Sayings of famous personalities about Chechens at different times. Religion

In the Chechen Republic, the dominant religion is Sunni Islam.

The process of Islamization of the Chechens knows seven stages. The first stage is associated with the Arab conquests in the North Caucasus, the Arab-Khazar wars (VIII-X centuries), the second stage is associated with the Islamized tops of the Polovtsy, under the influence of which the Nakhs were (XI-XII centuries), the third stage is associated with the influence of the Golden Horde ( XIII-XIV centuries), the fourth stage is associated with the invasion of Tamerlane (XIV century), the fifth is associated with the influence of Muslim missionaries of Dagestan, Kabarda, Turkey (XV-XVI centuries), the sixth stage is associated with the activities of Sheikh Mansur, aimed at establishing Sharia, the seventh the stage is connected with the activities of Shamil and Tashu-Khadzhi, who fought against the adats, asserting Sharia, the eighth stage is connected with the influence on the Chechens of Sheikh Kunta-Khadzhi and other Sufi teachers.

The beginning of the mass spread of Islam among the ancestors of the Chechens dates back to the 14th century, although there is reason to believe that Islam diffusely penetrated among the Chechens as early as the 9th-10th centuries, which is associated with the penetration of Arab commanders and missionaries into the territory of the Chechens.

In general, the spread of Islam among the Chechens is a complex, contradictory and centuries-old process of adaptation to ethno-cultural reality. Islam was spread both by violent measures - the aggressive campaigns of the Arabs, and by peaceful means - through missionary activity. In Chechnya, and in general and throughout Russia, the Sunni direction of Islam, represented by the Shafi and Hanafi madhhabs, has established itself.

In the North-Eastern Caucasus (Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia), Islam has the form of Sufism, functioning through the Nakshbandiyya, Qadiriyya and Shazaliya tarikats, which had a spiritual, cultural and political influence on many peoples of the region. In the Chechen Republic, only the Nakshbandiyya and Qadiriyya tarikats are widespread, divided into religious groups - vird brotherhoods, their total number reaches thirty. The followers of Sufism in the Chechen Republic are Sunni Muslims, relying on the basic provisions of Islam, but at the same time, they follow Sufi traditions, revering their ustazes, known to them sheikhs, avliya. A large place in the religious activities of traditionalists is given to oral prayers, rituals performed, pilgrimages to holy places, the performance of religious rituals - dhikrs, the construction of ziyarats (movzalei) over the graves of dead ustazes. This centuries-old spiritual and cultural tradition in modern conditions, thanks to the activities of the President of the Chechen Republic and the muftiate, is being actively revived, reaching its climax. Islam in Chechnya, due to its centuries-old adaptation to folk culture, is characterized by liberality and tolerance for other confessional systems.

In the Chechen Republic, starting from 1992, a new doctrine, unconventional for the region, began to spread - the so-called Wahhabism, which is a religious and political alternative for local Islam. The activities of the Wahhabis were of a pronounced political nature and were directed against society and the state. The radicalism and extremism of Wahhabism was determined by the transition from one socio-political system to another, the collapse of the USSR, de-ideologization, democratic reforms, and the weakness of state power.

At present, the activities of religious extremists, as well as terrorists, are being suppressed in the Chechen Republic. A rapid revival of traditional Islam began, which is manifested not only in the construction of mosques and religious schools, but also in the spiritual enlightenment of young people. Traditionalists in their daily sermons of Muslims call for unity, spiritual uplift, condemn drug addiction and many other sinful acts.

A BRIEF ETHNIC HISTORY OF THE VAINAKH

The ethnic history of the Vainakhs (Chechens, Ingush, Tsovatushins) goes back thousands of years. In Mesopotamia (between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers), in Sumer, in Anatolia, the Syrian and Armenian highlands, in Transcaucasia and on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, majestic and mysterious traces of Hurrian states, cities, settlements dating back to the 4th-1st millennia BC have remained. e. It is the Hurrians that are singled out by modern historical science as the oldest great-ancestors of the Nakh peoples.

The right of the Nakhs to inherit the genetic, cultural and historical memory of their distant ancestors is evidenced by numerous data in the field of language, archeology, anthropology, toponymy, annalistic and folklore sources, parallels and continuity in customs, rituals, and traditions.

This, however, is not about a one-time process of resettlement of the Hurrian tribes from Western Asia to the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus Range, where Chechens and Ingush now live compactly. Numerous and majestic in the past Hurrian states and communities: the Sumerians, Mitanni (Naharina), Alzi, Karahar, Arrapha, Urartu (Nairi, Biaini) and others - at different historical times dissolved in new state formations, and the main part of the Hurrians, Etruscans, Urartians, was assimilated by more numerous nomadic tribes of Semites, Assyrians, Persians, Turks and others.

A sensational report about the close connection between the ancient Nakhs and the Near East civilizations was made in the mid-sixties by an outstanding Caucasian scholar, professor, Lenin Prize laureate Evgeny Ivanovich Krupnov:

“... The study of the past of the multinational Caucasus is also associated with the problem of the ethnogenesis of a certain circle of ancient and original peoples, forming a special language group (the so-called Iberian-Caucasian family of languages). As you know, it is sharply different from all other language families of the world and turned out to be associated with the most ancient peoples of the Near East and Asia Minor even before the appearance of the Indo-European, Turkic and Finno-Ugric peoples on the historical arena.

For the first time in Soviet historiography, materials on the close relationship of the Hurri-Urartian language with the Nakh languages ​​were published in 1954 by the Polish linguist J. Braun and the Soviet linguist A Klimov. Later this discovery was confirmed in the works of prominent scientists and local historians: Yu. D. Desheriev, I. M. Dyakonov, A. S. Chikobava, A. Yu. Militarev, S. A Starostin, Kh. Chokaeva, S.-M. Khasiev, A. Alikhadzhiev, S. M. Jamirzaev, R. M. Nashkhoev and others.

Among the foreign scientists who drew attention to the ethnolinguistic proximity of the Chechens with the ancient population of Western Asia was the German linguist Joseph Karst. In 1937, in his work “The Beginning of the Mediterranean. Prehistoric Mediterranean peoples, their origin, settlement and kinship. Ethnolinguistic Studies” (Heidelberg) he wrote:

“Chechens are not actually Caucasians, but ethnically and linguistically: they are sharply separated from other mountain peoples of the Caucasus. They are the offspring of the great Hyperborean-Paleo-Asiatic (Anterior Asian) tribe, displaced to the Caucasus, which extended from Turan (Turkey - N.S.-Kh.) through Northern Mesopotamia to Canaan. With its euphological vocalism, its structure, which does not tolerate any heaps of consonants, the Chechen language is characterized as a member of a family that was once geographically and genetically closer to the proto-Hamitic than to the Caucasian languages ​​proper.

Karst calls the Chechen language "the jumped northern offspring of the proto-language", which once occupied a much more southern territory in the pre-Armenian-Alarodian (i.e. Urartian) Asia Minor.

Of the Russian pre-revolutionary authors, Konstantin Mikhailovich Tumanov wrote about the origin of the Vainakhs with amazing scientific insight back in 1913 in his book “On the Prehistoric Language of Transcaucasia”, published in Tiflis. After analyzing numerous materials in the field of language, toponymy, written sources and legends, the author came to the conclusion that even before the appearance on the historical arena of the current Transcaucasian peoples, the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush were widely settled here.

Tumanov even then suggested that the famous "Van inscriptions" - Urartian cuneiform texts - were made by the ancestors of the Vainakhs. This assumption was subsequently fully confirmed. Scientists today have no doubt that of all the known languages ​​of the world, the language of modern Chechens and Ingush is closest to Urarto-Hurrian.

In the ethnogenesis of modern Chechens and Ingush, of course, the natives also took part, who lived since ancient times on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range and the steppe zone, stretching to the lower reaches of the Volga in the north and the shores of the Caspian Sea in the east.

On the territory of modern Chechnya, in the area of ​​Lake Kezenoy Am in the Vedensky district, traces of people who lived here 40 thousand years ago were found. Thus, we can state that the modern Chechens, Ingush, Tsovatushins are the descendants of the founders of the ancient Near Asian and Transcaucasian civilizations, and their current homeland is the habitat of the most ancient people, where many material and spiritual cultures were layered one on top of the other.

Witnesses of the dramatic, heroic history of the Novonakhs in the North Caucasus are various cyclopean structures made of huge boulders, Scythian mounds rising in the flat zone of Nakhistan, ancient and medieval towers that impress even today with their grace and skill of their creators.

How did the distant ancestors of the Vainakhs cross the Main Caucasian Range and settle on its northern foothills and valleys? Many sources shed light on this process. The main and most reliable of them is "Kartlis Tskhovreba" (Life of Georgia) - a set of Georgian chronicles attributed to Leonti Mroveli.

In these annals, going into prehistoric depths, the role of the Dzurdzuks, the ancestors of the Vainakhs, who migrated from the Near East society of Durdukka (around Lake Urmia) in the historical processes of Transcaucasia in the 1st millennium BC, is noted. Obviously, the main of these chronicles arose at the end of the 1st millennium BC. e. , after the campaigns of Alexander the Great, although they tell about events both preceding the campaign dating back to the time of the state of Urartu, and events much later.

The legendary form of narration, in which, as usual, events of different eras are confused, clearly indicates that the distant ancestors of the Vainakhs played a very active political role throughout the Transcaucasus and the North Caucasus. The chronicles note that the most eminent and powerful of all the children of Kavkazos (the mythical ancestor of all Caucasian peoples) was Dzurdzuk. It was the first Georgian king Farnavaz who turned to the dzurdzuks at the turn of the new era with a request for help when he wanted to establish himself on the throne in the fight against fragmented eristavstvos (feudal principalities).

