Traditional activities of the Kabardians. Kabardians. The appearance of Kabardians at the place of their modern settlement

Kabardians photo, who are Kabardians
Adyghe

Total: about 2 million people (estimated)
Turkey Turkey: from 1,062,000 (estimate)
Russia Russia: 516,826 (trans. 2010)

• • Kabardino-Balkaria Kabardino-Balkaria: 490 453 (2010)
  • Stavropol Territory Stavropol Territory: 7,993 (2010)
  • Moscow Moscow: 3 698 (2010)
  • North Ossetia North Ossetia: 2 802 (2010)
  • Moscow region Moscow region: 1,306 (2010)
  • St. Petersburg St. Petersburg: 1 181 (2010)
  • Krasnodar Territory Krasnodar Territory: 1,130 (2010)
  • Karachay-Cherkessia Karachay-Cherkessia: 771 (2010)
  • Rostov region Rostov region: 663 (2010)
  • Chechnya Chechnya: 534 (2010)
  • Adygea Adygea: 519 (2010)

Jordan Jordan: 76,000
Syria Syria: 48,000
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia: 24,000
Germany Germany: 14,000
USA USA: 3,700
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan: 1,300

Kabardians(Kabard.-Cherk. Adyghe) - a sub-ethnos of the Adygs, the indigenous population of Kabardino-Balkaria, also live in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea and North Ossetia. The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic for 2010 is 57% of the population. They speak the Kabardino-Circassian language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group.

• 1 Population and settlement
  • 1.1 Census data Russian Federation 2010
  • 1.2 Kabardian diaspora
• 2 Ethnonyms
• 3 History
  • 3.1 The most ancient ancestors of the Circassians
  • 3.2 The appearance of Kabardians at the place of their modern settlement
  • 3.3 Kabardians and Koban culture
  • 3.4 History of rapprochement between Kabardians and Russia
  • 3.5 Caucasian War
• 4 Class organization before 1917
• 5 Language and writing
• 6 Religion
• 7 Adyghe literature
• 8 Traditional activities
• 9 Circassian (Adyghe) national clothes
• 10 Kabardian national cuisine
• 11 Family
• 12 Adyghe traditions
• 13 See also
• 14 Notes
• 15 Literature

Number and settlement

Kabardians are one of the ethnic groups of the Circassians (Circassians). According to the results of the 2010 population census, the number of Kabardians in Russia is 517 thousand people. Now in Russia they live compactly in Kabardino-Balkaria, as well as in the Mozdok region of North Ossetia and in the southern border regions of the Stavropol Territory.

Census data of the Russian Federation in 2010

Kabardian diaspora

Main articles: Adyghe diaspora, Circassian Muhajirism

The main part of modern Circassians (including Kabardians) live abroad. This was the result of the end of the Russian-Caucasian war, after which most of the Circassians were expelled from their original places of residence for disobedience to the Russian Tsar, some of them voluntarily left the Caucasus, preferring to live in a Muslim country than in submission to the Gentiles. In the Caucasus, only a small part of the Adygs (Circassians) who once inhabited it remained. Today they are known abroad as Circassians.

To date, the most major country The home of the Circassians is Turkey, where the largest Adyghe diaspora in the world is represented. But even there, the long-term purposeful policy of the state to Turkify non-Turkish peoples led to the assimilation and subsequent Turkization of some part of the Circassians. Now in Turkey, the Adygs are the third largest people in the country after the Turks and Kurds themselves (according to some sources, the number of Adygs is comparable to the Arabs living in the country and the Iranian-speaking Zaza people).

Also, Kabardians as part of the Adyghe diaspora live in the countries of the Middle East (in particular, in Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon) and North Africa, as well as in Europe (mainly in Germany) and North America.

Ethnonyms

Despite the existence of a common self-name "Adyghe", during their centuries-old history, the Adygs (including Kabardians) received many different ethnonyms (names), some of which are outdated and are not used, while others are still used.

For the first time, the Adygs, in particular the Kabardians, became known to Russian sources under the name of the Kasogs (Kosogs) starting from the 9th century, when the Kasogian prince Rededya met in a duel with the Russian prince Mstislav in single combat, without weapons. Mstislav, feeling that he was defeated, pulled out a knife from behind the top of his boot, slaughtering Rededya. as a compensation, Mstislav gave his daughter to his son Rededi, from whom the surname Ushakovs came. At that time, the Byzantines called the Adygs Zikhs.

In the 13th century, the Circassians put up fierce resistance to the Mongol-Tatar invasion. Since that time, the exoethnonym "Circassians" has been assigned to all the Adyghes.

History

Main article: History of the Circassians

Since ancient times, until the end of the XIV century, all Adygs (including Kabardians, Circassians and Adyghes) have a common history.

The ancient ancestors of the Circassians

Modern researchers have revealed that the Circassians are the descendants of the bearers of the Maikop culture that existed in the 4th millennium BC. e.. The ancestors of the Circassians left their mark in history as the heirs of the Maikop culture - North Caucasian, Kuban and Koban.

Also, many scientists (Dunaevskaya I. M., Dyakonov I. M. and others) point to the similarity of modern Adyghe-Abkhaz languages ​​with the language of the ancient Hatts and Kasks who lived in ancient times on the territory of Central and Eastern Anatolia.

In 1 thousand BC. e. Meotian tribes settled on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, which are the direct ancestors of the modern Circassians. It should be noted that one of the Meotian tribes - the Sinds - in the 5th century BC. BC e. founded the first state in the territory modern Russia- Sindiku with the capital Sindskaya Harbor, or Gorgippia (modern Anapa). Syndica was slave state, had trade relations with the ancient Greek colonies on the Black Sea. Later, Sindika entered the Bosporus kingdom. Then there was the rise of another proto-Adyghe tribe - the Zikhs, who managed to unite many tribes of the northwestern Caucasus into a military alliance under their auspices, which helped them successfully fight the Tetraxite Goths.

The appearance of Kabardians at the place of their modern settlement

The archaeological expedition of the KBNII carried out excavations of barrows to the south of the village. Kishpek (in the zone of the Chegem irrigation system). 6 burial mounds belonging to the Maikop culture were investigated, five of which date back to the Bronze Age. Some of the finds from the burial mounds date back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e., part - the end of the IV millennium BC. e., and most of them date back to the Novosvobodnensky stage of the Maikop culture, that is, the last centuries of the III millennium BC. e. Among the finds are high-quality clay vessels of good firing and burnishing, bronze knives, awls, etc.

Regarding the place of residence of the Kabardians, there is a lot of ancient historical evidence. For example, in 957 Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, The Byzantine emperor said:

“Beyond Tamatarkha (Taman), 18 or 20 miles away, there is a river called Ukrukh, separating Zikhia and Tamatarkha, and from Ukrukh to the Nikopsis River (Nechepsukho River, near Dzhubga), on which there is a fortress of the same name to the river, the country of Zikhia extends . Its length is 300 miles. Above Zikhia lies a country called Papagia, above the country of Papagia - a country called Kasakhia (the country of Kasogs - modern Kabardians), above Kasakhia are the Caucasus Mountains (Caucasian Range), and above these mountains - the country of Alania.

More definite written information about the place of settlement of the Kabardians has been preserved since the end of the 16th century. During this period, modern researchers localize the following areas of residence of this ethnic community:

1. On flat places and foothills to the entrances to mountain gorges along the left tributaries of the Terek - the Ardan (Ardon), Ager (?), Uryukha (Uruh) and Kizylu (Argudan?). This area, in the "Book of the Big Drawing" (a description of the map of Russian and neighboring states of the period of the late 16th - early 17th centuries) was actually called Kabarda.
2. North of Kabarda, down the Terek, along its left tributaries - the Belaya (a section of the Malka from Cool to the mouth?), Cherem (Cherek), Baksan Lesser (Chegem), Baksan Seredny (Baksan) and Palka (Malka to Cool?), "Book Big Drawing" calls "the land of Pyatigorsk Cherkasy". However, according to a number of other sources, this territory approximately coincides with the region of the so-called Big Kabarda that was formed here at about the same time. This confirms the opinion of the majority of Caucasian scholars that the exoethnonym "Pyatigorsk Cherkasy" meant either the Kabardians living in Pyatigorye, or some separate ethnic group of the Eastern Adyghes, who subsequently participated in the ethnogenesis of the Kabardians.
3. On the right bank of the Terek - approximately from the mouth of the Kurp to the mouth of the Sunzha. Here the region of the so-called Malaya Kabarda was formed.

Kabardians and Koban culture

A certain part of scientists believe that the creators and bearers of the Koban archaeological culture (the beginning of which dates back to the 13th century BC) could belong to two different ethnolinguistic groups, namely:

In the area of ​​the Pyatigorsk "local variant" most likely lived mainly tribes related to the proto-Adyghe ethnic group; - in the area of ​​the Gorny "local variant" - protovainakhs.

At an early stage in the formation of the Koban culture (dated to the 12th century BC), the Scythians could not participate, whose appearance scientists date back to the 8th century BC. e. (see Scythians), and also could not participate Sarmatians, the appearance of which scientists date to the 4th century BC. e. (see Sarmatians).

The history of the rapprochement of Kabardians with Russia

M. Mikeshin. Kabardian. 1876

The Kabardians, like the Russians, suffered from the devastating raids of the Crimean feudal lords, so they began to look for ways of rapprochement with the Moscow principality, which was gaining strength, forced to pay tribute to the Tatars after the Krymchak campaign against Moscow (1521). In the process of rapprochement between Kabarda and the Principality of Moscow, Temryuk Idarov, a Valiy of Kabarda, played an important role, who led a coalition of pro-Russian princes. In November 1552, the first embassy of representatives of some Adyghe tribes arrived in Moscow, which was most appropriate for Ivan the Terrible, whose plans were in the direction of the Russian advance along the Volga to its mouth, to the Caspian Sea. The union was beneficial to Moscow in its struggle with the Crimean Khanate. Already in 1552, the Kabardians, together with the Russian troops, participated in the capture of Kazan. In 1556, the Circassians carried out a series of bold military operations, as a result of which the Ottoman-Tatar military bases of Temryuk and Taman were captured. This action of the Circassians in many respects contributed to the defeat of the Astrakhan Khanate by the Russians in the same year. In 1561, Ivan the Terrible entered into a dynastic marriage - he married the daughter of the Kabardian prince Temryuk Idarov - Goshaney Temryukovna, who after baptism took the name "Maria". Temryuk, now relying on his powerful son-in-law, strengthened his power not only in relation to the Kabardian people, but also to the neighboring mountain peoples: Ingush, Ossetians and others. in the end, the Crimean Khan Devlet-Girey himself attacked Temryuk in 1570. In the battle on the left tributary of the Kuban, Ahuzh, the prince was mortally wounded, and his two sons were captured.

During the period of feudal fragmentation of the XVI-XVIII centuries. Kabarda was segmented into a number of feudal destinies. In the 70s (XVI century), despite the unsuccessful Astrakhan expedition, the Crimeans and Ottomans managed to restore their influence in the region. The Russians were ousted from it for more than 100 years.

Read about further history encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron, published in late XIX century:

• 1722 - During the Persian campaign of Peter I, the Kabardians, despite the threats of the Crimean Khan, stood on the side of Russia; the latter diligently took care of maintaining friendly relations with the Kabardians, who kept all the neighboring mountain tribes - Ingush, Ossetians, Abaza - in dependence and owned all the roads leading from the plane to the most convenient pass through the Main Caucasian Range.
• 1739 - According to the Belgrade peace, Russia abandoned its historically established relations with Kabarda, which was declared free (free, independent) and was supposed to serve as a buffer between Russia and Turkey.

