From whom did the Karachays originate? Religious beliefs of the Karachays. Health care and public education. Language and religion

KARACHAYS (sa-mo-on-title - kara-chai-ly-la; Abkhazian - aka-rach, azu-ho, alan; Adyghe - ka-rag-u-hey, kar-shag-u-hey, che-rig-u-hey; Ossetian - ash-shon, ha-ra-shon, ha-ra-she) - Turkic people in Russia, mainly on-se-le-nie Ka-ra-tea-in-Cher-ke-si.

Compose-la-yut pain-shin-st-in the population of the city of Ka-ra-cha-evsk, Dzhe-gu-tin-sko-go, Ka-ra-cha-ev-sko-go , Ma-lo-ka-ra-cha-ev-sko-go, Pri-ku-ban-sko-go districts, about 50% of the Zelen-chuk-sko-go and me- it is 40% of the village of the Urup districts. A significant number of Karachays live in Cher-kes-sk, as well as in the city of Ki-slo-vodsk of the Stavropol Territory. There are 169.2 thousand people in Ka-ra-chae-vo-Cher-ke-siya, in total 192.2 thousand people in Russia (2002, re-writing). They also live in Turkey, Egypt, Syria, the USA and others. The total number of about 300 thousand people. Abroad, the Karachays also call people from Bal-ka-rii. They speak in ka-ra-tea-in-bal-kar-sk language, about 95% speak Russian. Ve-ruyu-shchi - mu-sul-ma-not-sun-ni-you.

They have a common pro-is-ho-zh-de-nie, cul-tu-ru and language with bal-kar-tsa-mi. In the 16th-18th centuries, the ter-ri-to-riya races of the Karachays and Bal-kar-tsev were called Ka-ra-chai, or Ka-ra-chi, and its se-le-nie - ka-ra-chols, ka-ra-chio-fox, ger-rach-hulk. The first mention of Ka-ra-tea, or Ka-ra-cher-kas-land, is met in Russian is-toch-no-ka - from -pis-ke in salt-st-va of the Moscow state to the Crimean khan in 1501. In the course of the mon-go-lo-Tatar na-she-st-viy and the ho-dovs of Ti-mu-ra (XIII-XIV centuries), the ethnic ter-ri-to-ria of the Karachais su-zi- climbed to the tops of Te-re-ka and Ku-ba-ni. After the Caucasian war of 1817-1864, part of the Karachays transferred to the Os-man empire. In 1865-1871, the lands of the Karachays formed the Elb-Russian district of the Kuban region. In 1917, in the co-hundred-ve of the Mountain Republic-pub-li-ki, there was an ob-ra-zo-van Ka-ra-chae-vo-Balkar-sky state, in 1920 in a co-hundred ve Mountain ASSR - Ka-ra-cha-ev-sky national district. In 1922, about-ra-zo-va-na Ka-ra-chae-vo-Cher-kes-skaya AO, in 1926 - Ka-ra-cha-evskaya AO. In 1943, would there be de-port-ti-ro-va-ny to Central Asia, after 1957, most of the Karachays returned to ro-di-nu.

The traditional cul-tu-ra ti-pich-na for the peoples of Kav-ka-za (see the article Asia). The main za-nya-tiya - from the gon-noe-some-water-st-in and ter-ras-noe zem-le-de-lie. Were you ever carving on de-re-woo and stone-nu, carpet-ro-weaving-che-st-in, production of howl-lo-ka. Zhi-li-shche (the so-called ka-ra-cha-ev-sky house) is a log-house, with a double-pitched roof and a wall-like hearth-gom-ka-mi-nom. Know the construction of “de-re-vyan-nye castles” (ba-shy dzha-bylg-an ar-baz), residential and household premises of some you -ho-di-whether to the inner courtyard with ha-le-re-she, op-paradise-shche-sya on 4-coal-s in se-che-nii for-boo-van-nye inside-ri and osh-tu-ka-tu-ren-nye sleep-ru-zh ko-lon-ny. From clothes, one’s own-about-times-us, short-mouthed male-on-kid-ka from howl-lo-ka or skin-ry with ka-pu-sho-nom (ge-be-nek ), shu-ba (cho-re-chi-le ki-im, cho-re-chi-le-ni ton-la-ry) from wolf-whose-e-go or be-lich-e-go me- ha, someone-ruyu na-de-va-li judge.

General-st-in de-li-moose on co-words: to know (biy, chan-ka and tu-ma, or esek-ku-el-tud), dvor-rya-ne, or uz- de-ni (in-that-st-ven-nye - white uz-de-ni, cheese-ma-euz-den-le, or syy-ly-euz-den-le, three times-rows : st-lu-euz-den-le, sa-rai-ma-euz-den-le and ker-ti-euz-den-le; non-noble - black uz-de-ni, ka- ra-ez-den-le, or sy-sy-zez-den-le, three times-a-row: ty-zez-den-le, te-ge-re-koz-den-le and te-be- noz-den-le, or ka-ra-ki-shi-le), and kre-st-I-not (go-su-dar-st-ven-nye - es-kia-zat-la, azat-la , or sar-kit-le; vla-del-che-skie - kul-la and kaa-rak-ul-la). Se-le-niya (tiy-re) would be prince-same-ski-mi (biy-kya-bak), uz-den-ski-mi (ez-den-kya-bak), kre-st-yan -ski-mi (kul-kaa-bak) and se-le-niya-mi free-but-from-launched-ni-kov (azat-la-kaa-bak), ob-e-di-nya-lied in general-st-va (ja-maa-you, ja-mag-a-you), manager-lyav-shie-sya before-hundred-vi-te-la-mi prince-zya - no-khu-yes mi. From the bonds of her for-mi-ro-va-las of the prince-same friend-zhina. The princes had the same military-no-zi-lined from-ry-dy kul-kaza-kov (kul-k-a-zak-lar), some pro-zhi-va-li in spe-tsi-al-but for them in-stro-en-nyh ka-zar-mah. The administrative center of Ka-ra-chaya is na-ho-dil-sya in Kyun-nyum-Ka-la (near the modern villages of Kart-Jurt, Khur-zuk and Uch-ku-lan). Traditional management as a whole was preserved until the middle of the 19th century.

The Karachays have a developed pre-mu-sul-man pan-te-on, headed by Tei-ri (Khan Tei-ri, Tei-ri-Khan); in no-go enter-di-li and hri-sti-an-skie per-so-na-zhi: Bai-rym (from Ma-ri-em - De-va Ma-ria) - in kro-vi- tel-ni-tsa ma-te-rin-st-va, Bar-ras (from the holy Pa-ra-ske-you Pyat-ni-tsy) - in-cro-vi-tel-ni-tsa tka-che- st-va, Gyur-ge (from St. Ge-or-gy) - in a cro-vi-tel road to another world, Eliya (from St. Elijah) - lightning and so on. The Chop-pa-Toi holiday was associated with the god of thunder Chop-pa, the holiday of Gol-lu in the spring from me-cha-li. Among the Karachays, there were Su-fi or-de-na Ka-di-riyya (XVIII century) and Na-kshban-diya (beginning of the XX century) races. The musical folklore of Karachais is one with bal-kar-s-kim.

Illustrations:

Karachay family. Photo by D.I. Ermakov. End of the 19th century. Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg).

Noble ka-ra-cha-evka. 2nd half of the 19th century.

Armenian historian Kh.A. Porksheyan at a scientific conference in 1959 in Nalchik presented a report based on the concept of the Crimean origin of the Balkars and Karachays. But most of the conference participants, guided not so much by scientific as by political considerations, rejected Porksheyan's idea. In their opinion, the Crimean hypothesis strengthened the positions of the “aggressive policy of pan-Islamism and pan-Turkism” and, more importantly, did not satisfy the desire of the Balkars and Karachais to be considered the autochthonous population of the North Caucasus.

We believe that Porksheyan's version has the right to exist as more reasoned in all respects. Moreover, modern Balkar-Karachay historians give preference to the Turkic roots of their ethnic history. The modern Moscow scholar Shnirelman writes that “the desire of Soviet researchers to present their (Balkarians and Karachais - comp.) ancestors as autochthons who switched to the Turkic language caused a protest among the Balkars and Karachays” (V. Shnirelman “To be Alans. Intellectuals and politics in the North Caucasus in the 20th century).

It follows that under the conditions prevailing in historical science today, it becomes necessary to return to Kh.A. Porksheyan's version.

Historians still do not have accurate data on the past of the Balkars and Karachays. The question of their origin surfaced in historical science more than 300 years ago and has been studied and debated by historians ever since. However, until now there is no common point of view, supported by indisputable evidence.

The difficulty of the ethnogenesis of the Balkars and Karachays is further complicated by the fact that before the Sovietization of the region they did not have their own written language, they did not have their own chroniclers, and their ancestors did not leave written sources about the past of their people.

The situation is also bad with auxiliary scientific disciplines. Corresponding monuments of material culture have not yet been identified. True, on the territory occupied by the Balkars and Karachays, there are many ancient monuments - burial grounds. But, according to archeology and the conclusion of scientists Maxim Kovalevsky and Vsevolod Miller, the skulls and household items found in shiaks belong to an earlier period and have nothing to do with the current population.

On the same territory there are many medieval churches and other buildings, most of which have either been destroyed by time or have fallen into disrepair. Their architecture is in no way similar to the building art of the Balkars and Karachays, and they all belong to the period of either Greek or Genoese influence.

Historians usually, in difficult cases, resort to the help of the history of neighboring and other kindred peoples, study their past.

Unfortunately, even here the prospect of studying the history of the Balkar and Karachai peoples in this way is very narrow. Pressed against the rocks of the gorges of the Caucasus Mountains, a handful of Balkars and Karachais do not have neighboring tribes related by language. Their neighbors, the Digorians and Kabardino-Circassians, are themselves in the same position, they do not have written sources of their culture. True, the Kabardians in the 19th century had their own outstanding scientist and writer Shora Nogmov. The Balkars and Karachays, before the establishment of Soviet power, did not have their own historians, and none of the indigenous people was engaged in the study of their native history.

The only source for studying the historians of Balkaria and Karachay are folk legends and songs. However, great care must be taken when using them, as they are often contradictory. So, for example, in Karachay there was a widespread legend that they, the Karachays, came from the Crimea, from where they left the khans who oppressed them. According to another version, the leader of Karcha brought them out of Turkey, and according to the third version, from the Golden Horde in 1283, etc.

The French scientist and traveler Klaproth, who visited Chegem and Karachay at the beginning of the 19th century, heard from the Karachays that they came from the Khazar city of Madjara and occupied their current territory before the arrival of the Circassians in Kabarda.

There is a legend that the Balkars and Karachais "remained from the lame Timur."

There are many other modified traditions that contradict one another. It is impossible to put any of them at the basis of science without being supported by indisputable evidence.

Foreign scientists and travelers who visited Balkaria and Karachay sometimes tried to find out their origin. Under the influence of fleeting impressions, superficial judgments were born, devoid of any serious significance for science.

The first historical information about the Balkars and Karachais dates back to the 17th century. In 1639, the ambassador of the Moscow Tsar, Fedot Yelchin, with his retinue, went to Svaneti through Baksan. Here they found the Karachais and stopped at their leaders, the Krym-Shamkhalov brothers. So for the first time the name "Karachays" appeared in the report of the Russian ambassador.

A few years later, in 1650, the ambassadors of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Nikifor Tolochanov, and the clerk Alexei Ievlev, on the way to the Imeretian Tsar Alexander, passed through the Balkar lands. In their report, the name "Bolkharians" is mentioned for the first time.

In the historical literature about the Karachais, the Catholic missionary Arcangelo Lamberti first wrote a book in 1654, which will be discussed below.

A serious study of the history of the Caucasus and its peoples began in the 40s of the last century, first by military historians: Butkov, Stal, Uslar and others, and after the end of the war - by academicians M. Kovalevsky, V. Miller, N. Marr, Samoylovich, professors Leontovich , Karaulov, Ladyzhensky, Sysoev and many others. Despite this, the question of the origin of the Balkars and Karachais remains an unresolved problem.

Much has been written about the origin of these two peoples. Back in 1983 Islam Tambiev believed that the number of existing opinions, hypotheses on this issue is at least nine. He himself, criticizing them, expressed his own, tenth opinion.

X.O. Laipanov divides the hypotheses about the origin of the Balkars and Karachays into seven groups and expresses a completely new point of view, which does not correspond to any of these opinions.

It is not our task to analyze these hypotheses in detail. The purpose of this brief report is to acquaint historians and readers with the content of the chronicle of the Crimean chronicler of the 17th century. Khachatur Kafaetsi.

In our opinion, the chronicler Kafaetsi satisfactorily resolves the problem of the origin of the Balkars and Karachais.

However, in order to make the question more understandable, to clarify its essence and the ways of development of historical thought about the origin of the Balkar and Karachay peoples, we must briefly dwell on the existing main hypotheses.

The hypothesis of Arcangelo Lamberti.

Back in 1854, the Catholic missionary Lamberti, who had lived for 18 years in Mingrelia, wrote that the Karachays, or Kara-Circassians, were the descendants of the Huns. 20 years later, the French traveler Jean Chardin joined this opinion.

Lamberti bases his conclusion on two premises. On the one hand, the Karachays “preserved the purity of the Turkish language among so many different peoples,” and on the other hand, he read from Kedrin that “the Huns, from whom the Turks come, came from the northernmost part of the Caucasus.”

Since the Turks are descended from the Huns, and the Karachais and the Turks speak the same language, then, according to Lamberti, the Karachais also descend from the Huns. He speaks of Zikhs and Circassians as two different peoples, and calls the Karachais Kara-Cherkess. Of course, with such a poor store of knowledge, Lamberti could not resolve such a complex issue as the question of the origin of the Balkars and Karachays.

Without going into details of the history of the peoples of the Caucasus, it is enough to turn to the history of the Huns themselves to be convinced of the inconsistency of Lamberti's hypothesis.

First of all, it should be noted that the belonging of the Huns to the Turkish world is not universally recognized in science and that there are many supporters of Hun mongolism, like Shiratori Pinyo.

The Huns lived in the center of Asia along the Chinese border. Approximately 1 century. n. e. they began to move west. In the seventies of the IV century. the Huns migrated to Europe, they devastated the Kuban, the Taman Peninsula, defeated the Alans and Meots, crossed into the Crimea, forever destroyed the famous Bosphorus kingdom, conquered the space between the Volga and the Danube, advanced to the Rhine.

As a nomadic people, the Huns did not stay long either in the Caucasus or in other conquered lands. They moved west, defeating the Sarmatians, Scythians and Germans. In the 5th century their illustrious leader Attila created a Hunnic alliance. In 451, he devastated France, in 452 - Italy, and in 453 the movement of the Huns to the west stopped, and the Hun alliance soon collapsed.

Thus, the numerous Hunnic union in the whirlpool of history was wiped off the face of the earth, and a small handful of it, according to Lamberti, remained in the Caucasus Mountains for more than 1500 years. The improbability of this hypothesis of Lamberti becomes more obvious if we take into account that the Caucasus was the scene of devastating wars, huge movements of peoples.

Lamberti expressed his idea more than 300 years ago, but it still has not found its at least partial confirmation either in science or in the traditions of the people.