The alliance of the Dzurdzuks with the Iberians and Kartvelians was strengthened by the marriage of Farnavaz with a woman from the Dzurdzuks.
The eastern Hurrian tribes of the state of Urartu, who lived near Lake Urmia, were called Matiens. In the "Armenian geography" of the early Middle Ages, the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush are known as Nakhchmatians.

On the shore of Lake Urmia was the city of Durdukka, by this ethnonym the Nakh tribes that migrated from there to Transcaucasia began to be called. They were called dzurdzuks (durduks). Matiens, Nakhchmatians, Dzurdzuks are the same Nakh tribes that have remained in sight for a long historical period, retained their material and spiritual culture, mentality, ensured the continuity of traditions and way of life.

Other kindred tribes and communities also served as a similar historical and ethnic bridge between the population of the ancient Hurrian-Urartian world and the Vainakhs proper from the Central Caucasus.

The Urartians were not completely assimilated by the Armenians; for centuries they continued to live an independent life both in the Central Transcaucasia and on the Black Sea coast. Part of the Urartian tribes merged over time with the dominant ethnic groups. The other part preserved itself, remaining relic islands, and managed to survive to this day. It is these relic ethnic groups that are today's Chechens, Ingush, Tsova-Tushins, other peoples and nationalities who managed to survive by the will of God in the gorges of the ancient Caucasus.

The little-studied, but replete with reliable data, history of the Nakhs between the Hurrian-Urartian kingdoms in Western Asia and the Novo-Nakh state formations during the Mongol-Tatar invasion indicates that the Nakhs were practically the basis for the emergence of new peoples and ethnic groups in the Central Caucasus, which until then did not exist in nature at all. The Nakh ethnos underlies the emergence of Ossetians, Khevsurs, Dvals, Svans, Tushins, Udins and other tribes and peoples.

The historian Vakhushti (1696-1770) also stated that the Kakhetians consider Dzurdzuks, Glivs and Kists to be theirs, “and they have not known about this since the time they disappeared.”
The Nakh tribes, unions of tribes and kingdoms, located in the center of the Caucasus on both sides of the ridge at the beginning of the first half of the new era, are Dzurdzuks, eras, kahi, ganakhs, khalibs, mechelons, khons, tsanars, tabals, di-auhi, myalkhs, sodas .

The Hurrito-Nakh and tribes and communities close to them ended up in Central and Eastern Transcaucasia not only after the collapse of Urartu, the last, most powerful kingdom of the Hurrians. Academician G. A. Melikishvili argues that “the rapid development of these lands (Transcaucasian), their transformation into an organic part of the empire, is largely due to the fact that the Urartians here had to deal with a population that was ethnically close to the population of the central regions of Urartu ".

And yet, reliable, unambiguous traces of the residence of the Hurrian-Nakh tribes in Transcaucasia, with their names and specific locations, we find only after the collapse of the Urartian kingdom. Perhaps this is due to the lack of written sources at that remote time. But in the most ancient written source from Leonty Mroveli we find a phrase from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BC): settled in Kartli.

The historian Khasan Bakaev proved that the Urartian eras, one of the largest tribes in the state, belonged to the Hurrito-Nakhs. It is with the eras that were perhaps the most powerful in Urartu that the names of Erebuni are associated (dwelling of the eras, “bun” - in the Chechen language - dwelling); the name Yeraskh (i) is the river Erov. “Khan” is a Hurrito-Nakh special formant that forms hydronyms,” says Kh. Bakaev.

The Tigris River was called Arantsakhi in Hurrian, which means “plain river” in Chechen. The river that flowed through the territory of the Black Sea Hurrians (Machelons, Khalibs and others) was called and is still called Chorokhi, which in the Chechen language means “internal river”. Terek in ancient times was called Lomekhi, i.e. "mountain river".

Modern Liakhvi in ​​South Ossetia is called by the Ossetians Leuakhi, i.e. in Nakh, “glacial river”. The name Yerashi semantically complements this series and allows such a translation - "Erov river". Leonty Mroveli named the "Oreti Sea" as one of the frontiers of the "country of Targamos".

In the ancient Armenian version of the work of Leonty Mroveli, this name is referred to as "the sea of ​​Eret" (Hereta). It is clear from the text that this name does not mean the Black and Caspian Seas, the “sea of ​​Eret” meant Lake Sevan in ancient times.

In those areas where the Araks (Yerakhi) flowed through the habitat of the eras, already in the era of the Armenian kingdom there was a goverk (district) of Yeraz, there was a gorge of Yeraskh (Yeraskhadzor, where dzor is “gorge”) and the “top of Yeraskhadzor” was also located there. It is curious that the Nakhchradzor community, that is, the community of the Nakhchra gorge, is mentioned not far from this peak. It is obvious that “Nakhchra” echoes the self-name of the Chechens – Nakhche, as Bakaev rightly asserts in his latest research.

At the turn of the new era, the largest Kakhetian society was surrounded on all sides by Nakh-speaking tribes and communities. Nakh-speaking Tsanars adjoined it from the south, Nakh-speaking Dvals from the west, Nakh-speaking eras (who also lived in Kakheti itself) from the east, and Nakh-speaking Dzurdzuks from the north. As for the tribe of Kahs, who gave the name to Kakhetia, this is a part of the Nakh-speaking Tushetia, who lived in the flat part of historical Tushetia and called themselves a tavern, and their territory was Kah-Batsa.

The Transcaucasian tribes of Tabals, Tuali, Tibarens, Khaldy were also Nakh-speaking.
The heyday of stone construction in the Nakh mountains dates back to the early Middle Ages. All the gorges of the upper reaches of the Darial, Assy, Argun, Fortanga were built up with complex stone architectural structures, such as military and residential towers, castles, crypts, temples, and sanctuaries.

Later, whole settlements appeared - fortresses, which still amaze with their splendor, the skill of architects. Many battle towers were erected on the peaks of rocks and were practically inaccessible to the enemy. Such architectural structures, which are considered as works of art, could only appear at a high level of production, with a highly developed socio-cultural life.

By the time of the great historical upheavals, to which the epic with the Mongol-Tatar invasion belongs, the kingdom of Alania was located in the western part of Chechnya, and the Chechen kingdom of Simsir was located in the eastern part of flat and foothill Chechnya, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe current Gudermes and Nozhai-Yurt regions. The peculiarity of this kingdom (in history the name of the most influential ruler of Simsir - Gayurkhan is known) was that it was one of the Islamic states and had close relations with neighboring Dagestan principalities.

ALANYA

In the early Middle Ages, a multi-tribal and multi-lingual union began to take shape in the plain regions of Ciscaucasia, which began to be called Alania.

This union included, as evidenced by archaeologists, linguists, anthropologists and other specialists, both Sarmatian nomads and the original inhabitants of these places, mainly Nakh-speaking. Obviously, these were flat Nakhs, known to the Greek geographer Strabo under the name gargarei, which in the Nakh language means “close”, “relatives”.
The steppe nomads, who were part of the tribal union of Alania, adopted a settled way of life from the Nakhs, and soon their settlements and settlements (fortified settlements) multiplied along the banks of the Terek and Sunzha.

Travelers of those years noted that the Alanian settlements were so closely located to each other that in one village they heard roosters crow and dogs bark in another.
Huge barrows towered around the settlements, some of which have survived to this day. There are also traces of Alan settlements, one of which is the Alkhan-Kalinsky settlement on the territory of the Grozny region, 16 km west of Grozny, on the left bank of the Sunzha. Most likely, as Caucasian scholars suggest, there was at one time the capital of Alania, the city of Magas (Maas), which in the Vainakh language means “capital”, “main city”. For example, the main settlement of the Cheberloev society - Makazha - was called Maa-Makazha.

Valuable finds, mined there during archaeological excavations, received at one time not only all-Union, but also world fame.

MEDIEVAL NAKH TRIBES AND KINGDOM

The Chechens and Ingush of the first half of the 1st millennium AD, who lived on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range, are known under the names "Nakhchmatians", "Kists", "Durdzuks", "Gligvas", "Melkhs", "Khamekites", "gardens". Until today, in the mountains of Chechnya and Ingushetia, the tribes and family names of Sadoy, Khamkhoev, Melkhi have been preserved.
One and a half thousand years ago, the population of Chechnya and Ingushetia (Nakhistan), who lived in the border regions with Georgia and in Georgia itself, professed Christianity.

Until today, the ruins of Christian churches and temples have been preserved in the mountains. The Christian temple of Tkhaba-Erda near the village of Targim in the Assinov Gorge has been almost completely preserved. Experts say that the temple was erected in the early Middle Ages.

The same period includes intense ties between the highlanders and neighboring and distant developed countries and states. According to the studies of the Abkhazian scientist Guram Gumba, the king of the Myalkhs Adermakh, for example, was married to the daughter of the Bosporus king from the northern Black Sea region. Ties with Byzantium and Khazaria were intense. In the struggle between Prince Svyatoslav of Kyiv and Khazaria and Prince Igor against the Polovtsy, the Chechens and Ingush evidently took the side of their Slavic allies. This is evidenced, in particular, by the lines from the Tale of Igor's Campaign, where Igor, captured by the Polovtsy, is offered to flee to the mountains. There the Chechens, the people of Avlur, will save and protect the Russian prince.

In the VIII-XI centuries, large caravan routes passed through the territory of Chechnya from the Khazar city of Semender, which was supposedly located in Northern Dagestan, to the Black Sea, to the Taman Peninsula and further to European countries.

Probably, thanks to this path, household items and works of art of rare beauty and excellent craftsmanship became widespread in Chechnya.
Another important route connecting the Nakhs with the outside world was the Darial passage. This path connected the Chechens with Georgia and with the whole Asiatic world.

INVASION OF THE TATARO-MONGOLS

During the period of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the kingdom of Alania, which was located in the western part of Chechnya, was completely destroyed by the nomadic hordes of two commanders of Genghis Khan - Jebe and Subedei. They broke through from Derbent, and the lowland population of Nakhistan turned out to be vulnerable to the steppe army.

