked Crooked Shah.

I am a poor traveler. Where I came from - I forgot myself, - the young man answered.

You were found sleeping by the city wall. Don't you know that it shone like the sun at midnight tonight, and then suddenly went out?

I know! And the young man took out a golden pen from his pocket.

The shah's hands shook with greed.

You will get me the bird that dropped this feather, or I will cut off your head! - he cried and ordered to hide the golden pen in his treasury.

The young man left the palace very upset. He came to the field, began to call the sea horse.

Out of nowhere, a snow-white horse appeared in front of him.

Why are you so unhappy? he asked the owner.

The crooked shah ordered me to get the bird that dropped the golden feather, the young man complained, but I don’t know where to look for it.

Don't be sad, said the sea horse. - It would be just as easy for us ahead! .. Do you remember the milky lake where I swam?

Yes, the young man replied.

The Shah of the Sea has three daughters, the horse continued. - Every day they turn into pigeons and fly to swim in that lake. The feather that you and I found was dropped from her wing by the youngest daughter ... You will have to hide in the bushes on the lake shore. When the daughters of the Shah of the Sea arrive to swim and throw off their plumage, take the one that was on the youngest and hide it in your bosom. The girl will beg you to return the loss to her, but you don’t give it back, and then she will follow you everywhere ...

The young man sat on a horse, and the horse carried him to the lake with one jump.

The young man hid in the bushes and waited. As soon as noon came, three doves flew in and sat on the shore.

When they threw off their plumage, turned into beautiful girls and plunged into the water, the young man jumped out of the ambush and grabbed the plumage of his youngest daughter, and she began to cry and began to ask him to return what was taken. But the young man did not listen to her and hid the feathers in his bosom, as the horse told him. The two older sisters, turning into birds, circled over the younger one.

Sisters, - she cried with tears, - if we really had to part, then bring at least my chest with clothes!

Before the young man had time to take even three steps, the doves returned with a chest, threw it on the sand and soared up to the blue sky.

The girl is dressed. The young man mounted his horse, put her behind him in the saddle, and the path spread out before them like a carpet.

Where are you taking me? - asked the beauty.

I have to take you as a wife to the Crooked Shah, - the young man answered.

I don't want to be his wife! - she said.

What to do! - the young man answered sadly.

And while they were talking like that, a good horse delivered them to the gates of the very city where the Crooked Shah ruled.

The crooked shah, as soon as he saw the beauty, decided to marry her without delay.

You are fit for my grandfathers, - said the sea princess. - If you were young, I might still think ...

I can't be young! shouted the Shah. - How to be?

Order them to dig a well sixty arshins deep outside the city, - said the girl, - fill it with the milk of pure red cows, bathe in that milk, and you will turn into a young man ...

What inventions! Indeed, in all my kingdom there are not so many red cows! - Crooked Shah got angry.

On the! - said the beauty and threw him a small red handkerchief. - Send someone to the highest mountain in your kingdom. Let him stand there and wave that handkerchief.

As soon as the messenger went up to the top of the highest mountain and waved a red handkerchief, red cows began to run to the city from mountains and forests, from green meadows, from a thousand different countries. The daughter of the Shah of the Sea milked them, and meanwhile the servants dug a well sixty arshins deep and poured all the milk into the well.

Well then, swim! - said the beauty.

But the Crooked Shah was frightened and did not want to jump into the well.

Bring here the oldest old man and woman in this kingdom! - said the beauty.

They brought an old man and an old woman who had been together for three hundred years. The beauty bathed them in the well, and the old man became a mighty young man in front of everyone, and the old woman became a beautiful girl.

Seeing this, the Crooked Shah rushed headlong into the well and, like lead, went to the bottom. There, they say, he still lies.

And the young man said goodbye to the inhabitants of that city, who were very glad that their shah drowned, sat on a sea horse and rode on with his beauty.

I don’t know how long they had to wander, but one day they stopped for the night in a small village. They were hungry. The young man went to buy something for dinner, and suddenly the poor seller, from whom he bought chureki, rushed to hug him, laughing and crying.

It turns out that it was the older brother who went to the right. The young man was very glad that he met him, bought him clothes, weapons, a horse, and the three of them drove on.

They drove slowly, not counting the days, and they stopped in some city to rest and refresh themselves. There they met the middle brother, who went along the left road. He fell into even greater need than his older brother.

The younger brother was very pleased. Now, already four of them, they went straight to the father's house.

