[Republic of Ingushetia - official. name since 1992], subject of the Russian Federation. Territory - 3.6 thousand square meters. km. The capital is Magas (Ingush - city of the sun). Geography. I. is located in the north. slopes of the Greater Caucasus Range, in its central part. It is divided into 3 natural soil-climatic zones: steppe with chernozem soils, occupying the northern. part of the republic; forest-steppe with a predominance of medium-thick chernozems, occupying the south. Part; mountain meadow zone with appropriate soils. The length of the Caucasus Mountains on the territory of India is approx. 150 km. The republic is crossed from south to north by the Terek and Assa rivers, and from west to east by the Sunzha. The climate is continental. I. borders with Georgia, Chechnya, North. Ossetia. It is part of the Southern Federal District.
Population
According to the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation (2008), approx. 530 thousand people, representatives of 71 nationalities, among them: Ingush - 83%, Chechens - 11.2, Russians - 4.0 and others - 1.8%. The name of the republic comes from the name of the population (Ingush - from the name of the village of Angusht) with the addition of cargo. suffix -eti, meaning “place where they live.” The self-name of the people is “galgai” (gIalgIay).
Administrative structure
I. includes 4 districts, 4 cities (number of inhabitants as of January 1, 2002, thousand people): Nazran (132.2), Malgobek (44), Karabulak (34), Magas (0.3), 48 rural administrations . units. System of government bodies power is determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Ingushetia of 1994.
Religion
The overwhelming majority of the population of India are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi'i madhhab. In the republic (according to the Spiritual Administration of Islamic Muslims) there are 148 mosques, 29 religious and educational institutions, 28 madrasahs and an Islamic Institute (since 1993). Christianity is also practiced. On the territory of India there are 3 parishes of the Stavropol and Vladikavkaz diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church: in the villages of Ordzhonikidze, Trinity, and in the city of Karabulak.
Story
Ancient archaeological sites on the territory of modern I. (near the villages of Plievo, Gamurzievo) belongs to the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian). Mesolithic and Neolithic monuments are not highlighted. In the early Bronze Age, communities of the Maikop, Kura-Araks and Catacomb cultures interacted here (near the village of Muzhichi (formerly Lugovoe)). The antiquities of the North Caucasian culture date back to the 3rd millennium BC; they were replaced by monuments close to the monuments of the Ginchin culture. At the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennia BC, the Eastern Koban group (culture) of the Koban culture (community), represented by the Psedakh burial ground and the Keskem treasure, spread in mountainous India; in the VI-V centuries. BC, the features of the Scythian-Sauromatian cultures (Lugovoi and Nesterovsky burial grounds), and later the Sarmatian circle, intensified in it. Early written information about the ancestors of the Ingush dates back to the 1st millennium BC. In cargo. sources include such ethnonyms as “gligvi”, “dzurdzuki”, “kist”, “gelavi”. The “Kartlis Tskhovreba” (a collection of Georgian chronicles) reports that the most ancient ancestor of the Nakh peoples (Ingush, Chechens (including Akkins and Kists), Batsbis) was the legendary “Kavkas”. And his destiny was the territory “from the Lomeki River to the borders of the Caucasus in the west.” Ossetians call the Ingush “makkalon” (tribe of kites), and Kabardians call them “michkish”. In Russian They are known in history under the names “Kishta”, “Kalkan” and “Ingush”. Local culture I - early II millennium was closely connected with the Sarmatians, including the Alans (some researchers believe that “Vainakhs” (“Dzurdzuks”) and “Alans” are different names for one people (Ya. S. Vagapov, M. B. Muzhukhoev, R. D. Arsanukaev, N. D. Kodzoev, etc.)). Modern historians believe that by the end. V century On the territory of Alanya, 2 ethnocultural groups emerged: Western (Asdigor), localized in the upper reaches of the modern. Kuban, Pyatigorye and modern. Balkaria, and the eastern - Proto-Ironians (Irkhan), located on the territory of modern. North Ossetia, I. and Chechnya. In 550-551 Eastern Alans together with Savirs as part of the Persians. troops invaded Colchis, and in 562 they made a campaign to the East. Georgia. Finds of Sasanian coins in the territory of the East. Alanya is also said to have close ties with Persia. Zap. The Alans traditionally maintained friendly relations with the Byzantine Empire. From 558 to 572 Byzantium. historians mention the “leader”, “king” of the West. Alans Saroziya (Sarodia, Saroy) - a friend and ally of the Romans. In the end V century territory of modern I. along with other areas of the Northern. The Caucasus was invaded by nomads from the Center. Asia - the Huns. Some of the Alans who lived in the steppe regions were destroyed, some, together with the Huns, went on campaigns to the West. Europe, and the rest moved south, closer to the mountains. Starting from this time, nomads of various ethnicities appeared in the Caucasus: Bulgarians, Utrigurs and Kutrigurs, later Avars, Savirs, and the Turks took a dominant position. In the 5th century Bolg developed here. union of Turkic tribes. The Khazars, who first appeared in the Ciscaucasia during the period of the Hunnic invasion, in the middle. VI century were included in the Turkic Kaganate. K con. 70s VI century Alans (probably inhabitants of the plains and foothills) became dependent on the Turkic Khaganate. The basis for this may have been their allied relations with the Avars (in 558, the Alan king Sarozius helped the Avar ambassador get to K-field). All R. VII century The Khazar Khaganate arose on the ruins of the Turkic state. With its strengthening east. The Alans who owned the Daryal Pass became dependent on the Khazars and became their tributaries (the eastern part of Alania was part of the Kaganate as a special administrative-territorial unit, in which the headquarters of the Kagan’s governor was located and the Khazar army was permanently stationed). Control over this and other passes in Transcaucasia played a strategically important role for the Khazars, especially during the Arab-Khazar period. wars (mid 7th century). Arab-Khazar. the wars led to the weakening of the Khazar Kaganate, and in the end. 9th century The Alans were able to regain political independence. In the end IX - beginning X century A struggle broke out between Byzantium and Khazaria for influence over Alania. The Byzantines began missionary activity among the Alans, trying to convert them to Christianity and thereby strengthen their alliance. The Byzantines managed to spread Christianity among parts of the West. Alans, but still during the Byzantine-Khazar era. wars in 913-914. The Alans supported the Khazars and played a decisive role in the defeat of the Byzantines. army. But it's ok. 932 The Alans went to war against the Khazars. Having suffered defeat, the Alans, under pressure from the Khazars, renounced Christianity and expelled the Byzantines. priests. The Khazar Kaganate was finally destroyed in the 10th century. as a result of the campaign of the Russian squad. book Svyatoslav in 965
In the 13th century. North The Caucasus, including the territory of India, was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars and became part of the Golden Horde. In the end XIV century Tamerlane (1336-1405) penetrated into the foothills of India, into the region of modern. the villages of Galashki, Muzhichi, Dattykh, Angusht. In the beginning. XV century Ingush settle along the valleys of the Sunzha, Nazranka, Kambileevka, and Achaluk rivers. But in the 2nd half. XVI century as a result of the Kabard campaign. book Temryuk (Dec. 1562), supported by the Nogai Murzas and Russians. Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, the Ingush were again forced to go to the mountains. In the mountains, societies based on a territorial principle—shahars—developed. A number of societies (self-governing rural communities or their associations) are known from written sources - Kyakalinskoye (Galgaevskoye), Tsorinskoye, Feppinskoye (Kistinskoye), Dzhairakhovskoye. In the beginning. XVII century The Ingush began to return to the forest and forest-steppe, the migration took place along the gorges of the Fortanga, Assa, Terek, Sunzha, Kambileevka rivers and continued until the 1st half. XIX century In the 19th century societies merged into a single Ingush. people and their modern territory was determined. resettlement.
In the 17th century some of the lowland Ingush societies were recognized as a neutral zone between the Russian and Ottoman empires. Since the 40s XVIII century Contacts of the Ingush began with the administration of Russian border fortresses (Kizlyar, Mozdok, etc.), some Ingush clans accepted Russian citizenship, signing an oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire. According to the Kyuchyuk-Kainardzhi Treaty of 1774, the territory of settlement of Ingush societies became part of the Russian Empire. To develop and manage new lands, the Azov-Mozdok (Caucasian) fortified line was built in 1774; the Russian government began to resettle residents from the central provinces here (the largest number of people were resettled to the Terek in 1880-1890). Aug 22 (September 3) 1810 the “Act of Surety” was signed, according to which a number of Ingush. clans living in the Tara Valley, accepted Russian citizenship, pledging to protect the area of the Georgian Military Road and provide military assistance to the Russian Empire in the region. They were given the right to use lands along the right bank of the river. Terek. In 1810, a Russian fortress was erected near the village of Nazran.
In 1822, the territory of modern India became part of the Caucasus region, February 8(20). 1860 - part of the Terek region, March 24 (April 5) 1888 - part of the formed Sunzha department of the Terek region. In the 40s XIX century along the river Sunzha, the construction of fortresses of the Sunzhenskaya fortified line began between the fortresses of Vladikavkaz and Grozny, the Cossack villages of the Terek Cossack army were founded - Troitskaya (1845), Karabulakskaya (1859), Sunzhenskaya (now Ordzhonikidzevskaya, 1850), etc. As of 1879, on the territory of 3 Ingush. adm. areas (Sunzhensky, Nazranovsky, Achalukovsky), which were part of the Vladikavkaz region, there were 12 Orthodox churches. Since 1888, the urban population, along with the Cossacks, submitted militarily and civilly to the ataman. The population of the Sunzhensky area was multinational (according to the All-Russian Population Census of 1897, Ingush made up 40%, other peoples included Kabardians, Ossetians, Russians, Chechens). In 1905, the Nazran district was formed on the lands of the Sunzhensky site. with its center in Vladikavkaz.
During the civil war of 1917-1922. The confrontation between the Cossacks and the local urban population resulted in armed clashes. One part of the population supported the Terek Soviet Republic formed in the region in March 1918, the other part supported the Mountain Republic (May 1918 - May 1919). During the North Caucasus operation of the Red Army in 1920, the territory of modern. I. was occupied by the Red Army troops. 20 Jan. 1921 The Terek Soviet Republic was abolished, part of its territory, including the Nazran region, became part of the formed Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1924, an autonomous region was formed from part of the territory of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Ingushetia (as part of the South-Eastern region), in the same year transformed into the Ingush Autonomous Region. as part of the North Caucasus region. Adm. center - Vladikavkaz (had the rights of a separate district of the region, and was also the administrative center of the North Ossetian Autonomous Region). Ingush Autonomous Region. was divided into 4 districts: Galashkinsky (Asinovsky), Nazranovsky, Prigorodny, Psedakhsky (Achaluksky). In 1934 it was merged with the Chechen Autonomous Region. to the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region, which in 1936 was renamed the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
On Sept. 1942 zap. part of the territory of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was occupied by fascist German troops, in January. 1943 liberated during the North Caucasus operation. 31 Jan In 1944, decree (GKO USSR) No. 5073 was adopted on the abolition of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and on the deportation of its population to Sr. Asia and Kazakhstan. In 1944, after the deportation of the Ingush and Chechens, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished, part of its territory became part of the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The Chechens and Ingush were accused of aiding and turning to the fascist occupiers. authorities asking for autonomy.
9 Jan 1957 The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decided to restore the autonomy of the Chechens and Ingush and allow their return to their former place of residence. At the same time, the Prigorodny district and part of the Malgobek district remained in the North. Ossetia, the Ingush returned here from exile, which became one of the reasons for the armed Ossetian-Ingush. conflict in Oct.-Nov. 1992 As compensation, 3 districts of the Stavropol Territory, inhabited by Terek Cossacks, were transferred to the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On Nov. 1990 The Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic adopted a declaration of state sovereignty, and in May 1991 renamed it the Chechen-Ingush Republic. 1 Oct. 1991 The Provisional Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Republic proclaimed the division of the Chechen-Ingush Republic into a sovereign Chechen Republic and the Ingush Autonomous Republic within the RSFSR. On Dec. In 1991, at a national referendum, the Ingush confirmed that India is part of the Russian Federation. 26 Apr In 1991, the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation adopted the Law “On the Rehabilitation of Repressed Peoples,” and on June 4, 1992, the Law “On the Formation of the Ingush Republic within the Russian Federation.” 28 Feb. In 1993, the 1st President I.-R. Aushev was elected. From 31 Oct. In 2008, the post of President of I. is occupied by Yu. Evkurov.
Archaic beliefs
Evidence of totemism is preserved in the toponymy of I. - the names of villages in the mountainous part of the republic: Erzi (eagle), Akh-Borz (wild wolf), Ovlurg (lamb), etc. The Ingush especially revered the bear, wolf, deer, wild boar, eagle , hoopoe, weasel, etc. According to Caucasus expert E.I. Krupnov, one of the most revered animals among the Ingush was the deer: its antlers were hung over the house and placed in rooms as amulets. The wolf was no less respected: meeting him meant a happy journey. The praise “He is as brave as a wolf” was the husband’s highest praise. valor. The Vainakhs had various beliefs associated with birds, therefore many. ornithonims entered the name book. In folklore, the bird is the embodiment of purity and kindness. The hoopoe was considered a sacred bird - the beginning of spring and the birth of a new life were associated with its appearance. Among the Ingush, the cult of the blessed bird - the dove (fara khazilg) - was widespread. Animism among the Ingush was associated with the veneration of local mountains (Myat-Loam (Dining Room), Besh-Loam (Kazbek), etc.), sacred groves, pastures, rocks, stones, rivers and waterfalls. The cult of the hearth occupied a significant place in the Ingush belief system. According to the Vainakhs, the home is a sacred place, it is inviolable. Not only the hearth itself, but also the hearth chain, fire, ash and soot on the ceiling were considered sacred. The more kettles there were in the teip (tribal community), the stronger and more honorable it was considered. Until now In time, one of the most terrible curses sounds like: “Let your father’s hearth go out.” The name of the house in Ingush corresponds to the words “fire” and “hearth”.
Magic in the system of religions. ideas of the Ingush, as a rule, was associated with economic activity. So, for example, in times of drought, the Ingush resorted to the ritual of mystagudarg, the essence of which was to make rain by mummers surrounded by children and teenagers. They were driven around the village, dousing them with water. Magical actions were used in animal husbandry, hunting, craft production, and treatment. Local healers used amulets and amulets made from the horns and teeth of wild animals, because the Ingush believed that a person could be harmed by a word or a look. Malicious magic used shoes, a piece of clothing of the intended victim, an image, nail and hair clippings. From here came 2 main expressions: “resentment” (kham) and “evil eye” (bIarg). To treat these “diseases,” a ritual has been preserved, the essence of which is that a woman measures a piece of material (elbow) and, pronouncing the name of the “patient,” reads a special prayer to the pagan goddess Sela Sata. If the size of the “elbow” increases, then it means that the person has an “evil eye” or “resentment.” Love love magic has become widespread. It included actions aimed at bewitching a loved one or husband: fortune-telling, treating donkey meat, sewing spells into clothes, the tongue of a lizard, etc. Fortune telling on a lamb shoulder and pebbles was especially common. Beliefs, magical rituals and formulas were systematized in “star books” (sedqa zhaynazh). Their contents were kept secret from the uninitiated and interpreted by sorcerer astrologers (hyezha nah), who were endowed with mysterious witchcraft powers. In addition, the ancient Ingush believed in the existence of evil and good spirits. They believed that each person has his own spirit that protects him - a double, a guardian spirit (taram). The spirit of diseases was called “the mother of diseases” (una-nanilg). She was presented as a plain-looking woman with a knapsack over her shoulders. There were conspiracies and a ritual of praising the disease (lazar hyestar), which was accompanied by chants, dances, and sacrifices.
The Ingush had a ritual of initiation into a man, when the tested young man had to lift a “black stone” in order to turn into a man: “It (the black stone) was constantly kept in the sanctuary on Tsey-Loam, from where the priest took it out only on the days of competitions” (see. : Bazorkin I. M. Collected works: In 6 volumes. Magas, 2001. T. 1: From the Darkness of Ages).
The dead were buried no earlier than 3-4 days after death, being confident that the spirit of the deceased remained with the body on earth for 3 days and only then departed with the buried body either to the grave (an earlier belief) or to the underworld. The deceased was dressed in a clean new dress and, fully armed, with a hat on his head and a burka on his shoulders, was lowered into the grave. Near him, a damask of araki was placed in a hole and 3 chureks (flat cakes) were placed so that the deceased would not need anything on the way to the next world and could give gifts to anyone. Then they brought the horse in full trim to the grave and the end of the bridle was given into the hands of the deceased. The horse was led around the grave 3 times, and one of the old men read a prayer dedicating the horse to the deceased.
Pantheon
The deities were divided according to the degree of significance and prevalence of their cults into tribal, regional, rural and family-family. The Pantheon was headed by the Ingush. Dala (Deeds, Dalla) - demiurge, creator of all things: he created heaven and earth and everything on it, man and woman; he is the creator of goodness, justice and beauty, possessing omnipotent power (Tankiev A. Kh. Spiritual towers of the Ingush people: Collection of articles and materials about folk culture. Saratov, 1997. P. 21). Dala is always fair, because he acts according to the laws of supreme expediency, which cannot be comprehended by the human mind (“the secrets of Dala”). His actions can be both rewarding and punitive, but a person “cannot change the fate destined for Dala.” Murmuring or outrage at Dal's actions was considered sacrilege. No mortal is worthy of seeing Dal; he is so dazzling that one glance cast at him can deprive a person of his sight forever. Not even all of the deities were given the honor of seeing him. The few for whom an exception was made was the spring deity Tusholi-tsu. Her cult, associated with the revival of nature and fertility, was in many ways reminiscent of the cult of Cybele in Phrygia and other pagan deities in the religions of Others. East. Tusholi is the only Vainakh deity that had an image. The holiday in honor of Tusholi was held in March-April. (Tusholi Butt), when a hoopoe flew to the mountains, which was called “Tusholi chicken” and was never killed. During the late Middle Ages, the cult of Tusholi was transformed; She began to be worshiped primarily by childless women, hoping to receive the help of the goddess. In the ancient beliefs of the Ingush, the following names of deities are recorded: TsIuv - one of the later main gods; Sela - the god of thunder and lightning, hence “selaIad” - “Sela’s bow” (rainbow); Segal - god of the sky; Sata is the daughter of the god Sela (Sela Sata), the oriole is the patroness of brides, helping the Nakh Prometheus (Pkhyarmat) to steal fire from his father; Tusholi - goddess of childbirth, idol of women; Gushmali is one of the gods; Hi-nana - mother of water; Elta is the patron of bread and hunting; Furke - goddess of the winds; Erd - one of the gods; Aza is the daughter of the sun (according to other sources, the mother of the sun and the patroness of all life on earth), she was honored 2 times a year, on the days of the winter and summer solstice; Kinch is the mother of the moon, but the cult of the moon was not as popular as in the East; the goddess of blizzards Dardza-nanilg was considered the mother of the “7 sons”, who were stars from the constellation Ursa Major; Elta is the god of hunting and cereals, the son of the god Sel, the patron of hunters and wild animals, often takes the form of a white deer.
One of the main places of pagan worship in India was Table Mountain. There were 3 pagan sanctuaries dedicated to 3 “patrons” of I.: Myatseli, Myater-Dala and women. to the deity Suson-Dala. The mountain was considered sacred: due to natural conditions, it blocked the path to mountainous India for cold winds. On the day of the summer solstice, a festival was held on Table Mountain in honor of 3 deities. Residents of I. and neighboring regions (Khevsureti, Mokhevi, Ossetia, Tusheti) climbed the mountain with sacrificial animals and offered prayers to Myatseli and other deities for health and well-being in agricultural affairs. The last priest of I. was Elmarz Khautiev, who lived 157 years - he fulfilled his religion. responsibilities until the 20s. XX century (see: Muzhukhoev M.B. Penetration of Islam to the Chechens and Ingush // Archaeological monuments of Checheno-Ingushetia. Grozny, 1979. P. 51).
Christianity
According to Church Tradition (recorded by Origen and Eusebius of Caesarea), in 40 St. ap. Andrew the First-Called preached Christian doctrine among the mountain peoples: Alans, Abazgs and Zikhs. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. John Chrysostom and later John Zonara and Theodore IV Balsamon mention the establishment in the 5th century. Christ hierarchy in the North. Caucasus. Later, a significant role in the spread of Christianity to the North. Georgia began to play in the Caucasus. Christianization of the North. Caucasus back in the 5th century. handled the load. king st. Vakhtang Gorgasali (Gurgen-Aslan). In the charter of the imp. Leo VI the Wise (866-912) contains information about the existence of the Tmutarakan and Nikop archdioceses and mentions the Alan metropolis. In 858, imp. Michael III sent Saints Cyril and Methodius to Khazaria to preach the Gospel (see Art. Seven). On the way from Byzantium to the Khazar Kaganate, they visited the North. Caucasus.