The Tatar-Mongols spared no one. The civilian population was either killed or taken into slavery. Livestock and property were looted. Hundreds of villages and settlements were reduced to ashes.

Another blow to the foothills of the Caucasus. It was inflicted by the hordes of Batu in 1238-1240. In those years. nomadic hordes of the Tatar-Mongols swept through the countries of Eastern Europe, inflicting heavy damage on them. Chechnya did not escape this fate either. Its economic, political, social and spiritual development was thrown back for centuries.

The population of the plain of Nakhistan partly managed to escape to the mountains, to their relatives. Here, in the mountains, the Vainakhs, knowing full well that the invasion of the Tatar-Mongol threatens them with complete annihilation or assimilation, put up a stubborn, truly heroic resistance to the Tatar-Mongols. Due to the fact that part of the Nakhs went high into the mountains, the people managed not only to preserve their language, customs, culture, but also to protect themselves from the inevitable processes of assimilation by numerous steppe dwellers. Therefore, Chechens from generation to generation passed on traditions and legends about how their ancestors, in an unequal struggle, preserved the freedom and identity of their people.

ALERT

In the mountains, there was a well-thought-out warning system about the appearance of the enemy. On the tops of the mountains, in clear visibility from each other, stone signal towers were built. When nomads appeared in the valley, bonfires were lit at the top of the towers, the smoke from which warned the entire mountainous region of danger. Relay signals were transmitted from tower to tower. Smoking towers meant alarm, preparation for defense.

Everywhere they announced: “Orts gave!” - from the words "Ortsakh dovla" - that is, go to the mountains, to the forest, save yourself, your children, livestock, property. Men instantly became warriors. Military terminology testifies to a developed defense system: infantry, guards, horsemen, archers, spearmen, orderlies, swordsmen, shield bearers; commander of a hundred, commander of a regiment, division, leader of an army, etc.

In the mountains, in the Nashkh region, a system of military democracy was established for many centuries. Numerous traditions of the people also testify to the strict laws of military discipline of that time.

EDUCATION OF DISCIPLINE

Periodically, the Council of Elders (Mehkan Khel) checked the military discipline of the male population. It was done in this way. Suddenly, most often at night, a general gathering was announced. The one who came last was thrown off the cliff. Naturally, no one wanted to be late...

The Chechens have such a legend. There lived two friends. One of them was in love. It so happened that the alarm was announced that night when the lover went on a date with a girl in a distant village. Knowing this, feeling that he would be late, the friend hid in the grove in order to be the last to approach the gathering place. In order to skip the first one who comes late from a date.

And then, finally, a friend rushed from a date. They wanted to throw him off the cliff, but then a lurking one appeared. - "Do not touch him! I'm the last!"
The elders figured out what was happening and, they say, left both of them alive. But this was an exception to the strict rules.

Starting from the 15th century, settlements of Chechens descending from the mountains began to grow to the lowland Nakh communities. They waged a fierce struggle with the Kumyk, Nogai and Kabardian khans and princes, who, in alliance with the Horde, exploited the Chechen flat arable lands and pastures, those that the Chechens were forced to leave as a result of an unequal struggle.

S-X. NUNUEV
Gord Grozny
Chechen Republic

Reviews

5000 years ago, the Caspian Sea went far beyond the current Vladikavkaz. People lived only in the mountains. Those very giants who were definitely not Vainakhs. The Caspian moved away somewhere 3.5-4 thousand years ago. They don’t look deeper than 3.5 thousand years ago. Only DNA can clarify something. Although DNA does not play a role for historical science, since a people is a territorial, cultural, linguistic, economic community. DNA does not fully determine anthropology , therefore, it is impossible to judge exactly by DNA. However, DNA can say a lot about continuity and origin. So the DNA of the Trojans does not coincide with the Vainakh ones, and the Luvian language that the Trojans spoke and did business with modern Vainakh also does not match. Our DNA is significantly present in Greece , a little in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, Venice, Scotland, southern France, Basquiat, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland. Moreover, according to European data, somewhere around 3-4 thousand years ago, the Euro was first settled pu. The Vainakh language converges by 20-30% with Khurit, includes a layer of ancient Uyghur and Mongolic, Turkish, Arabic and Iranian, as well as Germanic and Vainakh proper. In the last period, the influence of Russian is noticeable. Academician Bunak, an anthropologist, after excavating, came to the conclusion that that the bony path of the Vainakhs to the Caucasus begins with Asia Minor. Professor Krupnov came to the conclusion that the Vainakhs once lived close to the enlightened peoples of Asia Minor. Although at that time there were no unenlightened peoples in Asia Minor. located in ancient Asia Minor, but the name of this cevilization has not yet been announced or is deliberately kept silent. One interesting fact: the staff of the American University managed to decipher the ancient toponymy of Europe only from Vainakh. Another fact: it is now known for certain that 15 thousand Vikings in ancient times settled in the northern Caucasus. Look at the DNA of the Vainakhs and the DNA of the Akkins, they are different. Of course, I want to put an end to studying Vainakh history, but it is still too early. There are still many unresolved issues. Our historians often cover it patriotically and this is understandable, but it is not clear why they are looking for answers to questions in Armenian, Georgian, Arabic, Turkish, Russian, Greek and even Roman sources, digging in the archives, and do not use their own sources, which, although destroyed during the eviction, still exist. It is known that neither the Chechens nor the Ingush have their own epic collection of folk stories about valiant campaigns and the exploits of ancient heroes . However, there is the Nart-Orstkhoev epic, which can be fully called Vainakh and references to which you will not notice when studying history by our or other researchers. Many correct answers can be found from the lips of the elders. The value of these stories does not decrease due to the fact that they were not once written on paper. If you look at the map of the present Caucasus, it becomes obvious that the Vainakhs have occupied both the southern and northern Caucasus since ancient times and are now squeezed from all sides by non-Vainakh peoples.

The daily audience of the Proza.ru portal is about 100 thousand visitors, who in total view more than half a million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.

From time immemorial, Chechens have been famous as hardy, strong, dexterous, inventive, severe and skillful warriors. The main features of the representatives of this nation have always been: pride, fearlessness, the ability to cope with any life difficulties, as well as high reverence for consanguinity. Representatives of the Chechen people: Ramzan Kadyrov, Dzhokhar Dudayev.

Take with you:

Origin of the Chechens

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the Chechen nation:

• Most scientists are inclined to believe that in this way the people began to be called around the 13th century, after the name of the village of Big Chechen. Later, not only the inhabitants of this settlement, but also all neighboring villages of a similar type, began to be called this way.
• According to another opinion, the name "Chechens" appeared thanks to the Kabardians, who called this people "Shashan". And, allegedly, the representatives of Russia simply changed this name a little, making it more convenient and harmonious for our language, and over time it took root and this people began to be called Chechens not only in Russia, but also in other states.
• There is a third version - according to it, other Caucasian peoples initially called the inhabitants of modern Chechnya Chechens.

By the way, the very word “Vainakh” translated from Nakh into Russian sounds like “our people” or “our people”.

If we talk about the origin of the nation itself, then it is generally accepted that the Chechens have never been a nomadic people and their history is closely connected with the Caucasian lands. True, some scientists argue that in ancient times, representatives of this nation occupied larger territories in the northeastern Caucasus, and only then massively migrated to the north of Kazvkaz. The very fact of such a relocation of the people does not cause any particular doubts, but the motives for the move are not known to scientists.

According to one version, which is partly confirmed by Georgian sources, the Chechens at a certain moment simply decided to occupy the North Caucasian space, where no one lived at that time. Moreover, there is an opinion that the very name of the Caucasus is also of Vainakh origin. Allegedly, in ancient times, that was the name of the Chechen ruler, and the territory got its name from his name "Caucasus".

Having settled in the North Caucasus, the Chechens led a settled way of life and did not leave their native places without extreme necessity. They lived in this territory for more than one hundred years (from about the 13th century).

Even when in 1944 almost the entire indigenous population was deported in connection with the unfair accusation of supporting the fascists, the Chechens did not remain in the “foreign” land and returned to their homeland.

Caucasian war

In the winter of 1781, Chechnya officially became part of Russia. The corresponding document was signed by many respectable elders of the largest Chechen villages, who not only put their signature on paper, but also swore on the Koran that they would accept Russian citizenship.

But at the same time, the majority of representatives of the nation considered this document a mere formality and, in fact, were going to continue their autonomous existence. One of the most ardent opponents of the entry of Chechnya into Russia was Sheikh Mansur, who had a huge influence on his fellow tribesmen, since he was not only a preacher of Islam, but was also the first imam of the North Caucasus. Many Chechens supported Mansur, which later helped him become the leader of the liberation movement and unite all the discontented highlanders into one force.

Thus began the Caucasian War, which lasted nearly fifty years. In the end, the Russian military forces managed to suppress the resistance of the highlanders, however, extremely tough measures were taken for this, up to the burning of hostile auls. Also during that period, the Sunzhinskaya (named after the Sunzha River) line of fortifications was built.

However, the end of the war was very conditional. The established peace was extremely shaky. The situation was complicated by the fact that oil deposits were discovered in Chechnya, from which the Chechens received practically no income. Another difficulty was the local mentality, which was very different from the Russian one.

Chechens and then repeatedly staged various uprisings. But despite all the difficulties, Russia greatly appreciated the representatives of this nationality. The fact is that the men of Chechen nationality were wonderful warriors and were distinguished not only by physical strength, but also by courage, as well as an unbending fighting spirit. During the First World War, an elite regiment was created, consisting of only Chechens and called the "Wild Division".

Chechens have indeed always been considered remarkable warriors, in which composure is surprisingly combined with courage and the will to win. The physical data of representatives of this nationality are also impeccable. Chechen men are characterized by: strength, endurance, dexterity, etc.