Thus, since 1739, the Kabardians were not legally under the rule of Russia, Turkey or anyone else; Kabarda was declared free - independent (neutral), which, of course, did not prevent Kabardian aristocrats from being hired into the service of the Russian Tsar.

IN Time of Troubles The Kabardian prince Sunchaley Yanglychevich organized resistance to the ataman Zarutsky, who had dug in in Astrakhan, for which he later received gratitude from Tsar Mikhail.

Caucasian war

Main article: Caucasian war

The conquest of the Caucasus The Russian autocracy decided to start with Eastern region Circassia - Kabarda, which at that time occupied vast territories. The most important roads in Transcaucasia passed through Kabarda. According to the Russian historian V. A. Potto, “The influence of Kabarda was enormous and was expressed in the slavish imitation of the surrounding peoples of their clothes, weapons, customs and customs. The phrase “he is dressed ...”, or “he rides like a Kabardian” sounded the greatest praise in the mouths of neighboring peoples”, “In the Kabardians, the Russians found very serious opponents who had to be reckoned with. Their influence on the Caucasus was enormous…”

In 1763, the Russian Empire began construction of the Mozdok fortress in Kabarda; the Kabardian embassy, ​​received by Empress Catherine II in 1764, demanded that the construction of the fortress be stopped, but was refused. This led to a war between Russia and Circassia, which lasted a total of about 101 years, as a result of which the territory of Circassia became part of the Russian Empire, its territories were scattered, and most of the indigenous population was evicted.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, Kabarda actually fought alone against the Russian troops, whose numbers in the Caucasus increased every year. At the end of the 18th century, the war also spread to Western Circassia, and in 1817 hostilities began in the Eastern Caucasus. By this time, Kabarda had already been greatly weakened by the war. In addition to everything, in the early 1820s, an epidemic of plague broke out in Kabarda, which mowed down most of the population. Little Kabarda, where the disease raged the most, almost the entire population died, and its territories actually became deserted. After most of the Kabardians died in hostilities, and most of the remaining population died from the plague, Kabarda could no longer continue military operations against the colonialists. And in 1825, Kabarda fell and was incorporated into the Russian Empire.

However, the Kabardians continued their desperate military resistance to the Russian troops even after the conquest of Kabarda. Many of them went to Western Circassia to other Circassians, where they organized "Khazhretov Kabarda" ("Fugitive Kabarda") in Trans-Kuban and continued resistance until 1864, and some went to Chechnya and Dagestan to continue the war there.

After the defeat in the Russian-Caucasian War (1864), most of the Circassians (including Kabardians) were killed, and most of the remaining population were forcibly resettled in the Ottoman Empire. As a result, the entire territory of Circassia was scattered by the war and included in the Russian Empire

Kabarda, after being included in the Russian Empire, became part of the Nalchik district of the Terek region, and in the title Russian emperors the line "sovereign of the Kabardian land" appeared.

Class organization before 1917

Chkheidze Konstantin Alexandrovich characterized the structure of society as follows: "Kabardians in social relations are divided into: 1 - princes, there are not many of them, five or six surnames: Atazhukins, Elbezdukovs, Misostovs, Karamurzins (dying out), Nauruzovs, Dokshukins (dying out); 2 - the highest nobility, three surnames: Kudenetovs, Anzorovs and Tambievs; 3 - ordinary nobility - kabardey-workers, together with the first two categories, up to 25% of the population; 4 - free people and former freedmen; 5 - a simple people who were formerly in slavery.

Language and writing

Main article: Kabardino-Circassian language

Kabardians speak the Kabardian-Circassian language (Adygebze), which belongs to the Adyghe branch of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of Caucasian languages. Some linguists tend to consider modern Kabardino-Circassian and Adyghe languages ​​as dialects of a single common Adyghe language. The Kabardians, Circassians and Adyghes themselves call their language Adygebze, which means the Adyghe language, and consider it a single language.

Until the middle of the 19th century, writing did not exist, since not a single reliable written source was found, although attempts were made to create a letter on an Arabic basis. On March 14, 1855, Umar Bersey, an Adyghe educator, linguist, scientist, writer, fabulist, compiled and published the first "Primer of the Circassian language" (in Arabic script). This day is celebrated by all Adyghes as the "Birthday of modern Adyghe writing."

From 1924 to 1936, Latin letters were used for writing. Cyrillic has been used since 1936.

The vast majority of Kabardians in Russia (96.8%) also speaks Russian, which acts as an interethnic language of communication with peoples former USSR. other countries of residence are used as a second language - the state language of the country.

Religion

Kabardians, both in Russia and abroad, profess Sunni Islam.

The process of penetration of Islam into the Adyghe environment most intensively began with the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, when a powerful empire was formed on its territory. Ottoman Empire, and his strongest ally and vassal of the Crimean Khanate settled in the Crimea. The Circassians, being in close contact with them, began to gradually borrow their religion from them. Finally, Islam took root and established itself in the Adyghe environment in early XVIII century.

IN Soviet time when religions were banned in the country, Kabardians, like all peoples Soviet Union were considered atheists. Although, in fact, the Kabardians, like other Muslim peoples of the Caucasus, secretly continued to fulfill some of the canons of Islam, such as fasting the Holy month of Ramadan, etc. With the fall of the USSR, the revival of the foundations of religion began.

Today, Kabardians in Russia and abroad are Sunnis and adhere to the principles of the legal school of the Hanafi madhhab, and the Shafi'i madhhab is also not widespread. Saudi Arabia, where more than 20 thousand Circassians (Circassians) live, at the state level, all Muslim peoples adhere to the principles of the legal school of the Hanbali madhhab.

Also, a small part of the Kabardians living in the Mozdok region of North Ossetia is historically considered Orthodox.

Adyghe literature

Ali Shogentsukov is the founder of Kabardian poetry. Main article: Kabardian literature, Adyghe literature

Written literature in the Kabardino-Circassian language is still very young. But at the same time, there was a rich oral folklore, represented by the epic "Narts", common to many Caucasian peoples and dating back centuries.

Until the 20th century, written Kabardian literature was based on the Arabic alphabet. However, the normative literary language was developed only in 1923.

A number of Kabardian and poets wrote in the Kabardian-Circassian language:

Kabardian writers

• Balkarova, Fousat Guzerovna (1932-2009)
• Beshtokov, Khabas Karneevich (1943)
• Keshokov, Alim Pshemakhovich (1914-2001)
• Kuashev, Betal Ibragimovich (1920-1957)
• Pachev, Bekmurza Mashevich (1854-1936)
• Sokurov, Musarbi Gisovich (1929-1990)
• Teunov, Khachim Iskhakovich (1912-1983)
• Tkhagazitov, Zuber Mukhamedovich (1934)
• Shogentsukov, Adam Ogurlievich (1916-1995)
• Shogentsukov, Ali Askhadovich (1900-1941)
• Shortanov, Askerbi Takhirovich (1916-1985)

Traditional activities

The traditional occupations of the Kabardians are arable farming, horticulture and transhumance. Cattle breeding is represented mainly by horse breeding, the Kabardian breed of horses has gained worldwide fame. The Kabardians also bred large, small cattle and poultry. Trades and crafts were developed: men's - blacksmithing, weapons, jewelry, women's - fulling, felt, gold embroidery.

Circassian (Adyghe) national clothes

Kabardians at the end of the 19th century. Chromolithograph

National women's clothing included the so-called. “Circassian women's costume”, and on ordinary days a dress, trousers, a tunic-shaped shirt, a long toe-length oar dress on top, silver and gold belts and bibs, a cap embroidered with gold, morocco dudes.

The national men's costume included, as a rule, a Circassian coat with a stacked silver belt and a dagger, a papakha, and morocco boots with leggings; outerwear - cloak, sheepskin coat.

An obligatory element of the clothes of noble (aristocratic) Kabardians was edged weapons.

The beshmet was girdled with the so-called saber belt, that is, a leather belt decorated with copper and silver plaques, to which a dagger and a saber (Kabard-Cherk. seshkhue) were attached.

Kabardians (depending on wealth) wore daggers of the Kama type (dagger) or the Bebut type, which, in addition, had the functions of a talisman, were used to perform various customs and rituals. The most popular long-bladed weapon of the Kabardians was a saber (Adyghe weapon, borrowed by all neighboring peoples with the disuse of metal armor and becoming the most popular long-bladed cold weapon in the Caucasus), although some preferred to use a saber. Of the sabers, the Mamluk-type saber, or Kilich (Turkish saber), or Gaddare (Iranian saber) were valued.

Even a bow (weapon) with a quiver for arrows was considered an element of the rider's clothing.

The Kabardians had a small knife with them, which could be used for domestic purposes, but which was not visible and therefore was not an element of clothing.

Kabardian national cuisine

Main article: Kabardian cuisine

The traditional food of Kabardians is boiled and fried lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, broths from them, sour milk, cottage cheese. Dried and smoked lamb is widespread, from which barbecue is made. Meat dishes are served with pasta (cooked millet porridge). Traditional celebratory drink with a moderate alcohol content - makhsim, is made from millet flour with malt.

Family

Kabardian family, 1900

At least until the 19th century, the extended family prevailed. Then the small family became widespread, but its way of life remained patriarchal. The power of the father of the family, the subordination of the younger elders and women to men are reflected in etiquette, including avoidance between spouses, parents and children, each of the spouses and older relatives of the other. There was a neighborhood-community and family-patronymic organization with family exogamy, neighborly and kindred mutual assistance.

Adyghe traditions

Kabardian in national costume

The Kabardians have always highly valued hospitality, which had a ritualized, even sacralized character, as well as kunachestvo. The guest was considered a messenger of God and the attitude towards him was corresponding. Kabardians built a separate house for guests with everything necessary for a pleasant and relaxing holiday. Hospitality extended to every traveler looking for an overnight stay. The owner of the house was obliged to serve him. The most benevolent signs of attention turned out to the guest and, if necessary, they could give their lives for him. In the upper classes, atalyism was also widespread, one of the oldest customs among all the peoples of the Caucasus. Much attention was paid to "Adyghe Khabze" - a set of customary law, moral precepts and rules of etiquette. It was especially strictly observed by the workers, so it was called "work habze". the entire moral code was called "Adygag'e" (Adyghe). German academician PS. Pallas, who visited Kabarda in 1793, called Kabardian etiquette "politeness taken to the extreme." Benevolence is the main feature of Kabardian etiquette. 16th-18th centuries The etiquette of the Kabardians was considered the most developed and refined in the entire Caucasus, so children of the nobility of the Caucasian peoples and the Crimean khans came here to learn the rules of conduct.

We continue to acquaint our readers with the program of the Spas TV channel “My Way to God”, in which Priest Georgy Maksimov meets with people who have converted to Orthodoxy from various non-Orthodox confessions. Today's guest of Father George is an Orthodox Kabardian who found the Truth in Orthodoxy and at the same time did not lose his national identity.

Every people in Russia that is called Muslim has a Christian page in its history.

Priest George Maximov: Hello! The program "My way to God" is on the air. Michael is our guest today. He is one of those peoples that are usually associated with the world of Islam, although in fact every people of Russia called Muslim has a Christian page in its history. Michael, tell us, please, where are you from and how did your path to Christ begin?