Abkhaz also contributed to the Christianization of the Alans. (Western Georgian) Tsar George II (922/9-957), to whom the K-Polish Patriarch Nicholas I the Mystic wrote: “You have put a lot of effort into enlightening the Alans and those who have been worthy of baptism.” Alanov baptized the Greek. missionary bishop Euthymius. Subsequently, the Alan diocese was established (first an archdiocese, then transformed into a metropolitanate). She occupied 61st place in the Polish Patriarchate and came after the Russian Metropolitan See. Alanian metropolitans traveled to K-pol to participate in church councils and maintained close communication with the Patriarchate. Archbishop Kharkov Macarius claims that according to the painting of Palaeologus in the 13th century. The Alanian metropolis was called Vichinskaya - after the name of the city in the Kuban. Arab. historian al-Masudi points out that the Alans “adopted Christianity during the time of the caliphs of the Abbasid dynasty, but after 932 they returned to paganism, expelling from their country the bishops and priests sent by the Byzantine emperor.” In the anonymous Persian geographical op. “Hudud al-Alem” (Borders of the World) reports about Alanya: “This region is in gorges and mountains; rich place; their king is a Christian. They have a thousand large villages; among the inhabitants there are Christians and idolaters, mountaineers and steppe dwellers.” The adoption of Christianity by the Alans contributed to the emergence of writing based on Greek. graphics (this is evidenced by the Zelenchuk inscription on the gravestone, dated to the mid-10th century). Modern historians B.V. Skitsky and M.S. Totoev claim that the Alans adopted Christianity between 921 and 925. In the 13th century. North The Caucasus was subject to the Mongol invasion. Circassians, Alans and other mountain peoples fell under the rule of conquerors who tried to forcibly spread Islam among them.
In the era from the reign of St. Tamara (1184-1213) before the reign of George V the Brilliant (1318-1346) from Georgia to the North. The Caucasus was penetrated by the builders of the ancient Christians. temples and preachers of Christianity, bringing with them church books, through which they carried cargo. writing spread in the local region. The legacy of that era is the cargo layer. vocabulary included in Ingush. language (for example, Javari-zhiar - cross, eglisi - elgats - temple). We especially note that Friday in Byzantium and Georgia was dedicated to St. Paraskeva (PIaraskivi-PIaraska). There are many facts about Christ. influence on the Ingush is given by I. Dakhkilgov (see in more detail: Dakhkilgov I. A. Vainakha Christian-pagan legend // Loaman Iuyre. 1977. No. 2).
In the 13th century. Georgia also entered into the fight against the Mongol-Tatars, and this suspended its missionary activities in the North. Caucasus. According to written sources, 1st half. XVII century, Georgia again made attempts to extend its influence to the North Caucasus. peoples, giving Special attention religious aspect. But they turned out to be ineffective: the pantheon of pagan deities remained all-powerful. As L.P. Semenov noted, “the new religious teaching, penetrating into the region, did not completely displace the previous one, but got along with it. Initially, this was expressed in dual faith (Christianity and paganism)... subsequently a triple faith developed, which persisted in the 18th-19th centuries.” (Semyonov L.P. Archaeological and ethnographic research in Ingushetia in 1925-1932. Grozny, 1963. P. 85). In 1638, King Teimuraz I of Kakheti (1606-1648) noted that he spent time in the Ingush. mountains for 2 months, baptized people, erected (restored) churches, that the local residents “obeyed me and brought me their old records, and I sealed them, and many were baptized, and now churches, icons and bells still stand” (quoted from: Genko A. N. From the cultural past of the Ingush // Western College of Orientalists, L., 1930. T. 5. P. 730-731). A number of historical sources testify to the existence of the Ingush. environment of Georgian-speaking religions. literature, including the Gospels kept in the Tkhaba-Erdy temple (Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). F. 800. Inventory 6. D. 154. Sheets 1-1 vol.). In 1896, G. A. Vertepov bought the parchment Psalter, which was located in the Tkhaba-Erdy temple (Vertepov G. A. In the Caucasus Mountains // Tersky Collection. Vladikavkaz, 1903. Issue 6. P. 118).
In the 18th century Russia began a policy of active expansion in the Caucasus, which included religious, military and economic components. The main reason was that Russia feared the strengthening of Turkey. In the 40s XVIII century By decree of Catherine II, the Ingush were accepted into Russian citizenship. In 1744, a commission was created to convert Ossetians and Ingush to Christianity. N.F. Grabovsky also pointed out that “back in 1744, our government drew attention to the Ingush, with the aim of restoring fallen Christianity among them. For this purpose, the government encouraged Georgian clergy who were engaged in the conversion of Ingush and Ossetians to Christianity” (quoted from: Grabovsky N.F. Economic and domestic life of residents of the Gorsky section of the Ingush district. Tiflis, 1870. Issue 3. P. 1 -32 (det. pag.); Same. 1876). Knowing that the tsarist administration was showing increased interest in the problem of Christianization of the highlanders (especially the population of the areas adjacent to the Georgian Military Road), the Ingush. the elders made statements about their desire to join Russia as opponents of Islam. Some of the representatives of individual Ingush. societies expressed their readiness to be baptized, which has been the case since the 70s. XVIII century became one of the diplomatic techniques of the Ingush. According to A. N. Genko, the Ingush at this time were against being “converted to Christianity; they asked and received curious permissions to continue in idolatry” (AKavAK. 1870. Vol. 4. P. 891). Official The declaration of belonging to one or another religion was determined by the Ingush “temporary circumstances of cultural and political orientation” (Ibid. p. 17). From the end XVII century I. was a picture of religions. chaos, where the views of different eras and various religions. systems were combined with each other. Paganism, Christianity and Islam were present here (see: Vakhushti Bagrationi. Geography of Georgia. Tiflis, 1904). The spread of Christianity in India came from the Holy Trinity Monastery near Vladikavkaz and from the spiritual center in Mozdok, where children of Ossetians and Ingush studied. Those who converted to Christianity were given material for a shirt and pants. According to Gen. Belovin at the address of the Exarch of Georgia, Archbishop. Evgenia (Bazhanova) dated July 17, 1842, “gifts, money and bread allowances given to converts attracted many to accept the village. baptism... Some of them, in order to take advantage of the said benefits, committed sacrilege to the point that they were baptized several times” (quoted from: Martirosian. 1933. P. 66). The mission to spread Orthodoxy among the Ingush was entrusted to Archimandrite. Pachomia. However, later, due to a number of reasons (unrest of the Kabardian princes, removal of Archimandrite Pachomius), this process was suspended for almost 10 years. In 1764, the Ingush were invited to move to the Azov-Mozdok line, and the imp. Catherine II 27 Sep. the same year, she ordered “the establishment of a school in the Mozdok tract, where the village is located from the newly baptized mountain peoples, for Ingush and other mountain peoples’ children, and the use of money from local income or from the interest of the Astrakhan bank for the maintenance of such a school.” The strengthening of Russia in this region, as well as the active policy of baptizing the mountain peoples of the Caucasus, worried Europe. countries. The Pope sent 2 Catholic priests with an interpreter to I. Catherine II responded with a decree to the Kizlyar commandant, so that Lieutenant Colonel Gak and Abbot Gregory announced “to the aforementioned priests about the preaching that is already happening in those peoples from this side, and therefore we should not allow other preachers there, so that they immediately left, and in the future they did not dare to come to the Kist people.”
S. M. Bronevsky, describing the beliefs of the Ingush in the beginning. XIX century, noted that “in ancient times, the Ingush, as well as all the Kmets, were Christians and were subject to the Georgian kings. Having fallen away from Christianity, they turned to their ancient worship of God; then Christianity arose again a short time, and, finally, the Ingush accepted the Mohammedan law, but at the same time they still adhere to a combination of pagan and Christian customs” (Bronevsky S.M. The latest geographical and historical news about the Caucasus. M., 1823. Part 2. P. 161). From the end XVII before the beginning XX century Orthodox activities hierarchs of the Astrakhan, Don and Caucasus (later Stavropol and Vladikavkaz) dioceses were focused on resolving 2 missionary tasks in the North. Caucasus, including in India: an external mission aimed at the non-religious mountaineers, and an internal mission addressed to the Russians. Orthodox to the population. On July 17, 1842 (according to another version - April 4, 1842, March 1, 1843) the Caucasian and Black Sea diocese was created (since March 8, 1886 Stavropol and Ekaterinodar, since 1994 Stavropol and Vladikavkaz). By 1917, on the territory of modern I. there were 15 Cossack villages with several. tens of thousands of Orthodox residents. confessions and more than 20 orthodoxies. temples. From 1919 to 1943, almost all Orthodox Christians. churches were closed and destroyed, clergy and monasticism were arrested. In the 40s - early. 50s Small prayer houses were opened in adapted buildings in the city of Karabulak, the villages of Ordzhonikidze, Troitskaya, and Voznesenskaya. All of them, except the church in honor of the Intercession of the Holy. The Virgin Mary in the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya were closed at the beginning. 60s Pokrovskaya c. became the center of Orthodoxy in India. In the 90s. Divine services resumed in the Trinity station and in Karabulak, but the main parish remained and remains the church in Ordzhonikidzevskaya. The largest Russian nation in India lives here. community. In 1999, 3 Orthodox. priests on the territory of I. were kidnapped by militants. Two were returned, and the third was the rector of Pokrovskaya Church. village of Ordzhonikidze prot. Pyotr Sukhonosov - was killed. Since May 2003, the Stavropol and Vladikavkaz department has been headed by Archbishop. Feofan (Ashurkov). Currently At the time, the deanery of the Republic of India is part of the Stavropol and Vladikavkaz diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 2007, it was translated into Ingush for the first time. language and the “Gospel of Luke” was published (circulation 1 thousand copies).
Islam
The question of when Islam penetrated into India is quite complex, because different mountain societies adopted the new religion at different periods. Presumably, the ancestors of the Ingush first encountered Islam in the 7th-9th centuries, during the Arab-Khazar era. wars in the Caucasus. Along with the military actions of the Arabs against the Alans in 723, the Islamization of the conquered territories took place, but only a few Alans became Muslims. General weakening of the Arab. influence led to the fact that the spread of Islam in the mountains ceased. The subsequent strengthening of Georgia and its increased influence on the mountaineers led to an increase in the importance of Christianity among them.
In the 13th century. All the lowland lands of the Ingush came under the rule of the Mongols. Under Khan Berke (1257-1266), Islam became the state. religion of the Golden Horde, but religious freedom was maintained in the territories conquered by the Mongols.
Contents of pre-Muslims. cults were supplemented with new properties, developed and complicated, for example. evolution of the Ingush cult. St. Mahal-Erdy, who, with the establishment of Islam in India, was included in the local Muslim pantheon of saints. In this regard, appropriate changes were made to his “life”: in particular, he was declared a native of Syria (Alborov B.A. Ingush “Galyerdy” and Ossetian “Alardy”: (On the question of Ossetian-Ingush cultural relations) // Izv. Ingush Research Institute of Local Studies. Vladikavkaz, 1928. Issue 1. pp. 349-430). In general, the Islamization of India began no earlier than the 2nd half. XVIII century As E.M. Schilling wrote, “even at the end of the 18th century... some Chechen clans took the oath not according to the Muslim formula, but in the names of their more ancient gods. Islam finally penetrated into Ingushetia even later. The last of the Ingush villages to convert to Islam was the village of Gvilety in 1861” (Shilling E.M. Ingush and Chechens // Religious Beliefs of the Peoples of the USSR. M.; Leningrad, 1931. T. 2. P. 10-11). Researchers believe that the final Islamization of India was carried out by Sheikh Kunta-haji Kishiev (1800 - May 19, 1867) from the Qadariyya Sufi order. In 1847, he arrived in lowland India, where the local residents accepted Islam and wird from him (a task that a student (murid) receives from a teacher (sheikh); in Chechnya and I. wird is also understood as the brotherhood of Sufis). The Qadaris in Chechnya and Iran received the name “Zikrists” because of the loud performance of dhikr (a special form of remembering Allah). In 1876, N.F. Grabovsky noted that “only now, after the conquest of Chechnya, the Ingush begin to become true Muslims, having in every village Chechen mullahs, students of Dagestan, who with particular zeal rushed to instruct the Ingush on the path of Islam” (Grabovsky. 1876 . P. 21). In the 80-90s. XIX century The Qadari brotherhoods are sharply politicized and become exponents of national liberation ideology. The brotherhoods not only passively resist the tsarist authorities, but also actively support the abreks, in particular the famous Zelimkhan. In an effort to suppress the Zikrists and eradicate the Abreks, in 1911 the authorities expelled a number of prominent Qadaris to the Tula province. (GARF. Police Department. 5th proceedings. D. 635. Part 2. L. 2). This made it possible to eliminate the Abreks in the region, but only intensified the confrontation between supporters of various Qadari virds and the tsarist authorities. Mountain Ingush. societies, in particular Galashkino, were Islamized earlier than the lowland ones. The Naqshbandiyya tariqa spread among them, especially strengthening among them during the Caucasian War, when the teachings of the order were official. ideology of the Shamil Imamate. At the end of the Caucasian War, the Naqshbandi sheikhs in the region showed themselves to be loyal to the tsarist regime, and therefore were not persecuted. They quickly rose to the ranks of the privileged elite, which even ensured some support from the authorities who sought to pit the Naqshbandis against the Qadaris. The events of 1917 led to a temporary alliance between the Bolsheviks and Sufis. They were united by their rejection of White Guard ideology. But, having come to power with the help of the tariqats, the Bolsheviks tried to quickly get rid of their former allies. Mn. Muslim representatives. the clergy were repressed. However, adherents of the Naqshbandi tariqa were in a more advantageous position and were subjected to several repressions. fewer Qadaris.
Expulsion of Chechens and Ingush February 23. 1944 in North. Kazakhstan did not weaken the influence of Sufi sheikhs, but, on the contrary, rallied the masses of believers around them. This became especially evident after the restoration of the Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. It was in this republic that the largest number of officials were located. unregistered mosques, but anti-religions. propaganda did not produce visible success.
Official The structure of Islam in India is also reinforced by unofficial. vird structure - the presence of Sufi orders-tarikat. Belonging to wird (brotherhood) is the most important element of Islamic identity. Currently Currently, there are 5 virds in operation in India, 4 of which are ustazs who are adherents of the Qadariyya Sufi order (about 90% of Muslim believers) and only one is of the Naqshbandiyya order. The ethical foundations of both tariqas are similar. The differences between them can be traced in the forms of rituals, primarily dhikr. The Qadaris practice loud dhikr - jahriyya, which is performed in the form of movement in a circle to the beat of rhythmic music and is accompanied by special exclamations. The Naqshbandis perform a quiet zikr - khufiya. In the process of coexistence in Iran, rivalry was observed between the tariqats based on the desire to maximize their influence. Nevertheless, the problem of confrontation between supporters of different tariqats and virds is not acute.
In April In 1994, the Islamic Institute named after was opened in India. cor. Saudi Arabia Abdul Aziz Fahd, allowing both men and women to receive higher spiritual education. Initially, the training was carried out by Arab teachers, but later they were replaced by local residents, since the previous teachers were guided by fundamentalist Islam in its Wahhabi interpretation, which was unacceptable in the republic, where awareness of one’s Islamic identity is inextricably linked with Sufi tariqas. But until now. Since then, students have been recommended books by Abu al-Ala al-Mawdudi and Muhammad bin Jamil Zinu, famous fundamentalist authors who also do not accept Sufism. In 1998, the Parliament of the Republic of Ingushetia adopted the Law “On the regulation of certain issues of religious and missionary activity in the Republic of Ingushetia”, prohibiting the activities of extremist religions. organizations (including Wahhabism), as well as propaganda of religions. discord.
Lit.: Akhriev Ch. Ingush: Their legends // Sat. information about the Caucasian highlanders. Tiflis, 1875. Issue. 8. Dept. 1. P. 1-40; Grabovsky N.F. Ingush (their life and customs) // Collection. information about the Caucasian highlanders. Tiflis, 1876. Issue. 9. Dept. 1. P. 1-111 (separate page); Khristianovich V. P. Mountain Ingushia. R.-n/D., 1928. P. 271-298; Shcheblykin I.P. The art of the Ingush in monuments of material culture // Izv. Ingush Research Institute of Local History. Vladikavkaz, 1928. Issue. 1. pp. 271-298; Martirosian G.K. History of Ingushetia. Ordzhonikidze, 1933; Krupnov E.I. Georgian temple “Tkhaba-Erdy” in the North. Caucasus // KSIIMK. 1947. Issue. 15. pp. 116-125; aka. Ancient history of the North. Caucasus. M., 1960; aka. What do the monuments of material culture of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic say? Grozny, 1961; aka. Medieval Ingushetia. M., 1971; Antiquities of Checheno-Ingushetia: [Sb. Art.]. M., 1963; Bazorkin M.M. Monuments of the Middle Ages in the mountainous Checheno-Ingushetia. [Grozny], 1964; Shabanyants N. Sh., Gorchakov V. A. Artists of Checheno-Ingushetia. L., 1965; Markovin V.I. In the country of the Vainakhs. M., 1969; Tataev V. A., Shabanyants N. Sh. Decorative and applied arts of Checheno-Ingushetia. Grozny, 1974; Goldstein A. F. Medieval architecture of Checheno-Ingushetia and In Checheno-Ingushetia: Putev. Grozny, 19802; Ethnography and questions of religious views of the Chechens and Ingush in the pre-revolutionary period: [Sb. Art.]. Grozny, 1981; Umarov S. Ts. Evolution of the main currents of Islam in Checheno-Ingushetia. Grozny, 1985; Aliroev I. Yu. Language, history and culture of the Vainakhs. Grozny, 1990; Vagapov Ya. S. Vainakhs and Sarmatians. Grozny, 1990; From the history of Islam in Checheno-Ingushetia: [Sb. Art.]. Grozny, 1992; Akaev V. Kh. Sheikh Kunta-Hadji: Life and Teachings. Grozny, 1994; Stone chronicle of the Vainakh country: [Photo album]. M., 1994; Repressed peoples of Russia: Chechens and Ingush: Documents, facts, comments. / Comp.: N. Bugai. M., 1994; Acts of the Caucasian Archaeology. Commission on Ingushetia and the Ingush. Nazran, 1995; Bugai N.F. et al. National-state. construction of the Russian Federation: North. Caucasus (1917-1941). Maykop, 1995; Muzhukhoev M. B. Ingushi. Saratov, 1995; Albakova F. Yu. The role of priesthood in the spiritual culture of the Ingush // New in the archeology and ethnography of Ingushetia. Nalchik, 1998. pp. 83-97; Kodzoev N. D. Alans. M., 1998; Berezhnoy S. E., Dobaev I. P., Krainyuchenko P. V. Islam in modern times republics of the North Caucasus. R.-n/D., 2002; Ingush in the wars of Russia in the 19th-20th centuries. / Comp.: A. U. Malsagov. Nalchik, 2002; Didigova I.B. Chechnya and Ingushetia: Territory, borders, management. M., 2003; Osmaev M.K., Aliroev I.Yu. History and culture of the Vainakhs. M., 2003; Chakhkiev D. Yu. Antiquities of mountainous Ingushetia. Nazran, 2003. T. 1; 2009. T. 2; Dalgat B.K. Primitive religion of the Chechens and Ingush. M., 2004; Zyazikov M. M. Traditional culture of the Ingush: History and modernity. R.-n/D., 2004; Voronin K.V., Malashev V.Yu. Funerary monuments of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of the lowland zone of the Republic. Ingushetia. M., 2006; Ignatov V. G., Butov V. I. Southern Russia and its regions: Modern times. state and development problems. R.-n/D., 2007.
K. M. Khanbabaev
MUSSA ZURABOV: “New facts are being revealed about the legendary Alan history of the Ingush people.
Published by magas.su on September 30, 2012
There are many known cases when people of Russian, Georgian, Armenian and other nationalities, having learned that their interlocutor was Ingush, declared: “If you knew your history, you would walk with your head held high.” The historical science that we studied at school and in higher educational institutions did not provide answers to questions related to these statements about the history of the Ingush.
The Internet and many publications of various foreign and Russian authors have helped us understand a small part of the glorious history of the Ingush people. The titanic efforts of Ossetian scientists, politicians and businessmen who published an immense number of works on the history of the Alans deserve gratitude. In an effort to appropriate legendary history of the Ingush people, they, without suspecting it themselves, armed us with irrefutable evidence that the Alans are Ingush.
In the summer of 2011, my nephew sent me from Moscow the book “Alans in Ancient and Medieval Written Sources” by Agusti Aleman. This book is the doctoral dissertation of the Spanish (Basque) Aleman, completed in 1997, and which contains written sources from 12 countries. In 2000, the book was published in English, and in 2003, Ossetians organized the translation and publication of the book in Russian. For the information of my compatriots, I inform you that this book can be easily and freely downloaded from the Internet. I advise you to first download and print the Chronological Table from this book. This table provides sensational information about the fate of the Alans (Ingush) from 107 to new era to 15th century AD. The book sets out facts indicating that the Alans fought throughout Europe, Transcaucasia and even North Africa. As a result of these campaigns, the Alans settled in almost all European countries. There are especially many Ingush left in Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. The book also states that the Alans and their capital Magas were conquered by the Mongols in 1239/40. Completely unexpected was the information that the Mongols had taken with them 30 thousand Alan warriors plus members of their families. This is at least 100 thousand people. The book indicates that the Alans, on behalf of the Mongols, ruled China from 1258 to 1368 (110 years).
Among my friends, I told about the sensational information I received from Agusti Aleman's book. After listening to me, one of them told the following story. Around 1980, our compatriot Polonkoev came from Syria to Checheno-Ingushetia. This is a descendant of the Ingush who were resettled in Turkey in the 19th century. From his story it followed that the construction of the mosque in Syria was carried out by the Chinese, who spoke the Weinakh language. Literally in the same years, additional information was received from another person from Syria that one of the Syrian Weinakhs specially traveled to China and met with Chinese people who spoke our language. They informed him that there were six million of them in China. If we now return to the information of Agusti Aleman that 30 thousand Alans and members of their families were taken to China in the 13th century, then it becomes obvious where the Chinese who spoke the Weinakh language came from.