On the one hand, this is explained by the fact that they lived in rather harsh conditions, where it was extremely difficult for a physically weak person to exist, and on the other hand, by the fact that almost the entire history of this people is associated with constant struggle and the need to defend their interests with arms in hand. After all, if we look at the events that took place in the Caucasus, both in ancient times and in our time, we will see that the Chechen people have always remained quite autonomous and, in case of dissatisfaction with certain circumstances, easily went into a state of war.

At the same time, the combat science of the Chechens has always been very developed, and fathers from early childhood taught their sons how to use weapons and ride a horse. The ancient Chechens managed to do the almost impossible and create their own invincible mountain cavalry. Also, it is they who are considered the founders of such military techniques as nomadic batteries, the technique of blocking the enemy or the withdrawal of "crawling" troops into battle. From time immemorial, their military tactics have been based on surprise, followed by a massive attack on the enemy. Moreover, many experts agree that it is the Chechens, and not the Cossacks, who are the founders of the partisan method of warfare.

National Features

The Chechen language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch and has more than nine dialects that are used in speech and writing. But the main dialect is considered flat, which in the 20th century formed the basis of the literary dialect of this people.

As for religious views, the vast majority of Chechens profess Islam.

Chechens also attach great importance to the observance of the national code of honor "Konakhalla". These ethical rules of conduct were developed in ancient times. And this moral code, to put it very simply, tells how a man should behave in order to be considered worthy of his people and his ancestors.

By the way, Chechens are also characterized by a very strong relationship. Initially, the culture of this people developed in such a way that the society was divided into various teips (kinds), belonging to which was of great importance for the Vainakhs. The relation to this or that genus was always determined by the father. Moreover, to this day, representatives of this people, getting to know a new person, often ask where he comes from and from which teip.

Another type of association is "tukhum". This was the name of teip communities created for one purpose or another: joint hunting, farming, protection of territories, repelling enemy attacks, etc.

Chechen. Lezginka.

Special attention should be paid to the national Chechen cuisine, which is rightfully considered one of the most ancient in the Caucasus. From time immemorial, the main products used by the Chechens for cooking were: meat, cheese, cottage cheese, as well as pumpkin, wild garlic and corn. Special importance is also attached to spices, which are usually used in large quantities.

Chechen traditions

Living in the harsh conditions of the mountainous area left its mark on the culture of the Chechens, their traditions. Life here was many times harder than on the plain.

For example, the highlanders often worked the land on the slopes of the peaks, and in order to avoid accidents, they had to work in large groups, obliging themselves with one rope. Otherwise, one of them could easily fall into the abyss and die. Often, half of the aul gathered to carry out such work. Therefore, for a true Chechen, respectable neighborly relations are sacred. And if grief happened in the family of people living nearby, then this grief is the grief of the whole village. If a breadwinner was lost in a neighboring house, then his widow or mother was supported by the whole aul, sharing food or other necessary things with her.

Due to the fact that work in the mountains is usually very hard, the Chechens have always tried to protect the older generation from it. And even the usual greeting here is based on the fact that they first greet an older person, and then ask if he needs help with something. Also in Chechnya, it is considered bad form if a young man walks past an elderly man doing hard work and does not offer his help.

Hospitality also plays a huge role for the Chechens. In ancient times, a person could easily get lost in the mountains and die from hunger or an attack by a wolf or a bear. That is why it has always been unthinkable for Chechens not to let a stranger into the house who asks for help. It does not matter what the name of the guest is and whether he is familiar with the hosts, if he is in trouble, then he will be provided with food and lodging for the night.

Take with you:

Mutual respect is also of particular importance in Chechen culture. In ancient times, the highlanders moved mainly along thin paths encircling peaks and gorges. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult for people to disperse on such paths. And the slightest inaccurate movement could cause a fall from the mountain and the death of a person. That is why Chechens, from early childhood, were taught to respect other people, and especially women and the elderly.

The origin of any nation is a complex problem, which takes decades to solve. The problem is all the more difficult because the data of only one branch of the humanities, say, the data of linguistics, archeology or ethnography taken separately, are insufficient for its solution. To the greatest extent, what has been said applies to those peoples who did not have their own written language in the historical past, to which Chechen-Ingush people .
Chechens and Ingush, like other peoples, have gone through a complex and long path of development. This path is measured in millennia, and the only companion of the people, a witness to its past history that has come down to our days, is the language in which the past of the Vainakhs is imprinted.