Hildenstedt's hypothesis.

The traveler Gildenstedt, who visited the Caucasus in the 17th century, suggests that the Balkars are descendants of the Czechs. He bases his assumption on information gleaned from a catechism published in Berlin, in the preface of which it is said that several centuries ago (and according to other sources in 1480) the Bohemian and Moravian brothers fled from religious persecution and found salvation in the mountains of the Caucasus. Finding traces of ancient Christianity and, in addition, pointing out that Bohemia and Balkaria, as well as Czech Republic and Chegem, begin with the same letters, Gildenstedt considers it possible to assume that the brothers who fled from the Czech Republic stopped in Chegem and founded Balkaria.

Let us assume for a moment that the Czech brothers really arrived in the Chegem Gorge and eventually lost their language. Here the question involuntarily arises - how did they acquire the Turkic dialect, when Kabardians, Ossetians and Svans live next to them and none of them speak this dialect?

Gildenstedt's hypothesis is not scientifically substantiated, and his guessing on the initial letters "b" and "h" does not deserve serious attention.

Klaproth's opinion.

The French scientist and traveler Klaproth, who visited Karachay and Balkaria at the beginning of the 19th century, collected folk legends, got acquainted with the life, way of life and language of Karachays and Balkars. On the basis of these materials, Klaproth comes to the conclusion that the Karachays and Balkars come from the Khazar city of Madjara, which was destroyed by Timur in 1395 and whose remains are still visible now on the Kum River.

The Khazars appear in history from the 2nd century onwards. a. Initially, it was a special people with its own language and rather high culture. In the VI - VII centuries. on the territory of the Lower Volga region, they formed a large kingdom called the Khazar Khaganate.

In the VII-VIII centuries. The Khazars lived in the lower reaches of the Volga, on the Don and the foothills of the Carpathians, they subjugated the entire North Caucasus, the Taman Peninsula and the Crimea. Many tribes and nationalities were enslaved, mainly Turkic, who adopted their culture and assimilated with them; but the Khazars themselves were strongly influenced by the conquered peoples.

They had large cities: the capitals - Itil (Astrakhan), Sarkel (Belaya Vezha, and according to many - Makhachkala) and Madzhary-on-Kum. The latter was a major center of transit trade with the East, from here the caravan routes went to the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas.

The king and the whole court professed the Jewish faith. The majority of the population were Mohammedans, but there were many Christians and pagans.

The Arab traveler Ibn-Khaukal (977-978) writes that the Khazar language is not similar to Turkish and is not similar to any of the languages ​​of known peoples. However, over time, due to the quantitative superiority of the Turkic tribes, Turkic became the state and dominant language.

The Khazar state collapsed after the defeat of Itil in 965 by Svyatoslav and the Crimea - and in 1016 by Mstislav. The remnants of the Khazars existed for a long time in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

According to Klaproth, part of the population of the Khazar city of Madjara, after the defeat by Tamerlane, moved to the gorges of the mountains and founded Balkaria and Karachay.

The question of whether the Khazars belong to the Turkish world is not sufficiently developed and is very problematic. The population of the Khazar Khaganate at that time represented a conglomeration of different nationalities. Which of them came to Balkaria and Karachay, Klaproth does not indicate. Klaproth's hypothesis is based on a legend that is not popular among the population, it is not supported by objective data and written sources.

Hypothesis about the Kabardian origin of Karachays and Balkars.

This hypothesis has no basis. If the Balkars and Karachais come from Kabarda, then the question arises (how, living next to the Kabardians, did they forget their natural language and from whom, from what people did they adopt the current Turkic language? After all, no one nearby speaks this language. It is clear that the Balkars and Karachays came to their present territory with their own modern language.

This hypothesis, devoid of any scientific basis, found a place for itself in the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron.

Hypothesis about the origin of the Balkars and Karachays from the remnants of Timur's troops.

Some researchers consider it plausible that the Balkars and Karachais are the descendants of the remnants of Timur's (Tamerlane's) troops.

It is true that Timur visited the North Caucasus and conducted his military operations here. In 1395, he destroyed and devastated the famous Tana (Azov) on the shore of Lake Meot; in 1397, on the Terek, he utterly defeated the mighty Khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh, destroyed his power and conquered many settlements. However, there is no evidence that the remnants of the victorious troops settled in the mountain gorges of the Caucasus. Before them spread the beautiful plains of the Caucasus, and it is unbelievable that they, bypassing them, settled on the meager lands of the rocky gorges. The very logic of things speaks against this hypothesis.

All of the above "opinions" and "points of view" are based on conflicting folk traditions.

A serious study of the country and the history of the mountain peoples by Russian scientists begins after the annexation of the Caucasus to Russia.

The process of joining the Caucasus lasted several decades. The Russians did not have accurate information about the highlanders and their country. The headquarters of the military units were in great need of such information. Therefore, individual officers were entrusted with the study of localities, nationalities, their history and geography. Consequently, the first Russian explorers of the Caucasus were military specialists. Among them were such outstanding scientists as Academician Butkov, Academician Uslar, Stal and many others. The materials they collected were presented to the military authorities in the form of reports. They were not published, not printed, but remained for use at the headquarters of the troops.

As an ethnographic and historical study, Stahl's work, written in the forties of the last century, is of particular value. Steel was a prisoner of the Highlanders for five years, where he studied their languages ​​and history. Until 1900, Stahl's work was not published, but scientists widely used its data. In view of the great demand for Stahl's work, in 1900 the learned historian General Potto published this manuscript in the Caucasian Collection.

This first essay on the Circassian people is still a very valuable reference book on the highlanders.

According to Stahl, the Karachays are of Nogai origin, the Malkars (i.e. Balkars) are of Mongol-Tatar origin.

Steel failed to determine the time of settlement of Karachays and Balkars in the Caucasus. According to Stal, the Balkars and Karachays are different nationalities, of different origins.

Hypotheses of Russian scientists about the origin of the Balkars and Karachais.

After the annexation of the Caucasus to Russia, a thorough study of it by Russian scientists began: historians, ethnographers, geographers, geologists and other Caucasian scholars. One of the first scientists to study the Caucasus is the professor of the Novorossiysk University F. I. Leontovich, who wrote a monograph on the adats of the highlanders. On the issue of the origin of the Balkars and Karachays, he fully agrees with the opinion of Stal.

The same opinion is held by another Caucasian scholar, V. Sysoev. He believes that the Karachais came to their country not earlier than the 16th century, for only in the 13th century. Mongol dominion appeared, from which the Nogai Horde emerged much later, around the 15th-16th centuries. In turn, the Karachays stood out even later than the Nogais.

Sysoev bases his conclusions on logical assumptions; there are no written sources or other evidence at his disposal.

The assumption that the Mingrelians, Kabardians, Svans, Abkhazians and even Russians joined the main core of the Nogai-Tatar origin over the centuries is unlikely.

There is a fairly common opinion about the Bulgarian origin of the Balkars. For the first time this assumption, based on the consonance of the words "Bulgarians" and "Balkars", was expressed by N. Khodnev in the newspaper "Kavkaz" in 1867. Later N.A. Karaulov became the defender of this opinion.

On the basis of folk legend, Karaulov writes that the Balkars once lived in the steppe part of the Caucasus, and then, driven out by the Kabardians, went to the mountains, upstream of the Cherek, Chegem and Baksan rivers. The Balkars, in turn, ousted the Ossetians from these gorges, who moved to neighboring gorges, to the south on the river. Urukh.

In support of this legend, Karaulov refers to the fact that “several Ossetian villages, cut off from their people, remained to the north of the Balkars.

According to Karaulov, the Balkars got their name from the great Bulgarian people who lived on the Volga and in the 7th century. advanced to the south of Russia and the Balkan Peninsula.

Some historians rank Acad. W. F. Miller. It is true that in his “Ossetian Etudes” he wrote very carefully in 1883: “As an assumption, we make a guess that, perhaps, in the name of the Turkic society living in the east of the Digorians in the Cherek valley - Balkar, the ancient name was also preserved” .

However, a year later, after he made a trip to Balkaria together with prof. Maxim Kovalevsky, the same Miller wrote:

“It is much more plausible that they (the Balkars. - A.P.) “inherited” the name along with the country, from which the more ancient Ossetian population was partially ousted.”

Miller, who in his first statement made a "guess" about the Bulgarian origin of the word "balkar", in his next statement completely departed from defending this opinion.

The hypothesis about the origin of the Balkars from the Bulgarians on the basis of the similarity of these words in consonance is devoid of any scientific ground.

We know many different nationalities with consonant names. For example, Germans and Nenets. It is unlikely that any scholar will allow himself on this basis to say that the Germans are descended from the Nenets or vice versa.

Supporters of the Bulgarian origin of the Balkars refer to the historian Moses Khorensky, who lived in the 5th century AD. e. Khorensky is the author of the "History of Armenia", translated into all European languages. This work is of great importance for the history of neighboring peoples.

Khorensky in his "History" in two places tells about the resettlement of the Bulgarians in Armenia, but these resettlements took place in the first and second centuries BC.

In addition, there is a geographical treatise of the 7th century, the author of which remained unknown until recently, and scientists have long attributed this treatise to Moses of Khorensky. Since Khorensky lived and worked in the 5th century, and the geography was compiled in the 7th century, in order to smooth out this contradiction, there were historians who tried to prove that Khorensky also lived in the 7th century.

Even in the last century, Orientalist scholars Gyubshman and prof. Kerop Patkanov allegedly assured that the author of geography was not Moses Khorensky, but a scientist of the 7th century. Ananiy Shirakatsi, but due to lack of evidence, this issue remained unresolved. At present, the painstaking research of Prof. A. Abrahamyan, it was precisely established that the author of the geographical treatise was not Moses Khorensky, but a prominent scientist of his time, Ananiy Shirakatsi, who lived in the 7th century.

The handwritten text of this treatise is heavily distorted by scribes, many lists with different versions have appeared. In one of these lists, in the description of Asiatic Sarmatia, the author speaks of four Bulgar tribes, who received their names from the rivers in whose valleys they settled. These valleys were located, according to the author, to the north of the Caucasus, along the Kuban River and beyond.

Whether this list is credible and whether it can serve as a solid support for the hypothesis is difficult to say. The Volga Bulgars are the people of the Turkic tribe. In the 7th century, most of them moved to the Balkan Peninsula, creating their own powerful state there, which successfully competed with the great Byzantine Empire.

Despite the large number of their people and the power of the state, the Bulgars fell under the influence of the Slavs, assimilated and glorified. The Bulgars-Turks became Bulgarian-Slavs.

Here the question involuntarily arises: how could a small handful of Bulgars, who settled in the gorges of the Caucasus Mountains, preserve their language and national characteristics for such a long time?

Armenian chroniclers - Moses of Khorensky in the 5th century. Anani Shirakatsi in the 7th century and Vartan in the 14th century. - they interpret about one people who arrived in Sarmatia, calling it "Bukh", "Bulkh", "Bulgar" and "Pulgar". Obviously, we are talking about the movement of the Volga Bulgars, some of which at one time went to Armenia, some to the Balkans, and some settled in Sarmatia. Saint-Martin also speaks about the stay of the "Bulgars" in Sarmatia in his book.

The well-known historian and Caucasian scholar Ashot Noapnisyan, without denying the possibility of the presence of the "Bulgars" in the North Caucasus, believes that on the basis of this bare fact alone and the meager information of Armenian authors, it is impossible to establish a connection between the Sarmatian "Bulgars" and modern Balkars, to consider the latter descendants first. Usually, every important event in the life of peoples is reflected in folk legends and songs. In the folk legends and songs of the Balkars, we do not find traces of their "Bulgarian" origin.

A great contribution to the study of the history of the Caucasus was made by Russian scientists-Caucasians academicians Butkov, Uslar, Marr, Samoylovich, V. Miller and D.A. Kovalevsky. The last two scholars, in addition to studying the history of the entire Caucasus, were specially engaged in the study of Balkaria.

In 1883, V. Miller and M. Kovalevsky made a joint trip to Balkaria. They studied the history of the people on the spot, collected folk legends, studied the remains of ancient material culture, themselves excavated ancient graves - shiaks, acquired ancient objects of historical significance found in shiaks from the population.

First of all, they were struck by the fact that Balkaria forms, as it were, an island among nationalities that differ from the Balkars in language and tribe. In the east, it borders on Ossetia and Digoria, in the north and west on Kabarda, and in the south, the Main Caucasian Range separates it from Svanetia.

The experienced eyes of scientists immediately noticed two dominant types among the population; one - reminiscent of Mongolian, with significantly smoothed features, and the other - Aryan, most similar to Ossetian.

As we noted above, the excavations of shiaks, the study of the skulls and household items found in them showed that they belong to an earlier period and have nothing in common with the current settlers.

Based on a number of toponymic names left from the Ossetians, the presence of many words in the language of the Balkars of Ossetian origin and local legends, Miller and Kovalevsky came to the conclusion that the Balkars found the Ossetian population in the mountains, who professed the Christian religion.

Thus, according to Miller and Kovalevsky, the Balkars are not natives of their country. Arriving at the real territory, they found the local Ossetian population here, forced it out, and some of the Ossetians remained in place and mixed with the newcomers. This explains why the Ossetian type is often found among the Balkars.

Where and when the Balkars came, Miller and Kovalevsky failed to find out. They call the Balkars Caucasian Tatars, without indicating their origin.

Language is the main factor in determining the origin of peoples. Unfortunately, the language of the Karachay-Balkars has been little studied. In this area, the research of the best specialist is of great importance: on the languages ​​of the Turkic peoples, Acad. Samoilovich. The scientist finds that “the dialects of the Kumyks, Karachays and Balkars are not closely related to the dialects of the Nogais who appeared in the southern Russian steppes after the Mongol invasion (XIII century), but have some common features that indicate the connection of these three dialects with the dialect pre-Mongolian inhabitants of the southern Russian steppes - Kumans, or Kipchaks, (Polovtsy) Although Samoylovich does not give his final conclusion about the origin of the Karachay-Balkarians, his scientifically substantiated statement refutes the opinion of Stal, Leontovich and others about the Nogai origin of the Karachay-Balkarians.

Samoilovich's opinion about the similarity of the language of the Kipchaks and Karachay-Balkarians is also confirmed by the Polovtsian dictionary, compiled in 1303 and published for the first time by Klaproth in 1825. It contains words that are now preserved only in the Karachay-Balkarian language. Samoilovich's statement and the Polovtsian dictionary are an important factor in determining the origin of the Karachay-Balkarians.

Dyachkov-Tarasov (1898 - 1928) was engaged in the study of Karachay. For four years he lived in Karachai, studied the language, history, geography, ethnography, and the economy of the country on the spot.

Like V. Sysoev, Dyachkov-Tarasov believes that the Karachais moved to the Kuban in the 16th century. Referring to the message of Academician Pallas that at the end of the 18th century. the total number of Karachays did not exceed 200 families, the author himself comes to the conclusion that at the time of the resettlement, their number reached barely a thousand people.

In his opinion, the basin of the upper Kuban was occupied by an unknown people with a fairly developed culture. Several centuries before the arrival of the Karachays, this people left the country.