I may be asked the question: “On what are the assertions that Alans are Ingush based?” Acquaintance with the work of Agusti Aleman strengthened my confidence in the Ingush origin of the Alans. But for more than a year I was looking for the answer to this question and I believe that I found it on September 27, 2012 on the Internet. My next search on the Internet led me to great job: "Bernard S. Bachrach's History of Alan in the West." I should note that this book by an American professor was also translated into Russian by Ossetians.
Having presented a large number of facts from the military and peaceful life of the Alans in Europe and other countries, Bernard Bachrach, at the end of his book, provided a list of Alan geographical names in Western Europe. I provide a photocopy of some of these names from the book, which will leave no doubt that the Alans are Ingush.
8. Aleyn, also called Alancourt-aux-Boeufs (Merthe-et-Moselle): Alanum, 836; Alanum, 936; Alannum, 965; Eilein and Alleyn, 1305.
9. Aleyncourt (Eisn): Halinkurt, 1168; Elleincourt, 1174; 1189 Alleyncourt.
10. Aleyncourt (Ardennes): Aleyncourt, 1229.
11. Aleyncourt (Or): Aleincuria and Alanicuria, both 1242; Eilancourt, 1303.
12. Aleincourt (Got-Saon).
13. Alaincourt, also called Alaincourt-la-Côte (Merg-et-Moselle).
14. Aleyns (Or); Fief aux Aleyns, 1334.
For those readers who do not know the Ingush language, I will explain what the word KORT means in this case. The Ingush call the top of Mount Kazbek Bashloamkort. This name consists of three words bash-loam-court. Literally translated, this means melting-mountain-head. In semantic translation, this name means the top of a melting mountain. If we now turn to the geographical names indicated in the work of Bernard Bachrach, we will find that many objects in Europe have names containing the Ingush word kort (top). I believe that here we are talking about mountains or other hills located in different countries and different cities of Europe, called Alan by the Ingush.
Let me briefly cite another piece of information from the work of Bernard Bachrach. To assess the prowess of young people, the older generation of Ingush uttered the phrase: “Govar kantiy.” Understanding why this was said, the origin of this expression was not clear. Now the history of this expression has been reliably revealed. It turns out that Govar, or rather Gohar, was the legendary leader of the Ingush. He even took part in the appointment of the Emperor of Germany. Gohar’s outstanding qualities are also evidenced by the fact that for more than 40 years, until a very old age, he remained in the fighting ranks of the Alans. Bernard Bachrach writes about him: "For 25 years Gohar and his Alans remained loyal supporters of Rome, although their Burgundian neighbors rebelled several times and were suppressed by Aetius and his Hunnic allies."
Now about one more important information. On December 13, 2011, the famous journalist Vladimir Solovyov had a radio conversation with the President of the Institute of the Middle East, Evgeniy Yanovich Satanovsky. Without comment, I quote Solovyov’s question and Satanovsky’s answer.
Soloviev: We will continue in a few minutes. I will find out from Evgeniy Yanovich and the Slavs, who are they? When did they appear? And who was here before the Slavs?
Satanovsky: Let's, in addition to a simple thing, before all the people now living on earth lived on their lands, someone lived on these territories, it always happened that way. Of course, of those people who today live on the territory of the Russian Federation, which includes a gigantic amount of land, from the Pacific Ocean to the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Arctic Ocean to the border of Central Asia, perhaps the oldest autochthonous bearers of everything that exists are the Vainakhs. Not on purpose, as a compliment to Yevkurov or Kadyrov, but because, indeed, based on what archaeologists tell us, they settled in this high-mountainous corner of the Caucasus before all the others.
Those peoples, historians and political figures who manage to declare that the Ingush live on lands that once belonged to the Ossetians, Cossacks and Kabardians should learn that the Ingush for thousands of years were the masters of land and social status not only in the North Caucasus, but also in many distant countries. One of the main proofs of this is the fact that the owners of the Daryal Gate, which were of great importance for world history, were Ingush for thousands of years. To protect these gates, Ingush towers were built on a large area of the Caucasus Mountains, which was later inhabited by other peoples.
By publishing this article, I appeal to Ingush youth, especially to students of the Faculty of History of Ingush State University, with a huge request to begin large-scale research work to search for reliable historical materials about the life of the Ingush and their ancestors throughout the entire space of our planet Earth.
To her; pl. One of the Caucasian peoples; persons belonging to this people. ◁ Ingush, a; m. Ingushka, and; pl. genus. shek, dat. shkam; and. Ingush, oh, oh. I. language. * * * Ingush (self-name Galgai), people in Russia. They live mainly in Ingushetia (over... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
INGUSHI, Ingush, units. Ingush, Ingush, husband. One of the Caucasian nationalities, related to the Chechens. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
INGUSHI, her, unit. Ingush, a, husband. The people who make up the main indigenous population of Ingushetia. | wives Ingushka, I. | adj. Ingush, aya, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Ingush- INGUSHI, her, plural (ed Ingush, a, m). The people who make up the indigenous population of Ingushetia, a republic within Russia located in the central part of the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus; people belonging to this nation; language Ingush, one of... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns
- (self-name Galgai) people with a total number of 237 thousand people. Main countries of settlement: Russian Federation 215 thousand people, Ingushetia, Chechnya, North Ossetia 197 thousand people. Other countries of settlement: Kazakhstan 20 thousand people. Ingush language... ... Modern encyclopedia
Mn. 1. The people of the Nakh ethno-linguistic group. 2. Representatives of this people. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova
- (self-name Galgai), people in the Russian Federation (215.1 thousand people). They live mainly in Ingushetia, Chechnya (163.8 thousand) and North Ossetia. The Ingush language of the Nakh group of Caucasian-Iberian languages. Muslim Sunni believers. Source:... ...Russian history
- (from the now defunct large aul of Angusht or Ingusht). The people of the Chechen tribe inhabiting part of the Sunzha department of the Terek region. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
INGUSHI- North Caucasian people from the banks of the Terek; OK. 150 thousand people by religion are Mohammedans; a hundred years ago they submitted to Russia after a long and bloody struggle; during the revolutionary outbreaks of 1905 7 detachments of And shei were freely hired on... ... Cossack dictionary-reference book
Ingush- representatives of the Vainakh people, related to the Chechens (see). They are characterized by slowness in actions and deeds; insight and intelligence; greater self-control and ability to control one’s behavior and communication than the Chechens.… … Ethnopsychological Dictionary
Books
- Ingush, . The monograph examines the main stages of the ethnic history of the Ingush; the relationship between ethnopolitical, ethnodemographic and ethnocultural changes during the 20th-21st centuries. Given...
- Ingushi (ed. 1925), N. F. Yakovlev. Contents of the book (original writing preserved): 1. The Ingush on the plane: Housing, food, rules of politeness and hospitality, writing. 2. Family and clan (`last name`): Family ties,…
Despite the difficulties of solving ethnogenetic problems, attempts to pose and develop them in modern general historical research are quite natural and logical. The problem of the origin of this or that people is so relevant that under any conditions it will confront the researcher and require all possible coverage from him.
Currently, it is generally accepted that the problem of ethnogenesis is, first of all, a complex problem. The course of the ethnogenetic process is influenced by a variety of factors, characterized by certain characteristics specific to the material and spiritual culture of the people. Only with due consideration of the indicators of all these signs, studied by a number of scientific disciplines(archaeology, ethnography, anthropology, history, linguistics), with great right one can hope for a more or less correct solution to the ethnogenetic problem.
We will use this principle of integrated use of all possible sources as the basis for our attempt to illuminate the issue of the origin of the Ingush. Let us make a reservation right away that since the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush were historically closely related to each other, in covering the ethnogenesis of the Ingush in a number of cases the question of the origin of the Chechen people as a more numerous and, perhaps, leading branch of a single Vainakh ethnic massif will be simultaneously touched upon.
Let us consider sequentially those theories and conclusions about the origin of the Chechens and Ingush that exist in the historical literature and are based mainly on linguistic data.
Academician P. S. Pallas, for example, suggested that the Ingush “Kist” tribes were direct descendants of the Alans1. The basis for this judgment was the presence in the Kist dialect of the Ingush language of the concept of semitheism (“Ardauda”), expressed by the Alan words “var” (seven) and “dada” (father) or “delo” (god). As is known from the “Periplus of the Black Sea” by an anonymous author of the 5th century. and Skimnos of Chios 2, the Greek city of Theodosia was called by the Taurian Alans “Ardabda” (i.e. “seven-god”)3. This was brought to the attention of S. Bronevsky, who at the same time noticed that these phrases (“Ardabda”, “Ardauda”, “Vardada”), when compared with the dictionary of Caucasian dialects by I. A. Guldenstedt, also reveal some discrepancies 4. Existing not only in Alan-Ossetian, but also in Abkhaz ancient cult concepts, the concept of hepttheism with the cult terms “ardy”, “grdy”, “erdy” in the Ossetian and Ingush languages (“Alardy” - in Ossetian, “Galyerdy” - in Ingush) 5, allows to judge only significant traces of Alan influence in the local (so-called Japhetic) languages of the peoples of the Caucasus, but no more. There is no basis for establishing direct genetic continuity of, say, the Ingush or Abkhaz from the Alans.
In 1928, B. A. Alborov devoted a special article to this issue. In contrast to the expressed view about the Iranian origin of the Ossetian terms “Alardi”, “Alaurdi”, he, together with the Ingush “Hal’erdy”, raised them to a Sumerian-Akkadian, i.e. Semitic, basis, which seems even less plausible 6. When interpreting origin of “Alardy-Galyerdy” B. A. Alborov very superficially proceeded from the peculiarities of the religious ideas of the Sumerian-Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, partly Hittites and even Egyptians and concluded that “one of the components of the Ossetian and Ingush peoples arrived from those places where the religious influence of the above-mentioned ancient peoples was strong” 7. In the light of modern data, this statement sounds completely unconvincing, for all these peoples belong to different linguistic systems, or rather, families, each had its own special historical destinies and had no direct relation to the Caucasian peoples.
Only as a curiosity can one cite the opinion of anthropologist I. Pantyukhov about the origin of the Chechens and Ingush from the Syrian Chaldeans and Iranian-speaking Tats. To substantiate his conclusion, he relied on observations of body hair and some anthropological indicators among the Ingush. True, I. Pantyukhov himself refuses to talk about “how nature and circumstances transformed the Ingush from Chaldeans and Tats almost into pure Chechens” 8, leaving his theory as an example of anti-scientific constructions and an example of extreme amateurism and vulgarism. The first serious linguistic works of P.K. Uslar and L.P. Zagursky served as the basis for isolating the Chechen and Ingush languages from the environment and classifying them as an independent “Eastern Mountain group of languages in the middle part of the Caucasus region” 9. A number of subsequent authors, operating Mainly these theses, based on linguistic data, also attributed the Ingush to the East Caucasian family of peoples and considered them one of the branches of the Chechen people 10. Western European linguists (R. Erkert, A. Dirr, N. Trubetskoy, A. Trombeti, etc.) also united the Chechen, Ingush and Tushin languages into a single Chechen, or Kist, group 11.
In 1915, academician. N. Ya. Marr identified the Ingush language, together with the Chechen and Tsova-Tushinsky (Batsbi) dialects, into a special Chechen group 12, later calling it the middle branch of the Japhetic languages of the North Caucasus 13.
Data from a subsequent study of peoples - speakers of the Chechen, Ingush and Batsbi languages - fully confirm this position. The study of the linguistic characteristics of these peoples made it possible not only to place them in one group, but also to unite them under a single term - “Nakh peoples” or “Nakh language”. Thus, the famous Caucasus expert Yu. D. Desheriev speaks directly about the “Nakh peoples” and the “common Nakh language.” Based on a thorough analysis of the characteristics of the language of the Chechens, Ingush and Batsbis, he believes that these languages were formed in the process of the collapse of the more ancient common Nakh language-base, which was once characterized by common features - vocalism, consonantism, a system of declension, conjugation, etc. As a result, he comes to the recognition independence of this language group in a single Caucasian family of languages, occupying an intermediate position between the Dagestan and Abkhaz-Adyghe groups 14.
By the way, it is also important that the belonging of all these peoples to a single linguistic group is brilliantly confirmed by the commonality of their material and spiritual culture, especially the Chechens and Ingush. This commonality is increasingly reinforced by observations of the forms of dwellings, household items and other categories of ancient and medieval material culture of the Vainakhs 15. The experience of the latest archaeological research proves the depth and long-standing origin of a number of forms of material culture, rooted in the 1st millennium BC. e. and even deeper than 16.
But less important are the conclusions of anthropologists who consider the Chechens and Ingush as representatives of a single so-called Caucasian anthropological type, characteristic of the entire modern population of the Central Caucasus 17.
It is very interesting that the anthropological survey of the Ingush people, carried out in the 30s of our century by expeditions of the Moscow Anthropological Institute under the leadership of a major Soviet anthropologist, prof. V.V. Bunak, even then allowed him to say the following: “In the most distant era... the North Caucasus was inhabited by two streams of people: one moving along the western outskirts of the Caucasus, the other along the eastern. Both of these streams are related to the peoples of Asia Minor. In the center of the Caucasus they met and formed their own unique type, which is found in different modifications to the south of the Main Caucasus Range, but to a certain extent also penetrated its northern slopes. Among the Ingush, this own Caucasian type was preserved more than among any of the other North Caucasian peoples.” 18. Later, another prominent Soviet anthropologist, prof. G. F. Debets admitted that the Caucasian anthropological type is “the most Caucasian of all Caucasians” 19.
The above conclusion of V. V. Bunak about the participation in the formation of the anthropological type of Caucasians of some southern Asia Minor elements, indicating the directions of movement of these elements, almost completely coincides with the provisions of N. Ya. Marr, expressed by him back in 1916. Finding out the origin of the mountain languages of the northern strip of the so-called Japhetic world, N. Ya. Marr established their most distant connection with the ancient “Japhetids”, who once lived in the vicinity of the enlightened peoples of Asia Minor 20. It is curious that these theses of the largest anthropologist and historical linguist are fully confirmed by the latest findings of archaeologists: but the monuments of material culture also establish a very long-standing Caucasian cultural unity 21, a possible ethnic community and connections of this cultural community with the culture of Transcaucasia and Asia Minor back in the 3rd millennium BC. e. 22 This is recognized to varying degrees by representatives of historical science, in particular academician. G. A. Melikishvili 23, prof. I. M. Dyakonov 24 and others.
Thus, we can assume that the Ingush, like the Chechens, are descendants of one of the most ancient and indigenous inhabitants of the Caucasian Isthmus. For a long time they have developed in contacts with the outside world, manifested in different forms - both in battles and in peaceful business relations.
Researchers studying the history of the Ingush note traces of their various cultural relationships with other peoples. Evidence of these connections are also monuments of material culture, commonality or similarity of behavior, existing customs (adat) and (to a greater extent) vocabulary material. Consistently considering the composition of these sources, we are forced to admit that most of all facts are revealed that indicate Georgian-Ingush relations.
The fact that there are elements of the Georgian language in the Ingush vocabulary is very indicative. Vocabulary borrowed from the Georgian language can be divided into two categories.
The first category includes words that should be dated to an earlier time of communication between the Ingush and the Georgian tribes. These are: “lime”, “upper floors”, “towers”, “ceiling pole”, “stick”, “saw”, “tongs”, “scythe”, “sickle”, “hoe”, “cradle”, “tripod” ”, “fetters”, “bow”, “oak”, “flame”, “fire”, “milk bowl”, “bag”, a complete set of arable tools, etc. Among the names of animals there are also a number of Georgian borrowings. Thus, the donkey, which was once the main means of transport, only with the improvement of roads being replaced by the riding and pack horse, is called by the Ingush in Georgian - “vir”. The words “chicken”, “cat”, “small horse” and others are also associated with the Georgian names of these animals 25.
Undoubtedly, with a more thorough analysis of the Ingush vocabulary, one can trace the successive stages of linguistic and cultural ties with the Georgians. Of course, terms such as “lime”, “saw”, “tongs”, “mashikuli”, etc., came into use among the Ingush later than words from the basic vocabulary (“fire”, “oak”, “stick” and etc.).
The second category includes words that appeared in Ingushetia along with the preaching of Christianity, which is confirmed by the presence of Georgian temples “Tkhaba-Erdy” and “Alba-Erdy” on Ingush territory. Names of Georgian origin include “Friday”, “Saturday”, “Sunday”, “week”, “Monday”, “cross”, “fast”, “hell”, “candle”, “palace”, “chapel” , “wedding”, etc. 26
It would also be interesting to see if ethnic and toponymic names and names ending in -khi 27 are Georgian, similar to the Ingush Arm-khi (white river or water), Surkho-khi (red river, water), Pseda-khi (beautiful river or good water), etc.28 According to the testimony of the Georgian historian Tsarevich Teimuraz, “the Kists, Galgais and Dzurdzuks formerly spoke the Georgian language and were Christians.”29 Of course, this should not be understood in the literal sense, which excludes the existence of their own language.
It is possible that at one time there were much more such “Georgianisms” in the Ingush language, but they were gradually supplanted during the subsequent communication of the Ingush with the Turkic peoples and with the Alan-Ossetians, who enriched them with Kumyk and Ossetian words 30.
“Georgian tribes,” wrote N. Ya. Marr, “appear early on the Caucasus ridge and manage to exert their linguistic influence on the Chechen and Tushino (Galgai) languages. There is no doubt that the Georgian people have had an unusually deep influence on the language and psyche of the Chechen tribe.”31
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A set of iron crosses (7-5) and bronze belt plaques (c, 7 below), found by L.P. Semenov in 1929 in the cache of the Erzeli sanctuary near the village. Erzi
We should not forget that the so-called Nakh peoples (including the Ingush) and Georgians, belonging to the same linguistic family of Caucasian peoples (Iberian-Caucasian language family), in the distant past had more common elements and closer ties with each other than later with their western neighbors - Iranian-speaking Ossetians.
Even I. A. Gyldenstedt found out that in ancient times “this people were subject to Georgia.”
According to S.I. Makalatiya, “in the 11th century. Khevsureti (Pkhovi), together with Kisteti and Chechnya (Gligvas and Dzurdzuks), was administratively part of Kakheti and subordinated to the Kveteri Eristavi." 32. Tsarevich Vakhushti wrote that "Kakhetians consider the Dzurdzuks, Gligvas and Kists their own, but they do not know about it time, as they fell away” 33. Some groups of Khevsurs, Tushins and Pshavs still have a culture close to the Ingush. According to Vakhushti, the carcasses of the Paromansky (Pirikitelsky) gorge “are mixed with cysts by faith and language.” According to other sources, “Tsov’s and Pirikitel’s tushins are of Kist origin.” A. N. Genko was even inclined to believe that “the most ancient center of Chechen-Ingush national existence was modern Tusheti, which later became Georgian” 34.
Monuments of the material culture of these peoples also display features common to Ingush monuments. The buildings in Pshavia, Khevsureti and Tusheti are similar to those in the Ingush. These include residential and even military towers, numerous crypt structures made of local stone with a roof made of thin slabs of slate 35. The Khevsur and Tushino towers with pyramidal roofs are very close in masonry technique and design to the Ingush military towers36. Ancient chapels (sanctuaries) in Pshavia are known to have similar roofs. The Khevsurs and Tushins believe that construction skills (building towers) were brought to them by the Ingush.
Here it is appropriate to recall a significant set of copper and bronze massive ornamented belt plaques, buckles and waist belt tips (16 pieces in total) from the outskirts of Manglisi (Georgia) 37. Similar plaques were discovered by L.P. Semenov in the cache of one of the Ingush sanctuaries (Fig. 5). The period of existence of these objects cannot yet be accurately determined. The Manglis belt set was found in a stone box with things that suggest an earlier date than the known Ingush monuments. Parts of the belt set close to the Manglis complex recently arrived at the Grozny Museum from excavations of a collapsed ground grave in the village. Olgite in the Dzherakh Gorge (Fig. 6).
These finds, dating back to the early Middle Ages, could have been placed in the cache of the sanctuary much later.
Some Ingush cults have features inherent in cults that once existed among individual Georgian tribes. The cult of the female deity Tusholi (goddess of fertility, childbirth, reproduction, etc.) that existed until a relatively late time in Ingushia had a pronounced phallic character. Very rare in the Caucasus is a phallic monument, which until 1930 stood in front of the sanctuary of the Ingush village. Kok 38 (Fig. 7). Such massive monuments, with the exception of numerous bronze figurines found in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia and dating back to the era of the Koban culture, are known only in Transcaucasia. In the vicinity of Akhalkalaki near the station. In Murdtakheti there are two more stone phallic monuments 39. P. A. Florensky mentions other phallic monuments from the same Akhalkalaki region, in particular the monument from the Katakhevsky Monastery 40. The ceremonies performed around these monuments by local women also resemble the actions of the Ingush women, who wanted to have children.
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Parts of a belt set (bronze) from a ground grave in the village. Olgita. Delivered to the Checheno-Ingush Museum in 1965.
Several massive phallic monuments from different parts of Soviet Armenia are exhibited in the Armenian State Museum in Yerevan. Until late times, in various places of Georgia (including Svaneti), beliefs and rituals with a pronounced phallic connotation, similar to the Ingush cult of Tusholi, existed.