But the closer they drove to their native places, the more the older ones envied the luck of the younger brother, and among themselves they said this:

How are we going to live in the world now? With what shall we show ourselves before the eyes of our father? No no! We must somehow get rid of this boy, and then the horse and the daughter of the Sea Shah will go to us.

There is a deep chasm along the way here,” the elder brother said. - Come on, as soon as we start to drive up to it, we will put this our lucky man in the middle and offer to ride on a bet: whose horse is faster. His horse, of course, will break ahead and fall into the abyss.

That's what they decided on.

So they began to drive up to the abyss, and the older brothers said to the younger:

Let's ride on a bet: let's see whose horse is faster.

Are you laughing? - the young man was surprised. - You know that my horse runs around the world three times in an instant ... How can you compete with me?

Nothing! the elders answered. - But at least we will admire how your horse gallops.

And they put the younger brother in the middle and galloped straight to the abyss.

The sea horse jumped to the abyss and stood in front of it as if rooted to the spot. The young man could not resist and flew headlong down into the abyss, and the daughter of the Shah of the Sea fell to the ground.

Immediately the brothers rushed to catch the sea horse, but as soon as they stretched out their hands, he had already disappeared from sight.

Taking the beauty with them, the older brothers arrived in their native city, locked her up and went to their father.

On one lie they piled ten, on ten they built a hundred, telling him about their dexterity and prowess.

And the horse that you saw in a dream, father, - they finished their story, - is not in the world. There is no such place left on earth under the sky, wherever we have been and searched for it, but we have not found it.

I don't need a horse! Tell me, where did you leave your little brother? - said the father.

He rode alone on a dangerous road. He did not listen to us, - the brothers answered, - and, apparently, he died on the way.

Great was the grief of the father. He dressed in black clothes, and all the neighbors mourned with him the death of a brave young man. And the older brothers kept sending matchmakers to the daughter of the Shah of the Sea, and each matchmaker praised her fiancé.

Let those deceivers beware! - the beauty answered the matchmakers. - I myself know who I will marry!

And she looked out the window, at which she sat for whole days, not taking her eyes off the road.

Early one morning, the daughter of the Shah of the Sea finally saw a sea horse spinning in the distance, gnawing at the bit, and squinting at her with a fiery eye. She waved her handkerchief to him - and in an instant the sea horse was already standing under her window.

Where is your master? she asked.

You know: fell into the abyss, - the horse answered.

We must save him! - exclaimed the daughter of the Sea Shah.

Throw a longer rope around my neck, - said the horse, - and I will pull him out of the abyss.

The beauty did not have a rope, and therefore she cut off her golden braid, twisted a long rope out of it and threw it around the horse's neck.

At the same instant, the horse was at the abyss and lowered the golden rope to the very bottom. The young man grabbed her, got out into the world, sat on a sea horse and galloped to his native city.

And the older brothers, when they heard the familiar ringing of horseshoes, took to their heels: one - to the west, the other - to the east, and still, perhaps, they are running.

So the brave young man got his father a snow-white sea horse and married the beauty - the daughter of the Sea Shah.

The wedding was a lot of fun!

They blew on a leather zurna, beat on a copper drum. Whoever came, left full and drunk. They say they still drink and eat.

BOGATYR

Shah once ruled over one country. Once the news reached him that a hero had appeared in the city.

Send him to me,” ordered the Shah.

And the young hero was brought to the Shah.

Who are you and what can you do? asked the Shah.

Where I come from, you don’t need to know, but what I can do, the one who will take me as a worker will see.

Do you want me to take it? the Shah suggested.

Okay, the young man agreed. - I can not find a richer owner.

And he got hired.

Somehow the shah ordered to send a hundred people to the forest for firewood.

Why are you sending people from outside? - asked the young man.

I need a lot of firewood, - the Shah answered. - What's the point of sending you alone!

You'll see," said the young man. “Tell me to serve the dinner that they cooked for these loafers.

Food prepared for a hundred people was brought to him, and he ate everything, and then ordered:

Bring me more ropes.

And when a hundred ropes were brought, he threw them over his shoulder and went into the forest.

There, with each rope, he swept over one oak, then grunted, pulled and pulled out a hundred trees with rhizomes.

Dragging the oaks behind him, the hero came to the huge city gates and began to shout:

Hey check! I'm afraid I'll get stuck here ... You would order to build a wider gate!

The shah ran to his cry and was horrified. It was only then that he realized what his worker was capable of, and decided to get rid of him at all costs.