Michael: Hello Father George. I am from the city of Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. I myself am a Kabardian. The first thirteen years of his life he lived in Nalchik, after which he moved to Moscow in 1999. Since childhood, I have been a believer, brought up in Islam, like many of our people. I have always been interested in religious matters. Also in primary school I ended up in a special class in which we were taught the basics of Islam, the Arabic language. And so, having arrived in Moscow, by the will of the Lord, I ended up in a school in Golyanovo, where there was an experimental class in which they taught. At first this subject was left by me without any attention. A young man entered this class with me at the same time, with whom we subsequently became friends. He was Orthodox, he went to church. He confessed to me many years later: “I myself did not even understand why I then decided to approach you.” He sat down next to me and said, "Do you believe in God?" I replied, “Yes, I do. It is customary for us to believe like this, in a Muslim way, ”etc. He said that my views were not correct and began to talk about Christ and Orthodoxy.

I thought Christians were fearful

At first my reaction was sharp and even aggressive, but the young missionary was not afraid and continued to speak. I was then impressed by his courage. I must confess that I considered Christians to be timid and never thought that someone would dare to come up to me with a sermon. But this boy was amazingly brave. At that moment, he courageously began to prove that Christ is the Savior. Seeing his perseverance, I accepted the offer to go to the lessons of the Law of God. A couple of lessons were enough for me to irrevocably become an Orthodox Christian. So at the age of 14 I accepted Orthodoxy, but I was not baptized: for four years I was catechumen - until the age of 18. I went to the lessons of the Law of God, went to Sunday school. And when I turned eighteen, I was safely baptized. This great thing happened in my life, and I took the name Michael in honor. 15 years have passed since then, and I am an Orthodox Christian, thank God. And never regretted it.

Father George: Some people who went through the same path said that they experienced some fears in the process of their transition, fears that they come into an environment alien to themselves and part with what is familiar and dear. Have you experienced this during those four years of preparation for baptism?

Michael: And fears, of course, were, and discomfort. Because I've lived all my life in the Caucasus, and I'm kind of not Russian to be Orthodox. There were those kinds of thoughts. At the very beginning of the journey, literally in the first month, I had the thought that I was a Kabardian and, probably, I would not convert to Orthodoxy. When I thought about it, my friend just called and said: “You know, my dear, if you started this path, you must follow it.” And it strengthened me.

The fear is this: if I accept Orthodoxy, I will become Russian

And there were fears. The first fear is that they will not understand, will not accept, some even, perhaps, physical measures will be taken. Well, these are the stupid things that first of all come to our minds. And the second fear is this - it seems to you: if I accept Orthodoxy, I will become Russian, that is, I will lose some kind of identity. Actually it is not. When I began to go to church and get acquainted with Orthodoxy, I realized that there is no contradiction here to the southern ideas about God, about the universe. Even if we begin to study the history of the Church, we see how many Eastern holy fathers, Syrians and others we have. And even more so, when you start meeting Assyrians, Japanese, Chinese, Africans, all kinds of people in the church, you begin to understand that Orthodoxy is not something national, but on the contrary: something universal. So those fears and doubts quickly passed.

Father George: When I studied the history of your people, I was struck by how serious, rich and deep the history of Christianity is in the Kabardian people. When I read how your ancestors fought to be Orthodox, that they were oppressed by the Catholics when they tried to persuade them to Catholicism through the princes - and the people fought precisely to be Orthodox. And then they fought for a long time to keep themselves in the Christian faith, despite very difficult circumstances, when there were practically no priests left, and the Kabardians turned to the Moscow Tsar to send them priests. This impressed me a lot. I didn't expect this. I would like to ask: how important is this for you? Do modern Kabardians remember that they were once Christians?

The most common surnames in Kabardino-Balkaria are Shogenovs and Kardanovs. "Shogen" means priest, "cardan" - deacon

Michael: Indeed, when I first converted to Orthodoxy, it was very interesting to me. Until now, the evidence of history that we - Kabardians, Circassians - were Orthodox is important for me. When I began to study this issue, I was surprised that if you dig a little deeper than 200 or 300 years, then further, even up to the 10th century, a very large layer of history is revealed when our people were Orthodox. Our ancestors were indeed Orthodox, and this is confirmed by a number of Kabardian surnames. For example, the most common surnames in Kabardino-Balkaria are the Shogenovs and Kardanovs. At the same time, "shogen" means a priest, and "cardan" means a deacon.

But it so happened that over the three centuries of Islam this story was forgotten, and modern Kabardians, although they know that they were once Orthodox, perceive it as a distant past that did not last long - about fifty years. Many people think so. Although in fact this story lasted much longer. I even found evidence that the Adyghe bishop was at one of the Constantinople cathedrals. For me, of course, this was important and interesting, because at the time when I first converted, I knew almost no one from modern Orthodox Kabardians. It was a breath of fresh air for me to know that I am not alone. After all, for some time there was still a feeling of loneliness. But years passed and I learned the story. By the way, I want to say that the ancestors of the holy Admiral Theodore Ushakov are Circassians. He himself submitted a petition to the king, in which he wrote his genealogy, where he indicated that his ancestor was the Circassian prince Ridado. And if we start digging, we will find a lot of former Muslims who were baptized and eventually became saints. Including Circassians can be found.

We have people who love our history. If they start to dig seriously, they will discover a lot of interesting things for themselves.

Father George: There is a stereotype that if a person from a non-Christian people becomes a Christian, then he, as it were, loses his national identity, becomes a stranger to his culture. And the language is losing, and losing national customs, and, as it were, is already becoming Russian. For example, I heard that if a Tuvinian becomes a Christian in the Republic of Tuva, then his fellow tribesmen accuse him of becoming Russian. How justified is this in your case? Do you really feel that you have lost the Kabardian folk culture and language?

I know Kabardian traditions and I don’t feel any internal alienation from my people

Michael: Many, when they find out that I am Orthodox, think: well, this is a Russified boy, he lives there. I really have been living in Moscow for a long time, since childhood. But I could absolutely calmly, as I am now talking to you in Russian, speak to you in the Kabardian language and carry on this conversation. I can write in Kabardian, I can read Kabardian perfectly. I can translate fluently. As for traditions, I can say without undue modesty that I will give odds in knowledge to many. And this is true, because our father always raised us according to traditions. I know them and I don’t feel any internal alienation from my people. Even when I come, let's say, to a wedding, a funeral, or another event, I don't feel like I'm standing like a fool and don't understand anything about what to do. On the contrary, I can tell someone how to behave correctly in accordance with our traditions.

I have many Muslim Kabardian acquaintances who do not know the Kabardian language. And they are surprised how well I know the language, having lived here for so many years. And what you said is, of course, a false stereotype, stupidity. I go several times a year absolutely calmly to Kabardino-Balkaria and do not feel like some lonely Russified boy there. Nothing like this.

Russians and Orthodoxy are not the same

It's like saying that by accepting Orthodoxy, you have become a Greek. Orthodoxy, after all, came to us from the Greeks. You didn't become a Greek, so I didn't become a Russian. Russians and Orthodoxy are not the same thing. Orthodoxy is not the religion of Russians or Greeks - it is a universal religion, the religion of God's chosen people, which is called "Orthodox Christians." As he says: “There is neither Greek, nor Jew, nor barbarian, nor Scythian” (Col. 3:11). I have been going to the temple constantly for thirteen years. And I never felt like a stranger, abandoned. I constantly meet a variety of people in the temple - both Dagestanis and Assyrians. And they also absolutely do not feel cut off from their national identity. Here, the Georgians are Orthodox. Look at them: they are the same as the Kabardians in temperament, while they profess Orthodoxy and honor their traditions.

Father George: Faith really brings people together. And not so much faith as love. When people love one thing, they are interested in each other, they immediately find mutual language. This also applies to secular things, and, of course, this also applies to love for God, love for the truth, love for Christ. For my part, I can testify that when I happened to communicate with an Orthodox Arab, Kurd, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, I felt that I was communicating with a native person, with a person with whom we understand each other perfectly, because we love the same. It also happened that if you communicate with a Russian person, but who has made a different choice (atheism, neo-paganism, Islam), then, of course, it is more difficult to find a common language with him. I feel that such a person is further from me than my brothers in faith. The Orthodox are that people of those who are being saved, that people of God, which the Lord created, calling it the Church.

However, now I would like to approach one more issue. I know that for many who have made the same choice as you, it was quite painful at the time. People thought: “How will my relatives perceive, how will my family react?” I remember one Dagestan girl who was baptized in Moscow. Her parents lived in Dagestan, and when she went to their home, she was very worried, because she understood that she could not hide her most important choice from her parents. At the same time, she expected that there would be a very sharp reaction from their side. And when she arrived there, for several days they just talked about ordinary family topics, but then she nevertheless confessed to them. Indeed, the first reaction was sharply negative. But when everyone calmed down a little, her mother said to her: “You know, I really felt that this happened.” That is, she was not surprised, because it can already be seen from the person himself. As the Lord Jesus Christ says: “A city that is on top of a mountain cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). If a person sincerely comes to God, he changes. His words, thoughts, look, actions, even the way he outwardly keeps himself are changing. And it is not easy to hide from loved ones. I understand that in your case there was no attempt to hide your choice for a long time. How did you solve this problem?

Michael: Of course, at first I tried to hide somehow, not to say anything, but by the way, I always understood that someday I would have to say this. My younger sister gave me away. She is ten years younger than me, and when my parents were not at home, I took her to church with me so as not to leave her alone at home, I took her to Sunday school. And when my parents and I somehow drove past the church, she suddenly says: “Our brother walks past the church and is baptized.” Well, then everyone started asking - and I told everything. The reaction was really very strict - they scolded me, said: "Don't go there anymore." Then, when they realized that it didn’t work, they said: “Okay, go, but don’t get carried away, just learn as an elective.” But when they realized that it was even more serious, there were moments when the father could quarrel, and give a belt, and crosses were thrown out of the house. But, thank God, it did not last long, because my parents are very gentle people, thank God. And they eventually accepted my choice.

And I would now give such advice to those who are converting to Orthodoxy. It happens that Kabardians are baptized, and then they come home and begin to behave like prophets - to tell what sinners are all here and that they need to be baptized immediately. And, accordingly, there is a response. You don't have to behave like this! We must try to understand the parents, relatives, what drives them.

Over time, my parents saw that Christianity made me a better person.

Over time, I realized that they were just very afraid for me ... We have many sects in the republic (Jehovists and others), and now they were afraid that I had fallen into some kind of sect. That I, apparently, will start selling our apartment in a couple of years and doing something else. But when they saw that I was really Orthodox, that I was Russian Orthodox Church that everything is fine, I don’t carry valuables from home somewhere, - they calmed down and now I don’t have any problems. And although I did not say anything to my parents in the sense of preaching, they developed sympathy for Orthodoxy. By the way, my mother also told me: “I felt that something had happened.” But later she testified: “I see how you change. And I can't say it's bad. Now, I'll tell you not to do this, but it's hard for me to say what's wrong with that. You don’t drink, you don’t smoke, you don’t go out with women, you don’t offend your wife, and so on. Over time, my parents saw that Christianity made me a better person.

And if other relatives ask me, I answer them that I am a Christian. There are those who laugh, there are those who are respectful: "It's your choice." But for the most part, everyone takes it easy. I would not say that I have some kind of pursuers. So far there are no such problems. There were problems, but they are minor. Therefore, I would say that you should not be so afraid of this. Of course, something new always scares parents. I understood my parents: they were afraid not because I became Orthodox, no. They were afraid that I was small, and they dragged me into some kind of sect. When they realized that everything was fine, they calmed down.