"Language data," says Prof. V.I. Abaev - if they are correct interpreted, acquire , along with others evidence, of great importance in solving ethnogenetic questions." (V.I. Abaev “. Ethnogenesis of the Ossetians according to the language. Abstracts of the scientific session devoted to the problem of the origin of the Ossetian people. Ordzhonikidze, 1966, p. 3). Such branches of linguistics as toponymy and ethnonymy are called upon to render a special service in solving this problem. Great service in resolving issues of ethnogenesis are called upon to provide dialects in which, in mothballed form, the dead forms of the language are preserved, which served as the designation of objects, concepts and ideas of the people in the historical past.
Historical science does not have any convincing information about the social differentiation of Chechens and Ingush in the early and late Middle Ages. But according to some historians, the Chechens and Ingush had a tribal system, almost in the 18-19 centuries. The data of language and ethnography convincingly refute these arguments as bankrupt.
In the Chechen and Ingush languages, the terms ela (alla) - prince, lai - slave, yalkho - hired worker, vatsarho - exploited and others who speak of the existence of princes and slaves among the Chechens and Ingush, even in the distant past.
About the existence of Christianity among the Chechens and Ingush (and Christianity as monotheistic religion cannot exist among a people with a tribal system), also testify terms denoting the attributes of this ideology, for example: kersta - Christian (cf. Russian. Cross), j1ar - cross, bibal - bible, kils - church (cargo, eklisi) and others.
At the same time, it should be remembered that in the vocabulary of the language there are no words that arose on their own, that "neither thought nor language form a special kingdom in themselves ... they are only manifestations of real life." (K. Marx, F. Engels).
Making an attempt in this article to express our views on the issue of the ethnogenesis of the Chechens and Ingush, we, of course, rely mainly on the data of the language, but at the same time, if possible, we use data from other related sciences.
Chechens, Ingush and Tsovo-Tushins (Batsbians), being related in language, material and spiritual culture, constitute one of the groups of the so-called Iberian-Caucasian ethnic family, which includes the autochthonous peoples of Dagestan, Georgia, Adygea, Circassia and Kabardino-Balkaria Georgians, Adyghes, Circassians, Kabardians, Avars, Dargins, Laks, Lezgins and others. In this ethnic family, scientists include the Basques of Spain and the south of France.
All these peoples are related to each other in origin and language. This means that the once united people broke up into several nationalities. Each with its own language and other ethnic characteristics, although close. The multilingualism of the Caucasus is a consequence of the differentiation of a single ethnic monolith, which, according to most scientists, developed in the Ciscaucasian steppes and in Ancient Western Asia, which was cultural and historical commonality with the Caucasian Isthmus.
Scientists came to the conclusion that the Caucasian ethnic community presumably formed about 5 thousand years BC. in Asia Minor, begins a gradual migration movement towards the Caucasian Isthmus, to the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas. This migration flow did not subside until 2 thousand years BC. and, seeping into the mountain gorges in the direction from south to north, covers the entire Caucasian region.
According to anthropologist Prof. V.V. Bunak, the settlement of “the North Caucasus took place in two streams, one moving along the western outskirts of the Caucasus, the other along the eastern one ... In the center of the Caucasus, they met and formed their own peculiar type, found in various modifications south of the Main Caucasian Range.” (E.I. Krupnov. “Medieval Ingushetia“. M., 1971, p. 42).
This ethnic stream, representing a conglomerate of related tribal formations, with insignificant differences in language, material and spiritual culture. With the weakening of the migration movement (the turn of 3-2 thousand), there is a further differentiation of ethnic units and a deepening of differences between the once kindred tribes. By this time, the beginning of the disintegration of a single Caucasian ethnic array into three ethnic regions should be attributed - Dagestan-Konakh, Kartvelian and Abkhaz-Adyghe. Such a conclusion is based not only on the data of the language, but also of archeology. By this time, the first states of the Middle East had already taken shape (Sumer, Elam, Urartu, Mitania, etc.), whose languages ​​we find analogies in the languages ​​of the modern peoples of the Caucasus, in particular the Chechens and Ingush, as evidence of the former ethnic unity of the latter with the peoples who created these ancient civilizations of mankind. The heritage of this unity can also be traced in some features of the spiritual and material culture of the Chechens and other peoples of the Caucasus. The Caucasian languages ​​and culture of the peoples of the Caucasus also find analogies in the culture and language of the Hurrians, Hittites, Urartu, Albania, Greece, the Etruscans and other ancient peoples and state formations. So, for example, according to the unanimous opinion of scientists, the Greeks carried the myth known to mankind " About chained Prometheus" from the Caucasus. And in the folklore of many peoples of the Caucasus there are legends about chained heroes with a content similar to the Greek myth. The Chechen version of the myth is especially striking, which almost completely coincides with the Greek myth of the Aeschylus version. (See our: "The image of Prometheus in the folklore of the Chechens and Ingush." ​​Izvestia CHIIIIYAL, v.6. Grozny 1971).
“In Greek ... - said acad. M.Ya. Marr, - such simple words as soul, brother, sea are Japhetic (i.e. Caucasian - K.Ch.). The names of the gods, heroes, villages, mountains, rivers of Greece are Japhetic" (N.Ya. Marr. Armenian culture, its roots and prehistoric connections according to linguistics. In the collection "Language and History". M., 1936, p. 80 ).
GA. Melishvili in his work "On the History of Ancient Georgia". (Tbilisi, 1954) locates the alleged distant ancestors of the Vainakhs in the middle reaches of the river. Euphrates called Tsupani (2 thousand BC). According to the academician, the name Tsupani comes from the name of the supreme pagan deity of the Vainakhs Ts1u (hence Chech. Ts1u stag, Ing. ts1u and ts1ey - holiday) (A) no - a suffix with the meaning of the place (cf. the names of the villages Ersan (Ersenoy), Guna (Gunoy ), Vedana (Vedeno)). As can be seen, this suffix still exists in the Vainakh languages ​​in the same meaning indicated above. The stem C1u has no meaning but are known as theonyms in modern Chechen and Ingush; in the distant past, the state was called by the name of this cult.
It is known that in 783 BC. King Argishti of Urartu resettled 6,600 thousand soldiers from Tsupani and from the neighboring region of Khat and settled them in the area of ​​Arin-Berd, founding the city of Irpuni (present-day Yerevan). The name Arin-Berd in full and the second part of the toponym Irpuni (-uni) are clearly etymologized by means of the Vainakh languages ​​(Arin) cf. check-ing. ariye - space, form of the genus. case arena (a) -spatial, -n-format genus. case, bird - coast, rock, -uni - format denoting the area (see above: Vedena and others). In the language of Urartu (according to the cuneiform script), arin is a steppe, plain, berd is a fortress. More about the connections of the Vainakhs with Urartu below.
According to prof. R.M. Magomedov differentiation of the Caucasian peoples occurred already in the Caucasus (the turn of 3-2 thousand) (see R.M. Magomedov. Dagestan. Historical studies. Makhachkala, 1975).
But if the question of the time and place of the separation of the Nakh ethnos from the general Caucasian array is debatable, then the kinship of the culture and languages ​​of the Caucasian peoples with the culture and language of the Urartu-Hurrits is generally recognized in science.
Here is what the AU writes about this. Chikobava: “Already now it can be tentatively asserted that certain provisions of the Urartian language are explained using the data of the Iberian-Caucasian languages, primarily Nakh (Chechen, Batsbi).” (A.S. Chikobava. “Problems of kinship of the Iberian-Caucasian languages”. Abstracts of reports. Makhachkala. 1965, p. 7). Similar thoughts were expressed by other venerable scientists (Academician G.A. Melikishvili, Prof. Yu.D. Desheriev, I.M. Dyakonov and others). Today, the Nakh languages ​​are less studied than other groups of the Iberian-Caucasian family, and their further study will bring the final solution of the problem closer. Already today it can be stated that the solution of the issue has moved forward significantly, since the time that has elapsed since the above statements of scientists. It is not difficult to understand how promising is the in-depth study of the Nakh languages, especially their dialects.
Let us dwell on some similar points, including the Nakh and Urartian languages.
Arin-Berd (see above).
Tushpa was the name of the capital of Urartu. It is known that in ancient times the main city, the religious, cultural center of the state among many peoples, was named after the supreme deity. So it was in Urartu. And in Urartian, the given name meant “the city of the god Tush”, pa - a city, a settlement.
This name is similarly etymologized on the basis of the Nakh languages: Tush is one of the supreme deities of the Vainakhs during the period of pagan domination, later Christianity, the deity of childbearing and resurgent nature. Even in the last century, according to B. Dalgat, the Ingush performed rituals dedicated to this deity. The hoopoe is called by the Ingush tushol kotam or tusholig (tushola chicken) (l - determinant) and is considered a sacred bird by both Chechens and Ingush (it cannot be killed, stones cannot be thrown at it).
The people living in Georgia, closely related to the Chechens and Ingush, the Tushins, are named after this deity, since the clan, tribe and nationality in ancient times bore the name of their totem (cf. the name than taipa Ts1ontaroy on behalf of the deity of fire Ts1u, etc.). Another component of this toponym is also clearly etymologized from the Nakh languages. Pa (phya) in ancient Nakh meant a settlement, a village, a settlement. Until now, in the closely related Tushino, in the language of the Chechens living in Georgia (Kists) and in the mountain dialects of Chechnya, the settlement is called by this word. This word is also found in many toponyms of the mountainous Chechen-Ingushetia as a relic: Pkheda, Pkhamat, Pkhakoch, etc. "Pkha" was also the name of the pagan deity of the settlement, humanity among the Vainakhs. This basis is also present in the name of the god-fighting hero of the Vainakh Folklore Pkharmat, with whom we associate the famous Greek god-fighting Prometheus, (see our “The image of Prometheus in the folklore of the Chechens and Ingush.” Proceedings of the CHI NIIIIYAL vol. 4. Literary criticism Grozny, 1971).
One of the leading tribes of Urartu bore the name of Biaina. The Urartians also called their country with this word, which was natural, given the fact that the country of many peoples was called by the name of the leading people. Compare the name of the numerous Chechen tribe Beni and the village of Bena. The same root is present in the toponym Beni-Vedana and in the Ingush name of one of the Georgian mountain tribes of the Mokhevs-Benis, from whom the Ingush Malsagovs are believed to originate.
In the language of Urartu, the protected fortified area, or fortress, was called - khoy. In the same sense, this word is found in the Chechen-Ingush toponymy: Khoi is a village in Cheberloi, which really had a strategic significance, because. blocked the way to the Cheberloev basin from the side of Dagestan and the plane of Chechnya. Hence the name of the river G1oy (х-г1), which flows through the village of Goity, the name of which (Chech. G1oyt1a) is also derived from Г1oy (khoy), -т1а-postposition with the meaning of place. The fact that the above parallels are not a coincidence is shown by the fact that the Chechen version is a plural form. numbers from ha - protection, -th - plurality format, and this root is found in many toponyms of Checheno-Ingushetia: Khan-Kala, Khan-Korta (Russian Khayan-Kort), etc. Urart. Durdukka (city near Lake Urmia). It is known that in the distant past the Nakh tribes were called Dzurdzuks. The case when the names of nationalities go back to the names of localities is a common phenomenon in science. In addition, the first part of this toponym-ethnonym is found in the Vainakh toponymy and anthroponymy: Dzurz-korta (locality in the Itum-kala region), korta - head, hill, mound; Dzuurza is a male name (the village of Ersenoy, Vedeno district), etc.
Urart. Tsudala (the name of the City, (Chech. Ts1udala) is a compound word consisting of two components - Ts1u - the god of fire, gave - the supreme god of the pagan pantheon).
Urart. Eritna is the name of the mountain, Chech. Ertina is the name of the mountain (Vedeno district), Urartu. Arzashka - the name of the area, Chech. Irzoshka (Vedeno district, near the village of Kharachoy). In Chechen-Ingush, Irzuo is a forest glade. Here, perhaps, there is an accidental coincidence in the basis of this word, but such an assumption is excluded in the ending - shka, because. this is a very common in Nakh toponymy, a living format of the directional case pl. numbers - w (plurality format), -ka - ha - the actual format (cf. s.s. Sema1ashka, Chovkhashka, Galashka, etc.).
Different scientists at different times noted the presence on the territory of modern Armenia and in the region of Lake Van, Urmi of numerous toponyms with repeating elements -li, -ni, -ta (see in particular GA. Khalatyan. “On some geographical names of Ancient Armenia in connection with data of Van inscriptions", VDI No 2, 1949). These toponyms are: Tali, Ardishtikh1inili, Naksuana, Kh1aldina, Mana, Kh1itina, Abaeni, Kh1ushani, Azani, Ardini, Missita, Mista and others.
The endings present in the given toponyms coincide with similar formats of toponymic names of the territory of modern Checheno-Ingushetia, especially its mountainous belt; see respectively:
Ch1ebil-la, nija-la, Sara-la, B1av-la, (names of villages and societies) Ersa-na, Gu-na, Veda-na, Belg1a-ni (ing.), Be-na, Sho-na and other names of villages; Gikh-t1a, ​​Poi-t1a Martan-t1a, ​​Ekhash-t1a (names of villages), and others.
Outside Checheno-Ingushetia, toponyms na – t1a (ta) are also noted in Tushetia (G.S.S.R.); see Etel-ta, Tsova-ta, Indur-ta and others, in which the format “ta” appears more clearly as a toponym-forming element of the Nakh languages.
In the science of language, it is customary to consider the most reliable, in the sense of the genetic relationship of languages, coincidences of the above type, when a number of toponyms with repeating formats of one region coincides with the same number of toponyms of another region.
There is a coincidence in the Nakh and Urartian cult names of the most ancient type.
Urart. Ma is the supreme god of the sun. In the same meaning, this name is also noted in the Nakh languages, although at present it appears only as part of derivatives and compound words with the meaning of the cult of the sun: malkh (lh - determinant) - the sun, see also the toponyms m1aysta (s, ta - determinants ), malhasta (producing stem "ma"); Mask - the name of the village (ma - the basis, ska - determinants), mascara (former village), Mesha-khi - a river, malsag - "man the sun", hence the surname Malsagov, Muosag - the name of a person in the same meaning, etc. .
Urart. Taishebi is one of the supreme deities; Chech., Ing. Tush ((Tushol - a deity of nature and childbirth; compare also Ing. Taishabaniye - a children's game). Cases when the names of deities turn into the names of children's games are known in science; see Chech. Galg1zhmekh lovzar - a game of towns from Gal - the name of one from ancient sun deities).
There are also cases of transformation of the names of deities into the names of people. So, the name of the Urartian deity Ashura in Chechen is found as a female name Ashura, as well as Urart. Azani, Chech. Aizan (laskat. Aizani), Urart. Ashtu is the name of a deity, Chech. Ashtu female name, Urartian. Lagash, Chech. Lagash, Lakash - a male name, etc. Urart, Cybele - the god of spring, Chech. Kebila is a female given name, Urartian. Dika - the name of a deity, Chech. dika - good, Dika - a male name. There is a transformation of toponyms into proper names: Urart. Kindari-Sangara - the name of the area, Chech. Kindar-Sangara - male names. There is a coincidence of other vocabulary, for example:
urart. sure - army, Chech. sura - in the same meaning, hence the toponyms Suyr - Korta, Surat1a (for details on the word sura, see K.Z. Chokaev. “Geographical names of Checheno-Ingushetia”. Manuscript. Archive CHIIIIYAL. His own “Where the root of the Vainakhs leads.” Almanac ”Orga”, No 2, 1968).
urart. tires - two, Chech., Ing. shi - two,
urart. quiet, Chech., Ing. silence - old
urart. 1u - shepherd, Chech., Ing. 1y - in the same sense,
urart. Khaza, Chech., Ing. haza - to hear
urart. hello, chech. ala, ing. ala, cheb. ala - to say; see more
urart. Manua-s ale "Manua said", Chech. Manua-s ale (cheb.) in the same meaning. Here, as you can see, the whole phrase coincides with grammatical indicators (the format of the ergative case is c).
Lulabi - this is how the Urartians called their neighbors, which meant a stranger, an enemy. If we take into account the specific historical situation of the time when the Urartians were subjected to constant invasions and attacks by the neighboring state of Assyria, such a semantics of this word becomes understandable, since the meaning of the word changes depending on the living conditions of native speakers. In modern Chechen and Ingush, this word is clearly decomposed into its component parts and has the meaning of neighbors (lula - neighbor, bi - plural formant, preserved in the closely related Batsbi to this day; see bats - bi "those that are on the grass" from bats ( buts) - grass).
There is a convergence of grammatical forms, which is especially important when determining the genetic relationship of languages, because grammatical structure is the most stable section of the language. For example, cases of coincidence of the forms of the ergative (active), genitive, dative cases of modern Nakh, on the one hand, and the Urartian language, on the other, have been noted; see urar. h1aldini uli ram Sarduri-si ale. The mighty God Khald Sardur speaks. Wed Chech. Kh1aldina (taroyolchu) sarduras ale (cheb). The forms of the dative and active case in these sentences are the same (-na, -s); see also: urart. They drank kara Ildaruni nor agubi; cf. Chech. Alari Ildaruni-ani agnedu. Canada led from the river Ildaruniani. We have given the Chechen version here only with particular regard to historical changes, omitting certain forms that were not in the ancient Vainakh, in particular, the postposition t1era. If we take into account all the changes, then we can accurately reproduce the Urartian version; So apari could be obtained from a pili - a ditch, an agneda (having discarded the formant -not- and replacing the class indicator d with b) can be restored in its previous form - agubi, etc.
In the Urartu language, scientists have discovered the plural format - already; cf. Chech., Ing. -ash - already in the same meaning. Such transformations among the Nakhs are legitimate, for example, yours is vazha.
In the work of M. Kaghankatvatsi "History of the Agvans", written 1300 years ago, it is said: "Uts, Sodas, Gargars are brothers and they come from a father named Ura." Ura is the basis of the word Urartu, Uts are the Udins (related to the Nakhs and other peoples of the Caucasus, but living in Azerbaijan), Sods are apparently Sodoytsy (once a strong Chechen taip, whose representatives still live in Vedensky and other regions of the CHIASSR; this tribe is noted in ancient Greek sources (II century AD), see about this: V. B. Vinogradov, K. Z. Chokaev, Ancient names and placements of the Vainakh tribes, Proceedings of the CHIIIIYAL, vol. II, Archaeological and ethnographic collection, Grozny, 1966); the ethnonym Gargars is clearly deciphered using the Chechen language as relatives, close ones. Most scholars tend to see the ancestors of the Nakhs in the gargars.
According to archaeological excavations carried out on the former territory of Urartu by Soviet and foreign scientists, many common points in the material culture of Urartu, on the one hand, and the Nakhs, on the other, have been noted.
As the archaeological study of the former territory of Urartu, as well as the folklore, language and ethnography of the Chechens and Ingush, such similar points will increase, since the relationship here is undoubted.
The state of Urartu was formed in the 9th century BC. and lasted 300 years. In the 6th century BC e. Under the blows of the states of Assyria and Media, Urartu ceased to exist as a state.
Urartu is the first state that arose on the territory of our country. The peoples of Urartu reached a high level of development of culture, technology and economy for that time.
After the collapse of Urartu as a state, the state of Albania appeared in Transcaucasia. According to sources, the Gargars were the leading people in Albania. The dominant religion in Albania at one time was Christianity. The language of religion and schooling was the language of the Gargars. (See A. Shanidze “The Newly Discovered Alphabet of the Caucasian Albanians and its Significance for Science,” Izvestiya IYaIMK, cargo of a branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, vol. 4, 1938, etc.).
As evidence of the stay of the distant ancestors of the Vainakhs in Transcaucasia, numerous toponyms are noted in the former territory of Albania, explained only from the Nakh and partially from the Dagestan languages ​​(see Ts1unda, Hereti, Artsakh, Artsian; cf. Chech. Ts1uoynta (ra), Ertan, Erga, Ersan, Ortsakh, etc.). Toponyms explained from Nakh and Dagestan are also noted in Eastern Georgia, Khevsureti, Pshkhavia, Mohevia, Tusheti.
For the first time, the modern ethnic name of the Nakhchi Chechens in the form of Nakhchamatian is noted in Armenian sources of the 4th century AD. The same ethnonym is found in the "Armenian Geography" of Moses Khorensky (7th century AD), which (ethnonym) is localized mainly in the foothill zone of the modern territory of the planar Checheno-Ingushetia (see the map from the specified "Geography"). However, at different times, the Nakh tribes are found in the sources under different names: sods, gargars, dzurzuks, dvals (from dalas), nakhchamatians, tsanars, gligvs, kists, kalkans, michigs ((michigiz (Chechens of Ichkeria), shibuts (shatois), (Merzhoy), Chechen, Chechen, Ingush, etc.
It would be erroneous to think that the Chechens and Ingush are, so to speak, ethnically "pure" peoples, without admixture of representatives of other nationalities. In its development, the Chechen-Ingush people have come a long way, during which, like any other people, they interbred with many peoples, as a result, they absorbed many ethnic groups, but also lost some part of their ethnic group, covered by an objective process of assimilation with other peoples.
More N.Ya. Marr wrote: “I will not hide the fact that in the highlanders of Georgia, together with them in Khevsurs, Pshavs, I see Chechen tribes that have become Georgianized.” (N.Ya. Marr. "On the history of the movement of the Japhetic peoples from the south to the north of the Caucasus." Izvestiya AN, 1916, No. 15, pp. 1395-1396).
At a session devoted to the problem of the origin of the Ossetian people (Ordzhonikidze, 1966), it was stated through the mouths of the majority of Caucasian scholars that the Ossetian people are "true Caucasians in origin and culture and Iranians in language." The presence of a significant percentage of the Nakh ethnic group in the composition of modern Ossetians was noted. This is also evidenced by the toponymy of Ossetia (Ts1ush, Tsltq, Wleylam, Ts1eylon, etc.).
Among the Kumyks there are citizens who consider themselves to be from Chechens.
As part of the modern Chechens and Ingush, there is a significant percentage of representatives of the Turkic, Ossetian, Dagestan, Georgian, Mongolian, Russian peoples. Again, this is evidenced primarily by the Chechen and Ingush languages, in which a significant percentage of borrowed words and grammatical forms, and folklore.