In the final part of his interesting work devoted to the cult of Tusholi among the Ingush, E. M. Shilling wrote: “Just like Tusholi, the Svan “Sakmissai” cannot be entirely removed from the remote mountainous territory, where the agricultural economy persists despite all physical and geographical conditions represents the fact of the preservation in the mountains of traditions brought from more southern regions. In the same way, the roots of the Ingush cult of Tusholi, characteristic of agricultural life, should be sought not in the North Caucasus, but in the circle of the old agricultural culture associated with the spring festival of regenerating nature, fertility deities and phallic images aimed at ensuring the harvest” 41-42.
A. A. Zakharov cites a number of parallels to the Ingush cult of Tusholi in the ancient cults of Western Asia 43. Indeed, there seem to be no similar examples from the cults of the North Caucasian peoples. There is only not entirely reliable information about the location of individual monuments (supposedly phallic) in the regions of the North Caucasus.
The linguistic analysis of the name Tusholi, carried out in a special article by K. Malsagov in special article 3, highlighting the root “Tush” (“li” is a suffix of belonging), presumably makes it possible to bring this root closer to the root of the name of the Khaldic god Tush-ba 44. Later, the legitimacy of this rapprochement with the Hurrian Teshub and Urat Teisheb was confirmed by D. D. Malsagov and Yu. D. Desheriev 45.
Thus, from the consideration of one of the main ancient Ingush cults - the cult of Tusholi, it follows that the historical roots of the cult should be sought somewhere in the south, possibly in Georgia. Some Ingush myths (for example, the myth of the devas) are also close to the myths of the peoples of Transcaucasia and even Western Asia. In Ingush and Chechen folklore, numerous references to the southern origin of individual Chechen-Ingush clans have been preserved. These legends provide significant assistance in clarifying the origin and ethnic composition of the people being studied. Some families derive their mythical ancestors from Iran, Turkey, Arabia, Syria, Dagestan, 46 accompanying their stories with such details that the origin of these legends can no longer be put in direct connection with the Muslimization of the Chechen-Ingush people, which began no earlier than the 16th-17th centuries. 47 and finally ended among the Ingush only in the middle of the 19th century. One legend about the Arabs directly states that the Arab warriors who approached the border Ingush regions from Chechnya and invited the Ingush to accept Islam and submit to their power, laid the foundation for some Ingush families 48. In a number of cases, these legends reveal the tendency of the feudalizing elite of individual clans to link their origin with class societies and, as it were, justify their superiority over their fellow tribesmen 49.
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Resident of the village Shuan Bunukho Shakhoev, who informed the expedition about the past life of the Ingush people.
Photo by I.P. Shcheblykin, 1929
Other surnames originate from Kabardians, Firengs (Europeans) and even from the Greeks (“Dzhelts”, “Dzhilins”). But it seems that most of all, both Ingush and Chechen legends mention the Georgian origin of many Chechen-Ingush families and surnames. In almost every mountainous Ingush village you can hear a legend about the connections of the Ingush with individual Georgian tribes, their closest neighbors. A lot of information has been published in the specialized literature about the resettlement of the Ingush from Georgia in the distant past, about the departure of the Ingush to Georgia and their return to their homeland.
Folk legend connects the formation of the Kist society with some events from Georgian history. The imaginary ancestors of the Ingush families Evloyevs (inhabiting several mountain villages in the Assinsky gorge: Evloy. Nyuy, Pyaling), Zaurovs from the village. Salgi and others are considered to be from Georgia. The surname Bekbuzarovs from the village. Khamkhi is believed to come from Khevsureti. “Several Ingush families from the Dzherakh Gorge long ago moved to Georgia and live there somewhere near Tiflis. They moved because of some quarrel with other families living in the Dzherakh Gorge. According to stories, the descendants of the Ingush who emigrated to Georgia from time to time came to the Dzherakh Gorge to fraternize with the local residents and maintain former family ties” 50.
The names of some Georgian kings were very popular among the Ingush people. The emergence of such ancient Ingush villages, located in the upper reaches of the Assinsky gorge and considered the cradle of Ingush culture, such as Targim, Egikal, Khamkhi, Metskhal, Falkhan and others, is attributed by legend to the period of the reign of the Georgian Queen Tamara (XII century). Among the non-Christian names of the distant ancestors of individual Ingush societies, there are clearly not local, but christian names, such. like Levan, Manuel and others, who most likely came here from Georgia. According to Yu. D. Desherpev, the influence of the Georgian language and Georgian culture is felt even more strongly in Batsbi onomastics 51.
A similar picture of kinship with Georgian tribes is drawn from the Chechen material. There is some evidence about the relationship of “badbi” (tsova-tushin) with the population of the Melkhestinsky region of Chechnya. According to A.P. Ippolitov 52 and N. Dubrovin, some Chechen surnames have Georgian origin: “So, for example, the surname Zumsoy considers itself to be of Georgian origin, Kaloy - Tushino, the ancestors of the Varandinskaya surname come from Khevsureti” 53.
According to information received from Arsanukaev, in the village. Center of Historical and Everyday Life Expedition of the State Historical Museum (headed by A. B. Zaks, 1936)54 some Chechen families of the Cheberloevsky region have ancestors living in the mountain villages of the Telavi region of Georgia. It is known that the Christianization of medieval Chechens also came from Georgia. Folk legends, along with evidence of military clashes between Georgians and Chechens, also contain examples of the great friendship that once existed between representatives of these peoples. This is the legend about the brave Bekbulatov, which we heard in the village. Kharachoy and from a resident of the village. Conducted by Omar Ali Zelimkhanov (son of the famous “abrek” Zelimkhan). From his own words, we recorded another legend, which tells about the unsuccessful invitation by the Chechens of a prince from Georgia 55.
Of course, it is necessary to take into account some conventions of the data provided about the connections and kinship of the Chechen-Ingush tribes with other tribes. It cannot be categorically stated that all the evidence presented from legends and traditions has exact historical accuracy. But at the same time, one cannot help but admit that they also contain some grains of truth. Often, with sufficient grounds, they allow us to judge some diversity of the Chechen-Ingush ethnic group (relative, of course, like every people), which was finally formed in the process of long-term development and interactions with neighbors, as well as in conditions of partial movements, resettlement and some assimilation of individual groups and surnames 56. It is curious that the legends of literally every Ingush and Chechen family, every surname speak about the resettlement. For example, the Chechen taipa (clan) Kobartius (Gebertius) is known, allegedly of Kabardian origin, and such a resettlement could not have happened earlier than the 14th-16th centuries. Therefore, it would be more correct to consider Ingush societies as formed from a deeply local ancient ethnic core with the partial inclusion of different tribal clan groups that still retained the memory of their different origins. Assessing the Ingush ethno-genetic process in this aspect, we must note a certain predominance of southern elements in it.
All the material examined indicates a certain proportion of Georgianized elements that once participated in the creation of the entire Vainakh ethnic group and especially in the formation of the Ingush culture.
One might think that most of these data once had very real foundations and have survived to this day only as echoes of the ancient cultural unity and linguistic kinship of the distant ancestors of the Ingush with the ancestors of the Georgian tribes. The latter constituted, perhaps, the leading part of the once large pan-Caucasian ethnocultural unity or “Japhetic” complex of the Caucasian peoples; hence the likelihood of the assumption that in ancient times there could have been much more of these “Georgianisms” in Ingush culture.
Analyzing the long-standing and lasting influence of Georgian tribes on the highlanders of the Central Caucasus, N. Ya. Marr wrote: “I will not hide that the Georgian highlanders, including the Khevsurs and Pshavas, now seem to me to be the same Georgianized tribes of the Chechen people, but without prejudging anything yet , assessing only the virtually indisputable, unusually deep influence of the Georgian people on the linguistic psyche of the Chechen tribes, even those who are now separated from the Georgians and are located on this side of the ridge in flat Chechnya, we cannot help but outline two provisions, firstly, that the appearance Georgians, even Karts in the discussed area of the passage [meaning the Daryal Gorge. - E.K.] and must be dated back at least ten centuries in antiquity, secondly, in the Chechens one cannot help but see one of the indigenous local peoples who were forced out of passage by the Georgians in the direction from south to north” 57. Prof. also came to the conclusion that the Ingush came to the territory they now occupy “from the south, because of the mountains”. V. P. Khristianovich, who explored mountainous Ingushetia in the 20s of our century 58.
In this regard, the conclusions made by Acad. I. A. Javakhishvili based on the analysis of toponymic names of Georgia. I. A. Javakhishvili established that “the eastern provinces of Eastern Georgia were once inhabited by Chechen and Dagestan tribes” and that “the main direction of movement of these tribes was from south to north” 59.
Of course, recognizing the deep, and local, underlying basis in the formation of the Ingush people (or rather, the Nakh ethnic group) in the Central Caucasus, one cannot exclude the possibility of a later (and sometimes, perhaps, secondary) appearance of Ingush elements in certain regions of the region. Sometimes local traditions and legends indicate this. Thus, according to the legend of the mountaineers of the Dzherakh gorge (the mouth of the Arm-khi river at its confluence with the Terek), “the real Chechen tribe inhabiting the Dzherakh gorge is alien,” they allegedly displaced the “Ossetian tribe that lived here” beyond the Terek 60.
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Women's headdresses 1,2 - ceremonial headdresses "kur-khars" from the above-ground crypt near the village. Falkhan (side and straight view; 3 - supposed headdress of the Late Bronze Age from a burial ground near the village of Kharachoy (according to M. M. Gerasimov); 4 - reconstructed headdress from the Nesterovsky burial ground of the 5th century BC (according to M. M. . Gerasimov); S - Ingush “kur-khars” XV-XVII centuries.
When conveying the history of their ancestral villages, the highlanders always list all their direct ancestors. The resettlement, for example, of the mountaineers who laid the foundation for the village of Shuang was supposedly carried out 11-12 generations ago. The assistant to the last Ingush priest of the village of Falkhan, 80-year-old Alikhan Murzabekov, reported to us in 1929 information about the salinization of the village of Falkhan. named 12 names of his ancestors: 1) Teibik, 2) Moysur-Bezik, 3) Mohosh, 4) Tokk, 5) Dzor, 6) Jamuraza, 7) Bakhmet, 8) Pachchi, 9) Esmurza, 10) Toei, 11) Alikhan himself and 12) his nephew Orts. Considering an average of fifty years per generation 61, we can, if not the very moment of the emergence of Ingush tribal groups, then at least some facts from the past history of Ingush societies, date back to 600-800 years ago 63. In this regard, it deserves attention one old Khevsur legend, recently cited by R. L. Kharadze and A. I. Robakidze. It indicates that during the reign of Tamara, the Gligvas, i.e. Pngushp, already lived in the modern Ingush villages of Gappi, Tsoli, Neakist, Kairak and others. Tradition also reports the resettlement of the current inhabitants of Arkhoti (i.e. Khevsur) from Ingushetia and about their adoption of Christianity in Georgia 63.
At first glance, the data from the genealogies of Ingush clans and legends about the origin of individual villages do not seem to contradict the conclusions obtained from the study of monuments of material culture. All these towers, above-ground and semi-underground crypts, as well as religious architectural structures, developed mainly in the 2nd millennium AD.
One can name another source that directly points to the early centuries of the 2nd millennium AD. e. This is a Georgian handwritten psalter, once kept in the Thaba-Erdy temple. Based on the nature of the Georgian script, the psalter is dated to the 11th-12th centuries. Obviously, the psalter was delivered to the Tkhaba-Erdy temple shortly after its construction 64.
Thus, according to folklore and written data about early history Ingush, our knowledge seems to be... do not go deeper than the 11th-12th centuries. But it is not so. For other, and even earlier, historical evidence records the ancestors of the Chechens and Ingush mainly in the same territory and at an earlier time. Some objects of material culture, such as women's metal head decorations in the form of oval plaques from a burial ground near the village. Muzhichi (formerly Lugovoe) of the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. and other places in Ingushetia 65, are very ancient prototypes of metal plaques that decorated the female horn-shaped headdress “kur-khars” of the 16th century, well known from finds from Ingush above-ground crypts.
True, we know that the contents of some burial grounds in Ingushetia (especially catacombs) are quite reasonably associated with the Alan tribes that once inhabited a significant territory of the North Caucasus, the Iranian-speaking part of which was a tribal group that went down in history under the name “Osov”, “Yasov” - direct ancestors of modern Ossetians. The latter, by language, are considered Iranians and Indo-Europeans 66. It seems like a logical sequence. The end date of the “Alans-Os”, who once lived in part of the territory of Ingushetia, is determined from the grave goods in the 10th-11th centuries. the initial date of the appearance of the Ingush in this territory falls on the 11th-12th centuries. These “facts” give apparent credibility to the opinion of N. Ya. Marr about the appearance of Chechen-Ingush tribes in the North Caucasus at the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia AD. e.
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Bronze Aquarius of the 8th century, made in Basra (Iraq). Purchased in the village. Erzi in 1931 for the Chechen-Ingush Museum
I confess that to me personally this conclusion once seemed the only possible and correct67. By the way, M. M. Kovalevsky, of course primarily on the basis of the works of V. F. Miller, also believed that “the Ingush and other tribes of the North Caucasus are nothing more than the later inhabitants of the very areas that were once occupied by Ossetians.” 68.
In reality, this was far from the case. The deeper roots of the Vainakh ethnic group and its culture can be traced in the same mountainous and foothill territory until the 1st millennium BC. e. This, of course, does not exclude possible episodic movements of Vainakh elements from region to region and the presence of small pockets inhabited by tribes of a different ethnic massif.
In addition, one cannot think that individual migration waves of Ingush tribal groups finally swept away the sparse (judging by the catacomon burial grounds) so-called Alan population in the Arm-khi gorge (the village of Goust) and along the middle course of the river. Assy (village of Verkhniy Alkun and former village of Feldmarshalskaya). The very fact that Ingush societies used ancient “Alan” cemeteries for their burials at a later time speaks of some kind of continuity between them. This is the picture, for example, of a huge burial ground near the village. Shuan, known as the “Paradise Mound,” where Alanian catacombs are combined with underground crypts that arose in the North Caucasus back in the Bronze Age 69.
Presumably, the same continuity was observed during the later settlement of the Arm-khi gorge by Alans, previously occupied by pro-Ingush tribes, for example, the village of Erzi (“Eagle”). According to popular belief, Erzi was founded in the 9th century. on the site of an eagle's nest by immigrants from Arabia, who allegedly laid the foundation for certain Ingush surnames. In the village Erzi found a magnificent bronze Aquarius, made in Iraq in the 8th century. 70 (Fig. 10).
Of course, the final formation of the ethnic physiognomy of the Ingush tribal groups did not occur without the ethnic and linguistic influence of the Alan-Ossetian, now Iranian-speaking, tribes 71. L. P. Semenov, noting some commonality in the external aspects of the life of the Ossetians and Ingush, testifies that “when Despite the fragmentary and contradictory nature, the collected material clearly demonstrates the longevity and depth of cultural and economic communication between Ingushia and Ossetia” 72.
The long-preserved Alan-Ossetian name Makaldon for the Ingush river Arm-khi, as well as significant remains of Ossetian vocabulary material in the Ingush vocabulary 73, the presence of some common elements in the Nart (heroic) epic among the Ossetians and Ingush convincingly testify to the longevity and depth of ethnocultural and economic communication between these peoples Noteworthy is the nature of the vocabulary material, which is closely related to the life and activities of the Ingush.
Words such as "valley", "hill", "hill", "ridge", "plough", "basket", "hunting", "deer", "weapon", "brewing kettle", " arba”, “shepherd”, “horse”, “saddle”, “daring man”, “stone bag for prisoners”, “killer”, “blooded”, “slaves”, and others 74 are extremely indicative of the established relationship between the Ingush and Ossetians not only in the late Middle Ages (XV-XVIII centuries). Of course, they reflect communication from an earlier time. A. N. Genko is inclined to assign an important place to the influence of the Ossetian language on Ingush, following the Georgian 75.
From further history We know of these peoples not only feuds, but also examples of cooperation and even marriage relationships. According to L.P. Semenov, the Ossetian surname of the Dudarovs is of Ingush origin76. The surname Andievs has the same origin (from the Indievs) 77. Residents of the “border” villages - Ingush village. Furtoug and Ossetian village. Chmi were even connected by marriage 78. All this, of course, speaks of the significance of Alan-Ossetian traits in the culture of the Ingush, displacing the previous traits that related the Ingush to the Georgian tribes. Really. The 12th - 15th centuries are characterized by some outbreak of Georgian influence on the Ingush, but limited to a narrow church sphere associated with the spread of Christianity. Proof of this is the above-mentioned monuments of Georgian church architecture (in the Assia Gorge - the cradle of Ingush culture), specific vocabulary material and fragments of epigraphy.
The latest examples of Ingush material culture - a special type of elegant battle towers with a stepped pyramidal roof, women's ceremonial headdress ("kur-khars"), special women's silver and copper temple rings and others are an expression of the purely individual characteristics of Ingush culture. These features are not found, for example, in North Ossetia.
Based on archaeological material starting from the 1st millennium BC. e. one can assume the natural development of the same local elements in material culture, although not always clearly traceable.
The emerging slight difference in the elements of the material culture of Ossetia and Ingushetia is in full accordance with the linguistic difference of the population of these regions. But you should always keep in mind two important circumstances. Firstly, the latest comprehensive studies of the problem of ethnogenesis of the Ossetian people establish the significant role of the aboriginal Caucasian environment (Caucasian substrate) in the formation of the Ossetian people 79. Secondly, it is recognized that the Alan elements themselves, carriers of Iranian-speaking speech, penetrated and settled in the high mountain zone of the North Caucasus no earlier than VI-VII centuries. n. e. 80 And thirdly, the Alan environment itself was far from ethnically homogeneous throughout the North Caucasus. 81 This, of course, does not exclude the existence in certain areas of a more homogeneous ethnic mass of Iranian-speaking Alans, who were indeed the direct ancestors of modern Ossetians, for example, in the territory of Northern Ossetia. This was brilliantly confirmed by SK AE’s excavations of the richest catacomb burial ground near the village of Zmeiskaya 82.
All the above facts and arguments allow us to consider it most likely that the ancestors of the Ingush tribes lived in the North Caucasus from very distant times; in any case, the origins of some elements of material culture can be traced here back to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e., judging by the data of the Serzhen-Yurtovsky and Alkhastinsky settlements and burial grounds of the Koban culture (house-building techniques, the genesis of decorations, etc.) 83.
This is confirmed by facts from Georgian history. Suffice it to remember that the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia AD. e. and especially the subsequent centuries are characterized by the strengthening of the power of the Georgian feudal power, the expansion of the state borders of Georgia due to the subordination of a number of neighboring provinces to its influence, including areas inhabited by North Caucasian highlanders, who have long been associated with the population of Georgia. David II Agmashenabeli (Renewer) (1089-1125) paid special attention to strengthening the northern borders of his kingdom, making even many Caucasian highlanders tributaries 84. Christian monuments in the Ossetian, Chechen-Ingush and even Dagestan mountains date back to this time, testifying to Georgian influence on the highlanders of the North Caucasus.
Taking advantage of the favorable situation, it was during this period that some part of the ethnically homogeneous highlanders (as a surplus population) could again descend lower along the northern slopes of the Caucasus Range and settle in areas inhabited by the then still rather rare mixed Vainakh and Alan population.
By the way, this position is supported by the famous “Armenian Geography of the 7th century” 85, which lists the tribes that inhabited Asian Sarmatia in the early Middle Ages; Among them, “bushes” or “cysts” are also mentioned. And although none of the tribes listed in Geography, with the possible exception of the Maskuts, is defined absolutely precisely geographically, the location of both the “Kusts” and the “Nakhchamatyans” in the regions of the central part of the North Caucasus is beyond doubt. Their connection with the related Tsova-Tushin (Batsbi) tribes of Transcaucasia is well known.
There is even information in the literature about the reverse movement of the Ingush in Transcaucasia, which allegedly occurred in the era of the XIV-XVI centuries. and later. But these examples cannot change the main picture, because they usually indicate the resettlement of representatives of one or two clans. It is extremely interesting that information about late connections of the Ingush with their southern neighbors, especially with the “batsbi”, exists only in the regions of Ingushetia bordering on Khevsuretia, in the Dzherakho-Metskhalsky and partially Khamkha regions86. These facts only confirm the ancient connections of individual Ingush clans and surnames with the clans and surnames of “Batsbi” and other Georgianized peoples from more southern regions. Apparently, these connections were based on the consciousness of ancient ethnocultural closeness and even kinship, which allowed the Ingush, in case of need, to count on the hospitality of the Transcaucasian tribes in subsequent times.
As far as can be judged from a number of historical and ethnographic data, the traditional connection of the Vainakh tribes with the nearest Georgianized population of the northern regions of Transcaucasia, based in the past on the unity of origin and commonality of culture and life, survived until late times.
If the question that interests us about the origin of the Ingush, and in general the origin of the entire Vainakh people, is not separated from the general problem of the origin of the Iberian-Caucasian ethnic massif, then with even greater confidence we can talk about the local, autochthonous development of this entire massif in the Caucasus already from the III millennium BC e.87
The totality of anthropological, archaeological, historical, linguistic and ethnographic data confirms the long-standing and purely local origin and development of the ethnic core, which in our days is called the Ingush people, constituting one of the components of the so-called Nakh ethnic massif of the Caucasus.