Tell me what happened to you I have never seen you so happy

Father George: I remember a case that I personally know about a Turk. This middle-aged man, while at work in Russia, saw a real miracle in an Orthodox church in, after which he became seriously interested in Christianity and somehow got the New Testament on Turkish. He began to read it and began to consider himself a Christian, although he had not yet been baptized. Then his work in Russia ended, and he returned to his homeland in Turkey. There he lived with his older brother. He never said anything to his brother, never even hinted at Christianity. But one day his brother took him aside and said, “Tell me, what happened to you? I've never seen you so happy in all my life." And this Turk, the younger brother, instead of answering, simply gave the same New Testament to read. And after the elder brother read the gospel, he not only understood, but also shared the choice of his younger brother. And, in fact, the same Orthodox Turks who live in Turkey (there are not many of them, but they exist) are people who have made an independent choice. And although Turkey is a state with a predominantly Muslim population, even there their choice is treated with understanding. In particular, other Orthodox Turks said, like you, that at first this causes great bewilderment and embarrassment among acquaintances, but gradually they get used to it and understand that this path is also possible and open to the Turks. This is also a manifestation of the freedom that God has given to every person - the freedom to choose their own path.

I wanted to ask you maybe a very personal question. After your conversion, did you feel in your life the grace-filled help of the Lord Jesus Christ? The Holy Scriptures say: “It is fitting to keep the secret of the king, but it is commendable to announce the deeds of God” (Tob. 12:7). Therefore, when we talk about such an experience of the grace-filled or miraculous help of God, we are not advertising ourselves, but we testify to what this choice has brought into our life, about a living relationship with God. Because many people think that faith is just something you have to think in a special way. And they do not quite understand that for a believer, faith is a constant living communication with God.

When I converted to Orthodoxy, all my requests came true

Michael: I often heard from different people who accept Orthodoxy (especially if they are from non-Orthodox peoples) that miracles happen to them. To be honest, my life in this sense is rather modest. No obvious miracles happened to me, I didn’t appear. But I have had fellowship with God since childhood. For example, if I came home late, my father always punished me, and when I was late, I said: “Lord, I know that You can do anything. I'm a little late today. Make sure dad isn't home." I came and he was not there. Always like this. When I accepted Orthodoxy, all my requests came true. That's all I asked for. I'm not lying. I had an illness from which I suffered from childhood, and after baptism it went away on its own and never returned.

When I communicate with Muslim friends, including Kabardians, they try to exhort me, tell me something about Islam. And they say: “Here, you just got used to thinking in the Orthodox way. You live there all your life and listen to what the priest tells you. And you need to understand, learn Islam.” I tell them: “You do not understand one thing. If I came to the temple and the priest said to me: “You know, Michael, Christ was born 2000 years ago - that’s what scientists wrote,” I probably would have become an atheist long ago. You do not understand one thing - I have such a thing in which you will never convince me - communication with God. And when I communicate with Him, it's not just me getting up, praying, reading some formula, bowing or something else... No. I have a living relationship with God. I'm driving a car - I'm talking to God. I go home and talk. And this is not a monologue for me. I really feel the presence of God. And a response from Him. My life, thank God, is developing, as they say in modern world, successfully. And I noticed long ago that all my petitions, if they are good, the Lord fulfills. Now, if this can be called a miracle, then I have such miracles. What I ask, I give. At school, at work - always supports. There is real communication. It's hard for people to understand this.

When I accepted Orthodoxy, I did not have any discussion: let's read the sources. I came to the Law of God, listened and suddenly realized: I have been communicating with this God all my life. And the intellectual comprehension of Orthodoxy for me began quite recently, about 3-4 years ago, when, under the influence of the works of Father Daniil Sysoev, I began to read dogma and the holy fathers. Initially, I accepted faith as faith, it just entered my heart. So at the age of 14 I accepted Orthodoxy ... And later I never doubted my choice. The only thing I was afraid of: “Oh, what will happen when everyone finds out!” There were some childhood fears, which later passed with the help of God.

What is the problem? Pray!

You know, I used to be afraid of something all my life. I said: “Lord, help me, teach me not to be afraid!” And I stopped being afraid. Another example: many of my friends are trying to get married or get married and are worried about how to find a soul mate. I say, "What's the problem? Pray! Before getting married, every night I always said before going to bed: “Lord, help me find a wife for whom Your will will be done.” And the Lord sent me such a wife that all my friends envy. We never quarrel with her, we do not have any disputes. And I say that one must always ask, and the Lord will give. In my life, the gospel unfolded in the words of the Lord: "Ask and it will be given to you" (Matt. 7:7). To each their own, I guess. And the Lord revealed to me in this: whatever I asked for, be it health, family, or something else, the Lord responded and helped.

Father George: A little earlier, you said that you could have this conversation in Kabardian. I take you at your word. So that our viewers have no reason to doubt your words, could you now say the Jesus Prayer in the Kabardian language?

Michael: ? I will try to translate. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner! Ziuyskheeen Ausch Khristos Tkhem and Kue gueshchegyu kyskhuesch guenykh se kaezhyym! I'm a little worried, but it translates something like this.

Father George: Tell me, are the stories of other Orthodox Kabardians similar to yours?

Michael: I started looking for Orthodox Kabardians not so long ago. And, surprisingly, I found a lot of them. I found two Kabardian Orthodox priests - both rectors of churches, live in the Krasnodar Territory. The path of others is not like mine. For example, one girl - an Orthodox Kabardian from Nalchik - sympathized with Orthodoxy from childhood. Apparently, she is from a Greek priestly family, she grew up in Orthodoxy from childhood, although they have a Muslim family. For some reason, others also managed to make such a choice right from childhood. But there are those who turned to Christ as adults. In general, everyone is different. And the most interesting thing for me is that there are a lot of Orthodox Kabardians. I'm not talking about the fact that a significant part of the Kabardians living in Mozdok are Orthodox. It's absolutely normal there. You were born a Kabardian - and you can become both a Muslim and an Orthodox. As with the same Ossetians - someone is Orthodox, someone is Muslim.

If we are afraid all the time, be ashamed of something, we have no place next to God

It's just that our people have forgotten that a person can become a Christian. People take it for granted. But in fact, this is absolutely normal. Man must make his choice in life. A person cannot live as he was forced to. He must choose the road according to his own heart and not be afraid of anything. In general, when you accept Orthodoxy, life is divided into “before” and “after”. In this life we ​​have to choose - either we are with God, or not with God. Either we want to get into, or not into the Kingdom of Heaven. As the Lord said to John the Theologian in the Apocalypse: “But the fearful and unfaithful shall have their fate in the lake burning with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8). If we are afraid all the time, feel embarrassed about something, then we have no place next to God. And I know such people. When you communicate with Kabardians, Adyghes in private conversations, many sympathize with Orthodoxy and at the same time are afraid. Someone may be afraid of reprisals, although I do not think that this is so relevant. Someone is shy of relatives. But life is such a thing that you still have to choose. Necessarily.

Father George: Yes. Life is one, and the choice we make here determines our eternal destiny. Thank you for the conversation. And may the Lord help you on your chosen path!

Brief historical sketch about Kabardians

Previously, historical information about the Circassians as a whole has already been given; despite this, we considered it expedient to add some information only about the Kabardians, bearing in mind that there are very curious details here and that the history of this Circassian tribe, one might say, differs from the history of other Circassian tribes.

Of all the mountain tribes, the Kabardians won the loudest fame, thanks to their chivalrous and warlike spirit, the courage they showed in the fight against Crimean Tatars and in other historical situations, as well as because of the dominant position that they occupied in relation to their neighbors. In Russian history, they are known under the name "Pyatigorsk Circassians", which comes from the name of the mountain Beshtau (in Russian - Pyatigorye), in the vicinity of which they live. There are many legends about the origin of the Kabardians, and we will give here some of them, refraining, however, from any conclusions.

According to Circassian legends, one of their tribes left Kabarda in the 6th century according to Muslim chronology, left their native settlements on the banks of the Kuban and moved north to the Don; however, it soon left these places too, went further and settled on the southern coast of Crimea and on the plain between the rivers Kutch and Belbik; the upper part of this valley retained the name "Kabarda", and from the Tatars it received the name "Cherkes-tuye", that is, the Circassian valley. In these parts, the ruins of the castle, called Cherkes-Kermen, have been preserved.

In 883, according to the mention of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, during internal unrest among the Khazars, three of their tribes under the name "Kavars", or "Kabars", defeated by their fellow tribesmen, took refuge at the Madjars, or Ugric peoples, and created the eighth Ugric under the name "Kavars". tribe, bringing the Khazar language with them, they themselves adopted the Urg language. These kavars. due to their extraordinary courage, they received the privilege of being the first to attack the enemy in any battle. The territory inhabited by the Ugrians at that time was located between the Bug and Danube rivers and was called "Altekuza"; As for the territory of the Khazars, it extended not only across the North Caucasus, but also captured part of the mountainous regions and reached the western coast of the Caspian Sea.

This mention of Kabars, along with Circassian legends claiming that they allegedly once lived on the Crimean peninsula, gave grounds for the assumption that these legends speak of Kabardians, who in this case should be a tribe of Khazar origin, especially since the word "Kozak ”, inherent in the Circassian dictionary, was very often used instead of “Khazar” or “Khazar”. An indication of their stay at one time in the Crimea is available both in folk legends and in geographical names, which are still preserved in the Crimea, as we have already mentioned above.

On the map of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, prepared in 1497 by Fredutio d "Ancone and stored in the Wolfenbuttel library, you can read the name "Kabardi", written in red letters somewhat east of Taganrog, which indicates the location of the Kavar country, which Konstantin Porphyrogenitus speaks of, and at the same time, the tribes of Kabardians, who in the 7th century, according to Muslim chronology, again left the Crimea and settled on an island formed by two branches of the Kuban at its confluence with the sea. The Tatars call this place “Kyzyl-tash.” But the Kabardians did not stay long for the din, and, having become a powerful tribe, they headed further east under the leadership of their prince Inal - to the lands beyond the Kuban up to the present Kabarda, where they subjugated all other Circassian tribes... This is the same Inal, who is considered the founder of the family of all Kabardian princes.

Ossetians say that before the appearance of the Kabardian princes in the Crimea, the Circassians called themselves "Kazakhs", and this name was assigned to them in the Ossetian language; Indeed, the Ossetians still call the Kabardian princes "kashak-mephe", which means "King of the Kashaks". The information of Constantine Porphyrogenitus also coincides with these legends, since he calls the country of the Circassians on the Black Sea coast Zikhia, and the country located higher, along the banks of the Kuban, and bordering the lands of the Alans (Ossetians), Kazakhia. This is very accurate, since, according to Georgian geographers, the Ossetians remained on the territory of the present-day Greater and Lesser Kabarda until the invasion of Batu Khan, when they were forced to withdraw into the mountains.

The archives of the College of Foreign Affairs contain documents that show that:

1) in ancient times, the Kabardians occupied part of Ukraine and Little Russia, and then settled in the upper reaches of the Kuma River, in the vicinity of Beshtau, from which they received the name "Pyatigorsk Circassians";

2) this region belonged to Russia and that the Pyatigorsk Circassians professed the Christian religion (according to the Greek rite).

In 1282, the Tatar Khan Baskak brought the Circassians from the Beshtau, or Pyatigorsk, region to Kursk and, having built a suburb, settled them there, calling them "Cossacks." The looting and oppression perpetrated by the Circassians gave rise to numerous complaints from the population, which eventually forced the Kursk prince Oleg to destroy their settlement with the permission of the khan. On this occasion, many were killed, and the surviving Circassians fled. These latter, together with the Russian runaway peasants, created riots everywhere, hiding in the forests from their pursuers. Only with great difficulty did they manage to drive them away, and partially pacify them. A significant part of them settled in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, below the rapids, where they built the town of Cherkassk, which received such a name, most likely because most of these people were from Circassian tribes; they founded a robber republic there, which became famous under the name "Zaporozhye Cossacks".