Here is how Dyachkov-Tarasov explains the origin of the Karachays: “The primary group of the ancestors of the Karachays, speaking one of the Kipchak dialects, was organized from refugees. It included natives of the Turkish regions: on the one hand, the Far East (Koshgar), Itiliy, Astrakhan, and on the other, the Western Caucasus and Crimea.

According to Dyachkov-Tarasov, the Karachays willingly accepted aliens into their midst. The author counts 26 clans among Karauzdens alone, formed from newcomers and refugees: of them - 7 clans have Russian ancestors, 6 clans - Svans, 4 clans - Abkhazians, 3 clans - Kabardians, 1 clan each - Abazins, Kumyks, Armenians, Balkars, Kalmyks and Nogais.

Without entering into a discussion of the hypothesis about the Kipchak origin of the Karachays, which corresponds to the opinions of many scientists, we must say that it seems incredible to us that such a large influx of newcomers from various distant countries, not connected by economic interests, did not know each other. It is incomprehensible that a small society of barely 2,000 people, without its own written language, developed national culture, dispersed and scattered in small groups throughout the territory of Karachay, along its difficult gorges, could assimilate, dissolve in its composition such a large number of foreign-speaking representatives of various nationalities and preserve the purity of the Kipchak language.

We briefly listed all the main hypotheses of foreign and Russian scientists about the origin of the Karachays and Balkars. You should get acquainted with the opinions of local historians, indigenous people of the Caucasus: Islam Tambiev, prof. G. L. Kokieva and X. O. Laipanov.

Islam Tambiev, analyzing the existing hypotheses and denying some of them completely, and some partially, comes to the conclusion that “the first ancestors of the Balkars and Karachays, who took the reins of government in their hands and had an assimilating influence on all other newcomers, were the Khazars-Turks or Kipchaks".

Further, the author himself admits: “the question of what kind of people (Khazars, Polovtsy, etc.) the Karachay-Balkarian ancestors, who formed the first cell of the social organism, belongs to, remains positively unresolved.”

This vague notion is nothing new. It partially duplicates the statements of Klaproth, partially Sysoev and others, introducing great confusion into their hypotheses.

Tambiev completely incorrectly equates the concepts of Khazars, Turks and Kipchaks.

The question of whether the Khazars belong to the Turkish world, as Academician Samoylovich writes, has been little developed, and their inclusion among the Gurkhas is “a highly controversial situation.” Above, we cited the opinion of the Arab geographer and traveler Ibn-Khaukal that "the language of pure Khazars is not similar to Turkish and none of the languages ​​of known peoples is similar to it."

As for the process of formation of the Karachai and Balkar peoples, Tambiev attributes it mainly to the influx of foreigners, which is completely a repetition of the thoughts of Sysoev, Dyachkov-Tarasov and others.

Objecting to Sysoev and Dyachkov-Tarasov in their opinion about the appearance of Karachays and Balkars in the North Caucasus in the 16th century, he argues that their settlement in the present territory took place “long before the 16th century. and, in any case, not later than the 10th century. We have already spoken above about the report of the Russian ambassador Yelchin, from which it is clear that as early as 1639 the Karachays lived on Baksan and the ambassador and his companions stayed with them for two weeks, making valuable gifts to their leaders - the brothers Krym-Shamkhalov and their mother.

This valuable document finally refutes the conclusions of G.A. Kokiev about the time of settlement of Karachays and Balkars in the current territory.

Further, according to G. A. Kokiev, the Karachays and Balkars were part of the "Elamite, union of tribes", because, as he motivates, with the exception of the Kabardians, all peoples were included there. The question is, how does the author know that Karachays and Balkars also could not be an exception?

Before giving such a conclusion, it was necessary for the author to find out: were the Karachays and Balkars themselves in the Caucasus in the era of the existence of the Alanian union of tribes.

Historian X.O. Laipanov in his assumptions goes further than G.A. Kokiev. He categorically states that "the Karachays and Balkars did not have any Turkish or Crimean ancestral home, but are the indigenous inhabitants of the Kuban basin and the sources of the Terek."

Further, the author defines their deposit: “The Balkars lived,” he writes, “in the steppe regions of Kuma and Podkumka, and the Karachays lived in the Trans-Kuban region, in the areas called Zagzam, Laba, Sanchar and Arkhyz.” However, the author himself admits that he "does not have any written or other sources" on this issue.

He also has no evidence of the crossing of Karachays from Trans-Kuban to Baksan, and Balkars from Kuma and Podkumka. This resettlement, in his opinion, took place "not earlier than the second half of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century."

Concerning the origin of Karachais and Balkars, X.O. Laipanov concludes: "the basis of the Karachay-Balkar ethnic group are the Kipchaks (Polovtsy) and the Khazars."

This statement by Laipanov coincides with Tambiev's hypothesis. In addition, Laipanov admits the possibility of joining one of the tribes of the Kuban Bulgarians to the main Khazar-Kipchak group and believes that "fragments of Timur's hordes joined the bulk of the Karachay-Balkarians and were the ancestors of some of their modern families." Then the author claims that over the centuries, Ossetians, Kabardians, Svans, Abaza, etc., poured into this Khazar-Kipchak core.

X.O. Laipanov, denying any resettlement of the Karachay-Balkarians from the Crimea and other places, considers them natives of the North Caucasus, while recognizing the Karachays and Balkars as descendants of the Kipchaks-Polovtsians. Everyone knows that the Kipchaks and Polovtsy are not the indigenous inhabitants of the North Caucasus, their homeland is Central Asia, from where they migrated to Eastern Europe in the 11th century. n. e. Consequently, the Karachay-Balkarians descended from the Kipchaks could in no way be the indigenous inhabitants of the North Caucasus.

Laipanov's hypothesis about the origin of Karachays and Balkars, in addition to being based on historically incorrect and contradictory data, is too broad and comprehensive. Here are the Kipchaks, and the Khazars, and the Bulgarians, and the remnants of Timur's troops, and almost all the Caucasian peoples.

It is possible to admit the assimilation by the Karachay-Balkarians of individual newcomers, foreigners, but it is difficult to believe in the assimilation of the remnants of Timur's military units or the whole tribe of Bulgarians.

We have given almost all the main hypotheses about the origin of the Balkars and Karachays.

From their brief review, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. Karachais and Balkars in the past lived together and bore the name of the people from which they broke away.

2. For the first time, the name “Karachays” is found in the report of the Moscow ambassador Yelchin in 1639, and the name “Bolkhari” is found in the report of the Moscow ambassador Tolochanov in 1650. True, in the replies of the Terek governor Dashkov for 1629, the word “Balkars” is found, but it is used as a place name, as a toponymic term.

3. Karachays and Balkars are not natives of their current territories, they are newcomers and forced out the earlier population from here.

4. Most scientists and researchers consider the Kipchaks (Polovtsy) to be the main core of the Karachay-Balkar people.

5. Linguistic research acad. Samoylovich and the Polovtsian dictionary, compiled in 1303, which has survived to this day, testify to the closeness of the language of the Karachays and Balkars with the language of the Kipchaks (Polovtsians).

6. Karachays came to the present territory between 1639 and 1653, because in 1639 they were still on Baksan, as evidenced by the report of the Russian ambassador Yelchin.

7. From the report of the Russian ambassador Yelchin, it can be seen that the Karachais (hence, the Balkars) were in the process of transition to feudal relations, they were led by leaders - the Krym-Shamkhalov brothers, the feudal lords of Karachai.

8. The ancient burial grounds, shpaks located on the territory of Balkaria, as shown by the excavations carried out by V. Miller and M. Kovalevsky, have nothing in common with the current population and belong to an earlier period.

9. Among the Karachays and Balkars, two dominant types prevail: one is Turkic, with significantly smoothed facial features, the other is Aryan, most of all reminiscent of Ossetian.

Here, in our opinion, are more or less scientifically substantiated data concerning the history of the Karachay-Balkarians, which we came to by reviewing the existing main hypotheses and indisputable evidence.

However, as we see, the question of the origin of the Karachay-Balkarians, the questions of when and where their ancestors came from, when they came to Baksan, have not yet been scientifically clarified. Historians are helpless, there are no written sources, there are no remnants of material culture, these small but true witnesses of the past.

In such cases, when a hopeless situation is created for the historian, prof. V. Klyuchevsky recommends turning to the memory of the people themselves, that is, to folk legends.

Having accepted this advice, we turned to the legends existing among the people, which, as mentioned above, are very contradictory, and therefore, having revised them with great care, we settled on one, the most common legend in Karachay, about the exit of the Karachays from the Crimea, about their Crimean origin. In this regard, we found it expedient to turn to the sources of the history of the Crimea, to the monuments of the history of the peoples who inhabited the Crimea, and there to look for the information we need. The North Caucasus has always been in close interaction with the Crimea.

Since ancient times, the Crimean peninsula has been the scene of the history of many peoples, starting with the Cimmerians and Taurians, ending with the Polovtsy-Kipchaks, Tatars, Nogais.

The Greeks, Armenians, Genoese and Tatars played an important role in the history of the Crimea.

The Armenians under the Genoese played a particularly important role in the Crimea. The Armenians in the Crimea created a large network of churches and monasteries, in which educational institutions existed. Learned monks lived in the monasteries, were engaged in literary activities, taught in schools not only theology, but also philosophy, history, mathematics, astronomy, geography and other sciences. A large number of church, historical and scientific books were written and rewritten here.

According to a tradition that has been established for centuries, scribes of books attached at the end or at the beginning of these books the commemorative notes they compiled about the events of their time. There were a lot of such manuscripts with commemorative records in the Crimean-Armenian churches and monasteries. Most of them disappeared after the fall of Kafa and the conquest of the Crimea by the Turks in 1475. Currently, the surviving manuscripts of the Crimea are stored in Yerevan in the state book depository - Madenataran. In addition, since ancient times, Jews, Karaites and Krymchaks lived in the Crimea, who played a leading role in the Khazar Khaganate.

In the middle of the 11th century, the Kipchaks (Polovtsy-Kumans) entered the Crimea. This is a Turkic people who lived before that in Central Asia. In the XI century. the Kipchaks migrated to Eastern Europe, occupied the Azov and Black Sea steppes. They were engaged in cattle breeding and raids on Russia, where they got slaves, who were taken to the eastern markets and sold at a profit.

According to the historian of the Crimea of ​​the XVII century. Martiros Kryshetsy, in 1051 they settled in the large trade center of the Crimea, in the famous city of Solkhat, turning it into their capital. From here there was a trade caravan route to Asia Minor and India.

In the middle of the XII century. the Kipchaks occupied the Taman peninsula and forever destroyed the Russian principality of Tmutarakan, occupied its capital Tumatarkha, from where the caravan route to Asia Minor and beyond lay.

At the end of the XII century. these Kipchaks subjugated another important trading point - the port of Sudak (Sugdeya), which was then the largest center of transit trade between East and West.

Owning three major points of international trade, the Kipchaks benefited greatly.

In 1223 they were conquered by the Mongols. After the conquest of the Crimea, part of the Kipchaks (Polovtsy) went to Hungary and settled there. There they founded two regions - Greater and Lesser Cumania. They enjoyed special benefits, lived autonomously according to their own laws. These regions existed until 1876, when they were abolished in connection with the reforms, and the Kipchaks (or Cumans) began to obey the norms of the all-Hungarian legislation. Part of the Polovtsy remained in the Crimea, but did not enjoy any benefits.

Here is basically a list of the peoples who inhabited the Crimea in the Middle Ages and played a role in the life of the country. All these peoples have their own archives containing huge historical material not only on the history of the Crimea, but also on the history of the North Caucasus. The Crimean Tatar state (khanate), which existed from 1223 to 1783, had its own divan, left a large archive, which, of course, contains information about the peoples who inhabited the Crimea. The Genoese also had their own rich archive, which they took to Genoa, where it is kept in the archive of the Bank of St. George. Greeks and Armenians in 1778, during their resettlement, took their archives to Mariupol and Nakhichevan-on-Don.

We did not have the opportunity to use all these rich sources. However, as we mentioned above, the state book depository of Armenia - Madenataran - has extensive material on the history of the Crimea. The number of manuscripts stored in Madenataran exceeds 10 thousand. At present, the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR is publishing commemorative records of these manuscripts. Among the published commemorative records, the chronicle of Khachatur Kafaetsi (1592-1658) attracts attention. This chronicle was not known to the learned world; it was first published by V. Hakobyan in 1951. True, as early as 19-14, a detailed article about it was written in the journal "Etchmiadzin" by prof. A. Abrahamyan.

It should be noted that the records of Cafaetsi are very truthful and fully coincide with the data of historical science. So, for example, his notes about the capture of Azov by the Don Cossacks and about the campaign against Azov of the Turkish Sultan and the Crimean Khan in 1640 with a hundred thousandth army, about the brutal defeat of this army, about the loss of more than 40 thousand soldiers killed by it alone and about the shameful return to the Crimea , his notes about the alliance of Bogdan Khmelnitsky with the Crimean Khan Islam-Girey II, about their joint struggle and campaign against Poland coincide with the descriptions of the same events by historians N. Kostomarov, V. D. Smirnov, V. Klyuchevsky and others. Based on this we can say that the records of Kafaetsi are trustworthy, and we hope that his record of the Chagatai (Kipchaks) will also deserve the attention of historians.

Here is what we find and what attracts our attention in the annals of Khachatur Kafaetsi:

“On May 3, 1639, peoples rose up: Nogais, Chagatai, Tatars, left (or left. - X.P.) from the Crimea. All three (peoples. - X.P.) came together, consulted among themselves: the first (the people, i.e. Nogais. -X.P.) went to Hadji-Tarkhan, the second (the people, i.e. Chagatai. - X. P.) went to Circassia, the third (the people, that is, the Tatars. - X. P.) returned back to the Crimea.

Here is the Armenian text of this entry: “...1639 Tvakanii, Amsyan 3 Maisi 932 Nogai, Chgata, Tatars Yelan, Khrimen Gnatsin. 3 mekdeg egan, zenshin arin, - mekn Hadji-Tarkhan gnats, meks cherkes mdav mekn dartsav, hrim egav. From this record, it is important for us that on May 3, 1639, three peoples left the Crimea, from which the Chagatai went to Circassia. (The Kafaets in their notes call all the Circassians Circassians, and call the whole country, including Kabarda, Circassia.)

Unfortunately, Kafaetsi in his entry leads the Chagatai "to the Circassians" and this ends his story about them. He is silent about the further fate of the Chagatai in Circassia, we have no other sources yet. We know from history that the Chagatai are the same Kipchaks (Polovtsy). According to the definition of philologists, their language belongs to the Kipchak group of Turkic languages, to the Kipchak-Oguz subgroup. The Chagatai language arose on the basis of the Oghuz-Kipchak literary language that already existed in Central Asia. No wonder Lamberti was struck by the purity of the Turkic language among the Karachays.

Kafaetsi repeatedly mentions the Chagatai in his notes as soldiers of the Khan's army. The Chagatai participated together with the Circassians in the Khan's campaign against Azov. Chagatai and Circassians knew each other well, like comrades in arms. Therefore, it is not surprising that by 1639 the Chagatai went to their Circassian friends, entered their country and settled there.