He planned to send him to a place where no one returns alive.

Do you see that mountain over there, boy? asked the Shah. - There, behind the mountain, is the hut of the old woman Kart, and this old woman, I must tell you, owed me a measure of peas a long time ago and does not want to give it back ... Go and demand a debt from her!

The worker went to the old woman Kart. He found her on the current. There she threshed wheat, driving two black bulls.

Why don't you pay back your debts, you wretch? - said the hero angrily. - Give me the peas, otherwise I'll drag you to the shah!

Old Kart looked at him kindly.

Wait, my dear ... I'll look for you the cleanest, freshest peas. - And she went to the saklya, calling him with her: - I have peas here in a jug. Get yourself a full measure.

The guy went into the saklya and saw a huge jug. He lifted the lid and peered into it. Peas were not there. And the old woman Kart, when her guest bent down, grabbed him by the legs and began to push him into the jug.

Ah, there you are! - said the hero and very deftly threw the old woman Kart into the jug and slammed the lid.

Let me out and I'll do whatever you want! - pleaded the old woman Kart.

Sit down, shameless! There was no need to quarrel with me, - the young man answered, put the jug on his shoulder and went to the shah.

Got a debt? - asked the Shah, seeing him with a burden.

She didn’t want to repay the debt, ”said the hero and shook the jug so that the old woman Kart groaned. “But I outsmarted her: here she is.” You can count.

Take it away, take it back to where you brought it from! Shah waved his hands. - I was joking! I don't need her or her bad peas...

The bogatyr took the old woman Kart back, shook her out of the jug, gave her a good cuff as parting, and said that he should never come across on the way.

And the shah from that time lived in eternal anxiety. He scattered everything with his mind, how to get rid of the restless farmhand, and when he thought of it, he ordered to call him to him.

Do you see that forest over there? asked the Shah. - At its farthest end lives the serpent Ashdag. Ten years ago he stole a bull from me from my herd. Go, boy, to him, demand my good back.

Without saying a word, the hero went to the snake Ashdag.

Hey you snake! What a joke this is! he shouted. - Give back, robber, the bull stolen ten years ago!

The serpent hissed with anger and rushed at the brave man, but the young man grabbed him by the ears like a cat, and, no matter how the serpent resisted, dragged him to the shah.

The Shah turned white when he saw the snake in his palace.

Take him away, take him away! he pleaded. - I do not need a thousand bulls, just save me from this monster!

Damn you both! - the hero got angry. “How long will I be wandering aimlessly?” And released the snake.

Ashdag's ashamed serpent flew like a leaf blown by the wind, and in passing swallowed a herd of purebred Shah's horses, as we swallow a pie. The shah didn’t even know what to do: whether to grieve for the horses, whether to rejoice that he had escaped from this terrible snake ...

For a long time the shah could not come to his senses, and when he finally came to his senses, he called the hero and said:

I have one sick horse. You would take her up the mountain to graze. Just be careful not to come back until the horse is as smooth and round as a hen's egg.

And the bogatyr, leading the dying horse on the reins, went with her to the green mountain. And the shah waited until night and moved against him all his troops, horse and foot, which were only found in his kingdom.

The hero woke up and saw this innumerable force.

I am a poor man, shepherding the Shah's horse here! What do you want from me? he shouted.

Watch out! - shouted the shah in response, looking out from behind the backs of the soldiers, - I'll see where you're going now!

Ah, that's it! - the guy was surprised.

He hit the nag on a stone, tore it into four pieces and began to fight. He waved one horse leg - and killed a thousand people, waved the other - killed two thousand and so quickly exterminated the shah with his entire army, as if he had been doing nothing but fighting all his life.

Having accomplished this feat, the young man went to wander.

He walked, walked ... He walked during the day, he walked at night and one day he saw a man who carried on his shoulders two centuries-old plane trees, uprooted.

Who are you, well done? - asked the hero.

What a fine fellow I am! - replied the tree bearer. - So I heard - there is a good fellow in the world, he dragged the greedy shah the old woman Kart in a jug.

This is me, - said the hero.

Then let me be your comrade, the treebear asked.

Who are you, well done? they asked him.

What a fine fellow I am! - objected the miller. - So I heard - there is a good fellow in the world, he dragged the snake Ashdag to the palace to the greedy shah, and even grabbed him by the ears, like a cat.

Why, it was me! - responded the hero.

Well, if you are, then I will be your friend, - the miller was delighted.

And the three friends went.