Chokaev K.Z.
dr. phil. sciences, professor

Review

On the works of Doctor of Philology, Professor K.Z. Chokaev; "On the origin of the Chechens and Ingush". Manuscript, Grozny, 1990, p. 1-17.
The article is written on an actual topic, which, without exaggeration, is of interest to all conscious people. Chokaev is not new to historical science. His works on word formation among the Chechens provided significant assistance to ethnographers. Some of his articles are directly related to the history of the Nakhs. This article is also written on a completely scientific level and using rich and versatile information. The scientific base and field material, first introduced into scientific circulation by the author, meet the requirements of the time. In no case can this article be compared with the lightweight "scientific" works of V. Vinogradov. But the presented article, as we believe, was written a very long time ago and is somewhat outdated. For example, K.Z. Chokaev writes: “This process (Strengthening friendship between peoples - I.S.) acquires special significance in the conditions of our country, when the friendly ties of the peoples of the USSR in the process of building a communist society are growing stronger and developing every day.”
The reviewer has edited these and other obsolete expressions. I believe that the author will not object to us for such liberties on our part. We also took the risk of shortening small repetitions (p.6,14,15,16, etc.); pointed out the desirability of moving links down, corrected typos (p.7, 8), made stylistic corrections (p.7); made a small reduction (p. 2) and changed the title to: “On the origin of the Chechens and Ingush”, as they believed that modesty in such matters does not fit us all. Being far from Grozny, we could not coordinate our actions with the respected author and, we hope, the author will understand us. We touched upon the author's thoughts very little. Our intervention does not detract from the dignity of this article, and the reviewer recommends that it be published in the scientific section of the journal Justice.

Ethnographer, Ph.D. Saidov I. M.

First, a few objective characteristics. Chechnya is a small territory located on the northeastern slopes of the Main Caucasian Range. The Chechen language belongs to the East Caucasian (Nakh-Dagestan) language branch. The Chechens call themselves Nokhchi, while the Russians called them Chechens, presumably in the 17th century. The Ingush lived and live next to the Chechens - a people very close to them both in language (Ingush and Chechen are closer than Russian and Ukrainian) and in culture. Together, these two peoples call themselves the Vainakhs. The translation means "our people". Chechens are the most numerous ethnic group in the North Caucasus.

The ancient history of Chechnya is rather poorly known, in the sense that there is little objective evidence left. In the Middle Ages, the Vainakh tribes, like the entire region, existed on the routes of movement of huge nomadic Turkic-speaking and Iranian-speaking tribes. Both Genghis Khan and Batu tried to conquer Chechnya. But, unlike many other North Caucasian peoples, the Chechens still kept freemen until the fall of the Golden Horde and did not submit to any conquerors.

The first Vainakh embassy to Moscow took place in 1588. Then, in the second half of the 16th century, the first small Cossack towns appeared on the territory of Chechnya, and in the 18th century, the Russian government, starting to conquer the Caucasus, organized a special Cossack army here, which became the backbone of the colonial policy of the empire. From that moment, the Russian-Chechen wars began, which have continued to this day.

