Lezgins are a people historically living in the southern regions of modern Dagestan and in the north of Azerbaijan. The number of Lezgins in Russia is 473.7 thousand people. (According to the 2010 census), the number of Lezgins in Azerbaijan is estimated differently: from 180,000 according to official data to 800,000 according to Lezgin organizations. There is another large Lezgi community (about 40 thousand people) in Turkey.
The Lezgi language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan language family.
The religion of the Lezgins is Sunni Islam.
Anthropologically modern Lezgins are representatives of the Caucasian type.
In honor of the Lezgins, the famous dance of the peoples of the Caucasus, the Lezginka, is named.
7th place: Kamran Mammadov- judoka, master of sports of international class. Born in 1967 in the city of Qusar (Azerbaijan). Kamran began his sports career in 1980, when he first came to the Qusar Children and Youth Sports School at the age of 13 and began to practice judo. Already in 1983, Kamran took 1st place in the championship of Azerbaijan. In 1984, he took 1st place at the 16th interschool sports contest in Tashkent. Kamran Mammadov is also a multiple winner of international tournaments in Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Chisinau, Minsk, Kyiv. 1985 - 3rd place in youth sports games in Kyiv; 1989 - 2nd place in the USSR championship in Alma-Ata; 1990 - 1st place in the World Cup in Caracas, Venezuela.
6th place: Suleiman Kerimov- Russian businessman, member of the Federation Council from Dagestan. Controls the financial and industrial group "Nafta Moscow", owns the football club "Anji". Born March 12, 1966 in the city of Derbent, Dagestan, Russia.
5th place: Serder Serderov- Russian football player, forward of the Makhachkala football club "Anji" and the youth team of Russia. Born March 10, 1994 in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia.
4th place: Osman Efendiev- a representative of a well-known wrestling dynasty, which began with his father Suleiman and uncle Sultan, and which today is continued by the grandchildren of these outstanding carpet masters in the past, who stood at the origins of freestyle wrestling as a sport in Dagestan. Osman worthily continued the family tradition, he was a finalist of the World Cup and the winner of the European Championship, he won the national championship and the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
3rd place: Emre Belözoglu- Turkish footballer, midfielder. Born September 7, 1980 in Istanbul. Player of the Fenerbahce club and the Turkish national team. Included in the FIFA 100 list.
2nd place: Arif Mirzakuliev- Soviet and Azerbaijani actor. Born on June 6, 1931 in Baku. He starred in only two films, which later became very popular throughout the Soviet Union "Meeting" in 1955 and "Not that one, then this one" in 1956.
Antiquity of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus.
The Caucasus is one of the most interesting regions of the globe. Having unique natural conditions, exceptional strategic importance in the system of relations between Europe and the East, having become a home for hundreds of nationalities, it is truly a unique corner of the world. The huge scientific potential of the study of the Caucasus has long attracted the attention of historians, archaeologists, ethnographers, travelers and many other specialists. The study of this mountainous country, intensively continuing for about 500 years, made it possible to accumulate a huge amount of factual material. Many museums in the world are proud to have Caucasian collections. Enough specialized literature has been written about the life and way of life of individual peoples, the study of archaeological sites. However, the history of this mountainous country is multifaceted and complex, reminding us that a thousandth part of what the fertile land of the Caucasus carefully preserves and carries through the centuries has been studied.
According to the linguistic structure, the Caucasian languages differ sharply from all other languages located in this part of the world, and, despite the lack of direct kinship, there are certain similarities between them that make us talk about the Caucasian language union. Their characteristic features are the relative simplicity of the vowel system (there are only two in Ubykh, which is a world record) and an extraordinary variety of consonants; widespread use of the ergative construction of the sentence.
In the III-II millennia BC. the so-called Caucasian-speaking tribes lived in the territories not only of the Caucasus, modern Dagestan and Transcaucasia, but also in Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Asia Minor, the Aegean, the Balkan and even the Apennine peninsulas. The kinship of the most ancient population of all these territories can be traced in the unity of their anthropological data (Mediterranean and Caspian subraces), culture (“Kuro-Araks”) and common linguistic ties. If we also take into account the fact that they moved only within the territory of their relatives and almost did not migrate outside this territory, then their ethnic closeness can be considered proven, based on the common territory, anthropology, culture and language.
The most ancient peoples of Asia Minor and Asia Minor and their languages, like the peoples and languages of modern Dagestan, are characterized by their diversity. The largest of these peoples are the Pelasgi (III-II millennium BC, Balkans), the Hattians (III millennium BC, Asia Minor), the Hurrians (III-II millennium BC, Mesopotamia), Urartians (I millennium BC, modern Armenia) and Caucasian Albanians (I millennium BC - I millennium AD, modern Azerbaijan and South Dagestan). Careful linguistic studies by I. Dyakonov, S. Starostin and others have shown over 100 common roots of the Hurrian-Urartian and Northeast Caucasian languages. Due to the significant proximity of these languages, I. Dyakonov proposes to abandon the designation "North-East Caucasian" for this family and introduce a special name "Alarodian".
Thus, in the IV-III millennium BC. in the territories of the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and Asia Minor lived peoples or nationalities with ethnographically close family ties in anthropology, culture, territory of settlement and language.
Pelasgians and related tribes.
Historical science has long known that the pre-Greek population of the Balkans and the Aegean were called Pelasgians, Lelegs and Carians. According to historians, the Pelasgians settled on the uninhabited Balkan Peninsula, and according to archaeological data, humans first appeared on Crete in the Neolithic around the 7th millennium BC. Information about the ancestor of the Pelasgians, Pelasg, is part of the oldest myths: Pelasg showed people how to build huts and dress in pig skins. He also taught the inhabitants of Arcadia to eat acorns, and later to plow the land and grow bread, which takes us to the world of legends of the deepest antiquity.
From the VIII-VII millennium BC in the southwest of Asia Minor, an agricultural culture begins to develop, which is conventionally called Chatal-Khuyuk (according to the modern name of the place in Turkey). This culture was distributed in a wide strip along the south of Asia Minor and probably reached the Aegean Sea at that time in the area of the island of Rhodes. It was distinguished by a surprisingly high level of development of agriculture, crafts, and culture for that time.