They walked here and there, wandered through the mountains and forests, and finally chose a clearing on which they built a house and lived in it. They obtained their food by hunting.

One day the young man and the miller went out to loot. The tree bear remained at home.

Having filled the cauldron with meat, which included ten deer, the tree-bearer began to make a fire and suddenly heard something rustling behind the door.

He looked out and saw: a little man was riding a lame hare - a quarter himself, a beard with a arshin.

Give me a piece of meat, the guest asked.

Treebear gave him a whole deer. Swallowing him like a fly, Riding the Hare said:

Give more!

Belly burst! Go where you went, - the tree-bearer drove him.

Then Riding on a Hare tore a hair out of his beard, tied the tree-bearer like a lamb with that hair, ate everything that was in the cauldron clean, and went on his way.

The miller and the bogatyr returned from the forest, unleashed the tree-bearer, they look - but the cauldron is empty.

The next day, the tree-bearer went hunting with the hero, and the miller remained at home. As soon as he began to prepare dinner, Riding on a hare was right there, and everything happened the same as yesterday.

On the third day, the hero sent his comrades to hunt, and he undertook to cook food himself.

As soon as he put the meat into the cauldron, Riding on a hare, he was already standing at the threshold.

Give Me Meat! he demanded.

A good guest is affectionate with the owner, - the young man answered. - If you don't know it, you won't.

Pulling out a longer hair from his beard, Riding on a Hare rushed at the hero, but the hero grabbed him with one hand, with the other he split a hundred-year-old oak tree that stood near the house, and pinched the little man's beard into the gap.

When the tree-bearer and the miller returned, carrying the dead deer, the young man led them to the oak tree to show off his prey. But Riding on the Hare, it turns out, uprooted the oak tree and left, dragging it behind him.

Friends followed the trail that the tree left.

They walked, walked for a long time and reached a cave, at the entrance to which an abandoned oak was lying.

Tie me with a stronger rope, - said the hero.

Friends tied him up, and he began to descend into the cave.

At first he died from the cold, then he died from the heat, but nevertheless he reached the bottom and stood with his feet on solid ground.

Looking around, the young man saw that he was in a large dungeon full of all sorts of jewels. The floor here was of silver, and the walls of solid gold. In the corner on the carpet sat a girl sewing, whose face, illuminating everything around, shone like a fifteen-day moon. Riding on a hare, he slept right there; under his arm was a magic saber.

Oh! the girl screamed softly. - How did you get here? Leave quickly before the owner wakes up. He will definitely kill you.

To be afraid of death is not to be alive! - said the hero and grabbed Riding-on-the-hare by the gray beard.

Screeching, he clung to the brave man like a cat, but the hero slammed his enemy against the wall so that only a beard remained in his hands.

Where are you from, beauty? Who are your father and mother? - he asked.

I am the Shah's daughter, - the girl answered. - This bearded thief took me by force from my father's house and locked me here.

Well, I dealt with him. And I will lift you upstairs, take you to your father's house and, if you don't mind, I will marry you, - said the young man.

Okay, the princess replied. - I don't want anything else. After all, you delivered me from this villain ...

And the hero began to collect treasures, and his friends pulled them up on a rope.

So they lifted everything that was at the bottom of the cave. Finally, only the young man and the Shah's daughter remained below.

Now let them lift you up, - said the hero.

Not! Get up first yourself, she asked. - I'm afraid your comrades won't leave you here.

They are not such people, - the young man was offended. - Get up first!

The girl did not agree for a long time, but the hero nevertheless persuaded her. Then she said to him:

I feel that your comrades have conceived something bad. Remember what I tell you. Every day at dawn, two rams run into this dungeon - white and black. When they come running, try to sit on a white ram, and he will carry you out into the world. But beware of falling on the black one: with it you will fall into the underworld.

Is there anything else down there? shouted the tree-bearer and the miller, lifting up the Shah's daughter.

Nothing more. Drag me now, - the young man answered.

Well, you can stay there too! friends shouted.

They dropped the rope into the cave, closed the entrance with a mill, which the miller dragged everywhere, piled two plane trees that the tree-bearer wore on his shoulder, and then left, capturing all the wealth and the beauty.

Here only the hero comprehended and the mind of the girl, and his own stupidity, and the deceit of his friends, but there was nothing to do: he had to sit and wait.

The hero waited all night without a wink of an eye, and early at dawn two rams ran into the dungeon - white and black. The young man tried to land on the white one, but he missed and hit the black one. And at the same moment the young man found himself in the underworld, on the roof of someone else's hut.