Their first stage dates back to the end of the 18th century. Then, for seven years (1785-1791), the united army of many North Caucasian neighboring peoples, led by the Chechen Sheikh Mansur, waged a liberation war against the Russian Empire - on the territory from the Caspian to the Black Seas. The reason for that war was, firstly, the land and, secondly, the economy - an attempt by the Russian government to close on itself the centuries-old trade routes of Chechnya that passed through its territory. This was due to the fact that by 1785 the tsarist government had completed the construction of a system of border fortifications in the Caucasus - the so-called Caucasian line from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, and the process began, firstly, of the gradual taking away of fertile lands from the mountaineers, and secondly, collection of customs duties on goods transported through Chechnya in favor of the empire.

Despite the antiquity of this story, it is in our time that it is impossible to pass by the figure of Sheikh Mansour. He is a special page in Chechen history, one of two Chechen heroes, whose name, memory and ideological heritage were used by General Dzhokhar Dudayev to accomplish the so-called "Chechen revolution of 1991", coming to power, declaring Chechnya's independence from Moscow; which led, among other things, to the beginning of a decade of modern bloody and brutal medieval Russian-Chechen wars, which we are witnesses of, and the description of which became the only reason for the publication of this book.

Sheikh Mansur, according to the testimony of people who saw him, was fanatically devoted to the main cause of his life - the fight against infidels and the unification of the North Caucasian peoples against the Russian Empire, for which he fought until being captured in 1791, followed by exile to the Solovetsky Monastery, where he died . In the early 90s of the 20th century, in the agitated Chechen society, by word of mouth and at numerous rallies, people passed on to each other the following words of Sheikh Mansur: “For the glory of the Almighty, I will appear in the world whenever misfortune becomes a dangerous threat orthodoxy. Whoever follows me will be saved, and whoever does not follow me.

against him I will turn the weapon that the prophet will send.” In the early 90s, the “prophet sent” weapons to General Dudayev.

Another Chechen hero, also raised to the banner in 1991, was Imam Shamil (1797-1871), the leader of the next stage of the Caucasian wars, already in the 19th century. Imam Shamil considered Sheikh Mansur to be his teacher. And General Dudayev at the end of the 20th century, in turn, already ranked both of them among his teachers. It is important to know that Dudayev's choice was accurate: Sheikh Mansur and Imam Shamil are indisputable people's authorities precisely because they fought for the freedom and independence of the Caucasus from Russia. This is essential for understanding the national psychology of the Chechens, who, generation after generation, consider Russia an inexhaustible source of most of their troubles. At the same time, both Sheikh Mansur and Imam Shamil are not at all decorative and pulled out of naphthalene characters of the distant past. Until now, both of them are so revered as heroes of the nation, even among the youth, that they compose songs about them. For example, the most recent, just then recorded on cassettes by the author, a young amateur pop singer, I heard in Chechnya and Ingushetia in April 2002. The song sounded from all the cars and trade stalls ...

Who was Imam Shamil against the backdrop of history? And why did he manage to leave such a serious imprint on the hearts of the Chechens?

So, in 1813, Russia is completely strengthened in Transcaucasia. The North Caucasus becomes the rear of the Russian Empire. In 1816 The tsar appoints General Aleksey Yermolov as the governor of the Caucasus, who throughout the years of his governorship pursued the most cruel colonial policy with the simultaneous planting of the Cossacks (only in 1829 more than 16 thousand peasants from the Chernigov and Poltava provinces were resettled to the Chechen lands). Yermolov's warriors mercilessly burned the Chechen villages together with the people, destroyed forests and crops, and drove the surviving Chechens into the mountains. Any dissatisfaction of the highlanders caused punitive actions. The most striking evidence of this remained in the work of Mikhail Lermontov and Leo Tolstoy, since both fought in the North Caucasus. In 1818 to intimidate Chechnya, the Groznaya fortress (now the city of Grozny) was built.

Chechens responded to Yermolov's repressions with uprisings. In 1818, in order to suppress them, the Caucasian War began, which lasted more than forty years with interruptions. In 1834 Naib Shamil (Hadji Murad) was proclaimed an imam. Under his leadership, a guerrilla war began, in which the Chechens fought desperately. Here is the testimony of the historian of the late 19th century R. Fadeev: “The mountain army, which enriched Russian military affairs in many ways, was a phenomenon of extraordinary strength. It was the strongest people's army that tsarism met. Neither the highlanders of Switzerland, nor the Algerians, nor the Sikhs of India have ever reached such heights in military art as the Chechens and Dagestanis.

In 1840, a general armed Chechen uprising took place. After him, having achieved success, the Chechens for the first time tried to create their own state - the so-called imamat of Shamil. But the uprising is suppressed with increasing cruelty. “Our actions in the Caucasus are reminiscent of all the disasters of the initial conquest of America by the Spaniards,” General Nikolai Raevsky Sr. wrote in 1841. “God forbid that the conquest of the Caucasus does not leave a bloody trace of Spanish history in Russian history.” In 1859, Imam Shamil was defeated and taken prisoner. Chechnya - plundered and destroyed, but for about two more years it desperately resists joining Russia.

In 1861, the tsarist government finally announced the end of the Caucasian War, in connection with which it abolished the Caucasian fortified line, created to conquer the Caucasus. Chechens today believe that they lost three-quarters of their people in the 19th century Caucasian War; hundreds of thousands of people died on both sides. At the end of the war, the Empire began to resettle the surviving Chechens from the fertile North Caucasian lands, which were now assigned to the Cossacks, soldiers and peasantry from the deep Russian provinces. The government formed a special Resettlement Commission, which provided cash benefits and transport to the settlers. From 1861 to

In 1865, about 50 thousand people were transported to Turkey in this way (this is the figure of Chechen historians, the official number is more than 23 thousand). At the same time, in the annexed Chechen lands, only from 1861 to 1863, 113 villages were founded and 13,850 Cossack families were settled in them.

Since 1893, large oil production began in Grozny. Foreign banks and investments come here, large enterprises are created. The rapid development of industry and trade begins, bringing mutual softening and healing of Russian-Chechen grievances and wounds. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, the Chechens actively participated in wars already on the side of Russia, which conquered them. There is no betrayal on their part. On the contrary, there is a lot of evidence of their unrelenting courage and selflessness in battles, of their contempt for death and the ability to endure pain and hardship. In World War I, the so-called "Wild Division" - the Chechen and Ingush regiments - became famous for this. “They go into battle as if they were going to a holiday, and they die just as festively…” wrote a contemporary. During the Civil War, however, most Chechens did not support the White Guard, but the Bolsheviks, believing that this was a fight against the Empire. Participation in the Civil War on the side of the "Reds" for the majority of modern Chechens is still fundamental. A typical example: after a decade of new Russian-Chechen wars, when even those who had love for Russia lost their love for Russia, today in Chechnya one can find such paintings as I saw in the village of Tsotsan-Yurt in March 2002. Many houses have not been restored, traces of destruction and grief are everywhere, but the monument to several hundred Tsotsan-Yurt soldiers who died in 1919 in battles with the army of the “white” General Denikin has been restored (was repeatedly fired upon) and is kept in excellent condition.

In January 1921, the Mountain Soviet Republic was proclaimed, which included Chechnya. On the condition that the lands taken away by the tsarist government be returned to the Chechens and Sharia and adat, the ancient rules of Chechen folk life, be recognized. But a year later, the existence of the Mountain Republic began to fade away (it was completely liquidated in 1924). And the Chechen region was taken out of it into a separate administrative entity back in November 1922. However, in the 1920s, Chechnya began to develop. In 1925, the first Chechen newspaper appeared. In 1928, a Chechen broadcasting station began to operate. Slowly, illiteracy is being eradicated. Two pedagogical and two oil technical schools were opened in Grozny, and in 1931 the first national theater was opened.

However, at the same time, these are the years of a new stage of state terror. Its first wave washed away 35,000 Chechens, the most authoritative by that time (mullahs and prosperous peasantry). The second - three thousand representatives of the newly emerging Chechen intelligentsia. In 1934, Chechnya and Ingushetia were merged into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region, and in 1936 into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Republic with its capital in Grozny. What did not save: on the night of July 31 to August 1, 1937, another 14 thousand Chechens were arrested, who at least stood out for something (education, social activity ...). Some were shot almost immediately, the rest perished in the camps. Arrests continued until November 1938. As a result, almost the entire party and economic elite of Checheno-Ingushetia was liquidated. Chechens believe that over 205 thousand people from the most advanced part of the Vainakhs died during 10 years of political repressions (1928-1938).

At the same time, in 1938, a pedagogical institute was opened in Grozny - a legendary educational institution, the forge of the Chechen and Ingush intelligentsia for many decades to come, interrupting its work only for the period of deportation and wars, miraculously preserving the first (1994–1996) and the second (since 1999 until now) the war has its own unique teaching staff.

Before the Great Patriotic War, only a quarter of the population of Chechnya remained illiterate. There were three institutes and 15 technical schools. 29,000 Chechens participated in the Great Patriotic War, many of whom went to the front as volunteers. 130 of them were presented to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (received only eight, because of the "bad" nationality), and more than four hundred died defending the Brest Fortress.

On February 23, 1944, the Stalinist eviction of peoples took place. More than 300,000 Chechens and 93,000 Ingush were deported to Central Asia in one day. The deportation claimed the lives of 180 thousand people. The Chechen language was banned for 13 years. Only in 1957, after Stalin's personality cult was debunked, were the survivors allowed to return and restore the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. The deportation of 1944 is a severe trauma for the people (every third living Chechen is believed to have gone through exile), and the people are still terribly afraid of its repetition; it became a tradition to look everywhere for the "hand of the KGB" and signs of a new imminent resettlement.