Where did the Chagatai, or Kipchaks, stay in Circassia? The history of Circassia is little studied, in it we do not meet the name "Chagatai". This question was not the subject of the study. In the same way, we do not know from Russian primary sources until 1639 the name "Karachai", until 1650 the name "Balkarian". We meet the word "Balkary" as a geographical name of the area. True, Kokiev and Laipanov are trying to prove that the Karachais and Balkars could exist under the name of Alans, but this is a bare assumption that does not find confirmation in science. The data of science say that they really did not exist in the Caucasus. They lived in Crimea under the name of Chagatai, or Kipchaks.

We are sure that the Chagatai who left the Crimea are the indisputable ancestors of the Karachays and Balkars. Kafaetsi says that the Chagatai entered Circassia. First of all, it is necessary to find out whether the territory of Baksan, where Fedot Yelchin found the Karachais, is an integral part of Circassia. This question is beyond doubt. For a long time, Pyatigorsk Circassians lived on Baksan. Laipanov proves that "by the time the Karachays and Balkars arrived on the Baksan, Kabardian auls existed in its lower reaches and the lands along the Baksan were considered princely." Further, Laipanov writes that the Karachais, upon their arrival at Baksan, were subject to princely tribute. Thus, Baksan was part of the territory of Circassia.

How can one prove the identity of Karachay-Balkarians and Chagatai? To do this, we must turn to the facts. Until 1639, in Kabardino-Cherkessia, in particular in Baksan, there were no people who spoke the Turkic language. Kafaetsi writes in his chronicle that in 1639 the Chagatai left the Crimea and entered Circassia. This people spoke the Turkic language. Where they ended up, we do not know. We only know that in the fall of 1639, people who spoke the Turkic language turned out to be on Baksan. In other places of Circassia, even after 1639 there were no people who spoke the Turkic or Kipchak languages.

The question arises: if not the Chagatai, but another people appeared on Baksan, then where did the Chagatai go and where did the new people come from, called by the Russian ambassador Yelchin "Karachays"?

In the tsar's order, given to Ambassador Yelchin at the beginning of 1639, all the settlements, cities, principalities in the Caucasus, the names of their owners, where he could stay, are indicated in detail. This order does not say anything about Karachais and Balkars. This clearly proves that at the time the order was drawn up, they were not on Baksan. They left the Crimea in May 1639. Apparently, these people were then on the road and were looking for a suitable place for a permanent and settled life.

Indeed, they found suitable places in the upper reaches of the Kuban. Soon part of the Karachays moved there and settled in the gorges of Zelenchuk and Teberda. This resettlement took place soon, maybe even in the same 1639, but not later than 1650, when the second Russian ambassador Tolochanov on Baksan did not find either the Karachais or their princes and stopped at the Balkar murzas. The Karachay society was a feudal type society, which completely coincides with the Chagatay society. The princes of Crimea-Shamkhalovs were at the head of the Balkar people.

An important factor in determining the ethnogenesis of any nation is its language. The conclusion of Acad. Samoilovich that the language of Karachais and Balkars has a common connection, common features with the dialect of the Kipchaks.

This opinion of Samoilovich is also confirmed by the Polovtsian dictionary of 1303, which we have already mentioned above. It contains many words that have survived to our time only in the Karachai and Balkar languages ​​and are completely absent in other Turkic languages.

One more remark of acad. Samoilovich deserves serious attention. The names of the days of the week among the Karachays and Balkars coincide with the names of the days of the week among the Karaites and Krymchaks. This suggests that the ancestors of the Balkars and Karachays lived in the Crimea together with the Karaites and Krymchaks and borrowed. They have these words.

All these facts and the great similarity of the language of the Karachays and Balkars with the first language of the Chagatai (or Kipchaks) speaks of their exit from the Crimea and their Chagatai (or Kipchak) origin.

One more question remains to be clarified: why did one part of the Crimean Chagatays (or Kipchaks) here, in the Caucasus, begin to be called Malkars or Balkars, and the other part Karachays? According to the prevailing opinion among historians, the Karachay people got their name from their country - Karachay, which means "Black River" in Russian. Lamberti often calls the Karachays "Kara-Circassians", although they have nothing in common with the Circassians. He explains this not because they are black, but "maybe because in their country the sky is constantly cloudy and dark." K. Gan, on the basis of folk legends and his own observations, finds that this country is called "Karachay" because the rivers in this area are painted black from slate sand.

In the Karachay resort of Teberda there is a beautiful lake Kara-Kel, which means "Black Lake". The water in it, thanks to the underwater black stones and the abundant shade of the branchy coniferous and deciduous age-old giant trees standing on the shore, really seems black and shines like skillfully polished black marble.

According to folk legend, a black sorceress lives at the bottom of this lake, the mistress of the country's lands, and the country as her possession "Kara-Chay".

We have no intention of arguing whether the rivers and lakes of Karachay are black or not, although we have mountains of wonderful lakes of green, blue and other shades, although the beauty Teberda herself has rightly been called “Blue-eyed Teberda” for a long time. It is important for us to find out since when did this country begin to bear its modern name? What was it called before the Karachays settled there?

According to Dyachkov-Tarasov, this country, several centuries before the arrival of the Karachays, was abandoned by an unknown people and had no name.

This free territory was occupied by a part of the Chagatai, or Karachai, who had migrated from the Crimea and temporarily settled on Baksan. Karachays could not get their name from their new homeland, because before coming here, while on the way, they were called Karachais even on Baksan.

The Chagatays left the Crimea on May 3, 1639, and on October 13 of the same year, the Russian ambassador Fedot Yelchin found them on Baksan, he stayed with their leaders, the brothers Krym-Shamkhalovs, for two weeks.

Both the ambassador himself and the priest Pavel Zakhariev, who accompanied him, in all their official papers always call them Karachays. This means that the Karachays came with this name from the Crimea, where they already bore this name.

The Chronicle of Kafaetsi calls them Chagatai on the basis of their nationality. Everyone knows that in the Southern Crimea there is a river called the Black River, which the local population calls "Karasu", and sometimes "Kara-Chay". “Karasu” is a new Tatar name, and “Kara-Chai” is an old one, apparently of Kipchak origin. The inhabitants of the entire river basin Kara-Chay were called Karachays. Among these inhabitants were Chagatai. These are the Chagatai by origin, and by place of residence the Karachais moved to Circassia, whom Yelchin found on Baksan.

As a rule, all settlers in new places of residence, founding cities, villages and other settlements, give them the names of the settlements they left. So did the Karachays: having settled on the modern territory of Karachay, in memory of their old Crimean ancestral home - the Kara-Chay basin - they also called their new homeland "Karachay".

About the Balkars.

Balkars are also called Malkars. As Laipanov certifies, “the neighbors of the Balkars - Kabardians, Circassians and Karachays - did not know the name “Balkar” in the past. Both in the past and at present, the Balkars themselves do not call themselves by this name.

Stal, in his essay on the Circassian people, always calls the Balkars Malkars.

M. K. Abaev believes that Russian officials renamed the Malkars into Balkars, finding this name more harmonious and convenient for official papers.

As Laipanov notes, various tribes of the Balkars used to bear the names of their gorges, only the inhabitants of the Cherek gorge called themselves Malkars. In his opinion, this indicates that the Malkarians came to this gorge with an established name. Like many others, Laipanov believes that the name "Malkars" comes from the name of the river. Malki, where the inhabitants of Cherek used to live.

V. Miller and M. Kovalevsky suggest that the Balkars inherited their name along with the country, from which the older Ossetian population was ousted. This assumption of scientists at the present time, when documents and materials related to Kabardian-Russian relations have been published, has been fully justified.

According to the indisputable data of the Kafaetsi chronicle, the Chagatai, or Karachays, left the Crimea on May 3, 1639. Having temporarily stopped at Baksan, they settled.

As already seen, one group went to the upper reaches of the Kuban, occupied the gorge of Zelenchuk and Teberda, the second group went to the upper reaches of the Terek, settled along the gorges of the Baksan, Bezengi, Chegem and Cheren rivers, which flow into the Malka. The first group retained its name and gave the country its name - Karachay, and the second group in the upper reaches of the Terek, in the basin of the river. Malki, lost its name and became known as the Balkars, and the territory occupied by the inhabitants of all four gorges became known as Balkaria. How did the Chagatays, or Karachays, become Balkars? According to our data, the Balkars, under the name of Chagatai or Karachai, appeared on Baksan in 1639 and until 1650 nothing was said about them as a sovereign people either in Russian or in foreign sources.

Only recently, T. Kh. Kumykov, in his outline of the history of the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, followed by S. Babaev, D. Shabaev in a newspaper article, declare that the first news from Russian sources about the Balkars dates back to 1628. However, respected authors are mistaken, the toponymic term is taken for an ethnic name, the name of the area is considered the name of the people. Obviously, the source on which this statement is based are the documents published in the book "Kabardino-Russian Relations in the 16th - 18th Centuries." under No. 76, 77, 78 concerning deposits of silver ore.

In the letter of the Terek voivode I. L. Dashkov dated January 11, 1629, to the Embassy order on exploration of silver ore deposits, it is reported that “Kovshov-Murza was sent to the mountains for your sovereign affairs, who brought the ore ... and the place of Balkara belongs to him , Kovshov-Murza, nephew of Abshit Vorokov. From this reply it is clear that the word "Balkary" is the name of the place where they were looking for silver.

The same Terek voivode I. A. Dashkov, in his unsubscribe dated February 21, 1629, writes on the same occasion:

"Gathering with military people, we went to the mountains to Balkar to the place where they had silver ore." Here, too, the word "Balkars" is used as a toponomic term. These documents testify that the place where the silver was located, even before the arrival of the ancestors of the modern Balkars, was called “Balkars”, and it is quite natural that the inhabitants of this area, regardless of nationality, bore the name of the area and were called Balkars. Since when the Cherek gorge was called that way, we do not know, the issue has not been studied, but it has been established that the name “Balkara” already existed in 1629.

If Karachay got its name from the Karachai settlers, then the “Balkars” themselves gave their name to the Chagatai, or Karachais, who came from the Crimea. Soon they forgot their old name and began to be called Balkars.

Academicians Kovalevsky and Miller were right when, not knowing and having no data that this country was called “Balkars”, they wrote that the Balkars “inherited their name along with the country”. Toponomic name became ethnic.

There is an opinion that only the river basin. Cherek was called "Balkars", and the inhabitants of this gorge - Balkars. The question arises, how did the name "Balkarians" spread to the inhabitants of the gorges of Baksan, Chegem and Bezenga and the entire territory of these rivers began to be called Balkaria? Supporters of this hypothesis say that the numerical superiority and the large proportion of the population of Cherek - Balkars in the social life of the settlers of all the gorges brought them to the fore. They played a leading role in the life of the settlers, and therefore the name of this tribe eventually passed to all other tribes, became the common name of the entire people. This was the opinion of Shora Nogmov, and now this point is defended by Laipanov and others.

Faces of Russia. "Living Together, Being Different"

The Faces of Russia multimedia project has existed since 2006, telling about Russian civilization, the most important feature of which is the ability to live together, remaining different - this motto is especially relevant for the countries of the entire post-Soviet space. From 2006 to 2012, as part of the project, we created 60 documentaries about representatives of various Russian ethnic groups. Also, 2 cycles of radio programs "Music and songs of the peoples of Russia" were created - more than 40 programs. Illustrated almanacs have been released to support the first series of films. Now we are halfway to creating a unique multimedia encyclopedia of the peoples of our country, a picture that will allow the inhabitants of Russia to recognize themselves and leave a picture of what they were like for posterity.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Faces of Russia". Karachays. "Revival of Karachay", 2008

General information

KARACH'AYEVS, karachailila (self-name), a Caucasian people with a long history, one of the indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus, inhabiting the mountainous and foothill regions of Karachay-Cherkessia. The number in Russia is over 150.3 thousand people - 230 thousand 403 people (according to the 2011 census), of which 200 thousand 324 people live in Karachay-Cherkessia (the indigenous population of Karachay (in Karachay-Cherkessia) - more than 129.4 thousand people), where they make up more than forty percent of the total population. According to the 2002 population census, the number of Karachays living in Russia is 192 thousand people. They also live in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Syria, the USA (over 20 thousand people).

They speak the Karachay-Balkar language of the Turkic group of the Altai family. Writing on a Russian graphic basis (since 1937). Believers are Sunni Muslims.

In the ethnogenesis of the Karachays, local Caucasian tribes who lived from the Bronze Age, as well as newcomers - Alans, Bulgars and Kipchaks (Polovtsy) took part. In pre-Mongolian times, the Karachays were part of the Alanian union of tribes. The earliest Karachay-Balkar monuments are considered to be burial grounds of the 13th-14th centuries on the territory of Karachay and Balkaria. After the Mongol invasion, the ancestors of the Karachays were driven back to the mountain gorges of the Central Caucasus.

In 1828 the Karachays became part of Russia. Settled compactly, they formed part of the Elbrus administrative district. After the civil war and the establishment of Soviet power (1920), the status of the Karachays within the framework of the national-territorial autonomy was determined: 1920 - Karachay district, 1922 - Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Okrug; 1926 - Karachay Autonomous Okrug, liquidated in 1943 in connection with the deportation of Karachays to Central Asia and Kazakhstan. In 1957, after the return of the Karachays to their historical homeland, the Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Okrug was restored; in 1991 it was transformed into a republic.

The main traditional occupations are transhumance (alpine) animal husbandry (sheep, goats, horses, cattle), as well as arable terraced farming with artificial irrigation (barley, oats, millet, wheat, corn, potatoes, garden crops). Animal husbandry continues to be the main occupation of the mountainous and foothill part of the population. Cattle breeding and sheep breeding (fine-fleeced merino and Karachay sheep) received the predominant direction. Crafts - cloth-making, making felt hats, cloaks, the production of patterned felts, carpets, weaving mats, knitted woolen products, processing leather, skins, wood and stone carving, gold embroidery.

Traditional villages are crowded in the mountains, large, divided into tribal quarters (tiyre), and in the foothills and on the plane - a street, rectangular layout. The dwelling is a rectangular (sometimes polygonal) one-, two-chamber log building with a gable earthen roof. Residential and household buildings constituted a complex of a closed yard (waterbaz). The walls of the dwelling were hung with felt carpets, and the shelves with appliqué. Inside the dwelling stood out a wall hearth (odzhak) with an open chimney. A separate house or room was set aside for receiving guests (kunatskaya). From the end of the 19th century, multi-chamber, two-story buildings appeared, the roofs of the houses were covered with hew, iron, and later with slate. Monuments of traditional architecture - log houses, battle towers, crypt constructions.

The national clothes of the Karachais are similar to the clothes of other peoples of the North Caucasus. Men's clothing consisted of a shirt, pants, beshmet, Circassian coat, sheepskin or fur coat, cloak and hood. On a belt made of a narrow belt - a dagger or a knife, an armchair, etc. Summer headdress - felt hats, winter - sheepskin hats with a cloth hood. Women's clothing was distinguished by a variety of types and age characteristics: a long shirt made of paper or silk fabric of a tunic cut with a slit on the chest and a clasp at the collar, with long and wide sleeves; long trousers made of dark colored fabrics were tucked into morocco socks or shoes; over the shirt - dress. The waist was intercepted by a wide silver belt. From silk or paper fabric quilted on wadding, outerwear was sewn - kaptal, repeating the cut of the Circassian coat. Fur coats from lambskin or kurpeya, as well as squirrel ones. Women's hats: a girl's festive dress is a hat (high cone-shaped or truncated, richly decorated with galloons or gold embroidery), over it is a large scarf.