He jumped down from the roof and entered a house where an old woman was sitting spinning yarn.

Give me, mother, a sip of water, I'm dying of thirst, he asked.

Oh, - the old woman exclaimed, - didn’t you come down from the white world to laugh at us, poor people! Where can I get you water?

What if you don't have it at all? - the young man was surprised.

How not to happen - it happens! said the old woman. - Yes, what's the point, when a Dev with nine heads settled near our transparent spring. Every year we give him the most beautiful girl in our city. On the day when he eats it, he admits us to the water. The rest of the time we suffer without water.

Give me two jugs! - ordered the hero. - I'm surprised: what kind of people you are!

Watch out son! cried the old woman. - The guys tried to be stronger than you, but everyone was left without heads. Dev will kill you!

Okay, - he waved it off already on the threshold. - He wouldn't dare. And if he dares, he will regret it ... Give me jugs.

With tears, the old woman gave him two jugs, and the hero went to the spring. He filled both jugs to the brim, and the Dev, who was lying near the water's edge, only looked sideways at him and shook his nine heads.

When the old woman emptied the jugs, the hero went to the spring again. And again the Dev did not say anything to him, but stamped his foot so that the earth cracked, and the dust rose like a column to the sky.

Immediately the whole city learned about the feat of the brave young man. The ruler of the underworld called him to him.

Ask whatever you want, take whatever you want, just kill this Deva, oh hero! he pleaded. - You alone can do it, otherwise the Dev would have killed you immediately, as he killed everyone who dared to approach the water.

Okay, I'm going to fight! And one of the two of us will get hard today, - said the young man. - Don't forget your words.

He girded himself with a magic saber, which he got in the dungeon, grabbed the jugs and went to the spring for the third time.

You have no shame, man! Dev shouted. - The first time I spared you as a guest, the second I spared you as a friend ... And now you come again!

Ege, scoundrel, - the hero replied, - but are you not ashamed to take water from good people and devour young beauties alive? .. Beware! I came for your vile heads. - And the young man struck nine times with a magic saber, and all nine heads of the Dev rolled to the ground.

The people of the underworld almost went crazy with joy. They cried and laughed, jumped and kissed. And people, and chickens, and donkeys, and camels - all living things rushed to the water.

There is no price for the feat that you have accomplished, - said the ruler of the underworld to the hero. - This year was my daughter's term to go to the nine-headed Deva. I have nothing more precious than her. Marry her and rule our country. I would do more, but I don't know what else to do!

I am a resident of the white world, - the young man answered. - Do not think that I do not like your daughter or I do not appreciate your generosity. Not! But I love my homeland, and to see it again is dearer to me than anything in the world.

I cannot do this, young man, - the ruler frowned. - And no one can, except for the eagle that lives in the plane tree forest. I will send messengers to him. Who knows, maybe he will.

But the messengers returned with nothing. The eagle had six eaglets in the nest, and he did not want to leave them even for the sake of the ruler of the underworld.

Then the hero himself went to bow to the lord of birds.

At that time, the eagle flew away for prey, and over its nest, in which hungry chicks screamed, a coal-black kite circled.

The young man killed this kite, lay down under the plane tree and began to wait for the eagle.

Chir-chir! Chir-chir! - shouted the eaglets, seeing the eagle. This hero saved us from death. He killed a black kite.

Hey, hero, - said the eagle, - you killed my enemy and the enemy of my children. Ask for anything you want, I will fulfill everything without refusal.

Take me out into the world, I don’t need anything else, the hero asked.

Slaughter fifty buffaloes and skin them! - ordered the eagle. - Make waterskins out of skins and fill them with water. We will take meat and water with us on the road.

The young man did everything as the eagle told him. He put the meat on the right wing of the eagle, loaded the wineskins on the left, sat on the back of the bird and shouted:

They flew, rising higher and higher, and when the eagle demanded: "Meat!" - the hero held out a piece of meat to him, and when he shouted: “Water!” - gave water.

Very little remained for them to fly to the white light, when the supply of meat ran out.

Meat! - shouted the eagle. - Meat, meat!

The hero silently cut off a toe on his right foot and gave it to him.

The eagle flapped its wings for the last time and carried him out into the sweet white light.

The young man bowed low to the bird for her service and went limping through his native land.

Why are you limping? the eagle called after him.

My right leg was numb on the way, - the young man answered.

Tell the truth! - ordered the eagle.