Notes:1 See: P. S. Pallas. Bemerkungen auf einer Reise in die Siidlichen Statthalterschaften des Russiscnen Reichs in den Jahren 1793 und 1794, Bd. I. Leipzig, 1799. 2 V. V. Latyshev. News of ancient writers about Scythia and the Caucasus. BDI, 1947, No. 4. 3 V. I. Abaev. Ossetian language and folklore. M.-L., 1949, p. 21, 4 S. Vronevsky. The latest geographical and historical news about the Caucasus, part II. M.. 1S2.3, p. 154. 5 B. A. Alborov. Ingush “Gal-erdy” and Ossetian “Alardy”. PINIIK, vol. I. Vladikavkaz, 1928, p. 349. 6 Ibid., p. 425. 7 B. A. Alborov. Decree. cit.. p. 425. 8 “News of the Caucasian branch of them. RUSSIAN Geographical Society", vol. XIII. Tiflis, 1900. 9 P.K. Uslar. Ethnography of the Caucasus, vol. 2. Chechen language . Tiflis. 1888; L.P. Zagursky. Ethnological classification of Caucasian languages. "Caucasian calendar for 1888" Application. 10 G. K. Kazbek. Military statistical description of the Terek region, part 1. Tiflis, 1888, p. 107. 11 M. Ya. Yaemirovsky. From the past and present of Caucasian linguistics. IINIIK, vol. I. Vladikavkaz, 1928, pp. 299-348. VDI, 1939, Mi 4, p. 47. 28 V. P. Khristianovich. Mountain Ingushia. Rostov-on-Don, 1928, p. 681. 29 Tsrevich Teimuraz. History of Georgia. St. Petersburg, 1848, p. 36. 30 On the presence of traces of other influences in the Ingush language, see: A. I. Genko. Decree. cit., pp. 681 - 762; V. P. Abaev. Ossetian-Vainakh lexical parallels. ICHINII, vol. I, issue. 2. Grozny, 1954, pp. 115-117; Yu. D. Desheriev. Decree. cit., pp. 26-31. Living antiquity ", vol. 1, 1903. 4l-42 See about this: E. M. Shilling. Cult of Tusholi among the Ingush. IINIIK, vol. IV, issue. 2. Ordzhonikidze - Grozny, 1934-1935, p. 98. 43 Ibid., p. 114. 44 Ibid., p. 126. 45 Yu. D. Desheriev. Decree. cit., p. 56. 46 G.A. Vertepov. Ingush. TS, vol. 2. Vladikavkaz, 1892, p. 80. 47 V.I. Markovin. Chechen medieval monuments in the upper reaches of the river. Chanty-Argun, p. 272. 48 L. Ya. Semenov. Archaeological and ethnographic research in Ingushetia in 1925-1932. Grozny, 1963, p. 68. 49 R. L. Kharadze, A. I. Robakivze. On the issue of Nakh ethnonymy. IES, vol. II. Tbilisi, 1968, pp. 14, 109. 50 L. Ya. Semenov. Decree. cit., p. 117. Information about the settlers and their connections with the regions of Ingushia ex.: B.K. Dplgat. The tribal life of the Chechens and Ingush in the past. IINNIK, vol. IV, issue. 2. Ordzhonikidze - Grozny, 1934-1935, p. 12 and SL. I. Vladikavkaz, 1928, p. 208. 73 According to the oral statement of N. G. Ahrisva, especially among the Dzherakhites.
Source:
Krupnov E.I. Medieval Ingushetia. M., 1971, pp. 39-57.
SOME ISSUES OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ANCIENT INGUSH AND THE EXISTENCE OF THEIR OWN STATEMENT
Dudarov A-M., researcher, Institute of GN RI
The Ingush are the people of the Caucasus with a rich and ancient history. There are many written sources, covering different periods in the life of the Ingush people, starting from ancient times, which traces significant pages from its history associated with the Caucasus from ancient times.
Some of these sources have come to us through ancient manuscripts of the “Armenian Geography of the 7th century.” – “Ashkharatsuyts”, in which we find a large amount of information not only on the ancient territory of settlement of the ancient Ingush, but also on the political history of the people in antiquity from the second half of the 1st millennium BC. to VI-VII centuries. AD “The knowledge of the author of “Ashkharatsu” is beyond doubt, since he provides reliable material on the localization and ethnicity of even small tribes.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 15.)
The Ingush are descendants of the most ancient settlers of the Caucasus. About the period of collapse of the East Caucasian unified ethnic community N.D. Kodzoev writes: “At the end of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The East Caucasian language split into Nakh (ancient Ingush) and Dagestan languages. The collapse of the single East Caucasian ethnic community was reflected in the material culture. In the Caucasus, archaeological cultures are taking shape: Maikop, whose carriers were ancient Ingush tribes, and Kuro-Araks, whose carriers were the ancestors of the modern Dagestan peoples. Starting from the end of the 4th millennium BC. (especially intensively from the second half of the 3rd millennium BC) the Maikopians begin to penetrate into Transcaucasia and Western Asia, where they become known under the names Su, Subir, Subareans, Hurrians, Urartians.” (Kodzoev N.D. History of the Ingush people. Magas, 2002. P. 17.)
E.I. Krupnov believes that the Nakh ethnos and its culture are components whose path in the Caucasus can be traced from the 1st millennium BC: “The deeper roots of the Vainakh ethnos and its culture can be traced in the same mountain and foothill territory until the 1st millennium BC .e." (Krupnov E.I. Medieval Ingushetia. - Magas, 2008, P. 68.) According to E.I. Krupnov, there is no doubt that “the totality of anthropological archaeological, historical, linguistic and ethnographic data confirms the long-standing and purely local origin and development of the ethnic core, which today is called the Ingush people, constituting one of the components of the so-called Nakh ethnic massif of the Caucasus (there same, p. 72.). The scientist believes that “the Ingush, like the Chechens, are descendants of one of the most ancient and indigenous inhabitants of the Caucasian Isthmus” (ibid., p. 54).
At B.K. Dalgat we also find the following words: “...The Greek geographer Ptolemy... mentions “cysts” who lived in the Caucasus. So the Ingush are one of the most ancient peoples of the Caucasus...” (Dalgat B.K. Tribal life and customary law of the Chechens and Ingush. - M., 2008, p. 47.)
Speaking about the union of Nakh tribes and the possibility of the emergence and existence of political entities based on it, Abkhaz researcher G.D. Gumba writes: “A comparative analysis of information from written sources (ancient, ancient Armenian, ancient Georgian) shows that in the second half of the 1st millennium BC there was a union of Nakh tribes that occupied the territory of the Central Ciscaucasia from the Elbrus region (along the Malka River) in the west to the Andean ridge (along the Argun River) in the east." (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). - Yerevan, 1988, p. 137.)
Speaking about the era of the Koban culture (XII-IV centuries BC), divided into the Early Koban (ends in the 7th century BC) and late Koban (ends in the 4th century BC) periods, Ingush historian N.D. Kodzoev writes: “Based on the North Caucasian culture from the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. Koban culture begins to take shape. The material culture of the Koban and North Caucasian cultures have many common features, which allows some researchers to call the Koban culture a late stage of the North Caucasian culture... In ancient sources, the tribes of the Koban culture are called Makhli (Makhaly) ... an ethnonym derived from ancient Ingush words ... meaning “people of the sun god.” (Kodzoev N.D. History of the Ingush people. - Magas, 2002, pp. 32-33.)
As if complementing the conclusions of N.D. Kodzoeva, in turn G.D. Gumba reasonably settles “proto-Vainakh tribes in the second half of the 1st millennium BC.” on the vast territory of the Central Caucasus, which “covers the Tersko-Sunzhensky and Mountain local variants of the famous Koban culture,” (which allows) to draw conclusions “that the carriers of the late Koban culture were the proto-Vainakh tribes (Tersk-Sunzhensky and Mountain local variants) and related to them tribes (Pyatigorsk local variant)". (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). - Yerevan, 1988, p. 137.)
G.D. Gumba reveals the essence of the need to study ancient Nakh history. He argues that without a thorough study of the history of the Nakh “significant ethnic massif” in the south of the country there can be no genuine study ancient history Caucasus: “The history and culture of the Nakh, or Vainakh peoples (Chechens, Ingush, Batsbis), the largest aboriginal population group in the North Caucasus... is the most important component of the history and culture of the mountain peoples of the Caucasus... The truly scientific history of this significant ethnic massif of the south of our Motherland before to date has still not received adequate coverage. The insufficiency and fragmentation of knowledge about the past of the Vainakhs, palpable in any historical period, are most obvious when it comes to the ancient stages (1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD), especially about the second half of the 1st millennium BC, which, in the words of E.I. . Krupnov, “considered one of the most brilliant pages in the ancient history of the peoples of the Caucasus.” Further, the Abkhaz researcher, revealing this idea, points out that “the successful development of issues of the history of the ancient Nakh tribes is of exceptional importance not only as independent topic..., but is also dictated by the need to study the problem of the long and complex process of formation of the modern North Caucasian peoples.” (Ibid., pp. 3-4.)
Both the mountainous part and the foothill plains of the Central Caucasus have been habitats of the ancient Ingush since ancient times. Since ancient times, it was the mountains that served as a natural cover for this people every time during numerous invasions. The Ingush people were never conquered by any conqueror. It was precisely this state in the life of the Ingush people and other autochthonous Caucasian peoples that one of the most authoritative Caucasian experts L.I. had in mind. Lavrov, when he wrote: “Before the Caucasus joined the Russian Empire, not a single state managed to extend its possessions to both sides of the high mountain zone of the Caucasus.” (Lavrov L.I. The role of natural geographical factors in the history of the peoples of the Caucasus // Caucasian ethnographic collection. – No. 9. – M., 1991, P. 211)
Abkhazian researcher G.D. Gumba, based on ancient, ancient Armenian and ancient Georgian sources, as well as drawing on archaeological materials, data from toponymy, linguistics, anthropology and folklore, outlines the borders of the Ingush in the second half of the 1st millennium BC, noting the complete coincidence of these borders with “territory of distribution of the Late Koban archaeological culture.” “According to written sources (ancient, ancient Armenian, ancient Georgian) in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. the ancient Nakh tribes occupied the territory from the Elbrus region and the flow of the Malka River in the west to the foot of the Andean ridge and the flow of the Argun River in the east... Complete coincidence of the places of settlement of the ancient Nakh tribes in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. with the territory of distribution of the Late Koban archaeological culture (Tersk-Sunzhensky and Mountain local variants) gives grounds to come to the conclusion that the carriers of this archaeological culture were the Proto-Vainakh (Tersk-Sunzhensky and Mountain local variants) and related tribes (Pyatigorsk variant).” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan 1988. P. 5.)
It should be noted that from such ancient sources as “Ashkharatsuyts” you can see the most real picture settlement and political history of the Caucasus, which, in turn, was based, according to the Abkhaz researcher, on numerous ancient sources. “Most of the Greco-Latin literature has not reached us, but was quite accessible to ancient Armenian authors... The reason for our ignorance of the early mentions of the Nakhs in ancient Armenian sources lies in the insufficient attention to these sources, in the lack of proper analysis of them from the point of view of the history of the ancient Nakh tribes” . (Ibid., p. 10)
Ingush historian H.A. Akiev in the 3rd century. BC. localizes part of the Dzurdzuks “in Mtiuleti and in the territory from the borders of Dagestan to Colchis” and claims that they “at the indicated time ... were the leading political force” in the Caucasus. (Akiev Kh.A. On the issue of the origin and geography of settlement of the Ingush. Lagash, No. 1, 1989. P. 28.) Further Kh.A. Akiev defines the territory of the Dzurdzuks in the III-II centuries. BC. the upper reaches of the “Terek River and its tributaries on its Northern slope of the Main Caucasus Range, where the Mtiulets, Khevas and South Ossetians now live.” He believes that the Chartals, related to the Dzurdzuks, lived in Kakheti at that time. (Ibid.)
The first of the ancient Ingush tribes in the work of G.D. Gumba “Resettlement of Vainakh tribes along the “Ashkharatsuyts”” provides the localization of the Nakhchmatyans at the mouth of the Tanais (Don). The scientist questions the localization of Nakhchmatyan at the mouth of the Don. He writes that “despite the instructions of the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” about the residence of the Nakhchamateans at the mouth of the Don, they should be localized in the central regions of the North Caucasus.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). - Yerevan, 1988, p. 23.)
But, in our opinion, the arguments of G.D. The gumba that the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” “did it under the influence of Ptolemy”, due to which the Nakhchmatyans could not live in this area, is not entirely convincing (ibid., p. 24). For there is a high probability of the Nakhchmatyans living at the “mouth of the Don” if, according to the Abkhaz researcher’s own conclusions, he settles the Nakh tribes “from the Elbrus region (the upper reaches of the Malka River) in the west to the Andean ridge (the upper reaches of the Argun River) in the east” (ibid., p. 25). Statement by G.D. Gumba also does not agree with what Leonty Mroveli says about the territory that he assigned to his son Kavkas (the ancestor of the Vainakhs) (ibid., p. 26.) Targamos: “...to Kavkas - from the Lomek River to the borders of the Caucasus to the west (highlighted by me – D. A-M.).” (Leonti Mroveli. Life of the Kartlian kings. - M., 1979, p. 22.) For the borders of the Caucasus to the west, which Leonti Mroveli wrote about, are far away “from the Elbrus region,” and there is some probability that Nakhchmatyan will be localized at the mouth of the Tanais (Don) River at the same time it increases significantly.
All three components of the name Nakhchmatean, except for the final suffix “-an”, are etymologically related directly to the Ingush language: “nakh” - “che” - “mat” - “people” - “inside” - “place”, which means in Ing. language "the inner place of people." That is, probably, the habitat of a given tribe was determined by the name it gave to itself in its own language, or it was given by another ancient Ingush tribe that lived in contact with it, thus defining. place of residence of a related clan or tribe.
The Ingush, like other autochthonous mountain peoples of the North Caucasus, either narrowing their borders under the onslaught of the enemy and confining themselves in mountain gorges, then again expanding there to their former borders that existed before each invasion, always retained their independence after the danger had passed. MM. Kovalevsky wrote, regarding the preservation of political independence and ancient culture among the Caucasian peoples, that under the pressure of neighbors and new newcomers, these peoples were pushed into the mountains and there they retained not only, to a greater or lesser extent, political independence, but also the peculiarity of their ancient culture. (Kovalevsky M.M. Primitive law. - M., 1886, S. 1, 5.)
But this was not the culture of wild tribes living in tribal relations, as some researchers would like to see. For the material culture alone, which the whole world is proud of, created by the distant ancestors of the Ingush, speaks of the inconsistency of such concepts among the very so-called. "authoritative Caucasus experts."
Each invasion of the Caucasus was accompanied by enormous disasters and suffering, the destruction of the centuries-old peaceful way of life and political stability of the Ingush. What was characteristic of the Mongol invasion was also characteristic of the numerous invasions of other nomads into the Caucasus from ancient times. “The Mongol invasion was a national disaster for the Vainakh tribes as well. The entire plain near the river was flooded by waves of alien nomads. The Vainakh tribes, having left the cultivated plains, were forced to take refuge in inaccessible mountains, which were also fenced off from the north by a wide strip of ancient forests.” (Shavkhelishvili A.I. From the history of relations between the Georgian and Chechen-Ingush peoples. - Grozny, 1963, p. 76) We must assume that things were no better during the pre-Mongol invasions of the Caucasus. But, both during the invasion of the Mongols and earlier, part of the Ingush (in the Mongolian period, the Ingush Alans) still remained on the plain of the country and took part in frequent military campaigns. There is evidence that the Alans took part in the battle between Timur and Tokhtamysh on the Terek, on the latter’s side. (Khizriev H.A. Caucasians against Timur. - Grozny, 1992, pp. 71-72.)
Some questions of the settlement of the ancient Ingush and the existence of their own statehood
The highlands have always remained both a center of resistance to the enemy and a center of the original, original material culture of the Ingush people, now known to the whole world. Back in 1951, when the Ingush and Chechen peoples were in deportation, E.I. Krupnov wrote with great courage: “The Caucasus, including the North Caucasus, once lived a more intense life, compared to many regions of our country and Europe. It was one of the most cultural regions of our Motherland, living its own creative life not in isolation from the achievements of the more advanced culture of those times, but in a living, organic connection with it and in direct communication with neighboring centers of the ancient cultural world.” (Krupnov E.I. Materials and research on the archeology of the USSR, No. 23. - M.-L., 1951. P. 11.)
Just to a greater extent, here we are talking about the ancient Ingush people, whose ethnic territory of residence from ancient times was the Central part of the Caucasus, both north of the Main Caucasus Range and south. Historian H.A. Akiev defines the western borders of the Nakhs as the Black Sea. “...The legends of the Armenians and Georgians, anthropological work carried out in the Caucasus, language data and documents indicate that the Chechens and Ingush occupied from the 3rd century. BC until the 14th century. n. e. a vast territory both on the plain and in the mountains, first to the West from the Terek River to the Black Sea, and then to the East from the same river to the borders of Dagestan.” (Akiev Kh.A. On the issue of the origin and geography of settlement of the Ingush. Lagash, No. 1, 1989. P. 29.)
Based on Leonti Mroveli’s concept of the initial settlement of the peoples of the Caucasus, Abkhaz researcher G.D. Gumba writes: “Important information about the Nakh tribes is contained in the historical work of Leontia Mroveli. Historical reliability of this author’s main messages about the events of the second half of the 1st millennium BC. has long been recognized by Soviet historical science. In historiography, it is considered indisputable that in ancient Georgian sources, in particular Leontia Mroveli, the Nakh tribes were called ethnonyms - “Kavkas” and “Durdzuk”. At the same time, “Kavkas” is a broader concept, and “durdzuk” is the concept of the most significant part of this whole. In the concept of Leonti Mroveli, all Caucasian peoples are related to each other. They descend from one ancestor - Targamos, whose eight sons became dioceses of the Caucasian peoples: Gaos - Armenians, Kartlos - eastern Georgians, Egros - western Georgians, Bardos and Movakan - Albanians, Eros - Erov, Lekos - Dagestanis and Kavkas - Vainakhs. Targamos divided his country among his sons. Six of them received their share south of the Caucasus Range, and the other two “gave Lekan (land) from the Daruband (Caspian) Sea to the Lomeka River (Terek - G.Ts.), north to the great Hazareti River (Volga), Caucasus - from the Lomeka River to the borders of the Caucasus in the west.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). - Yerevan, 1988, pp. 25-26) From these data it is clear that the territory of the initial settlement of the ancient Ingush - descendants of the Caucasus was the territory “from the river Lomek to the borders of the Caucasus to the west." (According to G.D. Gumba, from the headwaters of the Terek River in the east to the headwaters of the Kuban and Malka rivers (Ibid., 27.)). We also learn that the ancestor of the ancient Ingush is the Caucasus. There is no doubt that the name “Caucasus” comes from the name of the ancestor of the Ingush Caucasus. We also learn that initially all ancient Ingush tribes were called by the ethnonym Caucasus, i.e. on behalf of the ethnarch of the ancient Ingush - Caucasus.
It is possible that, based precisely on this, the famous Ossetian linguist V.I. Abaev “called the Chechen-Ingush the local population, and the Iranian-speaking nomads – aliens.” (Shnirelman V.A. To be Alans: intellectuals and politics in the North Caucasus in the 20th century. M., 2007. P. 252.)
Since ancient times, the Ingush people had their own state formations in the Caucasus. In the ethnic territories of residence of this people, both in the flat and mountainous parts of the Central Caucasus, there were the following state formations known to historical science - Makhli, Caucasian Albania, Durdzuketia, Tsanaria, the kingdom of Khon, Alania, G1alg1ay-Koshke (Galgai).
The ancient Georgian state, undoubtedly, was created by the “Nakh political union” of makhals//makhalons - Makhli//Malkh, enthroning its protege Parnavaz and connecting him by dynastic marriage with the “king” of the Dzurdzuks. “Controlling the most important pass routes passing through the Central Caucasus, the union of Nakh tribes was a fairly strong political association in the Caucasus of the second half of the 1st millennium BC. This is also evidenced by his role in the formation of Kartlian statehood. It is difficult to judge what kind of association this was. Judging by indirect data, apparently it was on the verge of becoming a state...” (Gumba G.D. Resettlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 138.)
We are convinced that by that period the “Nakh political unification” that G.D. speaks about. Gumba, had the status of the main political force in the Caucasus. Having all the attributes of an ancient state, it was one of the main political forces in the Caucasus at that time. According to the Abkhazian researcher, this political entity ceased to exist around the beginning of the 2nd century. BC. (Ibid.).
In its subsequent history, the Georgian state was also very closely connected with the organizing role of the Ingush people in its existence. This is clearly seen from ancient sources, which trace the history of the ancient Ingush - Mahals//Makhalons, Dzurdzuks, Gargareys or Gergars, Tsanars//Sanars, Gligvi, Alans, Kists, Dvals, Batsbiyts, Ovs, who were known not only by these names. “At the turn of the new era, the Nakh tribes were already known by the names of individual tribal groups - troglodytes, Hamekites, Isadiks, Serbs, Dvals.” In the scientific research literature there is an opinion that the Gargars mentioned by Strabo are also of Vainakh origin, writes G.D. Goomba, although he himself does not share this opinion. (Ibid.).
But classifying the Gargars as Ingush is already a well-founded, scientifically established opinion, as is the definition of the territory of their residence in ancient times. “In the post-war years, a number of researchers suggested the identification of the ancient ethnonym “Gargarei” with the modern self-name of the Ingush – “Galgai”. Having specifically taken up this issue, I came to the conclusion that the legitimacy of identifying Strabonov’s “Gargareys” with the Ingush tribal self-name “Galgai” can be considered quite justified.” (Krupnov E.I. Medieval Ingushetia. Magas, 2008. P. 32).