The basis of nutrition is meat-milk-vegetable. Traditional dishes are boiled and fried meat, dried sausage made from raw meat and fat, fermented milk (airan), kefir (gypy ayran), various types of cheese. Of the flour dishes, unleavened flat cakes (gyrdzhyny) and pies (khychyny) with a variety of fillings, fried or baked, soups on meat broth (shorpa) are popular, among the delicacies there are various versions of halva. Drinks: dairy - kefir and ayran, festive - buza and beer (cheese), everyday - tea from the Caucasian rhododendron (kara shay).

The center of public life was the rural community (eljamagat), connected by a common territory and collective labor to build and maintain irrigation facilities in good condition. Within the tribal community (qaum and tukum), strict exogamy, a common settlement (tiire), joint cemeteries, and a name from one mythical or real ancestor were preserved. Among the Karachays, remnants of family communities (yuyur) with collective ownership of livestock and land, with joint labor and egalitarian consumption, were preserved. By the end of the 19th century, due to the disintegration of family communities, monogamous families (yuidegs) began to prevail in the rural community.

The most developed type of folk art was the manufacture of patterned felts, embroidery, mat weaving, wood and stone carving, and gold embroidery. Etiquette is of great importance in folk life. Numerous folk holidays (calendar, bringing the herd to alpine pastures, harvesting, etc.) are accompanied by horse races, horse riding, wrestling of strongmen, throwing stones, games of mummers, lifting weights and other competitions.

With Islam (established at the end of the 18th century), they entered into a tradition: fasting (oraza), prayers (namaz), sacrifice (kurman). Along with the all-Caucasian dances (Lezginka, Islamei), ritual Karachay-Balkarian dances are also common - gollu, sandrak, tepene, tegerek, etc. Rich folklore is preserved: Nart legends, historical, labor, heroic, satirical, love and lullabies, fairy tales, proverbs and sayings, stories about Nasr Khoja (Khodja Nasreddin). Traditional musical instruments - reed flute, 2-string violin, 3-string plucked instrument, plane rattle, dole and accordion.

Karachays have strong, historically established customs and traditions that govern almost every aspect of life, be it weddings, funerals, family decisions. Karachays will never offend their guest. Unquestioning obedience to elders is a centuries-old law. The fact of insulting the parents of a Karachay is a fatal offense for the offender. Much attention is paid by the Karachais to the observance of the requirements and provisions of the ethical code "Yozden ADET", which is a set of customary law, moral prescriptions and rules.

It is impossible to imagine a Karachay without a horse. Equestrian sports and horse races have been and still are an integral part of all Karachai holidays and celebrations. Previously, they were held on wedding days, on the occasion of the birth of a child, on the day of the beginning of spring and the end of the harvest, in the event of the arrival of honored guests.

THEM. Shamanov

Essays

To the song of Orida, the girl enters the groom's house

Many nations have their own ancient measures of length. Here, for example, the Karachays, the inhabitants of Karachay (this is in Karachay-Cherkessia), have syuem. This is the name of the distance equal to the width of the palm with the thumb extended. By the way, this is about ten centimeters.

And the distance equal to the thickness of a finger is called by the Karachais the word eli. It's about two centimeters. To measure distances, this people also used a step (atlam). But the most interesting measure, which, one might say, is breathtaking, is kychyrym. The distance at which a sound is heard, that is, in fact, a scream. Shouting to measure the distance in the mountains is probably a pleasure. But not only in the mountains. There are also rivers and lakes. There are many of them in the republic. About 130 alpine lakes, many mountain waterfalls. 172 rivers flow, of which the largest are the Kuban, Bolshoi and Maly Zelenchuk, Urup, Laba.

Karachays are a Caucasian people with a long history, descendants of the ancient Scythians. In the early Middle Ages they were known under the name of the Alans. They once inhabited the foothills of the Central Caucasus, fertile lands north of the Caucasus Range, were subsequently pushed back and locked in mountain gorges by the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols of the Golden Horde (century) and the campaigns of Tamerlane (century).

Karachays speak a dialect of the Karachay-Balkarian language, which belongs to the northwestern branch of the Turkic languages. Writing based on Cyrillic. Karachays are predominantly Sunni Muslims (99%). The number in Russia is 192 thousand people (according to the 2002 census), of which 187 thousand live in Karachay-Cherkessia, where they make up more than forty percent of the population, being the most numerous people of the republic.

The morals of the Karachays are strict

The German orientalist Heinrich-Julius Klaproth, who visited the Karachais at the beginning of the 18th century, left a rather detailed description. By the way, it is not outdated so far:

“Karachays belong to the beautiful inhabitants of the Caucasus. They are well built and have very fine facial features, further enhanced by large black eyes and white skin. Among them, there are absolutely no wide flat faces and deep-set, obliquely set eyes that would prove mixing with the Mongol tribes.

Usually a Karachay takes only one wife as his wife, with whom he lives very peacefully and with whom he treats very humanely and attentively, so that his wife, like that of a European, is a friend, and not a servant of her husband.

The morals of the Karachays are strict. If someone dishonors a girl or a married woman and this becomes known in the village, then the inhabitants gather at the mosque, where they also bring the criminal. The elders judge him, and the sentence is usually such that he is expelled from the country with the strictest order never to appear in Karachay again if he does not want to risk his life.

A few words about raising children in Karachay. This is already the testimony of one Russian general: “The upbringing of children is very strict and worthy of every encouragement: a son who did not obey the will of his father and did not reform, despite repeated exhortations, can be brought to the doors of the mosque, where he, in the presence of all the inhabitants of the village, is begun most seriously persuade to change their behavior. If it does not lead to the desired result, the parents expel him.”

Harsh, but fair.

Without happiness and wealth is useless

And now let's listen to the wise Karachai fairy tale "Happiness, intelligence and wealth"

Happiness, Mind and Wealth once argued among themselves.

“I am stronger than all of you!” Wealth boasted.

“Without happiness, wealth is useless,” objected Happiness.

“If there is no mind, neither wealth nor happiness will help,” said Mind.

For a long time they quarreled and argued, did not come to an agreement and agreed in practice to check: which of them is right? Went to travel the world. We saw a poor man sowing corn in his small field. Mind, Happiness and Wealth stopped.

Wealth waved its hand:

“Come on, cover yourself, poor man’s field, with pure gold!”

But Mind, in order to prove its power, took it and immediately deprived the poor man of his mind.

The poor man looked at the field, covered with gold nuggets, and ran to the bay to complain:

- Bye, bye! Stones have grown in my field instead of corn!

Bai was not too lazy, he went to see what kind of stones there were. He saw pure gold and said to the poor man:

- Let's change! You take my best field from me, and give me yours with stones.

The poor man was very pleased with this exchange. Bai took away the gold on carts to his yard, and the poor man went to sow his corn.

Then Happiness, in order to prove her power, looked at the poor man and ordered:

- Be happy, man!

Immediately, out of nowhere, a detachment of warriors appeared in front of the poor man.

“We are looking for a leader,” they said. “Please, be our leader!”

The poor man, out of stupidity (he lost his mind!) did not even know what to answer, only nodded his head. The riders gave him silver armor, put him on a black horse, girded him with precious weapons, put him at the head of the detachment. The poor man has become such a fine fellow that it is impossible to know!

The detachment stopped for the night in the aul of the same bai who had exchanged a corn field for a gold one. And this Bai had a beautiful daughter.

“Let's marry our chief to the daughter of the bai!” So ​​the horsemen decided and sent matchmakers to the bai.

Bai agreed, and the poor man became the bridegroom of his daughter. On this occasion, the people were called to have fun, to see the future son-in-law. But the son-in-law does not open his mouth, he cannot utter a word. And he was silent at the feast. The day is silent. The other is silent. The bride's relatives began to take offense:

- Why is he silent? Seems very proud? Or maybe laugh at us?

On the third day, the bai himself became very angry.

They see Wealth and Happiness that things are bad, they began to ask the Mind:

Give the poor man back his sanity! Mind took pity, restored the poor man's mind, and immediately the poor man spoke, but so reasonably, fluently:

“When I was still a child, our village was attacked by enemies. Everyone - both old and young, both women and men - defended themselves against them ... And one girl, disguised as a warrior, fought more bravely than all. So I was silent for two days, thinking all over: can this girl be considered a fighter on a par with men? ..

Bai rejoiced:

- There it is! - He says. - And we thought you were joking with us!

They immediately played a merry wedding, and that poor man lived in contentment and joy.

If a person has no mind, neither wealth nor happiness will help him. With these words, this instructive tale ends.

The best of horses - at the races

And here are more examples of Karachai folk wisdom, cast in proverbs and sayings.

When the goat fell into the pit, she said to the wolf: “My brother!”

A crow, no matter how it cackles, will not become a goose; an old woman, no matter how flirtatious, will not become a girl.

Horses appear in many proverbs. This is understandable, because the life of a Karachai man is largely connected with a horse.

A good herdsman's horse gallops faster.

The best horse is at the races.

Interestingly, the education of future riders begins from childhood. For the Karachais, whose life was connected with the horse, it was very important to teach the boys to ride a horse, they were taught to ride.

They also learned how to use the whip, spinning the top with it. The boys willingly drove around the field homemade balls - wooden balls, the best of which were considered to be made from birch mushrooms.

Teenagers practiced more complex, sometimes even dangerous sports. In off-road conditions, with an abundance of mountain streams and streams, it was important to be able to fearlessly cross a swaying thin log, to have time to jump over streams and ice cracks with a pole. Young men learned this during an exercise on a swinging log located high above the ground, sometimes up to two meters. A stick in the hands helped to maintain balance.

Young men trained in lifting and carrying weights, most often stones. Separate heroes carried bulls and horses instead of stones in competitions. Young men competed in throwing stones and darts, in archery and gun shooting. Further improvement of these skills took place during riding and hunting. Like the neighboring peoples, the Karachays had a peculiar method of teaching skilful riding, care and training of horses. Young men at the age of 12-15 have already successfully competed at the races.

Equestrian sports and horse racing were and still are an integral part of holidays and celebrations. Previously, they were held on wedding days, on the occasion of the birth of a child, on the day of the beginning of spring and the end of the harvest, in the event of the arrival of honored guests.
The types of races were varied: on a flat place and on a steep descent from the mountain, with an obstacle and vaulting, that is, with the performance of acrobatic exercises. A dexterous dzhigit had to pick up a coin, a hat or a handkerchief from the ground at full gallop without breaking an egg or a watermelon.

Jigitovka included a whole series of acrobatic exercises at full gallop: various forms of landing, standing on the feet, on the head, dismounting from the horse, jumps, transitions under the neck and belly of the horse. The rider had to unsaddle the horse at full gallop, dropping parts of the harness and saddle to the ground, and on the way back collect all this and saddle the horse again.

The prize at the races was cattle, clothes or money. It was important to win, and material incentives did not play a big role.

Fight face to face

There was no holiday without races and national wrestling - "tutush". Before the start of the fight, the wrestlers, girded with a belt, stood face to face, on a signal grabbed each other by the belt and started the fight. The purpose of the fight was to put the opponent on his back. For this, it was possible to use footboards and hooks, hooks and so on. Rudeness and dishonesty in a duel were not allowed. They fought both standing and on one and two knees, with a cross grip on the belt and one arm over the shoulder.

A cheerful revival reigned around the competitors in climbing a smooth, greased pillar 6-7 meters high, on top of which a prize was attached. At the same time, it was forbidden to use viscous lubricants or slide during the descent. I had to pull myself up with my hands, wrapping my legs around the pole, get the prize and go down.

Climbing on an oiled ox-skin belt 10-12 meters long was similar. The belt was tied to the crossbar with the prize. In order to prevent the fall from causing injury, straw was spread under the crossbar. And here the main technique was pulling up on the hands.

A fun attraction at weddings and holidays was the "stop the spinning cake" exercise. They baked a special cake with teeth on the edges and a hole in the middle. It was suspended at a height of two meters and twisted. Boys and men had to jump up, grab the cake with their teeth and stop its rotation, which required a certain dexterity and skill.

Anything could happen during holidays and competitions.

Here is a story that has been going on for ages. On one road of the Uchkulan gorge, people gathered and, in order to find out who was the strongest, they brought the wrestlers together. We fought for a long time. Among all those gathered, a guy from Upper Teberda named Khasan won.

Stepping into the middle of the field

Tall, strong, never tired, black-browed, black-eyed. Then there, among those gathered, one slender man with a veil on his face made it clear to everyone that he wanted to fight with him. They did not refuse this brave man and allowed him to compete with a wrestler from Teberda. Both, having gone to the middle of the field, fought for a long time, not yielding to each other. Finally, a man with a veil grabbed the wrestler from Teberda and laid him on the ground.

What a pity, in all my life, my soul has never been so broken as it is today. Say your name, show your face when death comes, I will die bowing before you, - said the fallen guy.

Well done! Good girl! shouted the whole valley. And one guy from those who had gathered jumped up on a bay mare, tore off the veil from the wrestler's face and his hat from his head. Like a ray of sunshine, a beautiful girl appeared - Orida. The fallen wrestler, forgetting himself, looked only at Orida, and then he composed a song.

And the girl was probably pleased, because she did not sit down on the bay mare that was stepping from foot to foot, standing next to her, and did not run away.

The work that needs to be done in the gorge itself, inside it, cannot be taken out of its borders. These two beautiful creatures must have been fighting for each other. Let them get married, - said the old people.

The girl and the guy agreed with this and got married.

Much time has passed since then. The appearance of Oraida is not only people, but also stones and mountains have been forgotten, but her courage lives on. At weddings, big holidays, only her name sounds. Joyful holidays are opened with the word Orida, with the word Orida the girl gets married, to the song of Orida the girl enters the groom's house.

(The main stages of the historical development of Karachay)

PAST KARACHAYEV. NAME "KARACHAY". EDUCATION OF KARACHAY. KARACHAY TO KARACHAYEV. PROCESS OF ACCUMULATION MOMENTS. Paganism and Islam. CONQUERING KARACHAY. NAIBS (EMISSARS) OF SHAMIL IN KARACHAY.

Where and when the Karachays came to the places they now occupy, whether they occupied empty lands or found a population here, whether they pushed this population back, whether they exterminated it or merged with it - all these questions are easy to pose, but it is difficult to give a definite answer to at least one of them.

The sources from which information can be drawn for the solution of these questions are many and varied; the study of customs, language, psychology, physical type, archeology, and history can all be valuable material. Unfortunately, little has been done in all directions to study the past of the Karachays, but we present the data that we have.

The name "Karachay" is explained differently, but of course, this term is of Turkic origin and comes from two words: "kara" - black and "tea" - river, in general - "Black River". The Karachays consider their name to come from the name of their ancestor, a certain Karch, who was distinguished by courage and intelligence, and who led the resettlement to the upper reaches of the Kuban.