According to folk legends of the Kabardians themselves, in ancient times Kabarda depended on a prince named Inal, who pretended to be a descendant of Kes, a native of Arabia, who ruled the Circassians. As is known, in the middle of the 8th century according to Muslim chronology, Moslem, the brother of Caliph Etzide III, expelled the Khazars from Media and Armenia, defeating them in his own country, and established the dominance of the Arabs in the Caucasus mountains; thus these traditions are not without foundation.

Inal divided Kabarda among his five sons. Since then, civil strife began to arise, as a result of which most of the most famous princes were forced to seek refuge in Russia. Princes from the Sunchaleev and Kelemetev families were among them; they left Kabarda at the end of the 16th century and became known in Russia under the name of the Cherkassky princes. Those who remained in Kabarda were divided into three groups: the lands of those who remained, as in the old days on Baksan, began to be called Big Kabarda; those who moved to the Tatartul region began to call their region Malaya Kabarda, and, finally, the part that crossed the Kuban began to be called "Besleneyites" - after the name of one of the sons of Inal. Big and Small Kabarda went to Russia, and the Besleneyites went to the Crimean Tatars.

The division into Greater and Lesser Kabarda is also explained in such a way that these names come from two brothers Kabarti-Bek, who divided this land among themselves...

Note. Here is the information that Klaproth received from the lips of the elders of this people about their origin, or, better, about the genealogy of their princes. Their ancestor was called Arab Khan, he was an Arab prince who in ancient times came with a small number of his followers to Shanjir (Shanshir) - a city that is now destroyed. It was located not far from Anapa, in the lands of the Natukhians, and all the Circassians and princes of the Temirgoevs believe that they come from there. Indeed, you can still see walls and ditches there, about three miles in diameter - these are the remains of this ancient city; they extend east to Psith, and west to Nephil. In the north, from the side of the Kuban swamps, you can see a lot of fortifications that can be mistaken for military installations. Arab Khan's heir was his son Kurpatayya, who had a son, Inal, nicknamed "Nef", i.e. cross-eyed, whom the princes of Greater and Lesser Kabarda consider their ancestor. He left five sons: Tau-Sultan, Ahlava, Mudar, Beslen and Komukhva, who after his death dispersed and divided the people among themselves. The eldest son, Tau-Sultan (“lord of the mountain”), received the largest share, it is from him that the family of princes of this name comes, this family still owns the western part of Malaya Kabarda. Ahlav and Mudar have always lived in complete harmony, they are the founders of two families that own the eastern part of Kabarda. Beslen and Komukhva separated from the brothers, but remained in alliance with each other - it is from them that the clan of princes of Kabarda proper, who are also called Beslanekhs, comes. Here is everything that is known for sure about the genealogy of these princes, which does not go deeper than the 16th century. (Cm.: Klap-rot G.-Yu. Journey to the mountains of the Caucasus. T. 1. S. 343.)

Count Jan Potocki gives the genealogy of the princes of Kabarda, starting from Noah. (Cm.: Ancient history peoples inhabiting the Caucasus. T. 1. S. 156-161.)

Pallas also gives a genealogical table of the princes of Kabarda, which, unfortunately, has no date. (Cm.: Pallas P.-S. Journey to the southern provinces of Russia. T. 1.S. 428.)

As for the modern history of the Kabardians, we have already spoken about this above.

Borders

Kabarda is located south of Georgievsk and Mozdok, parallel, so to speak, to these cities. Its width is from 30 to 80 versts up to the Black Mountains of the Caucasus, and its length is 200 versts from the right bank of the Podkumkado, the left bank of the Sunzha, opposite the Naur. Its borders in the north are the Georgievsky and Mozdok counties, in the east it borders on the Kistins, from which it is separated by the Sunzha and Kumbaleevka rivers; in the south it borders on the lands of Ossetians, Balkars and Chegems, and in the west - on Malaya Abaza.

The territory previously occupied by the Kabardians extended to the mouth of the Sunzha River, along both banks of the Terek and Malka, including here a significant part of the current Aleksandrovsky and Georgievsky counties, to the Urup River; in the 17th century, they ceded to the Abaza, who then left Greater Abkhazia to settle on the northern slopes of the Caucasus, part of their territory between the right bank of the Urup and the left bank of the Podkumka. Subsequently, as a result of the territorial seizures of the Chechens in the east and the Russians in the north, their territory was reduced to its current size ...

fruits of the earth

In Kabarda, all kinds of productive activity are very developed. They grow wheat, barley, oats, millet (their main grain) and a wide variety of garden crops; forests abound with fruit trees and timber; in the forests there is a large number of birds, herds of antelopes (gazelles) roam the valleys, there are also a lot of pheasants. On the banks of the Terek, viticulture flourishes, watermelons are also grown, which grow there in large quantities, as well as pumpkins, cucumbers and melons.

Note. Tatars call melons "kavun", there are several varieties of them - one is better than the other: large long melons with greenish flesh are considered the best; the best watermelons, called in Tatar "karbuz", have dark red flesh and small seeds, like a pear. For a long time they began to make vodka from watermelons, which is very good. Despite the beauty of the fruits that you see on the Caucasian line, foreigners do not need to try them, as you can get a fever. It is believed that in the north of the Caucasus watermelons are very harmful to health, and in the south - melons. One of the best garden plants is eggplant, called "badlezhan" among Asians, it is grown in vegetable gardens and fried with meat or cooked separately in oil with a little pepper. Watermelons grow on the Caucasian Line in such large numbers that the Cossacks feed them to pigs.

Kabarda has the best pastures in the Caucasus. Carps, pikes, trout are found in rivers and streams, but the fish of the Caspian Sea rises along the Terek only to Naur or Mozdok. This region lacks only a large population to turn it into one of the most beautiful provinces of Russia.

Rivers

The rivers and streams that irrigate the plains of Kabarda are very numerous; we are going to describe them starting from west to east. Here is their list: Podkumok, Stok, Zaluk, Malka, Kura, Kish-Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Nalchik, Urukh, Psydaha, Shugolya, Durdur, Psykhuz, or Belaya, Ardon, Fiak-don, Gezeldon, Arkhon, Mostchaya and Kurp.

Big Kabarda

The borders of Bolshaya Kabarda on three sides are the upper reaches of the Podkumok River, the Malka and Terek Rivers; in the south it borders on the lands of Ossetians, Balkars and Chegemians. The rivers that irrigate Bolshaya Kabarda are as follows: Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Nalchik, Terek, Urukh, Ardon, etc. The northern part of Bolshaya Kabarda is mountainous, with numerous gorges and valleys that go down to the north, where the rivers flow; narrow and inaccessible gorges, washed out in the mountains by the Baksan, Chegem, Terek and other rivers, serve as a place of refuge for residents in case of danger. The land in the valleys and on the plains is fertile black soil, quite suitable for agriculture, and with good pastures.

Kabardians are accustomed to moving their settlements - villages - from place to place, as the territory of the village becomes polluted with manure and other garbage. The primitiveness of their huts, made only of wicker branches, makes it easy to move. This habit, so beneficial to the health of the inhabitants, at the same time makes it difficult to accurately describe their settlements.

1. The following posts and villages are located along the Malka: Kamennaya post, Temir-Bugat village, Ali-kona village, Buba-letter, Tramu village, or Tramkt.

2. Along the Baksan: the villages of Alitsakh-Misostov, Islan Abazhukin, Kubatov, Khutatov and the Baksan post.

3. Post by Chegem on the stream of the same name.

4. Redoubt Nalchik on the river of the same name.

5. Post Urvansky on the river Urvan.

6. Post Cherek on the river of the same name. In addition to the auls mentioned here, there is also an aul

Atazhukin in the upper reaches of the Baksan.

The villages of the Misostovs are located in the middle reaches of the Baksan River; the main residence of this family is in the vicinity of the town of Kip-burun.

The auls of the Dzhembulats are located in the lower reaches of the Baksan, especially on the Baksanish river. The main settlement of this family is located on the Chegem stream, near Mount Kashkatau.

The auls of the Tatarkhanovs are scattered along the Mishgik, Cherek and Nalchik streams.

The auls of the Kudenets are located on the Shaluko stream.

Numerous posts and redoubts are still preserved throughout Kabarda. Their main purpose is to provide communications and monitor the highlanders. The main ones are: Urukhsky, Ardonsky, Arkhonsky on the rivers with the same name, posts Priship, Minaret, Kislovodsk and Constantinogorek.

Malaya Kabarda

Terek serves as the border of Malaya Kabarda in the west (some also call it Ardugan); in the north it borders on the Mozdok district, the border there also runs along the Terek. The northern bank of the Sunzha separates it from the Chechens and the left western bank of the same river - from the lands of the Ingush; this river forms the eastern border of Malaya Kabarda; in the south it borders on the territories of Ossetians and Ingush. Its width and length are almost the same: from Mozdok to the outskirts of Vladikavkaz about 80 versts; from the right bank of the Terek to the hot springs of St. Catherine ("Catherine's greenhouses") is also about 80 miles.

The Terek and Sunzha rivers form almost the entire border of Malaya Kabarda; only the river Kurp or Kurpi flows through its territory, as well as the river Kombuleevka in the lower reaches. This river flows in a northwestern direction and flows into the Terek seven versts above Tatartup. Instead of rivers in Malaya Kabarda there is big number streams and springs, so that one can say that this region abounds in forest and water. Malaya Kabarda is crossed by the Arak-Alag-River, which stretches from west to east from the Terek to the mouth of the Sunzha. This ridge is mostly covered with forests; its northern slopes are sloping, there are deposits of sand, clay and marl. The land in Malaya Kabarda is very fertile and suitable for the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. However, this region, in comparison with its size, is very sparsely populated, since the highlanders use all these fertile lands only for pastures, while they could feed where larger population if it was farming. A European traveling in these parts and judging by his own standards would find these steppes deserted, while the highlanders often do not have enough land here for pastures for their cattle. The enmity that has been preserved from ancient times to the present time between the princes of Greater and Lesser Kabarda has led to the devastation of Lesser Kabarda, and it has long since submitted to Russia. Prince of Little Kabarda Korgoka Kanchokin moved from 1759 to Russian territory on the left bank of the Terek, fleeing the repressions of the princes of Great Kabarda. He adopted the Christian religion and became the founder of the city of Mozdok, settling there with his family and subjects.

In Malaya Kabarda, two princely families dominate, descending from Inal, the founder of the genealogy of Kabardian princes. This is the family of Tau-Sultan and Galeslan, or Geleslan. All the inhabitants of the region, from the peasant to the bridle, are subordinate to one or another family.

The auls of Tau-Sultan are located along the right bank of the Terek, downstream, starting from Tatartup, and have a total of up to 1000 households. The main village of the Geleslan family is called Malaya Kabarda, or Akhlovy Kabaki, and is located 25 versts south of Mozdok. Two miles further on the Psidahe stream there are three more auls belonging to the Kaitukin family - also from the Geleslan clan. Previously, Little Kabarda could put up 3,000 armed horsemen, but now its forces are much smaller, and the population has decreased. The inhabitants of Malaya Kabarda live in friendship with the Ingush, but are at enmity with the Chechens; they often have clashes with Ossetians over pastures. It must also be said that they are more devoted to the Russians than their other compatriots in Bolshaya Kabarda.

Although we have already talked about the lifestyle and customs of the Circassians in general, which are quite the same among the Kabardians, we are still forced to supplement the presentation with some details, especially about the form of government among the Kabardians.