As established with sufficient reliability, from the 5th millennium BC. On the territory of Asia Minor lived tribes who spoke the so-called Hatto-Khurit languages. Somewhat later, they occupied a significant territory, including, in addition to Asia Minor, the Armenian Highlands and Upper Mesopotamia, Transcaucasia, the entire North Caucasus, and the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The indicated name characterizes the fact that all the languages of this family can be divided into two groups, which formed two streams of their distribution. One group, the Hattian, included tribes moving through the north of Asia Minor along the Black Sea coast. Another group, the Hurrian group, moved across the south of Asia Minor and penetrated the Kura-Araks valley through the Armenian highlands, occupied the territory of modern Azerbaijan, and then entered the North Caucasus in the region of modern Dagestan and Chechnya.
Based on the fact that all other tribes known in the territory of Asia Minor are newcomers, it can be assumed that the Hatto-Hurrian group of languages originated here and its spread was initiated by a group of tribes of the Chatal-Khuyuk culture.
Putting forward his version of the origin of the words "Etruscans" and "Pelasgians" Acad. N.Ya. Marr notes that the Caucasus is characterized by a root in ethnic terms with rebirth 1-s - 1-z, for example, tribal names and ethnocultural terms - lazg (Lezgin), lesk-ur (saber; letters, "Lezgin weapons" ), leg + z + i - leg + z-i, lek-ur (Lezginka, Lezgin dance), etc. When these tribes moved to the Balkan Peninsula, their names underwent changes: “lazg” (“las-k”) in the Abkhaz-Adyghe the form "re-lasg" ("pelazg") or in the Svan form "le-leg".
Asia Minor tribes and Caucasian Albanians.
Archaeologists claim that the population of Caucasian Albania in the 4th c. BC. - III century AD in anthropological terms, shows great similarity with the inhabitants of Transcaucasia of the previous eras (XIII-IX centuries BC) and Western Asia of the III-II millennium BC. It is believed that the Albanians are not a separate tribe, but the common name of the entire population of Albania, and the Albanian language is the official language of Albania. The Alupan Book gives the following names of Albanian tribes: kirk, garg, mik, udi, leg, khel, lezg, tsakh, gav, them, kas, kuyr, gili, bil, ran, mush, shek, chek, alak, sharv , arts, barz, flies, lek, kel, sul, chur, cheb, tseg, hech, sec.
The tribe “Kas” (‘man, husband, man; personality’ in Lezgi) is one of the large tribes of Caucasian Albania. The area of residence of the Kas in Albania was called "Caspiana" and was located on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, and the sea got its name from these Kas. We believe that the Caucasian-Albanian "Kas" ("Kaspi"), the Asia Minor "Kasks" and the Mesopotamian "Kassites" are of the same etymological and ethnic basis.
The relationship of the helmets with the Hutts was indicated by E. Forrer, P.N. Ushakov, G.A. Melikishvili and G.G. Giorgadze. The language of the Kasks is judged only by a certain number of names of localities, settlements and names of persons.
The Kassites are one of the hill tribe groups of the Zagros. The indigenous habitat of the Kassite tribes were the mountainous areas of Western Iran. According to available data, the Kassites were neither Indo-Europeans nor Semites. They appeared on the borders of Mesopotamia around the 18th century. BC. Around 1742 BC Kassite leader Gandash invaded Babylonia and appropriated the magnificent title of "king of the four countries of the world, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of Babylon." From 1595 BC the reign of the Kassite dynasty begins and the so-called Middle Babylonian period, which ends around 1155 BC.
The Kas tribe (Kaspi, Kaski, Kash, Kush, Kushites, Kassites), which is one of the Lezgin-speaking peoples, according to B. the Terrible, once occupied a vast territory in ancient times - Central Anatolia, south of the Black Sea, western and southern the lands of the Caspian Sea, possibly Afghanistan and Northern India. Obviously, there is no doubt about the kinship of this people not only with the Hattians and through them with the Pelasgians, but also with the Artsavis in Asia Minor (the "Arts" tribe of Caucasian Albania), the Kutia (the "Uti" tribe of Caucasian Albania), Legs, Lezgs, Mushki and etc.
From the 3rd millennium BC in northeastern Mesopotamia lived the Gutian tribes, whose language differs from the Sumerian, Semitic or Indo-European languages; they may have been related to the Hurrians. At the end of the XXIII century. BC. The Kuti invaded Mesopotamia and established their rule there for a whole century. Under the blows of the Gutians, the Akkadian kingdom fell into decay. It is assumed that the language of the Kutians belongs to the Northeast Caucasian language group. This group also included the Albanians who inhabited Northern Azerbaijan in the 1st millennium BC. Scholars identify the Gutians with one of the Caucasian-Albanian tribes, the Utians, or modern Udins, who now live in two villages on the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia.
In the Alupan Book, as one of the tribes of Caucasian Albania (Alupan), the Mushk tribe is noted, which was located at the mouth of the Kyulan-vats1 river (lit. Middle river; modern Samur). The north-eastern part of the territory of modern Azerbaijan up to the Samur River is still called "Mushkur" - the birthplace of the 18th century Lezghin folk hero Gadzhi Davud Mushkursky.
Asia Minor flies, according to G.A. Melikishvili - Georgian tribes, and according to I.M. Dyakonov, "flies" were called Phrygia and Phrygians. We think that G.A. Melikishvili is mistaken, otherwise it is completely incomprehensible where the Mushki tribe came from in Caucasian Albania, and their territory along the lower reaches of the Samur River, where Lezgins have lived for centuries. If we also take into account the fact that the inhabitants of the modern village of Frig, Khiva region (Southern Dagestan) are also Lezgins, and especially the fact that the ancient Phrygians and Mushki are almost the same people, then the coincidence of “Phrygians” with “Frigians” is not accidental.
Of all the above proofs of the kinship of ethnic groups, language undoubtedly occupies a leading place. Language is a kind of passport of the people, and without language there can be no talk of history. We will try to substantiate the linguistic relationship of the "Alarodian" peoples on the example of deciphering ancient written monuments using the key of the Lezgi subgroup of the East Caucasian languages.