They also have another version: as if the name of their tribe came from the use by them in former times of one plant that gave black tea and now grows in abundance in the mountains of Karachay - “Caucasian blueberries”.

The legend of the Karachays says the following about their origin. Six hundred years ago [those. around the 14th century - approx. website], a certain Karcha with four comrades - Budiyan, Nauruz, Adurkhai and Tram and a handful of their adherents, moved out of the Crimea. The reason for the eviction, some call civil strife, others - the conquest of the Crimeans by some other people [In 1239, the steppe Crimea was conquered by the troops of the Mongol Khan Batu. Since the 14th century, the Genoese and Byzantines have been fighting for the southern Crimea, and in the eastern Crimea, the positions of the Adyghe-Abkhazians have been strengthening - ed. website]. Karcha was distinguished by courage and enterprise, which is why he became the head of the emigrants. Moving east, along the coast of the Black Sea, the natives first settled somewhere in Abkhazia, in a place called either Dzhemete or Inal-Kuba, but they were soon pressed by the "Turks", and they were forced to move to the northern side of the ridge, first to Zagdan [Zagedan - a mountainous area in the west of modern KChR - ed. website], then to the upper reaches of B. Zelenchuk "Old dwelling", Arkhyz. Here they remained for quite a long time, until they were disturbed by the Abaza from the Kizilbek tribe. Then they moved to Dzheguta (Eltarkach). However, they did not have to stay here for long: an epidemic disease that appeared among neighboring tribes forced them to start wandering again. So they finally reached Baksan, or El-Dzhurt, where they occupied the area called "Eldzhashagan" and lived there for about 40 years.

Here they had to enter into a fight with the Kabardians, during which Karcha was forced to flee for Elbrus to Svaneti (according to another version - to Abkhazia), and the Karachay people were plundered and taxed by the Kabardian prince Kazi [Probably the Kabardian prince Kazi Psheapshokovich, who had relatives in the neighboring principality of Beslanei. He died in 1615. - approx. website]. Karcha managed, however, to soon enlist the help of the Svanets and force the Kabardian prince Kazi to make peace and hand over the prisoners. At the same time, instead of two Karachais who died in captivity, Karcha was given two Kabardian youths - Tokhchuk and Tambi, who became the ancestors of two large families of Karachai.

The resettlement to the Kuban valley took place, according to legend, as follows: a Karachay hunter named Botash hunted with his comrades on the heights of Sadyrla (north-west of Elbrus) and accidentally ended up in the Ullu-Kama valley. This area, completely uninhabited, covered with virgin coniferous forests and rich in game, liked Botash very much. He stayed here for several days and inspected the surroundings in detail. Before returning home, the hunters sowed a few grains of barley at the confluence of Ullu-Kam and Khurzuk at the confluence of the Ullu-Kam and Khurzuk, and when they visited this place again the next year, they saw that the barley gave a rich harvest.

After that, the people, tempted by the stories of Botash, moved to the Kuban valley. Here the first settlement was founded on the site of modern Kart-Dzhyurt and named "El-Tube". Subsequently, Botash decided to take possession of the land he discovered, but was killed by the verdict of the community, and the twelve sons remaining after his death moved to Kabarda and Balkaria (where the Botashevs still exist).

After some time, two of the sons of Botash returned to their community, were accepted, endowed with land plots on an equal basis with other members of the community, and in addition, each of these sons was assigned one extra plot of "kanilepin" as a blood payment. This order of land disposal confirms the opinion that the population owned the land on a communal right and at that time did not have any class organization.

Thus, having settled in a new place and getting rid of any obligations in relation to the Kabardians, these independent settlers formed the first village on the right bank of the Kuban River, calling it Kart-Dzhurt (old village) and since then these settlers among other mountain tribes have become known as the name "Karachay".

With the formation of this settlement, fugitives and slaves began to flock to him from Svanetia, Mingrelia, Abkhazia, Dagestan and Kabarda, sometimes with their families. The Karachais willingly accepted these newcomers into their midst, needing them to protect themselves from the incessant attacks of the Abaza and Kabardian tribes.

As the population increased, the villages of Uchkulan and Khurzuk arose. Then more than 300 years ago [those. around the 17th century - approx. website] auls Duut and Dzhazlyk were founded in the valley of the river. Duut. These five villages are called "Old Karachay". In addition to them, to pacify the region, the Russian government in the sixties of the last century, which determined the total space of land for Karachay on the lands added to it after that by contiguity, built new villages there: on the river. R. Teberda, Kuban, Mare and Dzhegute from people from the villages of Old Karachay. These villages are as follows: Teberdinsky (in 1868), Sentinsky (in 1870), Kamennomostsky (in 1870), Marinsky (in 1875) and Dzhegutinsky (in 1883), which later bore the name. "New" or "Small Karachay".

Inaccessible and deserted, surrounded by rocky mountains and overgrown with forests, this area, with the only road along the gorge of the river. Kuban guaranteed the villagers from the invasion of neighboring tribes.

The settlers found here only traces of the life of an unknown people in the form of ruins of towers, stone dwellings, graves, churches along the river. Teberde (Synty), tombs in caves and, as the legend says, wild people "Agach-Kishi" ["Bigfoot" - approx. website] wandering through the surrounding mountain slums. They were without clothes, overgrown with hair, dumb, they carried stone axes in their hands. Are these not the remains of those people who lived in the mountains and whose stone statues still stand in the Bizhgon tract, near the station. Zelenchukskaya. The statues also depict hatchets and crosses. The last of the towers, so often found in the mountains of Chechnya, Ossetia and Pyatigorsk communities, are located near the village of Khurzuk on a high rocky ridge "Mamiyakala" and "Goshayakh-bicheni kalasy", i.e. tower of the princess "Goshayakh-biche" in Dzhegut.

The Karachays found their Kuban gorges, as well as the Teberda gorge up to Khumara, completely free from the population. The spread of the Karachais through these gorges proceeded unhindered. The silence of the mountains, beautifully set off by the roars of the Kuban and Teberda, was broken only by the cries of the Karachai shepherds and the lowing of their flocks. Meanwhile, there was a time, and it was long before the arrival of the Karachais, that these gorges, and especially the Teberda gorges, were seething with life. Caravans from ancient Sukhum went in a row through the Klukhor Pass, carrying Byzantine, Genoese and Georgian goods.

An almost continuous population is found in the ruins between Sentami and Humara. The ruins of churches, chapels, towers built in impregnable places, extensive cemeteries, all this is found in abundance and indicates that the population was quite dense. The architecture of the temples, reflecting the influence of Byzantium, suggests the time of their construction in the X-XI centuries. As historical references indicate, this region in the era of the greatest prosperity of Georgia, in the X-XI centuries, was in the sphere of its influence and, perhaps, belonged to it; in Khumar there was a chair of the Georgian bishop.

In the 10th century, during the heyday of the Abkhaz-Georgian kingdom, Christianity had already spread in the basin of Teberda and Zelenchuk. Khumarinsky, Sentinsky and Zelenchuksky temples already stood on their impregnable heights. The belonging of these temples to the 10th century was clearly confirmed by gold coins found in 1908 in the Sentinsky temple with the image of Constantine and Basil - the Byzantine emperors, Anna's brothers - Vladimir's wife. This was the era of the greatest development of Byzantine trade along the shores of the Caucasian coast.

What kind of people made up this former population, and when could they disappear from here? Some facts suggest that they were Alans, who, as was established by the research of prof. Miller, must be considered the ancestors of modern Ossetians.

In his "Ossetian studies" prof. Miller gives examples of topographical names of localities to the west of Elbrus, including those within Karachay, which are words of Iranian origin. It is possible that the ancestors of modern Ossetians, or Alans, already driven out of the western regions of their former distribution, could still partly hold out in the inaccessible gorges of Karachay. A similar conclusion can be drawn from the fact that already when the Ossetians occupied their modern area of ​​distribution, the name "Alans" was still preserved in the memory of neighboring peoples and was associated with the area of ​​​​the origins of the Kuban.

The appearance of the Turkic peoples in the North Caucasus began in a relatively early period of our era. The Huns of Attila who flooded Europe in the 5th century were probably a people with a predominance of the Mongol element. Later, more pure-blooded Turks appear one after another: Bolkars, Khazars (in the 6th century), Pechenegs, Polovtsy [Polovtsy/Kypchaks/Kumans are a Turkic nomadic people who came to the Black Sea steppes in the 11th century. In the 13th century, the Polovtsy helped the Alans against the Mongols, but then went over to the side of the latter. By the end of the 13th century, the Polovtsians were defeated and assimilated by the Golden Horde - approx. website]. The latter people have already significantly reduced the area of ​​​​distribution of the Alans, pushing them from the plains to the mountains. In the first half of the 13th century, the North Caucasus was captured by the hordes of Genghis Khan, who made a big revolution in the political life of the mountain peoples.
peoples by the destruction of Christianity (the rule of the Byzantine Empire) and the invasion of the Mongols and Turks in Asia Minor and Eastern Europe. The result of this invasion was the appearance of the Nogais and Tatars of the Crimean peninsula.

The Crimean Tatars, probably, were the Turkic people who began to crowd out the Adyge tribes living near the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and thereby caused significant people's movements.

The most significant of the Adyghe tribes, the Kabardians, moved along the Caucasian Range to the southeast and, at the same time, drove the Alans out of the mountains of the Western Caucasus, driving them into modern mountainous Ossetia. The very same settled in the present Kabarda. It is possible that after the disappearance of the Iranian element from the country to the west of Elbrus, in some deaf gorges of the origins of the Kuban, isolated remains of the ancestors of the Ossetians could hold out for some time; thanks to this, perhaps, the name of the Alans remained with the population of these places almost until the end of the 18th century. In the end, these remnants probably disappeared, after which the region was occupied by new aliens of Turkic origin, the ancestors of the Karachays. It was on them that the neighboring peoples transferred the name of the former population, the memories of which were still fresh in their memory. Where this Turkic people came from is a rather obscure question.

The Crimean origin of the Karachays, which their legends hint at, has a certain degree of probability. Information about the raids of the Crimean Tatars in the North Caucasus is evidenced by history. As you know, in the middle of the 16th century, the Kabardian and Nogai princes, wanting to get rid of the oppression of the Crimean khans, turned to Ivan the Terrible for help. In the Kabardian legends, many episodes of the struggle of this people with the Crimean Tatars and the latter's raids on Kabarda have been preserved. The last of these raids took place in 1707 under Khan Kaplan Giray, when the Tatars invaded the Pyatigorye region and even penetrated Baksan.

It is possible that during one of these campaigns, part of the Crimeans got into the gorges of the upper Kuban and stayed here. It remains to consider the question of kinship relations between Karachays and Balkars in the former. Terek region. The Balkars, who settled east of Mount Elbrus, and the Karachais constitute one and the same nationality; they have only been disconnected between the spurs of mountain pastures since ancient times. True, the epic of the Karachays is completely Ossetian; the heroes of their tales are the same Narts fighting against powerful but stupid giants (emegens). The names of the Karachay Narts are modified Ossetian ones. This circumstance, however, is by no means proof of the direct contact of these two peoples or their mixing.

The epic could have been borrowed by the Karachays from the Kabardins or Balkars, who also adopted the Ossetian epic, which also spread among the Chechens and Abazins. On the contrary, the Karachay legends do not mention at all a single people in which Ossetians could be recognized and whom the Karachays would have to deal with during their wanderings. One can therefore think that if the Karachais include a certain proportion of Ossetian blood, then it is much less than the Balkar blood, which they adopted through miscegenation. The last conclusion is confirmed by some differences in physical type. According to Vyrubov's research, among the Balkars there is a fairly significant percentage of fair-haired and gray-blue-eyed subjects, while among the Karachays they are found as single exceptions. Meanwhile, it is known that among all the peoples of the Caucasus, Ossetians are almost the only ones among whom blondes are observed quite often.

What ethnic elements took part in the creation of the physical and spiritual type of the Karachays? Traditions say that during the stay of the Karachais on the Arkhyz (Arkhyz - the upper reaches of B. Zelenchuk), Khubiya, the son of the Kizilbek (Abaza) prince, who later became the ancestor of the large family of the Khubievs and Khachirovs, joined them. The names of the Tokhchukovs and Tambievs are undoubtedly of Kabardian origin, since these genera are also found in Kabarda. “The very etymology of surnames, very numerous,” writes B. Miller, “indicates their “foreign” origin; such are, for example: the Kumykovs, the Kalmykovs, the Nogaevs.”

We will add a few more examples to the examples given. So, the very populous surname of the Ebzeevs originates from Svanetia (ebze is the Karachai name for the Svanets); the surname of the Aybazovs is of Armenian origin, the Aliyevs are of Kumyk origin, and the Urusovs, Semyonovs and Khalkechevs are of Russian origin. Regarding the last surname, the Karachays say that it has an ancestor of a fugitive Russian soldier - Semyon, and Khalkechev - from the Don Cossacks; The Aidobulovs are from the Malgars. It can be thought that among the surnames that originate from one of the main ancestors - Nauruz, Buduyan or Adurkhay, many branches of the family tree are actually not related by blood to the main trunk and owe their origin to people from neighboring countries.

The fact is that the Karachays had a custom by which strangers joined one of the already existing clans, and did not become the founders of new ones. This was done through a symbolic act - the passage of a stranger under a stick, which was usually held by the oldest representatives of the family - the godparents. “Go under the stick” were also the recipients. Such adoption into the gens was advantageous both for the received and for the receiving gens; the first immediately became a full member of an ancient and respected family, on whose help and protection he could count, and for the second it was flattering to increase the number of his members, which gave him great strength and significance. Such foreigners, adoptees of the clan, were called "brothers from under the stick" in contrast to the brothers "heads", i.e. blood brothers who, during the division, carried away smut from their father's hearths for new hearths. This custom fell into disuse only 30-40 years ago.

All these facts confirm the opinion that the Karachai people included a wide variety of ethnic elements: Adyghe (Kabardians), Kartvelian (Svanets), Abkhazian, Iranian (Ossetians), Kumyk, etc. These successive stratifications largely erased the main Turkic features of the tribe and reflected both in its physical type and in its spiritual properties.

Aliev U.D. "Karachay". Rostov-on-Don. 1927

Notes:

1. ()
2. In this regard, the Karachais left the word "Alan" (comrade - U.A.). The Alanian people for several centuries dominated the entire Caucasus, both along its northern and southern slopes. Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders., vol. IV, p. II.

Vaunted Georgia and glorious Kabarda are not worthy of the amazing folk customs of Karachay.

A. Dumas
- French writer

Karachays, as a special people, are distinguished by some nice qualities, for example, good nature and sociability.
These are their natural qualities, and according to them, this people comes closest to the Russians.

N.E. Talitsky
- Russian ethnographer

I was very surprised that the Karachays, among so many barbarian languages ​​spoken by the peoples around them, could preserve the language so cleanly.

Arcangelo Lamberti
- Italian missionary and traveler of the 17th century

Karachai, Karachais, in Georgian "kargashets", live on a fat and elevated plain at the northern foot of Elbrus near the top of the Kuban ... They have a fair amount of cattle breeding and a small amount of arable farming on the slopes of the mountains. They live scattered in small estates and are managed by one foreman. They have a small but strong breed of mountain horses, known as the Karachaevskys. The road to them is very difficult and dangerous.