Of interest to us is another fact mentioned by G.D. Gumboy - the presence of ancient writing among the Gargars. “According to ancient Armenian sources, it was in the Gargar language that writing was created.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 139). It is likely that ancient sources written in the Gargar language have been preserved, and they could be found with the possibility of a thorough analysis of ancient Armenian and ancient Georgian archival manuscripts by specialists, which must be done at the state level of the Republic of Ingushetia.
Judging by the opinion of some researchers, the societies of mountainous Georgia were once part of the Ingush people: Svans, Pshavs, Mokhevs, Khevsurs, Gudamakarians, who were also part of the state formations of the Nakh tribes in different periods of history. And there is a lot of evidence that the ancestors of the Tushins and Batsbis were Ingush, both through legends and through historical and geographical sources of antiquity. “According to L. Mroveli, a Georgian historian of the 11th century, Tusheti appeared as a specific historical and geographical unit in the first half of the 4th century.” (Kartlis Tskhovreba, vol. I, Tbilisi, 1955. p. 126.) The role of tushins in the life of the Georgian state was not at all ordinary. This is stated not only in the ancient Georgian source, but also in the “Armenian Geography”.
“In the territory occupied by the Tushins in the eastern part of mountainous Georgia, the Tushins have lived since time immemorial. Suffice it to say that the “Tuskhi”, “Tusi” people are listed as living in this area in one of the oldest written sources - “Armenian Geography” by Anania Shirakatsi, dating back to the 7th century AD.” (A.I. Shavkhelishvili. From the history of the highlanders of eastern Georgia. Tbilisi, 1983. P.25). That. The ancient localization of the region of ethnic residence of the Tushins is the eastern part of Georgia.
The Tushins are also mentioned in the list of 56 tribes and peoples mentioned by Strabo (1st century BC - 1st century AD) as living in the Caucasus. Thus, it turns out that some of the Georgian state entities were both Georgian and Ingush. (Ibid.).
Abkhazian researcher G.D. Gumba, to confirm his opinion that the first king of Georgia was the protege of the Ingush Parnavaz, who had a dynastic marriage with the royal court of the “Durdzuks” (Ingush), relies on ancient Georgian sources. “According to ancient Georgian sources, the first Kartlian king Parnavaz was a pupil of the Vainakhs (Durdzuks). After his accession with the military help of the Nakhs... the union of the Kartli kingdom with the Nakh political entity is consolidated by the marriage of Parnavaz to a Nakh, apparently the daughter of the Nakh “king”. Close allied contacts between these political entities are maintained under Parnavaz’s successor, Saurmag” (author: Saurmag is a proper name from the Ingush word “sarmak”, meaning “dragon”). Fleeing from the Kartlian “Aznaurs” who rebelled against him, Saurmag finds refuge with the Nakhs: “Saurmag fled secretly with his mother and came to the country of the Durdzuks to his mother’s brother.” (Leonti Mroveli. Life of the Kartli kings. M., 1979, p. 22). “Having provided military assistance to Saurmag, the Nakhs elevated him to the throne of Kartli.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 73-74).
According to the findings of G.D. Gumba, by the time the Georgian kingdom was created, the Ingush political entity - Dzurdzuketia - already existed as an independent political unit. It turns out that, according to ancient Georgian sources, the political state formation of the Dzurdzuks, or, to put it bluntly, the Ingush already had their own state. According to G.D. The Goombas were ruled by a “king”. It turns out that if the Dzurdzuks had the opportunity to form and then influence new state formations in the Caucasus, then in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. the ancient Ingush state formation Makhli//Malkh (Georgians: Dzurdzuketia) played one of the leading roles in the political life of the Caucasus. This means that we can conclude that if Georgia, as a state, arose in the 3rd century. BC, then the Ingush history of its own statehood goes back even further into the depths of centuries from the 3rd century. BC.
G.D. In these conclusions, Gumba refers to famous Georgian researchers. He writes: “As noted by R.L. Kharadze and A.I. Robakidze, Leonti Mroveli’s information about the Nakh tribes of this time, regardless of whether they are based on literary tradition or oral tradition, deserves complete trust, for it was during the reign of Parnavaz (III century BC) ... Georgian-Nakh relations characterized by extremely close contacts.” (Kharadze R.L., Robakidze A.I. On the issue of Nakh ethnonymy. KES, Tbilisi, 1968, volume II, pp. 12-40). G.A. Melikishvili points out that in reports from ancient Georgian sources dating back to this time, the motive of the relationship between Georgians and the North Caucasian peoples prevails over all others.” (Melikishvili G.A. On the history of ancient Georgia. Tbilisi, 1959. P. 87-88). This, of course, is not accidental. It speaks of the significant strength and authority of the Nakh tribal association of that time, of the great role it played in the life of neighboring peoples and tribes, in particular in the formation of Kartlian statehood.” (Ibid., p. 73).
In addition to Makhli//Malkh, there were other Ingush states that at different periods of history also had a strong political influence in the Caucasus - Khon, Alania, Tsanaria, which arose one after another in the early Middle Ages.
Since the beginning of intensive study of the history of the Ingush since the 19th century. In Russian historiography, such a not entirely correct concept of living of Nakh tribes only in the mountainous part of the Caucasus has been accepted. We see this followed practically when studying the main research works of the Soviet period. This is incorrect, because the Nakh tribes lived both in the mountainous part and practically on the entire Cis-Caucasian plain, sometimes narrowing and sometimes expanding in their ethnic boundaries in different periods, due to the political circumstances that developed in the Caucasus in different periods of history. It is possible that there could even be several political formations of the Nakhs here at the same period.
There are suggestions that Sarmatia was a Nakh state formation. For the name of this state – “Sarmatia” – is etymologically connected with the Ingush language. Chechen researcher Ya.S. Vagapov explains the etymology of both “Sauromat” and “Sarmat” through the Nakh language, denying the origin of the “name Sarmat from Savromat”: “...Sauromat is a compound word consisting of two parts Savro- and Mat in... the meaning of “language”, “tribe” ... Savro, obviously, is a Vainakh word... This is the name of leather with a characteristic natural pattern (mereya), which remains after its finishing... The conclusion suggests itself that sauromat is a compound word with the meaning leather tribe.” (Vagapov Y.S. Vainakhs and Sarmatians. Chechen archive, vol. I. Grozny, 2008. P. 105-106.) About the etymology of the Sarmatians Y.S. Vagapov writes: “I.A. Javakhishvili believed that the local form of the name Sarmat should be restored in the form of Sharmat, since in the Greek and Latin languages there was no sound “sh” and it could most likely be designated by the letter “s”... Sh.B. Nogmov pointed to the folklore ethnonym Sharmat as the Kabardian name of the Sarmatians, J.N. Kokov, among the Adyghe personal names formed from ethnonyms, also points out Shermet (“Sarta”), comparing it with the Russian surname Sheremetyev. The Ukrainian surname Sheremet is also attributed to the same ethnonym (author: L.I. Lavrov (L.I. Lavrov. On Sh.B. Nogmov’s interpretation of Kabardian folklore // Soviet ethnography. 1969. No. 2.) Considering the above, we can assume the following interpretations Sarmatian names.
1. Sarmat-sharmat. In the Vainakh languages, shar is the basis of the words sheri (Chech.) “even, smooth”, shari (Ing.)…, sherry mettig (Chech.), sha’r moattig (Ing.) “flat, smooth place”... “evenness, smoothness” .
Taking into account this lexical material, Sarmat-Sharmat can be recognized as a Nakh compound word meaning “even, flat place.” This etymology fits perfectly with the nature of the territory occupied by the Sarmatian tribes and with the extremely broad collective meaning of the term itself as an ethnonym.
2. However..., it cannot be ruled out that the initial sound in Sarmatian was precisely “s”. This possibility seems to be supported by the etymology of the name of one of the Sarmatian tribes - Serbs, preserved by the Vainakhs in the form of sarbi as the typological name of one of the Chechen societies. The stem Sar- can be associated with the stem of the indirect cases of the word “bull” - sar-, star-, tar-. The base Sar- consists of the root Sa, one of the meanings of which was “soul, living animal,” and the determinant -p-. Thus, Sarbi could mean “cattle breeders”, and Sarmat “cattle breeders tribe”.
The first solution, Sarmatian-Sharmatian – “plain tribe”, seems more likely. (Vagapov Y.S. Vainakhs and Sarmatians. Chechen archive, vol. I. Grozny, 2008. P. 108-109.)
We offer another variant of the etymology of the word “Sarmat” using the Ingush language, in the meaning “sarmak” (“dragon”). And this is acceptable, because in ancient times the mythical dragon was associated with strength and power among many peoples. The Ingush often called kings by this name. If we remember here that the name of the second king of Georgia, the nephew of the Ingush - Saurmag, is also associated with the Ingush ancient name Sarmak, then the likelihood of the existence of a separate state with Ingush name goes up a lot. It is possible that the Sarmatians also had a king named Sarmak (Ingush protege?), from which the name of the entire state came. Not just the desired attribution that we see when studying in Soviet period history of this state, and the tribes living in Sarmatia, the names of some of which we find in ancient sources, also require deep analysis and research. But to confirm or refute this hypothesis, in our opinion, new impartial and painstaking research work is needed. It seems that genuine scientific work on Sarmatia is still to come.
It should be assumed that democratic forms of government existed in the ancient Ingush states. At the head of such state formations were military leaders. The late medieval state formation of the Ingush G1alg1ay-kozhke (Galgai) was also built on the basis of a military-democratic form of government headed by a democratic parliament of the country common to all the people - “Mekhk Khel” (Ing.: “Council (lit. Destiny) of the country”), who, during military operations, elected a military leader - the head of the Country.
In some of the Ingush states, since ancient times, the Mekh-Khel institution existed in the form of democratic government. “Mekhk-Khel” met in exceptional cases and made decisions binding on everyone...” (Kharsiev B. M-G. Ingush Adats as a Phenomenon of Legal Culture. Nazran, 2009. P. 55.) This body was engaged not only in the internal state arrangement, but he was also in charge of almost all foreign policy actions of the state. It was a kind of legislative and judicial body of the country. According to researcher B.M-G. Kharsieva, Mekhk-Khel had all three functions state power among the Ingush - legislative, judicial and executive. Mekhk-Khel had its own separate gathering place. In addition to the national institution of governing the country - Mekhk-Khel, there were individual khels within each Ingush society, subordinate to Mekhk-Khel. “As the highest governing body, Mekhk-Khel dealt with the historical past of the peoples of the North Caucasus and interethnic relations.” (Ibid., p. 57.) One of the famous historical places for holding Mekhk-Khel gatherings in Ingushetia, where meetings of the Mekhk-Khel parliament were held, is, according to Popov I., Mount Muit-ker.. “From the Akkin society on the slope of this mountain there is a large flat stone, which served as a tribune for the chairman of such meetings of representatives...” (Ibid.)
In all of these political entities, without exception, governance was structured in the same way - on the basis of a constant military threat to absolutely the entire population of each of these states. For since ancient times the Caucasus has been the scene of numerous invasions, wars and major battles, which brought untold disasters to the Ingush people living here since ancient times...
That part of the Ingush state formations that had strict centralized power based on military-democratic rule, supported by all Ingush societies through their delegated representatives, the so-called. “khelkhoy” (Ing. lit.: “arbiters of fate”) in Mekhk Khel are later political systems of Ingush political entities. According to written sources covering different periods of the history of the Caucasus, according to the world-famous, unique temple and tower architecture of the Ingush people, according to toponymic-linguistic and archaeological-anthropological data of researchers, according to the Nart epic and folklore of both the Ingush and other peoples of the Caucasus and, finally, according to the strongest three-belt defense system of Ingushetia (intratribal, within one society and common to the entire country), consisting of stone fortresses (g1ap), surrounded by stone defensive walls with combat and semi-combat towers, sometimes with ditches - today parts of the territories of some of these data are outlined states that were located both west and east of the modern borders of Ingushetia, and north and south of them. One of the areas of the defensive belt of medieval Ingushetia is described by archaeologist, professor V.B. Vinogradov: “The area of the newly discovered group of monuments is contoured from the west and from the north by the valley of the Sunzha River, from the east – by the deep Assy gorge. From the south - the forested ridges of the Black Mountains. Natural boundaries are carefully and firmly reinforced with guard posts and small fortifications. They are within visual communication with each other and skillfully use the features of the relief, appearing at any point convenient for penetration into this “fortified area.” There are at least 10 such outposts. But they are only the beginning, only the first belt around the core of the nest. Much more extensive fortifications flourished under the protection of external fortifications... the strictly thought-out layout and the very implementation of the general defensive line evoke involuntary admiration. All large settlements of the second defense zone are connected to each other by a deep, many-kilometer-long ditch. Its functions are varied. Dug on a spacious plain, it represented a secret, hidden road for the movement of troops, and a secluded place for concentrating reserves, and a strategically important defensive line, blocking the enemy’s passage inside the fortification system to the central, strikingly large, settlement of Hatoi-Barts.” (Vinogradov V.B. Time, mountains, people. Grozny, 1980. P. 29-31.)
A very fair conclusion is made by G.D. Gumba, saying that the “Targamosians” erected cities on the outskirts of “Khazaria”. “We must assume that the construction of defensive chains along the Terek could have been achieved not by isolated tribes, but by a large tribal association of proto-Vainakh tribes of the Central Caucasus. The need for their unification was dictated not only by internal socio-economic prerequisites, but also by the need to unite in the face of increased military danger, predatory and predatory invasions from the steppe inhabitants.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 72.) This conclusion of G.D. Gumba serves as confirmation that the ancient Ingush lived in the Caucasus in a political state entity with centralized power, and by the time cities were built on the borders with Khazaria, it represented a strong centralized state political entity.
Areas of national defensive structures of the Ingush in ancient times, similar to those about which G.D. writes. Gumba, covered the modern territories of Ossetia, Chechnya, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ingushetia and mountainous Georgia, as well as the Cis-Caucasus Plain, where the Ingush fortified cities stood as a “defensive chain”, which once again confirms our opinion about a strong centralized power in the political formation of the ancient Ingush, who, in the words of G.D. The Gumbas thus rallied in the face of “military danger, predatory and predatory invasions from the steppe inhabitants.”
Makhli - ancient ancient Ingush state
One of the famous ancient ethnonyms of the Ingush is the ethnonym “Makhli”. In a more detailed study of ancient sources telling about the Makhli people, G.D. Gumba defines the boundaries of the ethnic residence of the ancient Makhli // Makhelons and their role in the political history of the Caucasus. The Ingush, known by the ethnonym Mahaly (Ing.: sunny Alans, sunny people), are also the creators of the Koban culture. “In ancient sources, a lot of attention is paid to the tribes and nationalities of the Caucasus. In them we find quite a lot of ethnonyms associated with the Caucasus. Most of these ethnonyms find their parallels among the modern peoples of the Caucasus, but some of them are difficult to explain, because naturally, over the course of many centuries, the name of a particular people could change. Introduced into scientific circulation, they provoke lively discussions. However, some of them, for one reason or another, are still outside the field of view of researchers. One of these is the ethnonym “Makhli” that we propose for consideration, mentioned among the peoples of the Caucasus by Lucian of Samosata in the story “Toxaris or Friendship” and by Claudius Elian.” (Ibid., p. 27).
Of great interest to us is the mention in “Toxaris...” of Lucian of Samosata, along with the Scythians and Sauromatians known since ancient times, of the “Makhlov tribe”. From the text we learn that the Makhli tribe had its own kingdom and king - “Adirmakh, ruler of the land of the Makhlis.”
“In Bosporus there is a custom for grooms to woo girls at dinner and announce who they are and why they are asking to be accepted into marriage. So at this dinner there were many suitors, kings and princes: there was Tigrapat, the ruler of the Laz, Adirmah, the ruler of the land of the Makhli, and many others. Each of the suitors, at the end of dinner, must demand a cup, pour a libation on the table and woo the girl, showering himself with praise, as far as each can boast of either noble birth, or wealth, or power.” (Ibid., p. 29).
Here it must be said that this type of matchmaking with showering “oneself with praise” is nothing more than the so-called Ingush that has survived to this day. “zoahalol” is a comic matchmaking, which sometimes takes the form of real matchmaking. Today, although it remains among the Ingush as a comic matchmaking, it comes from the depths of thousands of years and, presumably, in ancient times it was a real matchmaking, as we see, with the ruler of the Makhli Adirmakh in the text. In such matchmaking, the groom or one of his Ingush friends showers praise on the groom offering his hand, not forgetting to mention “nobility of origin, wealth or power.”
Professor I.A. Dakhkilgov, speaking about comic matchmaking among the Ingush, writes: “Ingush comic matchmaking appears unique folk custom. To this day it has survived and exists among the people, but not in such an active form as in the past. This ritual contributed not only to a fun time for young people at parties, but also to the acquaintance of boys and girls. Comic matchmaking had two goals: the first was the conclusion of this very matchmaking in a comic form; the second is an opportunity... to show... your eloquence and sharpness of mind. Often, comic matchmaking became a kind of prelude to real matchmaking.” (Anthology of Ingush folklore. Nalchik, 2003. T. I. P. 256).
An interesting composition is the composition of the allied forces fighting in the war with the Scythians, which broke out due to the murder of the Bosporan king Levkanor, who refused to marry his daughter to Arsakom, the Scythian ambassador. In one alliance the Bosporans, Makhlis, Sauromatians and Alans acted against the Scythians. Let us note here that the Makhlis and Alans are in the same union. If we consider the etymology of the ethnonyms “Makhli” and “Alan”, then it is possible that these are the same people, appearing in the context under two names - Makhli and Alan, because during the matchmaking the Bosporan king does not have an Alan ruler. The name Makhli means in Ing. language “sunny Alans”, i.e. selected Alans. Thus, Adirmah is the only ruler of both the “Alans” and the “solar Alans” (makhli), i.e. ethnically the same ancient Ingush tribal association.
In the Ingush language, the root “al” in the word “alan” (in the ethnonym mahal//mahal-on it appears as the second component “Makh//malkh” - “al”) has the basic meanings necessary for human life. Let us cite them: “ala” - “flame”, i.e. fire (“siyna ala bainna yoga ts1i” - “fire burns with a blue flame”); “ala” - “say”, “have the right to speak” (“ala dosh da khyona” - “you have the right to speak”); “Ala” is the omnipotent God, here is an excerpt from an appeal to God, which is still said today in the Ingush prayer: “H1ai veza hinna vola, tho doalakh deshvola, tha Ala, Hyay dikah ma dahalakh tho!” - “Our great Alla (God) who owns us, may your mercy not bypass us!”; “alla” - “ruler”, “king”, “prince” (“Tirka-ch1ozha ala Dudar hinnav” - “Dudar was the ruler of the Daryal Gorge”). As we can see from the above examples, the root “ala-n”, where “n” is an indicator of the genitive case in the Ingush language (as well as in the ethnonym “mahal-n”), has the most significant meanings for universal human existence on earth - religion , fire, speech, government.
G.D. Gumba believes that “Levkanor” is “the common dynastic name of the Bosporan kings.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 31.) Judging by the fact that the Bosporan king during the period of the highest prosperity of his state (IV-II centuries BC AD) enters into a dynastic marriage with the ruler of Mahli Adirmakh, which means that the political role and military power of the Mahli state in the life of the Caucasus was enormous. “...The kingdom of the Makhlias was a large political entity. Among the suitors of his daughter, the Bosporan king gives preference to the ruler of the Makhlians - Adirmakh, who surpassed his rivals, including the “Colchian” king...” (Ibid., pp. 32-33).
Makhli//Makhalons were a strong and warlike tribe. Kodzoev N.D. writes: “Mahalons were armed with shields and spears, and instead of armor they wore hair cloaks, such as Ingush burkas.” (N.D. Kodzoev. History of the Ingush people. - Magas, 2002. P. 89.)
The name of another king of the Machelons and Ganakhs, Ankhial (Ing.: Ankhi-al - ruler of Ankhi - from the Ing. “plain-water”), is called by N.D. Kodzoev. (Ibid., p. 90).
Here it is necessary to note one more significant detail “the possibility of comparing Lucian’s machelons with Arrian’s machelons” and their localization in “Transcaucasia (in the north of Colchis)”, which L.A. admits. Elnitsky. (Elnitsky L.A. Commentary on the translation by V.V. Latyshev. VDI, 1948, No. 1. P. 310, note 4).
G.D. Gumba, having quite thoroughly studied the ancient texts, also based on the opinions of many researchers, comes to the conclusion that “Lucian’s Mahlians lived in places southeast of the Stavropol Upland, in the western regions of the Central Caucasus.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 38.)
Another ancient author, Claudius Elian, also mentions the “barbarian” Makhli tribe. “A certain person named Dionysius, a merchant by occupation, who often made many distant voyages out of greed and who rose far from Maeotis, bought there a Colchisian girl who was kidnapped by the Mahlias, one of the local barbarian tribes.” (Latyshev V.V. News of ancient Greek and Latin writers about Scythia and the Caucasus. St. Petersburg, 1893-1900, vol. I, issue 1-3. P. 223).
G.D. Gumba believes that the localization of the machlia in Claudius Aelianus is quite consistent with the localization of the machlia in Lucian of Samosata.
“...The information of Lucian of Samosata and Claudius Aelian gives us sufficient grounds to come to the conclusion that the tribe or tribes, known by ancient authors as “Makhli”, inhabited the western regions of the central part of the North Caucasus... The name “Makhli” of Lucian and Aelian finds its real confirmation in the toponymy and ethnonymy of the central part of the Northern Ciscaucasia.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 40).