Lezgi language in the environment of "Alarodian" languages.
The Lezgins, more precisely the Lezgin-speaking peoples, are the speakers of the languages of the Lezgin subgroup of the East Caucasian group or the Nakh-Dagestan branch of the Iberian-Caucasian family of languages. The ethnonym "Lezgi" finds its first historical publicity in connection with the ethnic composition of Caucasian Albania (if we do not take into account the similarity of "Lezgi" with "Pelazgi"). According to historians, ethnographers and linguists (N. Marr, P. Uslar, M. Ikhilov and many others), the ethnic name "Lezgi" is identified with other similar names of the tribes "Lazg", "Lakz", "Leg", "Lek", " gel”, etc., which constitute the main tribal association of Caucasian Albania. The tribes of Caucasian Albania, given in the Alupan Book, differ from each other only in names, and we find explanations for these names in the Lezgi subgroup of the East Caucasian languages; "kirk" ("Kirkar" - Lezgi village), "mik" ("Mikrag" - Lezgi village), "gili" ("Gili-yar" - Lezgi village), "mush" ("Mushkur" - Lezgi toponymic name) rank); “udi”, “lay down”, “lezg”, “tsakh”, “kas”, “shek”, “sul”, “chur”, “sek”, “tapas” - Lezgin-speaking tribes; “kel”, “heb”, “ts1eg”, “hech”, “khel”, “woof”, “them”, “shek”, “flies”, “lek” are Lezgin words. The same tribes, after the destruction of Caucasian Albania and repeated invasions of nomadic tribes and neighboring states - Greeks, Persians, Mongol-Tatars, Turks, retain their more common name - "Lezgins" and settle in Northern Azerbaijan and Southern Dagestan. The more common name of these and other tribes of Caucasian Albania - "Albanians", comes from the name of the state and, as experts rightly point out, is only a "generalizing" character. It seems to us that the words “Lezgi” and “Lezgiar” not only show the number (singular and plural, respectively), but also personify the concepts of “Lezg tribe” and “Lezghian tribes”.
It is well known that the Caucasian languages are older than the Indo-European ones. In this regard, the Lezgi language is no exception. Even E. Bokarev, E. Krupnov, M. Ichilov and others claimed 4-5 thousand years of antiquity of the Lezgi languages. Although they did not have a single sentence of the ancient Lezgin (Proto-Lezgin) language in their hands, there were serious prerequisites for its antiquity.
If a language contains words that have an undivided basis in the form of a word-sound, related both to an action and to an object, and which preceded the emergence of a language as a system, then such a language can already be attributed to the most ancient on this basis. In this regard, it is characteristic that the language of the most ancient person should be rich in monosyllabic words, which can be cited many examples from the Nakh-Dagestan languages, including from the Lezgi languages. The Lezghin “ava” (is), “ama” (remained), “ana” (there), “ya” (is), “yad” (water), “kva” (is), etc. are associated with the sound “a”. This sound as a free unit (“a” - “is, is, is”) functions in the Tabasaran, Agul and Rutul languages; in the Archa language "a" - "do". The sound “and” is associated with the words “i (n)” - this, “ina” - here, “ikIa” - so, “gyikIa” - like, etc. Besides:
a) in the Lezgi language, some words in pronunciation maximally reproduce the actions corresponding to them. For example, “begye” ‘ram, sheep, lamb’, “tfu” ‘spit’, ‘uggy’ ‘cough’, ‘hapi’ ‘burp’, etc.;
b) many words of the Lezgi language consist of one, two and three letters, and by changing only one letter, you can get a large number of other words. For example, by changing the first letter: “kav” 'ceiling, roof', 'tsav' 'sky', 'sav' 'oatmeal', 'dav' 'permafrost' 'woof' 'wild bull', etc., changing the last letters: "kab" 'dishes', "qad" 'twenty', 'kai' 'cold', 'kaz' 'greens', etc.;
c) in the Lezgin language, an abundance of consonants, with only five vowels, which is one of the main conditions for obtaining a variety of words;
d) consonants (C) and vowels (G) alternate in Lezgi words: “a” 'that' (G), 'sa' 'one' (SG), 'katsu' 'green' (SGSG), 'sankIar' 'scoundrel' (SGSSGS); the presence of several consecutive consonants in one syllable is a late phenomenon (“mukIratI” - “mkIratI” “scissors”; “sadhva” - “stha” “brother”, etc.).
Linguists, comparing the words of different language families, identify their more ancient forms that make up the most ancient proto-language, the so-called Nostratic language. They suggest that the common Nostratic language existed before the Neolithic, i.e. around the end of the 10th millennium BC. Consequently, at the turn of the Mesolithic (XI-X thousand BC) and the Neolithic (IX thousand BC), in one of the regions of Western Asia, one of the descendants of the common Nostratic language already existed. Comparison of related languages and even language families allowed linguists to identify more ancient roots from which etymological dictionaries were compiled, which contain reconstructed Pranostratic words (and there are now about a thousand known). Among these words there are neither the names of domestic animals, nor the names of cultivated plants, nor in general concepts that arose in connection with agriculture or cattle breeding. There are no names of clay vessels either. There are only those terms that are associated with hunting and fishing.
The knowledge of the ancient hunter in the anatomy of animals was limited to those organs and tissues of the animal that were of economic or culinary importance. Of these words, it is of interest to us - "kIapIA" (skull) close to "kIaapI - kIarab" ('bone' in Lezgi), "maxA" (bone marrow and liver), close to "mak" ('mind' in Caucasian-Albanian language) and "lek" ('liver' in the Lezgi language), "kIola" (fish), close to "k1azri" ('fish' in Pelazgian). In addition to hunting and fishing, ancient man was engaged in collecting edible plants. Among these plants, an ancient man collected "marA" (berries, blackberries; "mara" 'blackberry' in Lezghin, "moren" in Greek), "zukE" (wild crop, millet - "chIukI or" ' in Lezgi).