Agriculture

Everything that is necessary for life is produced in Kabarda, except for salt, which is obtained from Russia. The fertile land allows growing any kind of crops, but the Kabardians grow only millet, barley, spelt and wheat. They have neither gardens nor kitchen gardens due to the fact that they often change the places of their settlements. In winter, their provisions consist of smoked lamb or beef and fish, which they are very fond of. Their drink is "balbuza", made from millet flour and honey and infused with herbs. This drink becomes intoxicating if kept for several days in a well-corked jar; "Braga" from millet or spelled flour intoxicates less. The main branch of agriculture is herds of horses and herds of sheep; cattle are available here in smaller numbers. They prefer to raise buffaloes.

In Kabarda, there are up to 20 herds of a hundred shoals each. The word "school" means a part of a herd with a certain number of mares to cover; on average, the number of mares in a school is up to 20. These herds have recently lost their former reputation to a large extent. There are few horses of the Shalokh breed in the herds of Tau-Sultan in Malaya Kabarda, which are considered the best.

At the beginning of summer in Bolshaya Kabarda, herds of horses and herds of sheep are sent to the sources of Malka and Podkumka, where they are kept on pastures throughout the summer season. In Malsy Kabarda, pastures are located near settlements. When the herds leave the plain in Bolshaya Kabarda and go to the mountain pastures, the bridle receives from each of his serfs a stallion from each herd and a ram from each herd. In exchange for this, he undertakes to ensure the protection of herds and herds.

Kabardians are also engaged in beekeeping, and their honey is one of the best in the Caucasus.

crafts

Kabardians make cloth and felt, make carts and frames for saddles, which they use on the farm or exchange for salt and other goods they need - linen, cotton fabrics, iron, copper jugs, etc.

Language

The Kabardian language is one of the dialects of the Circassian language, which is also spoken by the Besleney and Temirgoys and which the rest of the Circassian tribes understand with difficulty; they say that the Kabardian language is the purest Circassian language. In addition, the Kabardian princes also have their own special language, which they speak only among themselves.

Religion

All Kabardians are Mohammedans from the Omar sect. Their clergy are highly respected and have a serious influence on the people. The qadis receive from each family a fixed wage in wheat, honey and rams. There are absolutely no beautiful mosques in Kabarda, since Islam was instilled here only 60 years ago, and besides, Kabardians do not have permanent dwellings at all.

manners

Kabardians are proud and arrogant, but at the same time polite towards strangers and very hospitable. They strictly observe among themselves propriety, according to age and position; they are very angry if strangers forget about the need to observe these propriety. The eldest or most senior prince - only person who has the right to sit; the rest can only afford to sit down at his invitation. During dinner, food is served to him first, then the qadi is served, and then the other princes and bridles come in the order of their position and age.

The princes of Great Kabarda from ancient times have certain rights in relation to Little Kabarda, so that the inhabitants of this latter often suffered from the oppression of the princes of Great Kabarda. The same thing happened in relation to other neighbors, such as the Ingush, Ossetians, Abaza, Besleney, etc., and some of these tribes paid them an annual tribute and were very afraid of their disfavor. Although now their power has completely vanished due to the endless wars that they waged either against their mountaineer neighbors or against the Russians; Kabardian princes still consider themselves, by virtue of their origin and the past exploits of their ancestors, the first in the nobility of blood, not only among the Circassian tribes, but in general among all mountain peoples. And they really cannot be denied this superiority. With the exception of those qualities that other peoples can dispute with them, the Kabardians are distinguished by nobility of character, courtesy, as well as the cleanliness of their clothes and dwellings. All these qualities indicate that the Kabardians are at a higher level of civilization than other mountain peoples.

They have friendly ties with all the peoples beyond the Kuban, especially with the Besleneyites, who have a common origin with them. Balkars, Chegems, Karachays and Abazins recognize their superiority. The Ossetians are their enemies, with the exception of the Dugors. They don't let them leave their mountains. The same is true for the Ingush. Here, as in any enmity that arises between mountain peoples, the right of the stronger prevails.

Common to the entire Caucasus is the custom when the owner of the house, if he is younger than the guest in age or takes less high position, must himself remove the harness from the guest’s horse and remove the weapon from him when the guest visits his house; even, for example, the Abaza princes must accept a horse and weapons not only from the Kabardian princes who come to visit them, but also from the Kabardian bridles, bearing in mind that the origin of the Abaza princes is less high than that of the Kabardian bridles. This custom is strictly observed.

The form of government and orders

Kabardians are divided into five classes, or estates: 1) princes; 2) nobles, or bridles; 3) clergy; 4) peasants; 5) slaves, or yasyrs.

Six princely families rule over Greater and Lesser Kabarda: Misosta, Atazhuks, Bek-Murzas, Kaytuks, or Kaytukina rule Greater Kabarda; the families of Tau-Sultan and Gelestan - Malaya Kabarda. The first two families - Misosta and Atazhuks - have long ruled the Kabardians from Baksan; the Dzhembulet family - Kabardians from Kashkatau. This last family later subdivided into two branches - Bek-Murza and Kaituki. Each family has its own lands, overlords and peasants. The Atajuki branch can be considered the most powerful and numerous. Between the sources of the Podkumka and the Chegem River, the territories of the princes Misost and Atazhuki are located; from Chegem and along the course of the Argudan, the lands of the princes Bek-Murza and Kaituki; from Argudan to Kurp - the land of Tau-Sultan, and from Kurp to the west - the possession of Gelestan. In Kabarda, there are 50 princes and about 1000 bridles.

Uzdeni, or Warki, are divided into three categories: the first is made up of the original nobles of Kabarda, who are, so to speak, major vassals of a prince; the second category consists of nobles of no less noble origin, who, however, do not have the full power and rights of nobles of the first category; finally, the nobles of the third category, due to their poverty, are subordinate to other nobles, this category resembles in its position the petty gentry in Poland; they are called "bridles of bridles".

The most famous nobles of Great Kabarda come from the Gnardukov and Anzorov families. The families of Kudenets and Tambievs belong to the first; to the second - the families of Baruk, Zarekov and Elmurz. Kabardian nobles have all vassal rights and pay tribute in wheat and cattle for the land granted to them. Most of the peasants belong to the nobles, nevertheless, these peasants also annually pay the prince one ram from each family, in addition to the dues that the nobles levy on them and which is a tithe from each wheat harvest.

The common people of Kabarda, or peasants, called in Circassian "thokotli", have been under the rule of princes and nobles since ancient times by the right of capture. They are laborers attached to the land, but although they are subjected to severe oppression, they are still not slaves, since no one has the right to serve them, with rare exceptions, either by whole families or individually. Most of them, as already mentioned, belong to the uzdens, the rest are directly owned by the princes. In addition to these peasants, the princes and bridles also have freedmen, columns and their own people who are busy working on farms, they are called "begauli" or "begauli". The freedmen are farmers and pay rent, and the columns are in the service of a prince or nobleman; both enjoy certain rights.

Yasyrs, who are bought or captured, are slaves and property of princes and nobles.

The clergy is divided into mullahs, who, along with worship, are also judges, and into imams, who are located at mosques, where they perform the functions of our deacons. In addition to them, there are also qadis, who are elected every year from the mullahs to the role of the supreme judge in all matters. Each of the six aforementioned princely families has one such qadi with them. According to the laws of the Koran, the clergy are exempt from all duties and taxes; and he is still paid taxes in the form of wheat, rams, etc.

From all of the above, it follows that the form of government among the Kabardians is a kind of feudal hierarchy, similar to the one that the Teutonic knights carried out in their time in Prussia, Courland and Livonia. The princes and bridles strive by all means to maintain their dominance over the common people, who bear their yoke far from humbly. At the same time, the princes seek to bind to themselves the bridles, who are the source of their wealth and political significance and who can leave their prince in case of dissatisfaction with him.

In serious cases, when meetings are called, only the first three estates are represented there; princes, bridles and clergy. The princes from the most ancient family and the oldest in age occupy the first places there, and the first voice belongs to them; they are followed by representatives of the clergy, interpreting the laws; finally, next come the bridles from the most ancient families and the oldest in age; the rest should listen and be silent. These gatherings are called Shariad. In emergencies, the elders of the people are invited to them; but such meetings, which usually take place in a tense and noisy atmosphere, most often disperse without having reached any decision.

Empress Catherine II tried to inculcate among them the best form of government, in order to first of all eliminate the "right of the kulak" - this is the most destructive consequence of the feudal system. To this end, she ordered the establishment in Mozdok in 1793 of a judicial chamber, consisting of Kabardian princes, chaired by the commandant of this fortress. In addition, several courts were established in both parts of Kabarda; three - for the proceedings of princely families and three - for the uzdens and peasants. In Kabardian they were called "mega", but the Kabardians never agreed to obey the decision of these courts, since the "right of the kulak" remained the closest and most understandable to them. Only in the crucible of civilization will it be possible to change the morals of this people, who at the same time cannot be denied a thousand of the best qualities. Thanks to the efforts of the Russian government, their morals begin to soften; the children of princes and bridles are brought up in Russia, then enter the service, where they begin to understand all the charms and advantages of civilization.

Note. This state of affairs continued until 1808. In that year, unrest took place - the peasants, exhausted by unbearable oppression, took up arms and destroyed or expelled most of their princes and nobles; the feudal system that had prevailed until then gave way to complete anarchy. The plague that followed these internal disturbances completed the liquidation of the nobility, which had once been so brilliant and powerful; a large number of Kabardians went to the Circassians, as mentioned above.

Population

The population of both Kabarda has significantly decreased due to continuous internal and foreign wars led by this people, as well as after the plague. According to estimates made in 1804, 30,000 families lived in Bolshaya Kabarda, and 15,000 families lived in Malaya Kabarda. In 1807-1808, a significant part of the Kabardians went to the mountains to the Kuban Circassians and Chechens in order to continue their independent and vagabond life there. In 1810-1812, plague brought terrible disasters, as a result of which the population of Kabarda became equal to no more than 30 thousand souls, of which 24 thousand live in Bolshoi and 6 thousand in Malaya Kabarda; of this number, 3-4 thousand soldiers, mainly horsemen, can be put up.

Warriors

A hundred Kabardian nobles currently make up the squadron of the mountain guards of the Emperor of Russia; the personnel of this squadron is updated every three years in order to provide an opportunity more Kabardian noblemen to see the capital and a chance to join the European way of life.

Note. At present, Bolshaya Kabarda, the Balkars and Chegems are under the command of the commander of the Kabardian line. Small Kabarda is subordinate to the commander of the left flank of the Caucasian line. The Balkars and Chegems are almost independent; as for the Kabardians, they are submissive.

Before finishing the description of Kabarda, it will not be without interest to mention some sights dating back to the Middle Ages.

Attractions: Dzhulad and Tatartup

The ruins of Dzhulad are located at the western end of the mountain range, which ends at the Terek, three versts below Belaya and approximately halfway between the Urukh and Ardon redoubts.

Julad is ancient city, which according to Derbend-Nama ( Klaproth G.-Yu. Journey to the Caucasus. T. 1. S. 179.) already existed in the second century according to Muslim chronology and was under the rule of a ruler who was subordinate to Khakan from Desht-Kipchak.