Among them, the Abkhazian researcher names the hydronym Malka, which took “due to metathesis the form of mahl (malkh),” located on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria. This hydronym “cannot be interpreted on the Adyghe linguistic soil, as well as on the Balkar.” (Kokov J.N. Adyghe (Circassian) toponymy. Nalchik, 1974. P. 145-146).
Since ancient times, the Ingush people have always had to defend themselves from numerous invasions of nomads. Either narrowing, then over time again expanding within its ancient ethnic boundaries of residence in the Central Caucasus, from time immemorial this ancient people created unique cultures.
One of the cultures, the creator of which was the Nakh (ancient Ingush) people (also known under the ethnonym Makhli//Makhalon), is the Koban culture. “Throughout the entire territory inhabited by the Koban tribes, researchers have long discovered a layer of Nakh (ancient Ingush) toponyms,” (Kodzoev N.D. History of the Ingush people. Magas, 2002. P. 33.) which speaks of the direct creators of the great culture. “The Kobans in the ancient Georgian chronicles are called Caucasions and Dzurdzuks, who in scientific literature recognized as Nakh-speaking. The border of settlement of the Caucasions and Dzurdzuks, according to Georgian sources, is determined from the Andean ridge in the east to the places of residence of the Adyghe tribes and corresponds to the borders of settlement of the carriers of the Koban culture. In ancient sources, the tribes of the Koban culture are called Makhli (Makhaly). The names “makhli” and “makhelons” are the same ethnonym, formed from the ancient Ingush words “ma” - “sun” and “hal” - “god” and meaning “people of the sun god”. Strabo calls some of the Koban people who lived on the plain (plane) in the basin of the Terek and Sunzha rivers Gargarei. Many researchers derive the ethnonym “gargarey” from the Ingush word “gargar” - “close, “related”. The word “gar” also in the Ingush language means “clan, branch of the clan.” (Ibid.)
Until now, among the Ingush there is a clan that has retained exactly the version in which it is given by ancient authors, the ancient ethnonym of the Ingush, the creators of the Koban culture and the ancient state of Makhli//Malkh - Mahalov, Makhelon. This is the Mokhloy clan (according to other sources, a separate Ingush society). According to information told by 90-year-old Zurabov Israil, in ancient times all Ingush, Chechens, and Batsbis were known under a single ancient name - Mokhloy. (Informant: Zurabov Israil Zuurupovich, 90 years old, Sernovodskaya village. According to Zurabov, previously all Ingush societies were known under a single name - Mokhloy. That is, it must be assumed that, according to legend, there was a period when the ethnonym of the creators of the Koban culture was Makhli / / Mokhli called the entire Ingush people. And the area of residence of the Mokhloi was the entire Central Caucasus. Settlements with such names are found far to the west of Daryal (for example, N.G. Volkova cites two villages with similar names in the territory of Balkaria - Mokhal and Mokhaul). To the east of Daryal there are also villages with similar names. One is in the area of Mount Mokhul-loam (D.Yu. Chakhkiev), where almost all toponymy is connected with the name Mohale, the second is near Mat-loam (Table Mountain, approximately the area around Dudar- g1ala-Tower of Dudara) (N.G. Volkova), and in the area of Angushta, about two kilometers southeast of the current location of the village, (N.G. Volkova and according to informants there was a period when the ethnonym I.e. the creators of the Koban culture were called makhaly // makhelons // makhli by all tribes and societies that spoke the Nakh language. The habitat of the Mokhlois was the entire Central Caucasus.
Today, ancient settlements with such names are found far to the west of Daryal. For example: N.G. Volkova on the territory of Balkaria cites two villages with similar names - Mohal and Mohaul. (Volkova N.G. Ethnic composition of the population of the North Caucasus in the 18th - early 20th centuries. M., 1974. P. 158.) It is possible that the Kist (Ingush) “district” of Makarl, mentioned by Gyldenstedt, which S. Bronevsky speaks of, and there is a separate Ingush society Mahal, which also goes back to the ancient ethnonym of the Ingush - Makhli, Mahalon. “Guldenstedt mentions the following districts of the Kist province: Ingush; Akhkingurt; Ardakhli; Vapi; Osset; Macarl; Angush (Big), Shalkha or Small Angush.” (Bronevsky S. The latest geographical and historical news about the Caucasus. M., 1823. P. 156.) “The following gathering places or main villages (ed.: i.e. centers of different societies) with the villages assigned to them belong to the Ingush Union societies: Vani, Osset, Makarl.” (Ibid., p. 165.)
A.N. Genko believed that the etymology of the toponym “gudamakar” consists of two components, “gudan” and “mahal”. The first is the name of Tushins among the Irons, and the second they call Ingush. (Genko A.N. From the cultural past of the Ingush. - Notes of the College of Orientalists at the Asian Museum of the USSR Academy of Sciences, vol. 5, L., 1930, pp. 709-710). This tribe is cited by the author of “Ashkharatsuyts”, when describing the tribes of Asian Sarmatia. (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 46). Almost none of the famous researchers, including N.Ya., doubt that Nakh tribes lived on the southern slopes of the Main Caucasus Range in the past. Marr, I.A. Javakhishvili, F. Uturgaidze, A.N. Genko, N.G. Volkova, A.P. Novoseltsev, T.A. Ochiauri, G.A. Melikishvili, etc. Thus, we can conclude that in ancient times almost all Nakh tribes were called the ethnonym Makhli. Those. the Mahli state was a political entity of all Nakhs, and not separately of one Nakh tribe or society.
In all likelihood, the Ingush political entity that contributed to the initial emergence of the Georgian state is precisely the kingdom of Makhli - the political formation of the Nakhs in ancient times known in the Koban period under the single ethnonym Makhli, who lived in the territory of the spread of the “late Koban culture (VI century BC - III century BC), which covered the entire central part of the North Caucasus - from the Elbrus region to the Andean ridge and the interfluve of the Sunzha and Argun rivers...” (Ibid., p. 42). These findings by G.D. Goombas are based on the ancient sources of Lucian of Samosata and Claudius Aelian. (Ibid., p. 39).
Professor I.Yu. Aliroev sees in the name “Malkh” the “supreme god of the Nakhs.” (Aliroev I.Yu. Astronomical terminology in the Vainakh languages. AES, vol. IV, Grozny, 1976. P. 210-224). E.I. also writes about the prevalence of the sun cult among the Vainakhs in ancient times. Krupnov, U.B. Dalgat, A.P. Berger. Ch. Akhriev also traces the name of the Ingush ancestor, the legendary Mago, to “malkh”. (Akhriev Ch. Ingush (their legends, beliefs and superstitions). - SSKG, issue 5, Tiflis, 1875). The name of the ancestor of the Chechens Malkh from legend and Professor I.A. are also traced to “malkh” in the meaning of “sun”. Dakhkilgov. (Dakhkilgov I.A. Historical folklore of the Chechens and Ingush. Grozny, 1978. P. 15-16).
G.D. Gumba reveals precisely the form “makhl”, under which the ancient Ingush state Makhli is known in ancient literature. He mentions a message from M.H. Oshaev, where it is said that “the Chechen informant considered himself a descendant of Makhlo, but he did not know that the Ossetians call the Ingush “makhalon”. (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 52).
G.D. Gumba also considers “malkh” to be one of the components of the name of the ruler Makhli Adirmakh, where “a” is “strength”, “power”, “greatness”; “gift” – “possessing”; “ma-kh” – “sun”, sound “x” G.D. Gumba believes here, referring to K.Z. Chokaev, “Nakh suffix” of a person.” That. the researcher deduces the meaning of the name “Adirmakha” in the Ingush language “Possessor of the power of the sun”, i.e. “The Supreme Sunman” (“Malkh”), a name characteristic of the royal persons of antiquity.” (Ibid., p. 53).
Based on all that has been said, we find confirmation of residence in the 1st millennium BC. Nakh ethnic group, which had its own powerful political entity - the state of Makhli, on a vast territory not only of the Ciscaucasia, but also of the central part of the Caucasus, both north and south of the Main Caucasus Range. “Thus, the reports of ancient sources about the Mahkhs//Malkhs of the North Caucasus find their real confirmation in the person of the Nakhs. Judging by toponymy data, the Malkhs lived in the regions of the central part of Ciscaucasia, apparently from the banks of the Malka (Malkh) river in the west to the mouth of the Sunzha and Argun rivers in the east. Those. on the same territory as the Nakhchmateans of ancient Armenian and the Caucasians, Durdzuks of ancient Georgian sources... Complete coincidence of reports from independent written sources (ancient ancient Armenian and ancient Georgian) about the residence of Nakh tribes in the above territory in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. leaves little room for doubt. At the same time, complete confidence in our rightness might seem premature if we did not have other strong evidence at hand to confirm what was said. These are toponymy, language, archeology, anthropology and folklore.” (Ibid., pp. 53-54).
Khon - state formation of the Ingush in the III-IV centuries. AD
G.D. speaks about the very significant role of the Khon tribe in political events in the Caucasus in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, which had its own political association, judging by its active role either on the side of some or on the side of other political opponents in the Caucasus. . Gumba, referring to ancient Armenian sources. “Judging by the data of ancient Armenian sources, in the first half of the 1st millennium AD. (III-IV centuries) the most outstanding and influential among the tribal groups of the Vainakhs is the tribal group of the hon. In the III-IV centuries. Vainakh Khons, along with other Caucasian tribes, take an active part in the political events of Transcaucasia: either as part of the Armenian troops in the fight against Persia (Agathangelos, Favstos Buzand), or in the militia of the Maskut king Sanesan during the latter’s attack on Great Armenia (Favstos Buzand).” . (Ibid., pp. 139-140).
Interesting information is provided by G.D. Gumba about the “Khon” people, whom early medieval Armenian historians (Agathangelos, Favstos Buzand) mention in the list of tribes and peoples of the North Caucasus, which, according to many researchers, should not be confused with the Turkic-speaking Huns who appeared in the North Caucasus at the end of the 4th century. (395). The list of researchers who consider the Khons to be a Caucasian tribe includes S.T. Eremyan, K.V. Trever, G.D. Gumba, E. Moore, N.G. Volkova and others.
The historian N.D. also writes about the ancient Khons who lived on the territory of Kartli. Kodzoev: “...Among the tribes that inhabited Kartli before the Arians-Kartlians moved there, a legend from the set of chronicles “Moktsevai Karlisai” names warlike Khons. The Khonoi tribe is called the source among the ancient Ingush tribes – the creators of the Koban culture.” (N.D. Kodzoev. History of the Ingush people. Magas, 2002. P.85).
G.D. Gumba also brings clarity to the ethnicity of the Hones. He writes: “In our opinion, the messages of “Ashkharatsuyts” (author: Armenian Geography of the 7th century) bring clarity to the question of the khons of the North Caucasus... Thus, in the list of tribes and nationalities living in the North Caucasus, the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” reports: “And in the same (Caucasian) mountains, after the Ardoz tribe, live the (tribes) Rachan, Pinchev, Dualov, Khonov, Tshumov, Avsurov, Tsanarov, at which there are Alan gates and another gate called Tselkan, after the tribe of the same name. Then Carcasses and Khundzas, Man-eating Bushes... The Maskut tribe lives on the Vardanov Plain to the Caspian Sea, where a branch of the Caucasus Mountains ends, where the Darband Wall begins, i.e. The fortification and Gate of the guard city of Chora is a huge tower built in the sea itself. To the north of it (Chora) (is) the kingdom of the Khons, from the sea itself to the west of it along the Caucasus Mountains; The Khons also own the city of Varachan there, as well as Chundars and Smyndyr.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of the Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 115). G.D. Gumba comes to the conclusion that the Khons mentioned in “Ashkharatsuyts” along with other tribes living in the Daryal Gorge area are an Ingush tribe. “From... “Ashkharatsuyts” it is clear that the Khons are named among the tribes living near the Daryal Gorge. The places of settlement of the Rachans, Tskhums, Ovsurs and Dvals mentioned in this passage are known quite well. Since to the east of the Dvals, in the area of the Daryal Gorge, the Tsanars are located, further behind the Tsanars are the Khevsurs and Pshavas, who perform in “Ashkharatsuyts” under the name Paskh, Puskh (ed.: compare with Ing. Phiy), then from here there is only room for the Khons on northern slopes of the Main Caucasus, east of the Daryal Gorge. This placement of the Khons by the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” completely coincides with the places of settlement of the ancient and quite numerous Vainakh tribal group, known as the Khons (Khonoi is the “oh” plural indicator in the Vainakh languages). In the valley of the Aramkhi River (Makhyaldon), the right tributary of the Terek River, there is still an area called Khonoy, which was the center of the Khoanoi society. There is no doubt that the Khons of the Central Caucasus “Ashkharatsuyts” should be identified precisely with the Vainakh Khons who lived east of the Daryal Gorge.” (Ibid., 117).
Indeed, the Ingush ancient clan Khonoi - with numerous clan branches, is one of the largest and could act as a separate elevated society among other Ingush societies, the name of which could be called the Ingush state formation, mentioned in “Ashkharatsuyts” as the “kingdom of the Khons”. In support of his conclusion, based on such a competent source, G.D. Gumba mentions the Khons in ancient Georgian manuscripts.
N.D. also writes about the connection between the ancient Khons and the Nakh clan (society) Khonoi. Kodzoev: “This ethnonym was recorded in the Aramkha gorge of Ingushetia (Ingush Khonoi clan) and in the Chanty-Argun gorge of Chechnya (Khonoi society). “Khons” – Huns and “Khons” – an ancient Ingush tribe are clearly separated in the Armenian geography of the 7th century. ad". (N.D. Kodzoev. History of the Ingush people. - Magas, 2002. P. 85).
Based on Klaproth's data, the Abkhaz researcher cites toponymic formations associated with Khone, Khonis-chali also in the valley of the Chanty-Argun River. “It is known,” writes G.J. Gumba, - that the processes of migration of residents of the Dzheirakh gorge (the valley of the Aramkhi River) to the south-eastern regions, in particular, the upper reaches of the Chanty-Argun River, as well as the reverse migration, have been characteristic since ancient times. This is evidenced by ethnogenetic legends, toponymy and ethnonymy data.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 115.) Speaking about such migration processes, the researcher refers to the works of A.N. Genko, Yu.D. Desherieva, V.P. Kobycheva.
The settlement of the Khons by some sources east of the Daryal Gorge, and others in the Chanty-Argun area should not be surprising, since these were movements (or migration processes) within one state entity. Interest in lighting this issue represents, in our opinion, an example of the settlement of one of the branches of the Mokhloy clan - Terloy, in the Terloy-Akhk region, about which, according to local informants (one of whom even directly calls himself a descendant of Makhlo), M.Kh. Oshaev. The ancestor of the Terloy family is Dudar Mokhloy’s son, Elda, who moved from Ingushetia. There are many legends about Eld and his sons. A special story is told about Talat, the son of Elda, the grandson of Dudar. The sons of Eld and his descendants founded twelve mountain settlements in the Terloi Akhk region (according to other sources - five), the main one of which was “El-khya” - “Princely settlements” (its construction is attributed to Talat). Representatives of this clan still remember their intraclan family relations with the Dudarov-Mokhla clan. Some of them call themselves both “terla” and “mokhla”. Their descendants live throughout Chechnya. When describing Terloy-Ahk M.H. Oshaev writes: “North of El Phya there is a hill with a smooth top. This place is called “Seli-te”. The Seli-te hill is undoubtedly associated with the cult of the pagan deity Seli, who controlled thunder and lightning. In mountainous Ingushetia, according to L.P. Semenov, there are a number of sanctuaries dedicated to the deity of Selo. The pagan ancestors of the Vainakhs usually placed their deities on the tops of mountains. Therefore, obviously, the place dedicated to the god of thunder and lightning is called “Seli-te” (To God).” (Oshaev M.Kh. Reconnaissance description of the medieval monuments of the Terloy-Akhk River. // CHINIIIYAL under the Council of Ministers of the Chi ASSR. Izvestia, vol. VII, issue 1. History. pp. 155-158).
From a study by M.Kh. Oshaev, it becomes clear that during the migration of the Ingush from one place to another, not only the toponymic names of their previous habitats were transferred, but on the site of the new settlement, places associated with the former pagan pantheon appeared. New temples and places of worship appeared, associated with different names of pagan deities, such as “Seli-te”.
“Thus,” writes G.D. Gumba, - it can be stated that the reports of “Ashkharatsuyts” about the Khonoi of the Central Caucasus find their real confirmation in the person of the Vainakh tribal group Khonoi, which should not be confused with the Huns of the North-Western Caspian region. In this case, when the existence of the Vainakh Khons is revealed, the information of Agathangelos and Favstos Buzand about the Khons of the Caucasus, dating back to the 3rd-4th centuries, receives new light and clarity is brought into the seemingly contradictory reports of ancient Armenian historians about the Khons.” (Gumba G.D. Settlement of Vainakh tribes according to “Ashkharatsuyts” (Armenian geography of the 7th century). Yerevan, 1988. P. 118.)
We obtain interesting data from the information provided by G.J. Gumba about the early medieval Ingush “kingdom of Khon”, associated with political events of the 3rd-4th centuries. in Transcaucasia.
“In addition to the above, ancient Armenian historians mention the Khons in connection with the events of the 3rd-4th centuries, when they took an active part, together with other Caucasian tribes, in the wars that took place in Transcaucasia: either as part of the Armenian troops, in the fight against Persia (Agathangelos, Favstos Buzand), then in the militia of the Maskut king Sanesan during the latter’s attack on Armenia (Favstos Buzand). Before presenting this information, it is necessary to point out the circumstance that indicates that they are talking specifically about the Vainakh khons... According to the message of Agathangelos, the Armenian king Khosrov (216-236) after the death of the last king of the Parthian Arsacids Artaban V (213- 224) opposed the founder of the new Sassanid dynasty, Artashir I. “Khosrow gathered the troops of the Albanians and Iberians, opened the gates of the Alans, the stronghold of Chora, ... withdrew the troops of the Khons ... Chilbs, Lpins, Kasps” ... Apparently, the 3rd-4th centuries. are the period of rise of the Khons among other tribal groups of the Vainakhs. ...The name Khons... in ancient Armenian sources refers not only to the tribal group of Khons themselves, but also to a number of other Vainakh tribes. Apparently, the information from “Ashkharatsuyts” about the Vainakh Khons should be attributed precisely to that layer of the source that reflects the state of affairs until the middle of the 4th century.” (Ibid., pp. 122-124.)
It is possible that many of today's Ingush clans were in ancient times separate societies and tribes that could have their own political entities in alliance with other Ingush tribes (similar to federal relations). And the clan or individual tribe that rose to prominence could give a name to the entire political union. There is a similar example in the history of the Ingush people - the ancient Ingush state formation Makhli (according to G.D. Gumba - Malkh) and the Ingush clan Mokhloy, which retained not only the name of the political union, but also the oldest name of all Ingush - the ethnonym Makhli.
It is likely that this is how the Khon clan rose among the Nakhs.
It is also possible that given the settlement of Ingush societies from ancient times in the vast territories of the Caucasus, i.e. On the territory of the ethnic settlement of the ancient Ingush, several separate political entities could exist at the same time. They could be either interconnected by federal, allied relations, or pursuing completely independent policies in the political life of the Caucasus.
By the way, a clear example of the similarity of such federal relations between different Ingush societies can be seen in late medieval Ingushetia - G1alg1ai-Koshka and the relations between different Ingush societies of that time, living according to the national laws of coexistence developed since ancient times among the Ingush.
By showing toponymic names associated with the ethnonym Makhli // Mahalons throughout the Central Caucasus, some of which are directly related to representatives of the Ingush clan Mokhloy who retained the ancient ethnonym, the conclusions of G.D. are confirmed. Gumba, who considers Makhli to be the ethnonym of all Nakhs, i.e. of the entire ancient Ingush people.
Ingush political state formation - Tsanaria (Sanaria) VI century. – ?
The Tsanars are an Ingush tribe often mentioned in ancient written sources that lived in the Central Caucasus region. After the unified state system of government in Kartli ceased to exist (532 AD), the Tsanars acted as an independent political force (state) in the Central Caucasus region.
G.D. Gumba defines the composition of the tribes that made up Tsanaria and its political boundaries, thus leading us to the fact that it was a state entity on the political map of the Caucasus, which arose in the 6th century. AD, after the “abolition of royal power in Kartli: “The Tsanars extended their political influence to a number of nearby mountain tribes (Khevsur, Tselkan, Pshav, Gudamakar, Tskhavat). In this regard, the term “tsanar” acquires a political meaning to designate the territory from the Daryal Gorge in the west to Tusheti in the east and from the Main Caucasus Range in the north to Zhinvani - Tianeti - Kvel-Daba - the upper reaches of the Alazan and Iori rivers in the south. In the south, the border of Tsanaria and Kartliya coincides with the common border of Kartliya and Asian Sarmatia, drawn by the author of “Ashkharatsuyts”. This observation shows that the boundaries between Asian Sarmatia and Kartliya in “Ashkharatsuyts” are also political, and not just ethnic, as is usually interpreted. (Ibid., P.140.) Thus, judging by the conclusions of G.D. Gumba, before us are three independent political units - Tsanaria, Kartli and Asian Sarmatia, which have common political borders. But, judging by the fact that Tsanaria exalted itself after the abolition of “the Persians of royal power in Kartli (532)” (Ibid.), then the most significant of them in political terms remained two states - Tsanaria and Asian Sarmatia.