The most correct way to obtain reliable information about any ancient ethnic group is to correctly decipher its writing, i.e. get information from the original. The antiquity of the Lezgi language is undeniably proved by its kinship with the most ancient languages, the written monuments of which are deciphered using this language for the first time in world practice. Such ancient languages include the Caucasian-Albanian, Urartian, Hurrian, Hattian, Pelasgian, and Etruscan languages.
Nothing was known about Albanian written monuments before 1937. In September 1937, the Georgian scientist I. Abuladze discovered in the Matenadaran archive (Yerevan, Armenia) the alphabet of the Caucasian Albanians, consisting of 52 letters. Later, several fragmentary samples of the Caucasian-Albanian writing were discovered: Mingachevir inscriptions, Balushensky, Derbent, Gunibsky and other inscriptions, which, even in the presence of the Albanian alphabet, could not be deciphered. Only the use of the Lezgi language as a key language gave satisfactory results in deciphering not only the indicated short inscriptions, but also, as mentioned above, a whole book of 50 pages (“Alupan Book”). Studies of the origin of the letters of the Matenadaran alphabet showed that this alphabet was created on the principle of acrophony long before our era, and the names of about 56% of the signs-letters have a Lezgi basis.
A preview of the materials available in the literature on the decipherment of the Urartian monuments showed a more convincing interpretation of the content of these inscriptions using the Lezgi language. For example, one can interpret the following sentence from the Urartian inscriptions: "... Menuashe Ishpuinihinishe ini drank aguni ...". The sentence is translated into Russian as ‘…Menua, son of Ishpuin, this channel ran…’. There is no doubt that the words "Menuashe Ishpuinihinishe" ('Menua, son of Ishpuin') are in the ergative case, as evidenced by the suffix "-she" of the ergative case in the Tsakhur language ("-hi-" from the word "x(w)a" 'son' in Lezgi). The word “ini” is the Lezghin “in” ‘this’, or ‘ini(n)’ ‘this, local’. The word "drank" is translated as "channel". It is this meaning that this word retained in the Gelkhen mixed dialect of the Kurakh dialect of the Lezgi language. In Gelchen, “drank” is a zigzag arrangement of stones used in the construction of a canal to prevent soil landslides. The last word of the sentence - “aguni”, as it is used by modern decipherers, has almost lost its Caucasian pronunciation: it should be read as “egguni (y)” ‘dripped, spent’ in the Lezgi language, which is fully consistent with the translation of the sentence.
Take the Urartian word "mankali". In the dictionaries of the Urartian language, it is translated as a designation for the type of oil (?). This word occurs in the list of household goods, and this word is preceded by a sign indicating either "Sharra" 'king', or XX '20', and after this word comes a sign showing either the syllable "ni" or "shamnu" 'fat, butter'. Several transcriptions are obtained from this: “Sharru mankali shamnu”, “XX mancalini”, etc. The phrase "... mankali shamnu" allowed specialists to translate them as "mankali oil" (a variety, grade of oil). However, this expression is well read in the Lezgi language: “XX man kali (n) chchem”, where “man” is the ancient Lezgi measure of weight (small man - 0.5 kg, large man - 3 kg), "kali (n)" 'cows, cow' in the Lezgi language, 'chchem', 'ch1em' (= 'sham') 'oil'. Translation: "20 mana cow butter" or in modern terms: "60 kg cow butter".
From the Hattian words cited in the literature, the following Hatto-Lezgin parallels can be cited: “takkekhal” (Hitt., hero) - “kyegal” (Lezg., brave, brave man), “dawn” (Khatt., man) - “dawn "(Kav.-Alb., writer, poet), "kasht" (Hitt., hunger) - "kash" (Lezg., hunger), "yatar" (Hatt., water) - "yidar" (Hitt., water - plural) - "yad" (Lezg., water), "kir" (Hitt., heart) - "rikI" (Lezg., heart), "yar" (Hatt., burn) - "yar "(Lezg., Dawn, scarlet, beloved), "Akun" (Hatt., to see) - "Akun" (Lezg., to see), "ahkun" and "hkun" (Hatt., the meaning of these words in the literature is not known ) - “ahkun” or “khkun” (Lezg., see again, meet), “hku-vya” (khatt., grab) - “khkun” (lezg., grab), “pIvel” (khatt., house) - "kIviel" (Lezg., house), "ka" (Hatt., give) - "cha" (Lezg., give; "ke" 'give' in Gelkhen in the language of children), "hyanvya-shit" ( hatt., throne or goddess of the throne) - “gna-na” (Kav.-Alb., throne), “Ashtan” (khatt., god of the Sun) - “Al-pan” (Lezg., god of fire), “Ur (a / i) "(khatt., well) -" ur "(lezg., lake; on literary lezg. language "vir"), etc.
Surprising results are obtained by deciphering the Pelasgian written monuments using the key of the Lezgi language. The distribution time of the Minoan (Pelasgian) writing covers almost the entire 2nd millennium BC. The hieroglyphic (pictorial-syllabic) script immediately preceding Linear A existed in Crete from about 2000 to 1700 BC. From this largely pictographic script developed Linear A, which was also used almost exclusively in Crete from about 1800 to 1400. Two other types of writing developed from Linear A: Linear B and Cyprominoan. The first of these was used at Knossos in the 15th century. and in some centers of mainland Greece from the 13th to the 12th centuries. BC. The second existed in Cyprus from 1500 to 1150 and was revived starting from the 7th century. BC, in the form of a Cypriot syllabary, which later greatly helped to decipher the Knossos and Pylos texts. There is also the famous "Phaistos Disc" - Cretan hieroglyphic - the only stamped letter in ancient Europe! All these forms of Pelasgian writing - the "Phaistos Disc", about 50 samples of hieroglyphic writing, about 40 samples of linear "A", 50 samples of linear "B" and all existing samples (there are three of them) of Cyprominoan writing are completely deciphered and interpreted using the same Lezgi language. The results obtained are summarized in “Yaraliev Ya.A., Osmanov N.O. Deciphering the Cretan script. Pelasgian-Lezgian language. History of the Lezgins. Volume 2. M., 2009.
Many Pelasgian words, along with writing, were borrowed by the Achaeans (ancient Greeks), and therefore hundreds of Greek-Lezgin parallels can be found in the ancient Greek language.