When the meat ran out, I cut off a toe on your right foot for you,” the young man admitted reluctantly.

The eagle immediately spat out this finger, moistened it with its saliva, applied it to the wound, and the finger again stuck to the leg.

The young man said goodbye to the eagle and went to his house.

He came, stood at the door and heard such a noise that he almost went deaf.

It was because of the Shah's daughter that the tree-bearer and the miller were fighting. And the girl wept bitterly and repeated one thing: that she would not marry anyone but a young hero.

Who will get what, he will be with that! - said the hero and opened the door.

He hit the miller and laid him face up, hit the tree-bearer and laid him face down, and then took the girl by the hand and went with her to another kingdom.

So the hero married the beauty.

Churek - bread of special baking, in the form of a large flat cake.

Devas - in the folklore of the peoples of the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Western Siberia and other devas - evil spirits, mainly anthropomorphic or zoomorphic giants.

Myths and legends of the peoples of the world. Peoples of Russia: Collection. - M.: Literature; Book World, 2004. - 480 p.

There were legends about her

Many fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the Avar ruler Akhmet Khan Soltanet, but only one person managed to attract her attention. He was the Kumyk prince Ammalat-bek from the village of Buynak, the nephew of the richest man on the plane - Shamkhal Tarkovsky.

At first, everything seemed to go well, but after one incident, their relationship was interrupted. It happened like this. In 1819, in a battle with the troops of A.P. Yermolov between Levash and Akusha, the Dagestanis were defeated. Among those taken prisoner was Ammalat-bek, who until then believed in his invulnerability. He was threatened with the death penalty, but Colonel E.I. Verkhovsky took the young man on bail, and A.P. Ermolov condescended to the request of his officer. But at the same time he said: “Take him, but remember, do not trust him, be careful.”

For four years the colonel and the young bek were together. Part of the time they lived in Tiflis, part in Derbent, where E. I. Verkhovsky was appointed to command the Kurinsky regiment. All these years, Ammalat-bek was tormented by two thoughts: to become the husband of Soltanet and to take possession of Tarkovsky's shamkhalate. But the girl lived beyond the seven mountains with her father Ahmed Khan, and the tsarist government had full confidence in Shamkhal and was not going to change him for Ammalat-bek.

In July 1823, an uprising broke out in the Mekhtuli Khanate. To suppress it, E. I. Verkhovsky left Derbent with his regiment. Ammalat-bek was with him. When they reached Karabudakhkent, the news came that the rebels had calmed down and dispersed. The regiment was given a retreat and ordered to return to Derbent.

The defeat of the Mehtulians led Akhmet Khan into complete disarray, but an insidious thought came to his head. In the remote forests of Karabudakhkent, he secretly met with Ammalat-bek. Ahmet Khan told the pupil of E. I. Verkhovsky: “While you were with the Russians, we married Soltanet for the eldest son of Shamkhal Tarkovsky.” There was a painful pause, Ammalat-bek was breathing heavily:

“Listen,” Ahmet Khan broke the silence, “I can still take my word back. Soltanet will be yours, but the only condition for this is the death of Verkhovsky, only his head can serve as a bride price for Soltanet. If you kill Verkhovsky, - continued the son of Avaria with a grin, - the whole of Dagestan will rise, and then ... Then you will become Shamkhal of Tarkovsky!

Listening to Akhmet-khan, Ammalat-bek remembered how much kindness, paternal care the colonel showed him. And now he was required to raise his hand against this man. But your own trouble is always greater. Love can inspire not only to exploits...

- Yes, I did, - Ammalat-bek confirmed in surprise, - but what?

- And the fact that they want to lure you to Russia, and from there, as a former rebel and instigator of a rebellion, send you to Siberia.

- It can't be! exclaimed Ammalat-bek. - Verkhovsky has a wedding in Russia. He is going to offer his hand to the young widow of Colonel Puzyrevsky.

The next day after this conversation, Verkhovsky's regiment spent the night in Gubden, and on July 19, 1823, moved towards Utamysh in the morning. Far ahead, a colonel rode along a narrow valley, next to him was the doctor of the Apsheron regiment Amarantov. Verkhovsky's face was sad. A little behind them, with his nukers, followed Ammalat-bek. He behaved strangely: either he started galloping, then he reined in his horse at full speed, then he scolded the servants for nothing. Now he was desperately alone, his heart was heavy.