This city is also mentioned under the name "Julat" by Sheref-ad-din in his history of Timur ( Persian Manuscript No. 70 from the Library of the King of France.). This conquering ruler left his camp on Samur in the spring of 1397 and went on a campaign against the Kipchak Khan Tokhtamysh. Arriving in Derbent, he destroyed a band of Kaitag Tatars, headed for Tarki, crossing Koisa and Sunzha, where he camped to wait for the approach of the part of his army remaining in the rearguard. Tokhtamysh at that time was nearby in a fortified camp. Timur wanted to attack him there, but Tokhtamysh retreated to the Kura (a river flowing near the village of Staropavlovskaya). Timur found a place to cross the Terek, but the lack of food forced him to go up the Terek to the vicinity of Dzhulad, where food was in abundance. Tokhtamysh, who closely followed Timur's army, forced him to dig in on the high bank of the Terek, probably in the area of ​​​​the settlement, which was already discussed above. On Friday, the 22nd day of the month of Jumazeltsani in the year 799 according to the Muslim calendar (1397 AD), the two armies met in battle. Having suffered a complete defeat, Tokhtamysh fled.

The ruins of Julad are a minaret and the remains of a mosque, from which only the foundation is now visible: its length on both sides is 50 steps and its width is 25 steps each. On the north side, there are still remains of a wall with a once vaulted door 14 feet high and 10 feet wide. On this wall, east of the door, was a minaret 6 fathoms (42 feet) high. The minaret has at its base a square pedestal 10 feet wide and 14 feet high, and above it rises a cylindrical tower 10 feet in diameter. Inside, the tower is 6 feet in diameter; you can climb to its top by a staircase of 55 steps. The lower entrance faces south. The whole building is beautifully made of very hard bricks, fastened with a strong mortar.

These ruins stand in the southeast corner of a square area with a side length of 200 feet. Its western side faces the lowland washed by the Tersk. This space is occupied by graves, however, more modern than the mosque itself. It is not known for certain when it was built; nevertheless, the Circassians claim that the graves were left here by the Nogai Tatars not very long ago. One of their hordes, subordinate to the princes of Malaya Kabarda, settled in this region, from where they were later expelled by the Kalmyks, about a century ago. When Klaproth was in these places in 1808, he could only find Arabic inscriptions on two graves, but they were almost completely erased. It was clearly possible to make out only the dates - IZO and 1133 according to the Muslim chronology, which corresponds to our 1717 and 1721 years.

The Terek flows at a distance of two-thirds of a verst from the peak on which the Dzhulad is located, but a small channel of this river snakes through the valley to the northeast of the Terek before merging again with the main current; its banks were overgrown with mulberry trees, black and white, as high as a man and well cared for. These trees, undoubtedly, were planted by the inhabitants of this city in antiquity, since neither the Circassians nor the Tatars who live in these parts have any idea about the culture of the silkworm. Here you can also see bushes of grapes, the fruits of which, according to the Circassians, are larger and sweeter than those that grow wild along the banks of the Terek; probably these vineyards are also remnants of an ancient culture. On the banks of the Koyan, a stream flowing east from Julad, one can also find vines, apple, pear, and mulberry trees of a much better variety than usually grow in these parts.

Near the already mentioned minaret, a section of a large military road is visible, which crosses the valleys of Kabarda; this place is commonly referred to as the "Post Minaret". It offers the most beautiful view of the Caucasus Range, unless, of course, the weather is foggy.

The ruins of Tatartup are located on the western bank of the Terek, opposite the village of Yeletukva, 7 versts above the mouth of the Kombuleevka River. These ruins, whose name means "Tatar Valley", are three minarets, separated from each other by several hundred steps and completely similar to the minaret in Dzhulad; there are also two churches completely in the Russian style. On the inner walls are depicted figures of saints; these images probably belong to XVI century, i.e., to the period when, after the brilliant conquests of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, Russian missionaries converted the Circassians to Christianity. However, the Circassians claim that these churches were built by the "frengs", i.e. Europeans who lived in Tataria. Guldenstedt described with great accuracy the ruins of Tatartup, which in his time were in a less deplorable state than they are now. Perhaps Tatartup is the very place that is mentioned in the history of Derbent under the name "Shesheri-Tatars" and which had its own rulers: it was part of the Khazar empire, and therefore it is not without plausibility that both Mohammedans and Christians could live here at the same time . This place has been empty for a long time; modern Nogai graves, one of which dates back to 1159 according to the Muslim calendar (1746 AD) and was described by Guldenshtedt, does not yet serve as evidence that these regions were inhabited at that time, because in these places about 90 years ago hordes of nomadic Nogais passed back. These graves could also belong to Mohammedan Circassians.

The Kabardians greatly revere the ruins of Tatartup, which are an inviolable place of refuge for anyone who has committed a murder. Previously, any oaths and promises were given right next to these ruins, which gave them a special fortress. Large gatherings (“shariads”) also took place here.

In the mountains of Beshtau, near the Etoka stream in the valley called Temir-Kubchek, one can see a stone statue 8 and a foot in height, which the Circassians call Duka-Beg. She depicts a man armed in the Circassian manner; on it are visible inscriptions made in Greek and Slavic letters. The statue made of dark gray sandstone. Kabardians living in the neighborhood have absolutely no idea about the age and history of this stone statue. It seems that this is a burial place, which owes its origin, rather, to some kind of battle, rather than to a long stay in these parts of any tribe. The somewhat cruciform shape of this statue suggests that its creation was the work of Christians, and the inscription copied by Güldenstedt further supports this assumption. This author thus translates the inscription: “Before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Theodatus, the son of Noah, rested here, ... May ...”

Guldenshtedt, Potocki and Klaproth described and sketched this statue. In these parts, sometimes there are deformed statues similar to Duka-Beg, which the Russians call "baba"; perhaps they are related to Lamaism, which the Tatar-Mongols preached here before converting to Islam. There are also tombstones with inscriptions in Greek.

The Russian tsars showed exceptional respect to this Caucasian people and even considered it an honor to become related to them. And the most noble representatives of this people, in turn, sometimes pretended to be Russian princes. And for a long time this people was considered, as they would say today, an "icon of style" for all highlanders, and even indulged in paramilitary pleasures at their leisure.

The founder of the ethnic group, which is called the Kabardians, is considered to be a certain Kabarda Tambiev. According to legend, he was the leader of a warlike tribe, which in time immemorial moved to the North Caucasus from the Western Caucasus.

The ancestors of the Kabardians may have been the ancient khebars, about which the famous Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi wrote. In the 15-16 centuries, this people stands out under the name "Kabardian Circassians" among the so-called "Pyatigorsk Circassians", who inhabited the lands from the foothills of the left tributary of the Kuban to the lower reaches of the Terek. In the 19th century, the territory where they prevailed was called Big and Small Kabarda.

The self-name of the Kabardians is Adyghe ( caberday), this is the Adyghe sub-ethnos, the indigenous population of modern Kabardino-Balkaria (57% of all residents of the republic). Today's Kabardians also live in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia, as well as in many countries of Southeast Asia, Western Europe and even North America.

According to the latest population census, there are 516,826 Kabardians in Russia.

Kasogi, they are Circassians

Kabardians from ancient times stood out among all the Caucasian tribes with their courage and rebelliousness. They have long occupied a dominant position in relation to their neighbors. Historians have described them as smart, proud, brave and self-willed people, who are also distinguished by their strong physique, tirelessness and dexterity. These are excellent riders and well-aimed shooters.

The Russians at first called all the Circassians, including the Kabardians, Kasogs. In 957, the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus wrote about the country "Kasakhia", above which are the Caucasus Mountains, and above them - the country of Alania.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign tells how the Kassogian prince Rededya met in a duel with the Russian prince Mstistav and was stabbed to death by him.

Subsequently, the Circassians fiercely resisted the Mongol-Tatar invasion, but already under the exoethnonym "Circassians", which stuck with them for many centuries.

The Tsar's Bride and the False Tsarevich

Suffering from the raids of the Crimean feudal lords, the Kabardians in the 16th century decided to make an alliance with the Moscow principality and participated along with the Russian troops in the capture of Kazan. In 1561, Ivan the Terrible, in order to strengthen the alliance with Kabarda, even entered into a dynastic marriage and married the daughter of the Kabardian prince Temryuk Idarov, who after baptism took the name Maria.

In the Time of Troubles, the Kabardian prince Sunchaley Yanglychevich helped the Russians fight against Ataman Zarutsky, who had dug in in Astrakhan, for which he later received gratitude from Tsar Mikhail.

In 1670, the young prince Andrei Kambulatovich Cherkassky portrayed Tsarevich Alexei Alekseevich in the army of Stepan Razin. But the Don ataman Kornil Yakovlev did not dare to arrest him - that's how great the Russians had respect for the Kabardian princes. Therefore, the prince went to Moscow not as a prisoner, but as the head of the delegation that brought Stepan Razin there, and then was released by the tsar with honors.

Later, the Ottomans and Crimeans again ousted the Russians from the Caucasus and began to consider the Kabardians their subjects, but during the Persian campaign of Peter the Great, the Kabardians sided with the Russian emperor. And since they kept all the other mountain tribes in dependence, Russia was so concerned about maintaining friendly relations with Kabarda that, according to the Belgrade peace, it recognized its territory as free.

Historians of that time wrote that the Kabardians enjoyed great influence in the Caucasus, as evidenced even by the manners and fashions of that time. The expression "he is dressed" or "he rides", "like a Kabardian" sounded in the mouths of all neighboring mountain peoples as the greatest praise.

After joining the Russian Empire Kabarda became part of the Nalchik district of the Terek region, and the name "sovereign of the Kabardian land" was added to the title of Russian emperors.

Dinner is lunch, and the war is on schedule

The Kabardino-Circassian language spoken by this people belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group.

Until the middle of the 19th century, the Kabardians did not have their own written language. On March 14, 1855, Umar Bersey, the great Adyghe educator, linguist, scientist, writer and fabulist, compiled and published the first "Primer of the Circassian language" using Arabic graphics. But since 1936, the Kabardians switched to the Cyrillic alphabet.

Until 1917, Kabardian society consisted of the following estates. The smallest are the princes (Atazhukins, Didanovs, Elbuzdukovs, Misostovs, Karamurzins, Nauruzovs, Dokshukins). Then the higher nobility (Kudenetovs, Anzorovs and Tambievs). Up to 25% of the population were ordinary nobles (kabardey-workers), the rest were free people and former freedmen.

The traditional occupation of the Kabardians is arable farming, gardening, and horse breeding. The Kabardian breed of horses even gained worldwide fame. Kabardians also traditionally excel in blacksmithing, weapons and jewelry, as well as in gold embroidery.

They weave cloth from wool and make clothes from felt - in particular, a hood and a cloak - male elements of a traditional costume.

The festive "Circassian" women's costume differed among different classes, but was always richly decorated. Girls from poor families sewed their own clothes from homespun cloth, and those that were richer from expensive fabrics brought from Europe and the East. One dress took up to five meters of material, because fitted from the waist, it expanded to the bottom due to wedges.

On ordinary days, Kabardian women wore a long toe-length swing dress, bloomers, a tunic-shaped shirt, silver and gold belts and bibs, a cap embroidered with gold and morocco boots.

The national men's costume is a Circassian coat with a stacked silver belt, a dagger, a hat, morocco boots with leggings, and a cloak on top.

The costume of a noble Kabardian has always included edged weapons. A dagger and a sword were attached to a leather belt decorated with copper and silver plaques. Daggers also served them as amulets; men used them to perform various rituals. The rider, in addition, carried a bow with a quiver for arrows.

For food, Kabardians used mainly boiled and fried lamb, beef, turkey and chicken, sour milk and cottage cheese. For the holidays, Kabardians prepared the traditional festive low-alcohol drink makhsyma from millet flour with malt.

In general, the culture of the Kabardians, especially their traditional men's costume and the national methods of saddle riding and horse riding passed from father to son, have always been well adapted to their military life. Therefore, the traditional entertainment of this people often also had a paramilitary character. This is shooting at fixed and moving targets and at a gallop, the fight of riders for a sheepskin, games in which men on foot armed with sticks try to defeat the horsemen.