Semyon Bronevsky
- Russian ethnographer

Karachays are distinguished by their excellent posture, expressive features, pleasant appearance and flexibility of the camp ... Polygamy is allowed, but they rarely have more than one wife. They have a reputation for good husbands and good fathers. Moreover, they should not be considered as semi-barbarians: they show enough intelligence, easily perceive the arts brought from outside, and it seems difficult to impress them with anything.

The Karachays breed horses of excellent breed, among them there are those that in Europe would cost about two thousand francs.

This people (Karachays) are distinguished by good manners, expressive face, beautiful features and high growth. I noted that in this respect no nation resembles the Hungarians as much as the Karachais and Digorians whom I saw later in Nalchik. Their language is Tatar, and their religion is Mohammedan...

Jean-Charles de Bess - Hungarian ethnographer, was a member of the expedition to climb Elbrus in 1829.

The Karachays are among the most beautiful inhabitants of the Caucasus and are much more reminiscent of Georgians than nomadic Tatars in the steppe. They are well built and have very fine facial features, further enhanced by large black eyes and white skin. Among them, there are absolutely no wide flat faces and deep-set, obliquely set eyes that would prove mixing with the Mongol tribes.

Usually they take only one wife, some, however, have two or three, with whom they live very peacefully and with whom, in contrast to other mountain peoples, they treat very humanely and attentively, so that their wife, like the Europeans, a friend, not a servant of her husband...

If someone dishonors a girl or a married woman and this becomes known in the village, then the inhabitants gather at the mosque, where they also bring the criminal. The elders judge him, and the verdict is usually such that he is expelled from the country with the strictest order never to appear in Karachay again if he does not want to risk his life ... They are very hardworking ... Treason is an unheard-of crime among them, the name of which is they hardly know; and if anyone is guilty of this, or they have a stranger as a spy, then all the inhabitants arm themselves to catch him, and he has to atone for his crime by death.

In general, it can be said with full right that the Karachais are the most cultured people of the Caucasus and that in terms of softness of morals they surpass all their neighbors.

They (Karachays) sell products of their industry, such as cloth (shal), felt (kiiz) to cover the floor, furs and rain hoods (hood), etc. partly to the Imeretians, partly to Sukhum-Kale, one of the Turkish fortresses.

They (Karachays) live in very clean houses built of pine logs... The beds are made of wood, they just rise slightly above the floor and are covered with pillows and carpets. Their weapons consist of rifles, pistols, sabers and daggers...

Heinrich Julius Klaproth
- German orientalist scholar, academician, 1800s

The Karachays are one of the most beautiful Caucasian peoples...

The character of the Karachais is quick-tempered; the slightest reason can make them angry, but they calm down pretty quickly and are always ready to admit their mistake. In general, it can be said with good reason that they are among the most civilized peoples of the Caucasus and that, thanks to their mild disposition, they exert a civilizing influence on their neighbors ...

Karachays usually have one wife, only some of them have two or even three wives, with whom they live in the most peaceful way; unlike other highlanders, they have great affection and treat their wives humanely.

The upbringing of children is very strict and worthy of every encouragement: a son who did not obey the will of his father and did not improve, despite repeated exhortations, can be brought to the doors of the mosque, where, in the presence of all the villagers, they begin to persuade him in the most serious way to change his behavior. If this does not lead to the desired result, the parents exile him.

The land in their (Karachai) land is fertile and will give birth to wheat, barley, millet; enough herbs grow on it to feed livestock. This region is surrounded by forests in which wild pear trees and dogwoods grow. In the forests there are wolves, hares, wild cats, chamois, martens, whose fur is highly valued. Karachays breed a lot of sheep, donkeys, mules, horses. Their horses are small breed, but strong, frisky and very well adapted for riding in the mountains.

I.F. Blaramberg
- lieutenant general of the Russian army - 1830s.

Karachays are generally a talkative people, who like to chat at their leisure about various subjects, mostly about antiquity; in particular, they are great hunters for legends about the past of their homeland, hunters for stories about heroes, about Nart heroes or about the largest and most ugly emegens, monster giants who possessed supernatural strength.

M. Aleinikov
- the first teacher of the Karachay mountain school

Karachay shepherds, rarely armed with only a dagger, even now give the impression of quiet people, kind to infinity, direct and honest. You boldly trust these ruddy full faces with a gentle smile on thick lips.
They do not look at you like a beast, on the contrary, they are glad for your arrival and are ready to treat you with whatever they can ...

Respect for elders is the basis of the Karachay moral code...

The position of women in Karachai is much better than among the rest of the highlanders.

V.Ya.Teptsov
- Russian ethnographer

In the upper reaches of the Kuban, almost at the foot of Elbrus, in inaccessible places, lived a brave and courageous people, who at the beginning of the 19th century were considered even subject to us, over time, our influence in Karachai weakened and the dependence of the highlanders was forgotten.

V. Tolstov
- Russian historian

And that the Karachays will never offend women, according to folk traditions, this is beyond any doubt.

K. Khetagurov
- Ossetian poet, artist and publicist

Eloquence and the ability to speak are highly valued among the population, and quite a lot of people truly cannot be denied this dignity, and in general, with very few exceptions, Karachais love to talk - this is their passion, and, moreover, they are big news hunters ... In none of the neighboring societies, as in Russian, are public interests placed on such a high degree of respect and so jealously guarded as here ...

Gr. Petrov
- royal official, assistant to the head of the Batalpashinsky district, 1876s.

In addition to our business connection, we have a deep inner connection with you and your region for the rest of our lives. We will take it with us forever. But who in Karachay will understand this feeling, will notice among people alien in language and tribe? So we thought. But this time too, Karachay exceeded our expectations and showed touching responsiveness and sensitivity, which struck us all to the core ...

Before leaving Karachay, before parting, perhaps for a long time, I wanted to bow to him inwardly. At the foot of Elbrus, I felt all the greatness of the sensitive soul of the Karachay people.

S.V. Ochapovsky
- Soviet ophthalmologist, professor, born in 1926

Karachays are the most beautiful people in the world.

Jean Chardin
French traveler of the 17th century

The Kara-Circassians (i.e. Karachais) have their own language and their own script. As for their religion, in some rites and fasts they follow the Greeks, neglecting all other aspects of religion, for they have their own cults and rites ...

Their women are beautiful and soft-hearted. Their men scarcely cover their nakedness with any clothing at all, with the exception of nobles.

John de Galonifontibus
- Italian priest and traveler of the 15th century.

Karachay - a neutral people living at the foot of Elbrus, is distinguished by strength, loyalty, beauty and courage.

Lev Tolstoy
- Russian writer

Yu.N. Libedinsky (a Soviet writer) fell in love with the Karachays very much - the people are simple, damn hardworking and friendly. “With them, they make it easy for me to breathe,” said Yuri Nikolayevich.

Ivan Egorov (Chilim)
- Russian Soviet journalist

Diligence everywhere meets honor and respect in society (Karachay-Balkarian), and laziness - censure and contempt, which is expressed publicly by the elders. This is a kind of punishment and stigma for the guilty. No girl will marry a despised elder. Under the dominance of such a view, the Karachais are an extremely sober people...

G. Rukavishnikov
- Russian ethnographer

The friendliness and hospitality of the Karachays is enjoyed not only by the peoples of the North Caucasus, but also by the backbone Svanets and Abkhazians.

I. Schukin
- Russian ethnographer and geographer

Hospitality, cordiality, diligence, honesty are the distinguishing features of the Karachays.

Georgy Dimitrov
- Bulgarian party and statesman

The Karachays are full of inner nobility, concentrated restraint... They are wonderful, strong people who graze their herds on the slopes of alpine meadows, who can see and observe, compare and evaluate.

N. Aseev
- Russian, Soviet poet

The Karachais retained the best features of their ancestors, distinguished by their hospitality. Engaged exclusively in cattle breeding, Karachay livestock breeders bred a breed of fat-tailed sheep, the meat of which has a peculiar aroma and is considered the best.

"Valley of Health"

Karachay lambs are known throughout the Caucasus for their especially tender and tasty meat. In this case, Karachay can even compete with the famous Isle of Wight, which was also famous for lambs, the meat of which is the pride of the royal table in England.

V. Potto
- Russian military historian

The fame of Karachai sheep was not limited to Russia. So, Bulwer Lytton (1870) in his book "Palem, or the Adventure of a Gentleman" writes that in the Parisian restaurant "Take" meat cooked from a young Karachai lamb was in great demand. The high evaluation of the meat of Karachay sheep in France is confirmed by another example. In the city of Bordeaux, one of the restaurants is still called "Karachaevskaya Sheep", the menu of which contains specialties from the meat of sheep of this breed. The owners of the restaurant monopoly keep a small herd of sheep of the Karachay breed.

X. Tambiev
- Karachai animal breeder

Karachays are courageous and tireless riders, in the art of riding on the steep slopes of mountains and rocky gorges of their homeland they surpass even neighboring Kabardians, who are considered the best riders in the Caucasus.

V. Novitsky
- Russian geographer

The Mingrelians call the Alans the Karachay Tatars (Karachais), who live on the northern slope of the Main Caucasian Range, near Elbrus at the headwaters of the Kuban River. About a representative person, known for his strength and courage, the Mingrelians usually say - well done, like an Alan.

A. Tsagareli
- Georgian historian-ethnographer

Both for the Karachay and for the Balkar of our days there is no doubt that the Alans are their glorious ancestors.

B. Kovalevskaya

Karachays, above all other highlanders, have invaluable qualities for mountain hunting. Sharp eyesight, amazing resourcefulness, the ability to navigate the mountains, even during fog ... Walkers, or, more precisely, climbers, they are all old and small ... Everyone knows the notorious dexterity and fearlessness of the Swiss chamois hunters, but with You can't compare them with Karachays... A Karachai man will surely strike, only on the spot, not at random, but he won't shoot in vain.

Alexey Atp
- Russian scientist-hunter

If I had once arrived as a guest
To you, my distant ancestors, -
You could be proud of a brother,
Would love my accurate gaze.

Science would be easy for me
Wait for the mother's tour.
Here - I feel the flexibility of the bow,
On the shoulders of my leopard skin ...

V. Bryusov
- Russian poet, had Turkic roots

They (Karachais) are excellent shepherds, milkers, they know in what place, how and when to fatten a ram, horse, and so on. I studied dairy business at different times in England, Holland, Denmark and Holstein, and I can say that only from the farmers of Somerset-shire in the south of England - the birthplace of lovely chetdars - did I like milk for its sweetness and aromaticity, but it was far from the taste of Karachai milk .

A. Kirsch
- Russian scientist, dairy specialist

Irina Sakharova graduated from the school of dairy business in 1906 and was sent by the All-Russian Society of Doctors to Karachay in order to find out from the Karachays the secret of making kefir. But no one wanted to give out a drink recipe to a foreign land ...

Once, on the way, five horsemen caught up with her and forcibly took her away. This "kidnapping of the bride" took place on behalf of Prince Bekmurza Baichorov, who fell in love with a beautiful girl. The case went to court. Irina forgave the accused and, in compensation for moral damage, asked for a recipe for making kefir. The request was granted.

Since 1908, the invigorating, healthy drink has been widely sold in Moscow.

Gisella Rehler
- German writer

The Karachai table is inconceivable without boiled fragrant meat and the traditional fermented milk product - ayran, as well as without seasoning from it, pepper and garlic - brine. Kefir - gypy is also a purely Karachay food (the homeland of kefir fungi is considered to be the high-mountainous regions of the region; from here, at the beginning of this century, having changed its biological nature, bottled kefir entered the industrial production).

"One hundred ways - one hundred roads"

The homeland of kefir fungus is the foot of Elbrus. From here, in 1867, he began to wander around the world, gradually losing his strength. Requests to send Caucasian kefir fungi come to Rostov even from America. Karachay kefir will become world-famous in the future - provided that a plant of kefir fungi is created in some village, for example, Khurzuk.

"Soviet South"

At the very top of the Kuban River, near the largest mountain, called Elbrus, lives a people called Karachays, who are more kindly than other mountain peoples.

"From the report of General-Anshef Gudovich to Catherine II dated November 7, 1791"

In the hands of the Karachai people were all the mountain gorges along which the shortest routes from the Western Caucasus to the Eastern one ran, and in their own land stood Elbrus, the king of the Caucasus, whose white mantle had never been defiled by a human foot ...

V. Potto
- Russian military historian

I know Karachays from the Stavropol Territory. Their work comes first.

Mikhail Gorbachev
-first and last president of the USSR

It's dawning. Silently, we set off on our way, tired and hungry, and only in the evening we reach the village of Uchkulan (August 7, 1865). The Karachays living there are extremely welcoming to us. These are strong, often beautiful Tatars - natives of the Crimea, live in the immediate vicinity of Elbrus and often drive their herds up to the snowy fields. From among them came the famous Kilar (Khachirov), who in 1829, during the expedition of General Emanuel with members of the Academy of Sciences Lenz, Kupfer K. Meyer and Menetrie, was the first to climb the summit of Elbrus.

G. Rade
- Russian scientist-doctor, publicist

Great pictures!
Thrones of eternal snows,
Their peaks seemed to the eyes
A motionless chain of clouds,
And in their circle a two-headed colossus,
In a crown of shining ice,
Elbrus, huge, majestic,
White in the blue sky.

A. Pushkin
- Russian poet

From Uchkulan in two days you can reach Teberda - high and picturesque, but exceptionally simple passes ... Here (as well as on any other trails of Karachay), travelers, passing by high-altitude state farm kosh, will get acquainted with the unforgettable hospitality of Karachays - invariably hospitable, friendly, benevolent people, always ready to provide shelter and share traditional ayran and cheese with a traveler.

V. Tikhomirov
- Russian Soviet geographer

Karachay ayran and cheese, khychin, fried lamb on a spit, sokhta in Karachay style, etc. are very popular now. So, ayran entered the menu of canteens and restaurants in Russia and other union republics and, of course, cities and villages of the North Caucasus.

The Karachay people are remarkably beautiful, are distinguished by good health, and are capable of great and long-term work.

Florence Grove
- English writer

We can safely say that the entire Cossack population, like all the highlanders of the Kuban region, dress in cloaks, leggings and Circassians prepared by the Karachays. From them they also receive hand-made cloth, but durable and good work, moreover, for a very inexpensive price, gold-embroidered braid, half, covers and guns, rawhide belts for reins, cords, harnesses, suones, etc.

"Kazbek"

The Karachays prepare good cloth, cloaks, half of sheep's wool and exchange them for red goods for Jews who come to them for trade ...

"Military Statistical Review"

According to the calculations of A. Atmansky, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Karachays exported wool for 300 thousand rubles annually. Moreover, if the cattle was exported mainly to local markets - to the cities and villages of the Kuban and Terek regions, then the wool went to such distant markets as Poltava, Kharkov, Moscow and other cities ...