“Finally, approaching Utamysh,” wrote the military historian of the Caucasus, Lieutenant-General V. Potto, “Ammalat-bek set his horse at full speed for the last time and suddenly, drawing his rifle from the case at a gallop, almost point-blank shot at Verkhovsky. The bullet hit the heart, and without a groan Verkhovsky fell off his horse.

The killer fled with his men. Emirbek set off in pursuit with horsemen, but, having arrived in Mekegi, he learned that Ammalat-bek had obtained fresh horses in this village and galloped off towards Khunzakh. There was no point in going further.

The colonel's body was taken to Derbent. It turned out that Ammalat-bek did not leave for the mountains, but spent several days in the vicinity of Derbent. One night with a local resident, he went to the Russian cemetery. In a hurry, he dug up the grave, cut off the dead man's head, hand, and, as V. Potto reports, "with this bloody bride price he rushed to Khunzakh." But Ahmed Khan was not there. Khan of Avaria, falling off the steep, died at the bottom of the abyss along with his horse. By the time Ammalatbek arrived, his body had already been buried.

Khansha, the wife of the former ruler of Avaria, who always focused on Russia, ordered Ammalat-bek to be escorted out of the palace, and a terrible burden was thrown from the cliff. After that, Ammalat-bek disappeared from Dagestan, it was said that he was killed during the siege of Anapa in 1828.

Treason

The famous beauty Soltanet, the passion of Ammalat-bek, was seen in Tarki by the traveler I. Berezin in 1830. The woman refused to accept it, citing a headache. When Berezin announced that he would not leave without seeing Soltanet, she agreed to meet with him. Two women were waiting in a small room for the Russian: the old woman and Soltanet.

The beauty half rose to the traveler's bow and gracefully answered with a sweet bow, covering the lower part of her face with a muslin sleeve of her dress.

The floor of the room where she received the Russian was carpeted, two simple mirrors and a small Dagestan dagger with a saber hung on one wall. Berezin was offered to sit on a chair. Perhaps for the first time in his life, the writer regretted that he could not draw well. It only remained to memorize the woman’s appearance to the smallest detail, so that later in his book to describe her, although no brightest epithets could help to accurately convey the stunning beauty of Soltanet.

She was wearing a muslin shawl and a silk coat. “Her camp would do honor to any beauty,” the traveler reported. She was about thirty years old, but despite the fact that nature had treated her favorably, she pursed her expressive eyes. For all the time of the date, she only smiled once, exposing her beautiful teeth. The foreigner's costume made her laugh. To win over, the visitor said that he was from the Tatars. These words did not touch Soltanet. The guest regretted that he had told a lie. The pause dragged on. To prevent the beauty from leaving, the visitor asked:

- I think you're bored here?

“Yes,” answered Soltanet, “I miss it here. There was a time when she went to the sea with the wife of the commandant of Nizovy. Now there is no.

Berezin knew that 33-year-old Abumuslim Tarkovsky, Soltanet's husband, left her, married a young girl and moved to Kazanishche.

A long audience was considered indecent, and the traveler, frankly admiring the woman, finally asked why she did not want to receive him.

“Because,” answered Soltanet, “everyone strives to get into my soul, they ask about love for Ammalat-bek. Your Polezhaev was also here. I showed him the door...

Berezin, apologizing, left the house. The sun shone in the yard, the children of Soltanet, a girl of three and a boy of seven, were playing in the shade of a tree, filling everything around with their noise. They were cute creatures, but covered in mud.

And suddenly Berezin noticed how Soltanet came down from the room, gracefully stepping down the stairs. Seeing the guest, she called the children with her gentle voice and returned back. She hid herself forever in the sakla, covering her head and face with a scarf so that one tip of her small nose was visible. The traveler remembered this scene and conversation with the woman for the rest of his life.

Soltanet died in Derbent. Her grave is located in the Muslim cemetery just above the sea. Only today, hardly anyone knows exactly where the daughter of the Avar Khan is buried.

About Soltanet, her beauty and the tragic story of her love for a long time there were legends in the mountains. For a long time, the dress of the beauty was preserved as a relic. It was beautifully finished and decorated and passed down from generation to generation as a family heirloom.

... The Decembrist A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, while in Dagestan, wrote the story "Ammalat-bek" about the life of the offspring of Shamkhal Tarkovsky and his beloved, the unfortunate Soltanet.