Kabardian folklore is also rich in historical and heroic songs.

People of the Sun and Allah

The traditional Kabardian family is based on the subordination of the younger to the elders, and women to men. Relative and neighborly mutual assistance is very important in the culture of this people. The traditional rules of family etiquette are largely preserved among the Kabardians to this day.

Like all Circassians, the ancient Kabardians believed that the world consists of three levels (upper, middle and lower), they worshiped the sun and lived according to the solar calendar, where New Year started with spring equinox, and also revered the Mistress of the Rivers (Psykhhue Guashche), the Mistress of the Forest (Mez Guashche) and Kodes (Kledyshche) - a mythological Fish with a golden tail that holds the Black Sea on its shores. They had a cult of the "Golden Nart Tree", which connects heaven and earth, as well as nature and man, they distinguished between good and evil, male and female, "smart" and "stupid", virtuous and insidious tree species, they worshiped cult animals and used animals for sacrifice.

Since the 15th century, the influence of Islam has been growing in the Caucasus, which gradually replaced the pagan and Christian beliefs of the Kabardians. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Circassians began to borrow religion from Crimean Khanate, which became the strongest ally of the Ottoman Empire.

At present, Kabardians, both in Russia and abroad, profess Sunni Islam and adhere to the principles of the legal school of the Hanafi madhhab. However, part of the Kabardians living in the Mozdok region of North Ossetia remained Orthodox.

Elena Nemirova

Kabardians (self-name - Adyge), the people of the Adyghe group, the main population of Kabardino-Balkaria (Russia). They live mainly in its flat and foothill parts (they make up the majority of the population of the Chegemsky, Urvansky, Leskensky, Tersky, Zolsky, Baksansky districts and the city of Nalchik). They also live compactly in the villages of Khodz, Blechepsin and Koshekhabl, Koshekhablsky and the village of Ulyap in the Krasnogvardeisky districts of Adygea; after the construction of the Mozdok fortress (1763) - in Mozdok and the Mozdok region of North Ossetia (about 8 thousand people - 2007, estimate; according to the 2002 census - 2.9 thousand people) and the adjacent Kursk region of the Stavropol Territory (about 10 thousand people; according to the 2002 census - 6.6 thousand people) - Mozdok Adygs (Mazdagu Adyga). The number in Russia is 520 thousand people, including 498.7 thousand people in Kabardino-Balkaria (2002, census). They also live in Turkey, Syria, Jordan (they are called "Circassians", "Circassians"), in the countries of Europe, Africa and America. The total number is 580 thousand people (2008, estimate). They speak the Kabardino-Circassian language.

96.8% also speak Russian. Believers are mostly Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi madhhab; Mozdok Kabardians are Orthodox.

They go back to one of the divisions of the Adyghe population of the Central Caucasus, identified with the eastern branch of the Kasogs. The distant ancestors of the Kabardians can be considered the Khebars mentioned in the "History" of Movses Khorenatsi in the 5th-7th centuries. According to another version, their ancestors moved in the 13th-14th centuries from the Western Caucasus. From the 15th-16th century, Kabardians (“Kabardian Circassians”) were known as part of the “Pyatigorsk Circassians”, who dominated the mountains and steppe foothills from the Laba (the left tributary of the Kuban) to the lower reaches of the Terek.

Traditional culture, common with other Adyghe peoples, is typical of the peoples of the Caucasus (see the article Asia). The main traditional occupations are arable farming and pasture cattle breeding. They bred horses, cattle, sheep (coarse-haired fat-tailed breed), goats. The Kabardian breed of horses is famous with two main varieties - Shagdi and Sholokh, adapted to various forms of combat. Traditionally, oxen were used as draft animals. From the 2nd half of the 19th century, horses were also harnessed to carts and their division into riding (wanesh) and draft (shygush) appeared. The movement of livestock and its maintenance on mountain pastures was regulated by customary law with a clear distribution of roles.

The main agricultural crop is millet, from the 17th and 18th centuries wheat and corn also spread. Until the beginning of the 20th century, shifting agriculture dominated. They plowed with a heavy plow (phaasha), which was borrowed by other peoples of the North Caucasus under the name of the Kabardian, or Circassian, plow. The plow team (veraviy) usually consisted of 8 oxen. Small families united in a spouse (dzei). Beekeeping was developed (honey and wax were the most important Circassian exports). Traditional crafts are weaving mats from reeds, making cloth (Kabardian cloaks are widely known), gold-embroidery and jewelry making, making knives and firearms (in the 17th century, Kabardian gunsmiths were invited to Moscow by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich), woodcarving (round tripod tables ana , dishes, dwelling details, etc.) and stone (tombstones decorated with a family tamga).

Traditional settlements (kuazhe) had a scattered layout and consisted of an average of 100 households. In the center were a meeting square with a mosque and a cemetery. In 1865-68, the Russian administration carried out the enlargement of Kabardian settlements (kuazhezahokhus - corralling of villages into one place): out of 126 settlements that survived after the Caucasian War, 44 remained; the inhabitants of the old settlements formed quarters (khabla) with a mosque and a cemetery in a new place, which received a separate name; quarters were divided into patronymic areas, previously surrounded by a wall. The estate (pshante) was inhabited by a large patriarchal family (unagoshkho zekhes), numbering up to 60 people with servants (lagonout, unaut). The estate included a guest yard with kunatskaya (khachesh).

The dwelling (une) is turluch with a reed roof and two entrances: for men (gupebzha) - from the side of the facade and for women (hegogubzha, shygogushkhagubzha) - from the opposite side. Parents with minor children lived in the house (unashkho). For adult children, separate premises were built (for sons - a lagoon, for daughters - a pshashaguna). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, long houses (unachi) with an unashkho in the center became widespread; rooms for small families had separate entrances; along the house was a canopy on poles. The room was heated by a hearth with a smoker at the entrance. Behind the hearth was the honorary part of the house (zhanta) with the master's bed (with high carved walls on three sides), covered with carpets or mats; a prayer rug (namazlyk) hung by the hearth, shelves with ceremonial dishes and household utensils occupied the back wall. They ate at small three-legged tables that hung on the wall the rest of the time.

Men's clothing - pants tucked into felt and leather leggings, beshmet (captal), cherkeska (tsey), cloak, hat (in the late 19th - early 20th century - cone-shaped, from the 1930s - expanding upwards), hood. Women wore bloomers (guenshej) and a shirt (jane); dark red, black or blue caftan (chikgryb) with silver and gold decorations: bibs (chiku), shoulder pads (damatel), chains (blarips), bells on the sides (lanyko chiku); swing dress (boscey) with a silver or gold belt (bgyrypkh). For a noble girl, a thin waist and a flat chest were considered beautiful, so after 10-12 years they wore a corset (konshaba) with wooden plates, which was not removed day or night (it was removed by the groom on their wedding night). Young women wore a high hat decorated with gold (dyshapya, literally - a golden hat); after the birth of the first child, the head was tied with a dark scarf (the ends were passed behind the braids and then tied with a special knot on the crown) and on top with a light shawl. Traditional clothing existed until the middle of the 20th century, then it was preserved as a festive (wedding) one, and since the beginning of the 21st century it has been revived as an elegant costume.

The main food is thick porridge made from millet (paste) or cornmeal (mamaliga), cornmeal cakes, boiled (often whole carcass bgue) or spit-roasted lamb, chicken meat, cheese, seasonings from garlic, sour milk and flour. Kabardians do not eat pork, mushrooms, they eat little fish, herbs, spices. Festive drink - buza (makhsima) from millet flour.

The head of the family was the eldest man (une thamada). None of the family members could sit at the same table with him, with the exception of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whose upbringing and primary socialization (shangasa, gasapathyda) lay on thamada. His wife (una guasha - “princess of the house”) is considered the head of the female half of the family, she can communicate more closely and naturally with children and daughters-in-law. A system of kinship terms of a bifurcative-linear type with an abundance of descriptive constructions. Siblings are denoted by one term with the addition of sex indicators. Families are united into patrilineal clans (lapk) and patronymics (zaunakosh), owning tribal signs (tamga). The formal head of the clan is the eldest man in the family, the real manager of the clan's affairs (lapk unafash) is also distinguished. Each person must know his family tree up to the 7th generation, naming the names of 7 paternal ancestors from the bottom up (adacible) or from top to bottom (tlaugible). Relatives from the maternal side (anesh) are also revered. The class affiliation of a person was determined by the mother. A narrow circle of closest relatives (ly - flesh, zel - single, common flesh) and in-laws (goods) is specially distinguished. Since the end of the 20th century, congresses (lapk zaucha) have been held, newspapers of individual related associations have been published, etc.

The traditional ideology of the Kabardians is based on the ethics of warrior-workers (uerkyg'e), in the center of which is the concept of knightly honor (uerk'nape). The customs of tribal exogamy, atalism, and kunachestvo were preserved.

The rite of hospitality was extremely developed. Blood feud was often replaced by a ransom (tliuasa - payment for blood) or the establishment of fictitious kinship relations: the adoption of the killer by the family of the murdered or the upbringing of the child kidnapped from the family of the murdered by the family of the killer.

Marriage was carried out through matchmaking, kidnapping or imitation of bride kidnapping. The bride often lived for several weeks in a temporary dwelling (tesharash) with the groom's friends, after which she was solemnly brought to her parents' house and had a wedding (hagotligo); during this period, the bride and groom avoided meeting with relatives, seeing each other only at night secretly under the protection of a friend (shaokot). The wedding cycle ended with the introduction of the bride to the groom's house and her acquaintance with his female relatives.

Pre-Muslim beliefs and the pantheon are preserved: the creator god Thashkho, the deity of fertility Thagalej, the patron of hunting Mazitha, lightning - Shible, the patron of warriors and travelers Zekutkha, blacksmiths - Tlepsha, etc .; elements of Christian cults - the Virgin Mary, the martyr George, Elijah the prophet. Until the 19th century, the Holy Cross was venerated; there were rites of calling rain, sacrifices.

Oral creativity is typical for all Adyghe peoples, close to other peoples of the North Caucasus and partly Transcaucasia (Abkhazians, Georgians). The Nart epic is performed in recitative, with or without instrumental accompaniment. The song style is characterized by two-voice: the soloist's singing against the background of a choral bourdon (hedgehog). The tradition of circular table singing is widespread. Round dance (uji), slow pair (kafa), fast solo and pair (mazdagu, islamei) dances were accompanied by the sound of an instrumental ensemble, often also by singing. The dances were arranged in accordance with a strict order: the girls and boys stood in two rows opposite each other, and the guys had their own steward (shala hatiyako), the girls had a steward (pshasha hatiyako). At the direction of the chief leader of the dances (dzhagupsh, hatiyako), who stood in the center of the circle with a rod in his hand, the soloists were led out - a guy and a girl. At each festival, a group of older men chose a "beauty queen" (pshasha daha).

Lit .: Studenetskaya E. N. Kabardians and Circassians // Peoples of the Caucasus. M., 1960. T. 1; Gardanov V.K. The social system of the Adyghe peoples (XVIII - the first half of the XIX century). M., 1967; Mambetov G.Kh. Material culture of the rural population of Kabardino-Balkaria. Nalchik, 1971, Kantaria M.V. From the history of the economic life of Kabarda. Tb., 1982 (in Georgian); Kazharov V.Kh. Traditional social institutions of the Kabardians and their crisis in the late 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. Nalchik, 1994; Bgazhnokov B. Kh. Adyghe ethics. Nalchik, 1999.