Etruscan epigraphic monuments consist of both relatively large texts and over 10,000 short epitaphs, inscriptions on tablets and other materials. The longest of the large texts is the manuscript on the shrouds of the Zagreb mummy, containing about 1500 words. The second largest Etruscan monument is an inscription on a terracotta tile found on the site of ancient Capua (more than 160 different words survived). The inscription on a lenticular lead plate found in Magliano and containing about 70 words also belongs to the same group of cult texts. It is also assumed that the inscription on the column from Perusia, numbering 130 words, is the only legal document - an agreement between representatives of two Etruscan families on the sale or transfer of some possessions. Among the most important Etruscan epigraphic monuments, of course, are the three dedicatory inscriptions on gold foils, two of which are in Etruscan and one is in Phoenician.
For almost 500 years, both serious scientists and countless amateurs have been struggling to unravel the mystery of the Etruscan language. For the interpretation of the Etruscan writing, almost all the languages of the globe and all known methods of decipherment have been tried, and no satisfactory results have been obtained. With the help of the Lezgi language, all known large Etruscan texts and 320 short inscriptions were deciphered (see “Yaraliev Y.A. Osmanov N.O. History of the Lezgins. Etruscans. I millennium BC. Volume 3. M., 2012” and "Yaraliev Ya.A., Osmanov N.O. Deciphering the Etruscan script. The Etruscan-Lezgi language. The history of the Lezgins. Volume 4 (Books 1 and 2), M., 2012").
Many Etruscan words passed into the Latin language, and therefore it is not surprising that hundreds of Latin-Lezgi parallels can be found in the Latin language.
The same can be said about the written monuments of the Caucasian Albanians. All epigraphic materials of Caucasian Albania known in the literature and photocopies of one Albanian book (“Alupan Book”) found in the personal archive of the famous Lezghin poet Zabit Rizvanov were successfully deciphered using the Lezgi language and summarized in “Yaraliev Ya.A. Alupan (Caucasian-Albanian) writing and the Lezgi language. Makhachka-la, 1995". This book is written in the "Mesropian" Albanian alphabet (37 letters), which is not known in world Albanian studies.
In the early 90s of the last century, palimpsests were discovered in the Sinai Monastery (Egypt), where a new text in ancient Georgian was produced on the erased Albanian text. Director of the Manuscript Fund of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia ZN Aleksidze managed to completely restore the erased Albanian text on the Sinai palimpsests. In 2009, this Albanian text (about 250 pages) was published in Belgium in English. The authors, without proper deciphering, claim that the text is interpreted using the Udi language, and is a translation of the Gospel into Albanian. Our attempt to decipher the Albanian text on the Sinai palimpsests with the help of the Lezgi languages yielded amazing results: the text is not a translation of the Gospel. An amazing ancient Lezgi language is revealed. Research in this direction is ongoing.
Ya. A. Yaraliev
Professor
Lezgins are a people living in the southeast of Dagestan and adjacent regions of Azerbaijan. The language belongs to the Lezgi group of the Dagestan branch of the Caucasian languages. One of the indigenous peoples of Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan.
Ancient sources (before the 3rd century) mention the Legi people who lived in the Eastern Caucasus. In the Arabic sources of the 9th-10th centuries there is information about the "kingdom of the Laks" in southern Dagestan. Lezgins as a people were formed before the 14th century. Before joining Russia, the Lezgins lived in the Derbent and Cuban khanates.
And now I will trace the history of the emergence of the Lezgi people in my historical atlas and on the basis of the information I have collected. I'll start with a deep antiquity, which many historians do not recognize.
1 million years ago on Earth, the largest continent was Atlantis, it was in the Atlantic Ocean, other continents had not yet been fully formed. From 400 thousand years ago, and especially quickly from 199 thousand years ago, the mainland Atlantis began to sink under the waters of the ocean, by this time the modern continents had already basically formed. Therefore, from Atlantis began the migration of peoples (descendants of the Atlanteans) to the modern continents.
By 30 thousand years BC in the Middle East (the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea), a new people, the Akkadians, formed from the settlers. At the same time, the first settlers appeared in the south of modern Turkey. By this time, a few tribes of Australoids (descendants of the ancient Asuras who lived on the mainland of Lemuria in the Indian Ocean) passed through the Caucasus. From the coast of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, through the Caucasus, these few tribes (the Grimaldi race) reached as far as the Voronezh region, so I believe that in 30 thousand years BC, a few tribes related to the Grimaldi race lived in the Caucasus - these are tribes similar to modern natives Australia and similar to the Papuans. But once again I mention that these tribes were not numerous.
By 14500 BC (the date is given approximately) in the south of the Caucasus, there are more and more Akkadians (from them all the Semitic peoples subsequently descended - Akkadians, Arameans, Jews, Arabs). By 10,000 BC, the Zarzi culture had developed on the territory of the South Caucasus and Western Iran. The tribes of this culture had signs of both Akkadians and Australoids, but this population was still small.
By 8500, tribes of the Aurignacian culture began to migrate to the territory of Turkey in numerous waves from the territory of modern Greece and Bulgaria (these are the late waves of migrants of the descendants of the Atlanteans, who traveled from Western Europe to Turkey. Outwardly, these are Caucasians of the southern type (similar to modern Basques, Spaniards or Greeks ) The language of the tribes that settled at that time on the territory of Turkey is not understood, but in my opinion it should be somewhat similar to the Basque language.
By 7500 BC, a new culture, Hajilar, had developed in Turkey and in the west of the South Caucasus. It was formed as a result of immigrants from the territory of Greece and Bulgaria and part of the assimilated Akkadians who lived in southern Turkey. I think that at that time some ancient language began to take shape - the language of the ancient Caucasian peoples.
By 6500 BC, a new culture, Chatal-Guyuk, had developed on the same territory on the basis of the Hajilar culture (the tribes of this culture retained the same features, only replenished with new settlers from the Balkans - the tribes of the Chedap culture). For information, the tribes of the Chedap culture were very developed, they were the first in Europe to build urban-type settlements (in their culture and metallurgy, they were not inferior to the peoples of Egypt and the Middle East).