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From the book Encyclopedia of Slavic Culture, Writing and Mythology author Kononenko Alexey Anatolievich

Legends of Ethiopia Tropics. Ethiopia. Dark African night. The silhouettes of the Simien Mountains frame the small plateau on which our tents nestled. A campfire is burning next to a palm-like lobelia. The conductor enthusiastically beats his palms on the "drum" - an empty canister from under

From the author's book

From the author's book

Legends and myths Adonis or Adonis is an annual herbaceous plant with leaves twice or thrice divided into narrow linear lobes. The flowers have a fiery or brick red corolla with six to eight petals. At the base of the petals are black spots. plant name

From the author's book

Legends of the Dagestan scene Kadarets Soltanmejid liked a girl from the Lower Dzhengutai named Bala-khanum, a beauty - not a beauty, a slightly elongated face, on which large eyes and plump lips stood out. Her merits include the fact that she possessed

1. One of the links to the country "Metal Sky"

The iron finds in the burial ground on the banks of the Araks River are almost three thousand years old. But even a thousand years before that, iron ornaments appeared in the pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs. It was meteoric iron. It is no coincidence that iron in the New Kingdom was called the “Metal of the sky.” Iron on the territory of the USSR was first found in the Caucasus. But is it only the threads of the “Metal of the Sky” that connect the Caucasus with ancient Egypt? Is it a coincidence that there was a legend in Dagestan that the Avar and Kumukh khans descended from the Egyptian pharaohs? One of the legends about this was recorded in the last century by A. Runovsky. Here it is: “How the pharaohs entered Dagestan and established themselves in Avaria, the legend does not say; it is only known that the khans of Kazikumukh descend from the Avar khans and that the teachings of Magomed, spilling over the Caucasus and taking away all the royal dynasties there, left in the same conditions only the dynasty of the pharaohs.

2. A thread to the biblical Noah.

One of the Georgian chronicles says that all the peoples of the Caucasus come from the great-grandson of Noah - Torgamos. Torgamos had 8 sons, lived quietly near Ararat, but his children went in different directions and laid the foundation for special peoples. Armenians came from Gaikos, Georgians from Kartos . Kavkazos laid the foundation for other Caucasian peoples. Lekos went to Dagestan, and Lezgins, that is, Dagestanis, went from him.

3. Legend of the Scythians

There is a legend saying that modern Dagestan was settled in the 7th century BC. This settlement is associated with the invasion of the Scythians in Transcaucasia. The legend tells that the Scythians invaded Georgia and Armenia in numerous hordes, devastated these countries, took many prisoners and returned to the Northern Black Sea region. Of the captive peoples, "the Scythians formed two kingdoms in the North Caucasus: one - on the Terek to the western tip of the mountains under the rule of Uobos, the son of the king of the Scythians, and the other - in the east under the control of the king's cousin." Ossetians arose from the subjects of the first, and in the east, where Khunzakh was built, the peoples of Dagestan originated.

4. Laws of Lycurgus in Amusha.

The legendary legislator of Ancient Sparta, Lycurgus, is known in history for harsh laws that strengthened the military organization of the Spartan community. Weak, physically handicapped babies were destroyed in Sparta. Ancient old people were once thrown off a cliff. Mountain aksakals in Dagestan say that once, a long time ago, there was a custom in the village of Amusha to kill people who had reached a ripe old age. They were placed in wicker baskets and then pushed off a cliff.

5. Before Islam and after Islam.

Before the adoption of Islam, twelve Andalal settlements in Avaria were called Vitshu. After the introduction of Islam, the Arabs began to call Vitskhu Judalal. From here, they say, the name Andalal originated. It is curious that in the Laksky district there are still auls, the population of which calls themselves Vitskhins.

6. Mount Kabh - Mountain of tongues.

Back in the 9th century, the Arab traveler Masudi exclaimed: “Mount Kabh is a mountain of languages. One god will count the multilingual peoples living in the mountains of Kabkh. Century passed after century, and the greatest expert on the Caucasian languages ​​P. K. Uslar repeated these words in 1862: with the question of how many different languages ​​there are in the Caucasus, then we would answer: one god will count the multilingual peoples living in the mountains of Kabkh.Mount Kabkh is a mountain of languages.

7. The legend of the torn bag.

In many auls, there is a fairy tale about a rider who once, in time immemorial, traveled around the world with a bag in which there were different languages. The horseman distributed different languages ​​to different peoples of the earth. When the horseman appeared in the Caucasus, he tore his bag on one of the impregnable rocks of Dagestan. Languages ​​scattered over the mountains, and everything was mixed up. That is why there are so many languages ​​in Dagestan.