V. Nevskaya
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

By the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Karachay achieved considerable success in its development. So, the government (Abramov) commission in 1906 noted that “the peace-loving people - the Karachais are mainly engaged in cattle breeding, have horses - 33,756, cattle - 175,027, small cattle - 487,471. This is the highest economic indicator among the peoples of the Caucasus ". At the same time, the commission notes a high degree of marketability: 25-30%, the profitability of the economic activity of the Karachays was 3.5 million rubles. in year.

"Repressed peoples: history and modernity"

By the beginning of the XX century. Karachays annually sold about 10 thousand horses, 40 thousand heads of cattle, about 108 thousand heads of sheep, 25 thousand pounds of sheep wool, 6.6 thousand .3 million rubles

"Materials of the Abramov Commission"

The question arises: is it a lot or a little? To answer, let's compare these numbers with what we have today. According to the Department of Statistics, as of June 1, 1993, there were 101.1 thousand heads of cattle, 355 thousand heads of sheep and goats in the farms of the KChR. If this livestock is compared with what the Karachays brought only for sale, then the ratio will be approximately 1 to 2-3 (50 thousand cattle and horses, 108 thousand sheep). It is clear that no one takes out half of their household, or even 1/3, to the market. This ratio can be expressed at best 1 to 10, even 1 to 5, but even then the Karachays of that time will have 2-3 times more cattle than the entire current KChR. And this is both in terms of population and in terms of the achievements of animal husbandry almost 90 years ago. What can we say about the current opportunities of Karachai cattle breeders and sheep breeders?

Further, as of June 1, 1993, all farms of the KChR produced 9 thousand tons of meat in live weight. If the above livestock of pre-revolutionary Karachay is translated into weight, then on average more than 17 thousand tons (based on 1 head of commercial cattle and horse 300 kg, sheep - 20 kg) of meat in live weight, i.e. almost 2 times more.

The wool farms of the KCHR produced 394 tons, the above-mentioned commodity wool of the Karachais is 400 tons.

All livestock products, as indicated, were sold for 3.3 million rubles. - in appearance, it seems to be not much, but if we consider that these are not the current "wooden" rubles, but gold ones, then we can understand how much and on what scale the trade in manufactured goods took place.

"Punished People"

In the late Middle Ages (the second half of the 13th-18th centuries), the Karachays were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and hunting. They mined ore and made products from iron, copper and silver. There are traces of iron production, for example, in the Ses-Kol gorge (Kart-Jurt) ...

E. Alekseeva
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

In the description of Karachai, made by Butskovsky in 1812, it was indicated that the Karachays "make bullets and melt iron." Iron was used to make military weapons, agricultural and craft tools, and household items. Competitors of the Karachay masters in metal processing were Dagestan masters. They brought guns, daggers, copper utensils to Karachay...

"Socio-economic development of Karachay in the XIX century"

In addition to iron, lead and copper were mined in Karachay. Chain mail, arrowheads, knives and other items were made from iron...

Since ancient times, Karachays have been extracting sulfur in a special way and were able to make gunpowder. Lamberti writes that the Svans and their neighbors (among whom the Karachays are mentioned) were able to make gunpowder.

In 1933, the gold-platinum industry began to develop in Karachay. Large deposits of alluvial gold were discovered in the upper reaches of the Teberda and Kuban rivers.

The local population mined coal in small quantities for household needs. They also introduced the Russians to this deposit, who came to this area with military detachments at the end of the 18th century. However, until the final annexation of Karachay to Russia in 1828, the industrial use of Upper Kuban coal was out of the question.

V. Nevskaya
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

Archaeological studies of the origins of the Kuban have shown that traces of agricultural culture have been preserved on the territory of Karachay, up to the highest mountainous regions. The stone from the fields is removed in heaps, the former economic plots, ditches for various purposes, mainly for irrigation, are visible everywhere. The remains of orchards are visible - wild apple trees, pears, cherry plums, etc. Perennial rye is found on the slopes ...

"Ancient and medieval history of Karachay-Cherkessia"

A significant part of the ethnogenetic components of the Balkars and Karachais belonged to the population, familiar from ancient times and widely practicing irrigated plow intensive grain farming. Its traditions were preserved on a rather modest quantitative scale, but in a qualitative sense - even in the most difficult period of their history, when for the period 1944-1957 these peoples were forcibly transferred to a different, alien habitat, they achieved extremely high labor successes just in agriculture.

"Karachays and Balkars"

The monumental structures of the upper reaches of the Kuban were erected by local craftsmen, especially since on the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia both the simplest early medieval stone buildings (for example, the dwellings of the Uzun-Kol settlement), and powerful defensive structures (walls around cities), and the walls of many churches were built one at a time. principle....

"Ancient and medieval history of Karachay-Cherkessia"

The wealth of the Caucasian mountains and forests led to the great development of woodworking craft in Karachay. Houses, mills, outbuildings, wagons (carts), furniture, agricultural tools, household utensils, dishes and much more were made of wood.

"Socio-economic development of Karachay in the XIX century."

In the upper reaches of the Kuban, Zelenchukov and Laba, more than 40 large settlements and settlements are currently recorded. This territory, which is the western part of Alania, fully justifies the description given by the Arab traveler Masudi to the possessions of the Alanian king: “When the roosters crow in one place in the morning, they are answered by others from separate parts of the kingdom due to the proximity of the villages.” Indeed, as archeological data show, the early medieval settlements on the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, especially along the river valleys, stretched out in an almost continuous chain. The distance between them sometimes did not exceed two or three kilometers (for example, between the Elburgan and Inzhichukun settlements, between the Inzhichukun settlement and the Adiukh settlement, between the Adiukh settlement and the Tamgatsik settlement), there are many similar examples not only along the right bank of Maly Zelenchuk, but also along the valleys of other rivers of Karachay-Cherkessia (Uchkeken, Kuban, Teberda, B. Laba, M. Laba).

"Ancient and medieval history of Karachay-Cherkessia"

Karachais have mastered carpentry well. They built not only monumental log houses that stood for centuries, but also more complex wooden structures.

E. Alekseeva
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

The wooden utensils of the Karachays - bowls, scoops, spoons, skeins for thread, rolls for linen - were decorated with carved ornaments. In some details of the ornament (teeth, triangles, spirals, interpretation of animals, in particular rams), the traditions of the Koban culture can be traced. The custom of depicting animals (goats and rams) on the handles of wooden bowls, observed among the Karachais, speaks of the preservation of the Sarmatian-Alanian traditions, so zoomorphic handles are considered a sign of the Sarmatian-Alanian dishes.

"Ancient and medieval history of Karachay-Cherkessia"

In the material and spiritual culture of the Karachays and Balkars, elements of the Alanian culture can be traced - in similar forms of some things - jewelry, household items, tools; in ornament, some motifs of the Nart epic.

E. Alekseeva
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

E.N. Studenetskaya, analyzing the motifs of the Karachay-Balkarian ornament, concluded that the tradition of the Alanian period is observed in the patterns on felt and in the gold embroidery of the Karachay-Balkarians.

« Essays on the history of Karachay-Cherkessia»

The work on the ethnography of the Karachays and my attachment to this people went through my whole life, withstood the test for them and, indirectly, for me. I would like to say that on my first trip to Karachay in 1934, I got the impression not only of the great benevolence and hospitality of the Karachays, but also of their deep interest in the history and culture of their people.

E. Studenetskaya
- Russian ethnographer

In subsequent years, the Karachaev Autonomous Region has made significant progress in the development of the economy, science and culture. All this - despite the sharp decline in animal husbandry and other industries as a result of the civil war and collectivization, the repressions of 37-38, which destroyed a significant part of the people. From 1922 to 1940, the gross output of the national economy of the region increased by more than 100 times, and in 1940 in the prices of 1926-1927. amounted to 64.8 million rubles ...

There were 264 cultural institutions in Karachay, including the State Song and Dance Ensemble, a museum of local history, and a professional Karachay theater was being created. On the basis of two printing houses in the cities of Kislovodsk and Karachaevsk, the regional publishing house annually published 16 titles of textbooks in the Karachai language, 58 titles of books with a total circulation of 432,000 copies. 7 regional and district newspapers were published...

Further development of the economy and culture was interrupted by the Patriotic War. Over 15,600 fighters (or every fifth representative of the Karachay people) fought against fascism, of which 9 thousand or 10% of the population died at the front, 2 thousand Karachays - women and men were mobilized for the construction of defensive lines.

"Karachais: eviction and return"

Many Karachays actively fought against the Nazis as part of partisan detachments in the occupied territories...

Only on the territory of Belarus there were 10 partisan detachments created and led by Karachay commanders.

"Essays on the history of Karachay-Cherkessia"

Comrades Karachays! It has been two years since our country is waging the Great Patriotic War against the brutal hordes of fascist Germany... Hand in hand with the great Russian people are fighting for their Motherland and the sons of Soviet Karachay. The brave highlanders do not spare their lives in fierce battles, knowing that they are fighting for a just cause.

"From the appeal of the leadership of the Stavropol Territory to the workers of Karachay"

For five and a half months of occupation from August 12, 1942 to January 18, 1943, the fascist invaders inflicted enormous damage on the national economy, brought innumerable suffering and grief to the peoples of the Karachay region. They shot and killed in gas chambers more than 6 thousand citizens, destroyed and removed from the total livestock 49% of horses, 45% of cattle, 69% of sheep and goats, 40% of pigs, over 23 thousand birds, destroyed 402 livestock farms, 8 thousand bee colonies, industrial enterprises...

"Red Karachay"

The patriotism of the Karachais was clearly manifested during the period of restoration of the economy destroyed by the war. Suffice it to say that already in the middle of 1943, i.e. five months after the liberation of Karachay, the livestock farms of the region were restored by 99.1% ...

"Karachais: eviction and return"

The Karachay population is very active in carrying out all the activities of the Soviet government, they work together in collective farms, and also take part in public life.

I. Samoilov
- Secretary of the Pregradnensky RK VKP(B)

Three months after the liberation of Stavropol, the first secretary of the district committee of the CPSU (b) M. Suslov informed I. Stalin: “The working people of Stavropol ... and Karachay as a sign of ardent love for their homeland, the valiant liberator - the Red Army and boundless devotion to you, all my life , give all their strength to the great holy cause of the liberation of their beloved Motherland from foreign enslavers.

"Stavropolskaya Pravda"

In November 1943, on trumped-up charges of betraying the Soviet regime, the Karachais were evicted to the regions of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Karachay region was abolished, and most of its territory was transferred to Georgia. After the XX Congress of the CPSU, the political charges against the Karachays were dropped, they were allowed to return to their homes.

A. Avksentiev
- doctor of philosophical science

About a third of the Karachay people died in exile, but the hard work and goodwill inherent in the Karachays were not broken far from their homeland. Many of them were awarded honorary titles and awards from the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

- D. Kunaev
party and statesman of the USSR and Kazakhstan

I know the hardworking Karachai people well.

Alik Kardanov
- Circassian public and political figure, Chairman of the Government of the KChR

Karachays... How many of them they dragged through prisons and exiles, how many they didn’t bend into a ram’s horn, didn’t give up, they guard their honor and remember you, others, by the way, too: if you treat him with respect, he will break into a cake for you, even if you are a hundred times Russian, I love them, devils, around them I begin to feel like a man.

Vladimir Maksimov
- Russian writer

I fell in love with the hardworking and hospitable people of Karachay, among whom I have friends and acquaintances. The national tragedy of the Karachai people, which became my family, was experienced by me as my own pain, and when the Karachais returned to their native places, I shared our common joy with them.

A. Malyshev
- Russian biologist

The deportation of the Karachay people - the first in the Caucasus - and the subsequent regime of their resettlement and maintenance fully fall under the definition of genocide formulated in the UN Convention of December 9, 1948 "On the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide". The people, who experienced incalculable suffering and humiliation, lost 34.5 percent of their numbers, not counting the 9,000 who died at the front, as well as in logging, in the labor army. Its gene pool, culture and customs have been significantly deformed.

“Karachays. Eviction and return"

The barbaric actions of the Stalinist regime were the eviction of Balkars, Ingush, Kalmyks, Karachais, Crimean Tatars, Germans, Meskhetian Turks, and Chechens from their homes during the Second World War. The policy of forced resettlement affected the fate of the Koreans, Greeks, Kurds, and other peoples.

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR unconditionally condemns the practice of forcible resettlement of entire peoples as a grave crime, contrary to the foundations of international law...

Time is running inexorably, and already 50 years separate us from one of the most heinous crimes of the Stalinist regime - repression against entire peoples. The deportations became shameful pages in the history of our country.

On behalf of the Russian Federation, the successor of the former Soviet Union, as head of state, I apologize to all Russian citizens and their families affected by the deportations. Our civic duty is to eliminate the consequences of those terrible events. This difficult and delicate work should unite, not destroy us. It should unite people, not instill new discord.

The historical truth with regard to the unjustly repressed Karachai people has triumphed. I received with great pleasure the news that the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin recently awarded the title of Hero of Russia to the unfairly offended natives of Karachay-Cherkessia. Hero of the Russian Federation Kharun Chochuev and other partisans and liberators are especially honored in my country, Slovakia.

Roman Paldan
- Slovak statesman

Please convey my sincere congratulations to the representatives of the Karachay people who were awarded the titles of Heroes of Russia, who showed valor and heroism on the fields of the Great Patriotic War. They made a significant contribution to our common victory.

Nursultan Nazarbaev
- President of Kazakhstan

We remember by name the heroic sons of Karachay, who courageously fought against the hated enemy. The legendary exploits of Osman Kasaev, Kichibatyr Khairkizov, Yunus Karaketov and hundreds of their fighting friends who gave their bright lives in the struggle for the independence of Soviet Belarus will forever remain in the memory of the people.

Alexander Lukashenko
- President of Belarus

I am grateful to fate that I am on this earth (in Dombai). I love mountains, fell in love with people and even dogs - they are kind, they don’t bark or bite ...

And the longer I live here, the more I am convinced that only peace and beauty will save the world. Your people have beauty, soul, they know how to love.

S. Svetlichnaya
- theater and film actress

Contrary to many well-known circumstances, Russian-Karachai relations remained consistently peaceful and friendly, which formed a favorable perception in Russia of this people.

V. Vinogradov
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences

Despite all the troubles that have befallen the Balkars and Karachais in the last seven centuries, they have not fallen into pessimism. The nature of their outlook on the future can most likely be defined as restrained optimism: "Let's hope for the best, but we will be prepared for the worst."

In my opinion, such a view of the future, which does not allow one to relax, grow fat, but does not oppress the will, is one of the most valuable acquisitions of the Karachay-Balkarian ethnos in the course of history, showing its ability to learn the lessons of the time. Only if these lessons are learned can the ancient wisdom, "Whom God loves, he punishes," be justified.

M. Dzhurtubaev
- Balkar scholar-folklorist

Balkaria and Karachay are the same Caucasus Mountains, they are just different slopes of Elbrus. The famous Dombai and Elbrus region - how close and similar they are.

L. Oshanin
- Russian poet

The system of transhumance sheep breeding, which arose in the mountains of the Central Caucasus in the middle of the III millennium BC. e., was widely developed among the Alans in the Middle Ages, and among the Karachays at the present time.

E. Krupnov
- Russian scientist, doctor of historical sciences