By 5700 BC, the tribes of the Chatal-Guyuk culture completely ousted all other tribes related to the Australoids from the territory of the Caucasus. By 5400 BC, on the basis of the Chatal-Guyuk culture in the Caucasus, its own archaeological culture, Shulaveri, had developed.
I think that it was at this time that a single parent language of all the peoples of the Caucasian language family (Hurrians, Albanians, Iberians) was formed.
In 4500 BC, on the basis of the Shulaveri culture, the Shomutepe culture developed on the same territory. Basically, nothing has changed, the language has changed a little, which is increasingly moving away from the languages of the peoples of Turkey and the Middle East.
By 3900 BC, an archaeological culture common to both territories appeared again on the territory of Turkey and the entire Caucasus. It is most likely that there was a mutual unification of the tribes of the two regions due to the migration of tribes (either from Turkey to the Caucasus, or from the Caucasus to Turkey). The name of the culture is Anatolian. In addition to Turkey and the Caucasus, this culture also included the territory of the Northern Mesopotamia. And since in ancient times the Hurrian (tribes of the Caucasian language family) tribes lived there, it can be assumed that this culture was nevertheless formed as a result of the resettlement of tribes from the territory of the Caucasus to Turkey and Northern Mesopotamia.
By 3300 BC the unified culture had broken up again. A new culture separated from the Anatolian culture - the culture of the Kuro-Araks Eneolithic (it included the territory of the entire Caucasus and the Northern Mesopotamia). This means that the languages of the peoples of the Caucasus and Northern Mesopotamia again began to develop independently. It is most likely that at that time the language of the ancient Caucasian tribes was similar to the Hurrian language (Urartian language).
Since 1900, on my maps, I have already divided the tribes of all Caucasian peoples into two groups - the Caucasian peoples proper and the Hurrians (South Caucasian tribes - the future Urartians).
By 1100 BC, the following events took place in the Caucasus. In the south of the Caucasus, the state of Urartu is formed from the Hurrian tribes. In the Caucasus itself, 5 new groups of tribes stand out from the total mass of Caucasian tribes:
- Colchis culture (these are the future Abkhazians and Western Georgians),
- Khojaly-Gedabey culture (these are the future Albanians),
- Kayakent-Khorocheevskaya culture (these are the future Lezgins and other Dagestan peoples),
- Mugan culture (these are the future Caspians and southern Albanians).
- Central Transcaucasian (these are the future Georgian peoples)
By 500 BC, the community of archaeological cultures in the Caucasus was restored (but only cultures, not languages). The languages of the tribes in various parts of the Caucasus continued to develop and more and more differences appeared between them.
By 300 BC, a new people had formed on the territory of the former state of Urartu (Urartians-Hurrits) - Armenians (a mixture of Urartians, Palais and Western Phrygians).
And on the territory of modern Azerbaijan, a new culture has developed - Yaloymu-Tepe (this is the culture of the Albanians).
By the year 100 BC, a new culture had developed on the territory of Georgia - jug burials (these are the tribes of the future Georgian tribes).
By 550 AD, under the influence of the movement of large groups of tribes from east to west (Huns, Turks, Khazars, Avars), ethnographic changes (linguistic) also begin to occur in the Caucasus. The peoples completed their formation - the Adyghes, Colchians and Iberians.
By 950, the peoples of the Yasy (Ossetians), Kasogs (Adyghes), Abkhazians, and Georgians had formed.
By 1150, the people - the Albanians - completely disappeared, in its place a new Turkic people - the Azerbaijanis (from the Oguzes who came to the Caucasus from the territory of Turkmenistan) was formed. The remaining northern Albanians had their influence on the formation of the Dagestan peoples. By this time, the formation of Lezgins as a people can be attributed.
Although I remind you once again, the Lezgins as a people began to form much earlier. I have already mentioned above about the Legi people in the 3rd century and the Lakz people in the 9th century.
In my opinion, the Lezgins were the main population of the state of Derbent, which existed in the 7th - 13th centuries (it was destroyed by the Mongols), and the state of Shirvan, which existed in the 14th-16th centuries, as well as in the Derbent and Cuban Khanates (which were annexed to Russia).
In general, the history of any nation is interesting if you carefully study it.
(south of Khiv-sko-go, Su-lei-man-Stal-sky, Ma-ga-ram-kent-sky, Ku-rakh-sky, Akh-tyn-sky, Do-kuz-pa-rin-sky paradise -ones and east of the Ru-tul-sko-th region) in Russia and on the se-ve-ro-east-to-ke of Azer-bai-dzha-na (Ku-Ban Lezgins - mainly Ku -sar-sky, north of Ku-bin-sko-go and Khach-mas-sky districts). The number of people in Russia is 411.5 thousand people, of which 336.7 thousand people in Da-ge-sta-ne (2002, re-writing), in Azerbaijan-bai-ja-no more than 250 thousand people; zhi-voot also in Turkey, Turk-me-nii, Kazakh-sta-ne, Uz-be-ki-sta-ne, Kir-gi-zii, Uk-rai-ne, Georgia and others. The total number is 640 thousand people (2009, estimate). They speak the Lezgin language, 90% of the Lezgins living in Russia, speak the Russian language, in Azer-bai-ja-not ras-pro-stra -nyon Azeri language. Lezgins - mu-sul-ma-ne-sun-ni-you sha-fiit-sko-go maz-ha-ba, there is shii-you-ima-mi-you (erase Mis-kind-zha Ah-tyn-sko th district)
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Lezgins for an hour called everything mountainous on-se-le-nie Da-ge-sta-on. Ancestors of the Lezgins are included in the composition of the Caucasian Al-ba-nia, then - in-lytic ob-ra-zo-va-nia Lakz (Lekh), Arabic ha- li-fa-ta and vla-de-ny Der-ben-ta. In the XI-XIV centuries, around the large Lez-gin villages (Ah-you, Do-kuz-pa-ra, Ku-rakh, Ku-re, etc.) “Free societies”, time-me-on-mi in-pa-give-shie in for-vi-si-bridge from Shir-va-na. In the 18th century, part of the Lezghins entered the di-la into the Ku-bin-sko-go khan-st-va and Der-bent-go khan-st-va, in 1812 the village of Ku-rakh became -wit-sya one hundred faces-sa-mo-stand-tel-no-go Kyu-rin-sko-go khan-st-va. In 1806, the Cuban Lezgins, in 1813, the Kyu-rin Lezgins became part of Russia. According to the re-pi-si of 1926, there are 134.5 thousand Lezgins, including in Da-ge-sta-ne - 90.5 thousand people, in Za-kav-kaz SFSR - 40.7 thousand people. In the 1950-1980s, part of the Lezgins from the high-mountain regions were-la re-se-le-na to the Caspian lowlands. Since the 1990s, the dei-st-vu-et the Lez-gin people’s movement “Sad-Val” (“Unity”), fighting for vol-e- di-non-nie Lezgins within the framework of the “state of Lez-gi-yar”.