Reports about tsanars can be found both in ancient, and in ancient Georgian and ancient Armenian sources. They are also mentioned by Arab and Persian chroniclers and historians. In “Armenian geography of the 7th century.” (“Ashkharatsuyts”) it is listed, like another Ingush tribe, the Khona, along with a number of other tribes living in the Caucasus. “And in the same (Caucasian) mountains, after the Ardoz tribe, live the (tribes) Rachan, Pinchev, Dualov, Khonov, Tshumov, Avsurov, Tsanarov, at which there are Alan gates and another gate called Tselkan, after the tribe of the same name. Then Carcasses and Hundzas, man-eating bushes...” (Ibid., p. 115.)
The Tsanars were a tribe that actively influenced the political life of the Central Caucasus mainly due to the location of the territory of their residence - the Daryal Gorge and around it. According to G.D. Gumba, “...the attention of ancient authors to the tsanars was caused, of course, by the leading role they played for many centuries in protecting the main passage of the central part of the Caucasus - the Daryal Gorge.” (Ibid., p. 124.)
When comparing ancient sources, which provide data relating to the Tsanars directly, an interesting detail is revealed that the name Ossetia does not correspond to the Irons or modern Ossetians. “The situation when the tribes inhabiting the southern slopes of the Caucasus were subordinated to the tribal leader of the Tsanars could have occurred after the middle of the 6th century AD, as evidenced by the ancient Georgian source “Moktsevai Kartlisai”. According to this source, it is revealed that after the abolition of royal power in Kartli in 523, secured by the eternal peace in (532) between Khusrow Anushirvan (531-579) and Justinian (527-565), the Persians entrusted the protection of the Caucasian passages to the tsanaram. The historian reports: “The Persians strengthened, captured the region of eras and Armenia, but especially took possession of Georgia, entered the Caucasus Mountains and built the gates of Ossetia for themselves, namely: one large gate in Ossetia itself, two gates in Dvaleti and one gate in Parachvan Dzurdzuksky (resp., located in Dzurdzuketi); They placed the local mountaineers as border guards, and then appointed one person in the Tsanar Gorge and subordinated him (the guard)” (“The Conversion of Georgia to Christianity”). The information from Moktsevai Kartlisay about the strengthening of the Caucasian passes by the Persians is consistent with the reports of the Arab authors Balazori and Ibn al-Faqih. According to Ibn al-Faqih, Anushirvan “built Dzurdzukia, which consists of 12 gates, and above each there is a stone fortification.” It follows that the tribal leader of the Tsanars was entrusted with guarding the main passages of the Central Caucasus.” (Ibid., pp. 127-128.)
Thus, the area called Ossetia, where the gates were built, was known since the Middle Ages and was the name of part of the territory of the Ingush state of Tsanaria, such as Dvaletia, Kistetia or Tushetia. And judging by the information of Ibn al-Faqih, then all the areas where 12 gates with stone fortifications above each of them were built are practically the entire territory of Dzurdzuketia. Also, in our opinion, it is necessary to note that if the Ingush-Tsanars owned the twelve most important passages from Transcaucasia to the North Caucasus, then they were also the owners of the territories north of these 12 “gates”. That is, practically, judging by the reports of Ibn al-Faqih, in our opinion, the border of the entire Tsanaria (Dzurdzuketia) is emerging, which covered approximately the same territory as the ancient state of Makhli//Malkh among the Ingush.
(Here it should be noted that even in the middle of the 19th century in the Caucasus, there was an attribution of the history of other peoples of the Caucasus to the Irons, or attribution of the societies of other North Caucasian peoples to the Irons for political purposes. (Kipkeeva Z.B. North Caucasus in the Russian Empire: peoples, migrations , territories. Stavropol, 2008. pp. 264-265.)
This leads us to believe that, contrary to the opinion of G.D. Gumba, the borders of the Ingush state of Tsanaria extended far to the north from the locations of the 12 gates built by Anushirvan in Dzurdzuketia, and overlooked the North Caucasian foothill plains. For Tsanaria, apparently, was a powerful political force in the Caucasus, and, subject to the possession of passes along the Main Caucasian ridge, the territories controlled by them to the north of these crossings are quite confidently emerging - almost the entire central region of the North Caucasus with the foothill plains.
Armenian researcher G.G. Mkrtumyan is inclined to believe that since ancient times, guarding the Daryal Pass was the hereditary duty of the Ingush-Tsanar leader, and “that this hereditary duty of the Tsanar leader was supposed to promote him politically and make him the head of the surrounding tribes.” (Ibid., p. 124.) That is, in other words, G.G. Mkrtumyan does not deny the possibility of the emergence of a political entity led by the leaders of this tribe around the Tsanars, which could also include other surrounding tribes. Practically Tsanaria according to G.G. Mkrtumyanu is a state.
As is known, a large number of researchers, including N.Ya., have studied the origin of the tsanars. Marr, A.N. Genko, A.P. Novoseltsev, S.T. Eremyan, V.F. Minorsky, N.G. Volkova and others, who unanimously localize the tsanars in the area of the Daryal Gorge.
G.D. Gumba believes that “...the term “Tsanar” in “Ashkharatsuyts” is used in a collective, political meaning, including not only Tselkan, but also Tskhovat, Gudamakar, Khevsur, Pshavs,” which until the 17th century. spoke the Ingush language. And, based on the ancient Georgian source “Moktsevai Kartlisai”, he believes that from the middle of the 6th century. these “tribes were subordinated to the tribal leader of the Tsanars.” (Ibid., p. 127.) At the same time, referring to N.G. Mkrtumyan, G.D. Gumba claims that the Tsanars guarded not only one Daryal pass, but all “the main passes of the Central Caucasus.” He also believes that this information from “Moktsevai Kartlisay”, which tells about the strengthening of the main passes of the Central Caucasus by the Tsanars, according to a number of researchers and according to sources, is consistent with what the Arab authors Balazori and Ibn al-Faqiha wrote. “And (author: due to the subordination of the main passes of the Central Caucasus to the leader of the Tsanars), according to the tribal leader of the Tsanars, the tribes living near these passes were subordinated militarily and politically - the Gudamakarians, Tselkans, Tskhavats, Khevsurs and Pshavas, which gave the author the basis for " Ashkharatsuyts" to call the territory of their residence "Tsanaria" - in a broad, political sense" (ed.: emphasis added). (Ibid., p. 128.)
The early medieval state formation of the Ingush Tsanaria, which arose in the 6th century. AD, had its own clearly defined borders and independent political rule. “The borders of Tsanaria in the south with Kartliya (along the line Zhinvani-Tianeti-Kvel-Daba - the upper reaches of the Alazan and Iori rivers) completely coincides with the common border drawn by the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” between Kartliia and Asian Sarmatia. Consequently, having found out that Anania Shirakatsi uses the term “tsanar” in a political sense, it can be quite reasonably assumed that the boundaries that he draws between Asian Sarmatia and Kartliya are also used by him in a political sense, and not just in an ethnic one, as is usually the case is interpreted. This is also confirmed by the fact that the tribes of Argvels and Tskhums, listed in Asian Sarmatia, were named for the second time by the author of “Ashkharatsuyts” in the description of Kartli, where these regions are integral part Kartli, what actually happened. There is no doubt that the regions of Argvels and Tskhums were renamed and included in Kartli politically. And the rest of the tribes on the southern slope of the Caucasus were not politically dependent on Kartli. Otherwise, the author of “Ashkharatsuyts”, when describing Kartli, would certainly have included these tribes in its composition, as he does in relation to the Argvels and Tskhums. The northern border of Kartli, separating it from Asian Sarmatia, runs along “Ashkharatsuyts”, starting from the Tskhum region in the west, along the line Zhinvani - Tianet - Kvel-Daba, and the lands lying north of it in Asian Sarmatia are called Tsanaria, t .e. Before us are two political units - Kartli and Tsanaria...” (Ibid., p. 129.)
Thus, based on the use of the term “tsanar” by Anania Shirakatsi in a political sense and considering that the definition of boundaries between political entities is not ethnic, but political, G.D. Gumba comes to the conclusion that “we have before us two political units – Kartli and Tsanaria...” That is. Tsanaria is nothing more than a medieval Ingush political entity that existed mainly on the territory of modern Georgia. “The proposed interpretation of the information from “Ashkharatsuyts” is consistent with subsequent events that took place in the region in question. After the fall of Sasanian Iran, it was the Tsanars who led the successful struggle of the tribes of the southern slope of the Caucasus against the Arab Caliphate. This struggle ended with the formation of a feudal principality, and then a kingdom, led by the dominant nobility of the Tsanars, known in Armenian and Arabic sources respectively as Tsanaria and Sanaria, in Georgian - Kakheti.” (Ibid.) The Abkhaz researcher is not alone in these conclusions. This issue was studied in detail in the work of G.G. Mkrtumyan “The Georgian feudal principality of Kakheti in the 8th-11th centuries. and its relationship with Armenia." (Yerevan: ۬ Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR, 1983.)
So, based on the above, “one should conclude, with sufficient grounds, that in “Ashkharatsuyts” the term “tsanar” is used in a political meaning, which, starting from the middle of the 6th century, designated the territory from the Daryal Gorge in the west to Tusheti in the east and from the Main Caucasus Range in the north to Zhinvani – Tianeti – Kvel-Daba – the upper reaches of the Alazan and Iori rivers in the south.” (Ibid., p. 130.)
In question ethnic origin tsanar, according to the works of V.F. Minorsky, A.P. Novoseltseva, G.G. Mkrtumyan, G.D. Goombas are Ingush. Carrying out the etymology of the ethnonym “tsanar”, G.D. Goomba concludes that it has " genetic connection... specifically with the Vainakh ethnic world.” “First of all, the name Tsanar is explained on the basis of Nakh languages and has an etymology characteristic of Nakh ethnonymy. The word “tsanar” tsa-na-r is divided into three components: tsa in Nakh languages means “fire”, “hearth”, “house”, “settlement”, and in the Nakh pantheon pagan gods meant "deity of fire." (Ibid., p. 131).
There is, in our opinion, a second explanation for the ethnonym “tsanar” in the Ingush language. In our opinion, the word “tsanar” consists of two components: ts1a – na1ar (naar). The first part of the word, undoubtedly, means in the Ingush language, as stated above, “fire”, “hearth”, “house”, “settlement”, and the second word is the genitive case of the word “ni1” - “na1ara” meaning “door” ", "gate", determining whether the house belongs to the gate (i.e. to the passage). Thus, the meaning of “tsanar” is obtained as “a house or (fortress) for a door (passage)”, which, undoubtedly, directly indicates the main activity of the tsanars - guarding and controlling all (12) main passages (“doors”) in the Central Caucasus.
G.D. Gumba is confident in his conclusions and cites information from another ancient Armenian historian Vardan the Great (General History of Vardan Vardapet. Venice, 1862, p. 101) in support. (Ibid., p. 132.) Also, the researcher, based on the ancient Georgian source “Moktsevai Kartlisai” and comparing its data with the information of Vardan the Great, finds a common connection between the Ingush Khons (which we talked about above) and the Tsanars: “Here let us remember the Vainakh Khonakh..., whose connection with the Khonakh of “Moktsevai Kartlisay” is obvious.” (Ibid., p. 134.)
So, we can, based on the above, conclude that Tsanaria (later known as Kakheti) was a large Ingush political union (“kingdom”) of the early Middle Ages in the Central Caucasus. Tsanaria included a certain number of tribes, and it had its own political boundaries, “led by the dominant nobility of the Tsanars,” i.e. ancient Ingush, who owned the main passes in the Central Caucasus. We also see that the names Tsanaria - Sanaria - Kakheti are the names of the same state entity.
All this, of course, is not a coincidence and we have the right to assert that the Tsanars are the ancient Ingush. “The above-mentioned coincidence of data from linguistics, toponymy, written sources and ethnogenetic legends, of course, cannot be classified as accidental. They clearly indicate that the Tsanars belong to the Vainakh ethnic world.” (Ibid., p. 135.)
This once again confirms our idea that the ancient Ingush were directly involved in the emergence of the Georgian states. This follows both from the above regarding Tsanaria-Kakheti, the former political union of the Ingush, and from the fact that the first Georgian king was the protege of the Ingush Parnavaz.
It is impossible not to take into account the fact that on the basis of early medieval Armenian and Georgian sources, with the help of which the path of the emergence and existence of Tsanaria is traced, we are confronted with many facts of migration processes among the ancient Ingush, in this case associated with the early Middle Ages.
And finally, G.D. Gumba displays the names Khona and Tsanara from ancient times: “In the inscription of Persepolis (5th century BC), among the list of nationalities... the Khona are named, located between Cappadocia and Sasperia, i.e. in the same places as the saans (tsans, vats) and khalds of ancient and ancient Armenian sources.” (Ibid., pp. 135-136.)
Here we can only add that in ancient times, some Ingush clans were separate Nakh tribes, which more than once influenced the political fate of the Caucasus.
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Etymology
The ethnonym “Galgai”, as a rule, is associated with the term “Gala” - tower, fortress, and accordingly is translated as an inhabitant of a tower, fortress. At the same time, according to some researchers, the self-name “Galgai” was established among all southwestern Vainakhs only in the 1920s.
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Anthropological type
Latest data on Ingush haplogroups:
- J2 - 87.4%
- L1с - 2.8-8.5%
- J1 - 2.8%
- G2a1 - 1.5%
- J2a - 1.5%
Ethnic identity
According to data from the mid-19th century, the Ingush did not have a unified ethnic identity. In the early 1920s, linguist N. Yakovlev noted that the Ingush language did not yet have the concept of “nationality”. The Ingush identified themselves by auls of residence or family surnames. Although the self-name “Galgai” already existed then, the Ingush did not have a name for their language, which they simply called “our language.” In the 1930s, the prominent Caucasian expert A. Genko noted the lack of consciousness of ethnic unity among the Ingush.
Story
Ancient history
On the basis of the cultures of the North Caucasian cultural-historical community, the ancient culture of the North Caucasian autochthons - Koban - was formed, the chronological framework of which is usually defined as the 12th-4th centuries. BC e.; Meanwhile, some monuments are dated to an earlier period. At the same time, the development of Koban culture in the Central Caucasus continued until the early Middle Ages. It is with the tribes of the Koban culture that it is customary to link the ethnogenesis of proto-Ingush ethnic groups. In written Georgian sources describing the events of this period, the ancestors of the Ingush (tribes of the Koban culture) are known under the ethnonym "Caucasions" And "dzurdzuki" (dudzuki), in ancient times - under the name "makhli" .
Perhaps the ethnonym is associated with the tribes of the Koban culture "gargarei", which is mentioned by the ancient Greek geographer Strabo in his “Geography” (1st century AD) as a North Caucasian people living next to Amazons .
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, the ancestor tribes of the modern Ingush, Chechens, Karachais and Balkars were part of the Alans tribal union. On the territory of Ingushetia, in the area of the Ekazhevsko-Yandyr settlement, there was the capital of Alania - the city of Magas.
In 1238-1240 The entire North Caucasus was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars, and included in the Jochi ulus. And in 1395, the Alan association was finally destroyed during Tamerlane’s campaign in the North Caucasus, and the remaining population moved to the mountains. There, one of the groups of Alans, with the participation of local tribes, gave rise to modern Ossetians. The Alans played a certain role in the ethnogenesis and formation of the culture of other peoples of the North Caucasus, in particular, in the mountains the formation of the Ingush people took place on the basis of five societies - the Shakhars. The period of formation of the Ingush people can be considered the XIV-XV centuries.
In the 15th century, the Ingush attempted to descend to the plains. However, in the second half of the 16th century, as a result of the campaign of the Kabardian prince Temryuk in December 1562, supported by the Nogais and the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the Ingush were forced to flee to the mountains again.
In the 16th century, the penetration of Islam began - through Chechnya and Dagestan, but it was finally established only in the middle of the 19th century; Until this time, pagan customs and rituals continued to exist. The Ingush societies - Khamkha, Tsorinsky, Dzheirakhovsky, Fyappinsky (Kistinsky), who lived in the mountains, and Orstkhoyevsky, which occupied the foothills, began to return to the plains in the 16th-17th centuries, mainly to the Tara Valley, where the village of Angusht was founded at the end of the 17th century and to the Sunzha Valley. The resettlement to the plains was largely completed by the first half of the 19th century.
Russian settlers and Cossacks became closely acquainted with the Vainakh peoples only in the 16th century.
As part of the Russian Empire
The Ingush were one of the first among the peoples of the Caucasus to become part of Russia in 1770, when in the town of Barta-Bos the “Treaty on the unification of the main part of Ingushetia with the Russian state” was signed by famous elders from the most influential tribes. Subsequently, this agreement was reaffirmed by the new “Act of Unity of Ingushetia with Russia” in 1810. Materials for new history Caucasus from 1722 to 1803 I, St. Petersburg, 1869, pp. 122-123. In the 19th century, the Ingush type unions, shakhars, were replaced by territorial associations - Loamaroi, Galashevtsy and Nazran. In 1848, the Ingush, who mostly professed paganism, overwhelmingly converted to Islam after a visit to Ingushetia by the Sufi missionary and theologian Kunta-Khadzhi Kishiev. In mountainous Ingushetia, paganism was finally supplanted by Islam only in the second half of the 19th century.
At the end of the 1840s, construction began on a chain of Cossack villages on the flat part of Ingushetia. The Ingush were expelled from lowland villages to the mountains and Cossack villages were founded in the foothills of these territories. In 1845, the village of Troitskaya was founded on the site of the village of Ebarg-Yurt. In 1847, the village of Voznesenskaya was founded on the site of the village of Makhmad-Hite, in 1850 Sleptsovskaya on the site of the village of Kurai-Yurt, in 1859 Karabulakskaya on the site of the village of Ildarkhagala, in 1860 Feldmarshalskaya on the site of the village of Alkhasty, Tarskaya on the site of the village of Angusht, Sunzhenskaya on on the site of the village of Akhki-Yurt, in 1861 Nesterovskaya on the site of the village of Gazhar-Yurt, Vorontsovo-Dashkovskaya on the site of the village of Touzen-Yurt, in 1867 the Tarsky farmstead on the site of the village of Sholkhi, as well as unrenamed villages on the site of the Ingush villages - Galashevskaya, Dattykhskaya and Manly. Later, the Cossacks of the last three villages moved out due to the unsuitability of the land for cultivation, and leased it to the Ingush. In May 1888, by decision of the tsarist authorities, the Ingush who lived in the village of Gveleti on the Georgian military road were evicted. In the 60s of the 19th century, some of the Ingush, mostly residents of liquidated villages, moved to the Ottoman Empire.
In 1860, the territory of Ingushetia formed the Ingush Okrug as part of the Terek Region. In 1870, the Ingush district was united with the Ossetian district into the Vladikavkaz district. In 1888, the Vladikavkaz district was disbanded, and the Ingush-Cossack Sunzhensky department was formed in place of the Ingush district. In 1909, the Sunzhensky department was divided into two districts - Sunzhensky and Nazran. According to the 1897 census in the Russian Empire, the number of Ingush people was 47,409.
IN THE USSR
In 1923, the Ingush alphabet was introduced based on the Latin alphabet, developed by Zaurbek Malsagov. On May 1, 1923, the first newspaper in the Ingush language, Serdalo, was published. New schools appeared in the villages of Gamurzievo, Bazorkino, and Yandare. Muslim schools - madrasahs - continued to function.
In 1944, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was liquidated, and the Ingush were forcibly deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia on charges of collaboration with the Nazis. Up to 1/3 of the Ingush died in exile in Kazakhstan [ ] . The territory of Ingushetia was divided between the newly created Grozny region and Georgia.
In 1957, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was partially restored. The Prigorodny district, part of which was later incorporated into the city of Ordzhonikidze (Vladikavkaz), was retained as part of North Ossetia. Instead of the lands lost in this way, as compensation for the Prigorodny district, Checheno-Ingushetia was given three districts of the Stavropol Territory - Naursky, Shelkovskaya and Kargalinsky. However, the Ingush did not populate these alien Cossack areas, and during the division of the Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, they left them completely within Chechnya. According to the 1959 All-Union Census, the number of Ingush people was 105,980 people.
Since their return, the Ingush have advocated the return of seized territories and the creation of their own statehood. These protests reached their climax in 1973 - at a rally in Grozny organized by the Ingush demanding the return of the Prigorodny district. According to all-Union census data, the number of Ingush continued to grow: so total number Ingush in the USSR in 1979 amounted to 186,198 people, and according to the 1989 census - 237,438 people.
Since 1988, informal organizations have been created in Ingushetia, various movements have appeared (“Niiskho”, “Dak’aste”, “People’s Council”), with the goal of creating Ingush statehood within the Russian Federation with the return of all territories seized during the deportation. Formally, the Ingush were rehabilitated in their rights on April 26, 1991, when the law “On the rehabilitation of victims of political repression” was adopted at the 1st Congress of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. This law became a kind of catalyst for the restoration of historical and social justice for other millions of citizens of the former Soviet Union.
Modern times
In 1992, the Law “On the formation of the Ingush Republic as part of the Russian Federation” was adopted (see). In October-November, the Ossetian-Ingush conflict around the Prigorodny region of North Ossetia escalated into armed clashes. According to the Russian prosecutor's office, during the military clashes as a result of the conflict, 583 people were killed (350 Ingush and 192 Ossetians), 939 people were injured (457 Ingush and 379 Ossetians), another 261 people went missing (208 Ingush and 37 Ossetians), from 30 up to 60 thousand Ingush were forced to flee from Vladikavkaz and the Prigorodny region to Ingushetia.
In 1995, the new capital of Ingushetia was founded - the city of Magas.
Language
Demography
The Ingush are traditionally one of the most