Today, many Chechens say that the best time for them, although they remained a nation of "unreliable", was the 60-70s, despite the policy of forced Russification pursued against them. Chechnya was rebuilt, again became an industrial center, many thousands of people received a good education. Grozny turned into the most beautiful city in the North Caucasus, several theater troupes, a philharmonic society, a university, and the oil institute famous throughout the country worked here. At the same time, the city developed as a cosmopolitan one. Here people of various nationalities lived and made friends peacefully. This tradition was so strong that it withstood the test of the first Chechen war and has survived to this day. The first saviors of the Russians in Grozny were their Chechen neighbors. But their first enemies were the "new Chechens" - the aggressive invaders of Grozny during Dudayev's coming to power, marginals who came from the villages for revenge for past humiliations. However, the flight of the Russian-speaking population, which began with the "Chechen revolution of 1991", was perceived by the majority of Grozny residents with regret and pain.

With the beginning of perestroika, and even more so with the collapse of the USSR, Chechnya again becomes an arena of political squabbles and provocations. In November 1990, the Congress of the Chechen People meets and proclaims the independence of Chechnya, adopting the Declaration of State Sovereignty. The idea that Chechnya, which produces 4 million tons of oil a year, will easily survive without Russia is being actively discussed.

A radical national leader appears on the scene - Major General of the Soviet Army Dzhokhar Dudayev, who, at the peak of ubiquitous post-Soviet sovereignties, becomes the head of a new wave of national liberation movement and the so-called "Chechen revolution" (August-September 1991, after the putsch of the State Emergency Committee in Moscow - the dispersal of the Supreme Council of the Republic, the transfer of power to unconstitutional bodies, the appointment of elections, the refusal to enter the Russian Federation, the active "Chechenization" of all aspects of life, the migration of the Russian-speaking population). October 27, 1991 Dudayev was elected the first president of Chechnya. After the elections, he led the matter to the complete separation of Chechnya, to their own statehood for the Chechens as the only guarantee that the colonial habits of the Russian Empire in relation to Chechnya would not be repeated.

At the same time, the "revolution" of 1991 from the first roles in Grozny was practically swept away by a small layer of the Chechen intelligentsia, giving way, mainly to marginals, more courageous, tough, irreconcilable and resolute. The management of the economy passes into the hands of those who do not know how to manage it. The republic is in a fever - rallies and demonstrations do not stop. And under the guise of Chechen oil, nobody knows where... In November-December 1994, as a result of all these events, the first Chechen war begins. Its official name is "protection of the constitutional order". Bloody battles begin, Chechen formations are fighting desperately. The first assault on Grozny lasted four months. Aviation and artillery demolish quarter after quarter along with the civilian population... The war spreads to the whole of Chechnya...

In 1996, it became clear that the number of victims on both sides exceeded 200,000. And the Kremlin tragically underestimated the Chechens: trying to play on inter-clan and inter-teip interests, it only caused the consolidation of Chechen society and an unprecedented rise in the spirit of the people, which means it turned the war into an unpromising one for itself. By the end of the summer of 1996, through the efforts of the then Secretary of the Russian Security Council, General Alexander Lebed (died in a plane crash in 2002), the meaningless

the bloodshed was stopped. In August, the Khasavyurt Peace Treaty was signed (the "Statement" - a political declaration and the "Principles for determining the foundations of relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic" - about non-war within five years) were signed. Under the documents are the signatures of Lebed and Maskhadov, the chief of staff of the Chechen resistance forces. By this time, President Dudayev is already dead - he was destroyed by a homing missile at the time of a telephone conversation on a satellite device.

The Khasavyurt Treaty put an end to the first war, but also laid the foundation for the second. The Russian army considered itself humiliated and insulted by "Khasavyurt" - because the politicians "did not let it finish the job" - which predetermined the unprecedentedly cruel revenge during the second Chechen war, medieval methods of reprisal against both the civilian population and the militants.

However, on January 27, 1997, Aslan Maskhadov became the second president of Chechnya (the elections were held in the presence of international observers and recognized by them), a former colonel in the Soviet army, who led the resistance on the side of Dudayev with the start of the first Chechen war. On May 12, 1997, the presidents of Russia and the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (Boris Yeltsin and Aslan Maskhadov) signed the “Treaty on Peace and Principles of Peaceful Relations” (completely forgotten today). To govern Chechnya "with a deferred political status" (according to the Khasavyurt treaty) were field commanders who advanced to leading positions during the first Chechen war, most of whom were people, though brave, but uneducated and uncultured. As time has shown, the military elite of Chechnya could not grow into a political and economic one. An unprecedented squabble "at the throne" began, as a result, in the summer of 1998, Chechnya found itself on the verge of a civil war - due to contradictions between Maskhadov and his opponents. On June 23, 1998, an assassination attempt occurs on Maskhadov. In September 1998, field commanders headed by Shamil Basayev (at that time - Prime Minister

Minister of Ichkeria), demand the resignation of Maskhadov. In January 1999, Maskhadov introduced Sharia rule, public executions began in the squares, but even this did not save him from schism and disobedience. At the same time, Chechnya is rapidly impoverishing, people do not receive salaries and pensions, schools work poorly or do not work at all, “bearded men” (radical Islamists) in many areas arrogantly dictate their rules of life, a hostage business is developing, the republic is becoming a garbage collector for Russian crime, and President Maskhadov can't do anything about it...

In July 1999, detachments of field commanders Shamil Basayev (the “hero” of the Chechen fighters’ raid on Budyonnovsk, seizing the hospital and maternity hospital, which resulted in the start of peace negotiations) and Khattab (an Arab from Saudi Arabia who died in his camp in the mountains of Chechnya in March 2002) undertook a campaign against the Dagestan mountain villages of Botlikh, Rakhata, Ansalta and Zondak, as well as the lowland Chabanmakhi and Karamakhi. Should Russia respond in some way?... But there is no unity in the Kremlin. And the result of the Chechen raid on Dagestan is a change in the leadership of the Russian security forces, the appointment of FSB director Vladimir Putin as the successor to the decrepit President Yeltsin and the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation - on the grounds that in September 1999, after the August explosions of residential buildings in Moscow, Buynaksk and Volgodonsk with numerous human casualties, he agreed to start a second Chechen war, giving the order to start an "anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus."

A lot has changed since then. On March 26, 2000, Putin became president of Russia, using the war to the fullest as a means of creating the image of a “strong Russia” and an “iron hand” in the fight against its enemies. But, having become president, he did not stop the war, although after his election he had several real chances for this. As a result, Russia's now 21st-century campaign in the Caucasus has once again become chronic and beneficial to too many. First, the military elite, making brilliant careers in the Caucasus, receiving orders, titles, ranks and not wanting to part with the trough. Secondly, to the middle and lower military level, which has a steady income in the war due to the general looting permitted from above in villages and cities, as well as massive extortions from the population. Thirdly, both the first and the second, taken together - in connection with participation in the illegal oil business in Chechnya, which gradually, as the war progressed, came under joint Chechen-federal control, overshadowed by the state, in fact, banditry (“roof- ut" feds). Fourthly, the so-called "new Chechen authorities" (proteges of Russia), brazenly cashing in on the funds allocated by the state budget for the restoration and development of the Chechen economy. Fifth, the Kremlin. Having begun as a 100% PR campaign for the election of a new president of Russia, the war subsequently became a convenient means of varnishing reality outside the territory of the war - or diverting public opinion from an unfavorable position within the ruling elite, in the economy, and political processes. On Russian standards today is the saving idea of ​​the need to protect Russia from "international terrorism" in the person of Chechen terrorists, the constant heating of which allows the Kremlin to manipulate public opinion as it pleases. What is interesting: “Chechen separatist attacks” now appear in the North Caucasus every time “to the point” - when another political or corruption scandal begins in Moscow.

So you can fight in the Caucasus for decades in a row, as in the 19th century ...

It remains to add that today, three years after the start of the second Chechen war, which again claimed many thousands of lives on both sides, no one knows exactly how many people live in Chechnya and how many Chechens there are on the planet. Different sources operate with figures that differ by hundreds of thousands of people. The federal side downplays the losses and the scale of the refugee exodus, while the Chechen side exaggerates. Therefore, the results of the last population census in the USSR (1989) remain the only objective source. Chechens then counted about a million. And together with the Chechen diasporas in Turkey, Jordan, Syria and some European countries (mostly descendants of settlers from the Caucasian War of the 19th century and the Civil War of 1917-20), there were a little more than a million Chechens. In the first war (1994-1996) about 120 thousand Chechens died. The death toll in the ongoing war is unknown. Given the migration after the first war and during the current one (from 1999 to the present), it is clear that there has been a widespread increase in the number of Chechen diasporas abroad. But to what extent, due to dispersal, is also unknown. According to my personal and biased data, based on constant communication throughout the second war with the heads of district and rural administrations, between 500,000 and 600,000 people remain in Chechnya today.

Many settlements survive as autonomous, having ceased to expect help both from Grozny, from the "new Chechen authorities", and from the mountains, from Maskhadov's people. Rather, the traditional social structure of the Chechens, the teip, is being preserved and strengthened. Teips are tribal structures or “very large families”, but not always by blood, but by the type of neighboring communities, that is, by the principle of origin from one settlement or territory. Once upon a time, the meaning of creating teips was the joint protection of the earth. Now the meaning is physical survival. Chechens say that now there are more than 150 teips. From very large - teips Benoy (about 100 thousand people, the famous Chechen businessman Malik Saidulaev belongs to him, as well as the national hero of the Caucasian War of the 19th century Baysan-gur), Belgata and Geydargenoy (many party leaders of Soviet Chechnya belonged to him) - to small ones - Turkkhoy, Mulkoy, Sadoy (mostly mountain teips). Some teips also play a political role today. Many of them demonstrated their social stability both in the wars of the last decade and in the short period between them, when Ichkeria existed and Sharia was in force, which denied such a type of formation as teips. But what is the future is still unclear.