Kul-tu-ra ti-pich-na for da-ge-stan-na-ro-dov. The main traditional occupations are arable land-le-de-lie, in the mountains - from-gon-noe cattle-water-st-in (winter pa-st- bi-scha na-ho-di-lis mainly in Northern Azerbaijan-bai-dzha-ne). Traditional pro-mys-ly and re-myos-la - fabric-che-st-in, production-of-water-st-in-carpet, cloth-on, howl-loka, co-vein- noe, kuz-nech-noe (Akh-ty village), weapons-noe and jewelry-lir-noe (Ik-ra village) de-lo, etc. There were race-pro-country-not-but from -go-no-thing-st-in on the se-zone-for-ra-bot-ki to the lands-le-del-tsam and to the oil pro-thoughts of Azer-bai-dzha-na. Traditional po-se-le-nia (khur) in the mountains - ku-che-howl, sometimes ter-ras-plan-ni-ditch-ki, sometimes with defensive towers -nya-mi, so-storage-nya-moose that-hum-noe race-se-le-nie. On the equal-no-no-se-le-niya of the raz-bro-san-noy or street plan-no-ditch-ki. Each village had an area (kim) for a rural gathering. Living-li-sche-stone, on equal-no-not-so-sa-man-noe or clay-bit-noe, with a flat earth-la-noy roof. The lower floor is for a small barn, the upper floor is residential quarters, you go to the ha-le-ray, it leads to someone -ruzh-naya st-ni-tsa from the yard. Do-ma rod-st-ven-ni-kov co-united-were-re-ho-da-mi. The main women's clothing-y-yes - tu-no-ko-ob-raz-naya ru-ba-ha (pe-rem), on top of it - ras-pash-noe dress (valzhag) with a skirt -koy in a warehouse or assembly and spread-shi-ryu-schi-mi-sya from the elbow ru-ka-va-mi or from-cut in the waist about-le-gayu-shchy kaf-tan-chik (la-ba-da); headdress - chukh-ta (joke-ku, ber-chek, sa-ra-khuch) with a cap and a sack-com; top clothes-yes - shu-ba in a black-ke-ski cut. The main food is bread made from fresh and sour dough, baked in traditional bread ovens (khar, ton-dyr, saj), khin -cal with sub-li-howl from pro-sto-kva-shi and chess-no-ka, go-lub-tsy with vi-no-grad-we-mi-st-ya-mi (dol-ma) , shash-lyk, pilaf, meat soup (shur-pa), pi-ro-gi; from mo-lo-ka go-to-vyat pro-sto-kva-shu (ka-tukh), plum-ki (kai-mak), cheese (ni-si), etc .; from mu-ki - weak-bo-sour-ly on-pee-tok (mi-ach). Ri-tu-al-naya food - ka-sha (gi-ti) from grains of wheat-ni-tsy and ku-ku-ru-zy with mo-lo-com, onion and bar-ra -ni-noy, goose flour ka-sha (ha-shil), hal-wa (isi-da).
Os-no-va so-tsi-al-noy or-ga-ni-za-tsi - rural community (ja-ma-at). In Sred-ne-ve-ko-vie you-de-li-las feudal ver-khush-ka (ha-ny and be-ki). Until the 20th century, were the races-pro-countries-not-us large pat-ri-ar-khal-nye families (che-khi khi-zan) numbering up to 100 people, -head-lyav-shie-shim senior husband-chi-noy (chie-hi buba), and tu-hu-we are led by li-de-rum (kel-te, sa-ka, ah- sa-ka). Before-start-up-marriages between pre-sta-vite-la-mi different tu-khu-ms, from inter-ethnic marriages - with Azer-bai-dzhan- tsa-mi. Were there races-pro-countries-not-us exchange marriage (re-kye gun), le-vi-rat, so-ro-rat, cross-and or-to-ku-zen marriage , marriage in a hee-sche-ni-em (gu-vaz ka-tun) and uv-house (ala-chi-na fin), co-ly-bel-ny agreement thief; for not-weight-tu yes-va-li-tu (yol-pu-li, bullet-pu-li, ke-bin hook), we-not more often you-cry-chi-va-yut ka- lym. Ha-rak-ter-ny during-life-min-ki (hei-rat), us-rai-vae-my old-ri-ka-mi. Feast-but-va-nie No-uru-za (Yaran-su-var) co-pro-in-g-gave-axis re-pry-gi-va-ni-em through co-st-ry, ka-cha-ni-eat on ka-che-lyakh, etc. Ot-me-cha-lis was also a holiday of flowers (Tsu-k-ver su-var), a holiday of che-resh-ni (Pii-ni-rin su-var). Pro-vo-di-whether ob-rya-dy you-zo-va do-zh-dya (pesh apai) and the sun (gu-nu), women-schi-us winter-my mouth-rai-va- whether in-si-del-ki, co-pro-in-well-give-my dances-tsa-mi. So-stored-nya-yut-sya in-clo-not-de-reve-holes, stones-yum, animals, sacrifice-in-pri-no-she-niya died-shim, ve-ra in do-mo-out, dra-ko-nov, de-mo-nov, etc. Su-sche-st-vo-va-whether professional knowledge-ha-ri (jar-rah).
Oral creation-che-st-in - a heroic epic (shar-ve-li), tales, tales. In the musical folk-to-lo-re pre-ob-la-da-et in-st-ru-men-tal-naya mu-zy-ka, someone-swarm your-st-ven-on-me-lo -dicic op-na-men-tee-ka. Among-di-pe-sen-the most-bo-leas-ra-pro-countries-not-we are-ri-che-sky with the development of in-st-ru-men-tal-ny co-pro-in- w-de-no-eat. Among the musical in-st-ru-men-tov: stringed bow-ko-vy ke-man-cha, stringed pluck-ko-vye chun-gur, saz, tar, du-ho-vye tongue-to-vye zur-na, ba-la-ban, longitudinal flute-ta kshul, 2-sided ba-ra-ban dal-dam (or do-ol), bu-ben taft, paired ceramic li-taves ti-p-li-pi-tom; from the 19th century from the west of gar-mo-ni-ka, ba-yan. In a festive by-tu shi-ro-ko ras-pro-stra-nyon in-st-ru-men-tal-ny en-ensemble in a hundred-ve: 2 zur-ns (for one noy play me-lo-diya, on the other - bur-don), gave-dam; an-samb-li percussion-nyh in-st-ru-men-tov is-pol-nya-yut complex-po-li-rhyth-mi-che-sky plays. In-st-ru-men-tal-naya mu-zy-ka co-pro-vo-y-yes-et singing, dancing, games, sports niya. Among the dances - the quick hka-dar-give mach-am (from-wes-ten like a lez-gin-ka), calm male dance zarb mach-am, honey-flax floating dances. Co-preserved the traditions of the pro-ve-de-niya of the ka-len-dar-ny holidays under the songs, dances, in-st-ru-men-tal- new music; tra-di-tions of ashug-govs (including ashug-sky so-stya-za-niya).
Lezgins are one of the most ancient autochthonous peoples of the Eastern Caucasus, who played a big role in the political structure of this region, in its economic, spiritual and cultural development. The ancestors of modern Lezgins were peoples who lived in the east of the Caucasus, in the state of Caucasian Albania, close to each other, both in language and culture. During its history, the Albanian state was repeatedly subjected to various aggressive invasions of the Romans, Scythians, Parthians, Persians, Khazars, etc. Until the 7th century. AD Caucasian Albania managed to maintain its integrity, despite all the attempts of the invaders. By the 7th century refers to the conquest of Caucasian Albania by the Arabs and the spread of Islam among its peoples.
After the Arab conquest, Albania was divided into several administrative units, including the kingdom of Lakz, whose population consisted of Lezgins and related peoples ousted from the plains. XIII-XIV centuries marked by campaigns, Kipchaks, Seljuks, troops of Timur (Tamerlane), Mongols to the Eastern Caucasus. After the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the period of the XIV-XVIII centuries. The Caucasus became the arena of struggle, first between the power of the Hulaguids and the Golden Horde (fragments of the Mongol Empire), then between the Ottoman Empire and Iran, and later on Russia.
As a result of the rise of the national liberation struggle of the Lezghin-speaking peoples, led by the great commander Haji-Davud Mushkursky, Iranian expansion was stopped and the Safavid invaders were defeated, and a de facto independent state was recreated. In the middle of the XVIII century. independent khanates, free societies began to form on the territory of the settlement of the Lezgin-speaking peoples. By the end of the XVIII century. almost all feudal lords realized the need for rapprochement with Russia and tried to strengthen relations with her. At the beginning of the 19th century, many khanates and other feudal possessions of the Caucasus, including Lezghins, accepted Russian citizenship.
In the 60s of the XIX century. there have been some administrative changes. The Samur district and the Kyura Khanate became part of the Dagestan region, and the Cuban province became part of the Baku province. The khanates were liquidated, the Lezgins, by the will of the tsarist officials, were divided between two provinces, and then states. This division persists to this day.
Two tragic moments for Russian statehood (1917 and 1991) had a terrible impact on the fate of the Lezgi people.
In the era of socialism, with the birth of new states, the Lezgins were first divided by administrative borders within the single political space of the USSR. With the collapse of the USSR, the Lezgins, against their will, ended up as part of different states. A rigid state border was established between the southern and northern Lezgins. After the collapse of the USSR, the Lezgi people came under strong pressure on the one hand from the newly emerging sovereign states, and on the other hand, from influential clans within Dagestan. Unfortunately, the Lezgi people were not ready for the changed political system, they could not unite as a single ethnic group.
The leadership of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Azerbaijan should not be indifferent to the fate of the Lezgins, because the relationship between our republics and peoples as a whole largely depends on their well-being. The leadership of the Republic of Dagestan and the Russian Federation needs to be more consistent and principled in the implementation of their resolutions and decisions on the problems of the divided Lezgi people and the entire South Dagestan.
The Lezgins were and remain one of the largest ethnic groups in the Caucasus. According to incomplete data, the number of Lezgins is more than one million people. According to the 2010 census, the number of Lezgins in Russia is 476228Human. The total number of Lezgin-speaking peoples in Russia is more than 700 thousand people. In Azerbaijan, Lezgins are the second largest people, according to the 1999 census, 178 thousand were recorded. According to experts, from 500 to 800 thousand Lezgins live in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Lezgins also live in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and other former republics of the USSR.
At present, the Lezgins, together with related peoples, are united in the Lezgin (linguistic) group. In addition to Lezgins, it also includes Tabasarans, Rutuls, Aguls, Tsakhurs, Udins, Kryzys, Budukhs, Archins, and Khinalugs.
Lezgins and related peoples live compactly in ten administrative districts of Dagestan: Agulsky, Akhtynsky, Derbentsky, Dokuzparinsky, Kurakhsky, Magaramkentsky, Rutulsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Tabasaransky, Khiva, as well as the cities of Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Derbent and Dagestan fires.
The total area of the territory of the settlement of the Lezgin-speaking peoples is 34% of the entire territory of Dagestan.
In the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lezgins live mainly in Kusar, Quba, Khachmas, Shemakha, Ismaily, Kabala, Vartashen, Kakh, Zakatala and Belokan regions, the cities of Baku and Sumgayit.
