The history of one of the largest ancient states in the Caucasus - Albania or Alvania (Agvania) - is still a lot of mystery.

Origin

The identity of the name of this country with Albania on the Balkan Peninsula is striking. According to modern ideas, we are dealing here with an accidental consonance, but in fact the Caucasian and Balkan Albanians are not related to each other in any way. Nevertheless, it is curious, for example, that in the Middle Ages Scotland was sometimes also called Albania - from the kingdom of the Celts and Picts of Alba, which existed in the X-XIII centuries, and also that one of the large islands off the coast of Scotland is called Arran, as it was called and Caucasian Albania after its conquest by the Arabs. Apparently, "Albania" for all such countries is a common Latinized book form of a later time. Moreover, Caucasian Albania was so named before anyone else.

The origin of the name of Caucasian Albania, obviously, is associated with some of the tribes that made it up. There are different versions of this. One derives it from the Iranian-speaking people of the Alans - the ancestors of the Ossetians. The Iranian-speaking Scythians lived there in the neighborhood, and the Udin people, one of the main Albanians, were considered Scythian (that is, Iranian-speaking) by the ancient Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). However, ancient authors distinguished between Albanians and Alans, and the same Pliny of the Udins did not classify the Udins as Albanians.

According to another version, the Romans called this people Albanians (Albani) from the word "white" (albi), which in this context meant "free people". Strabo (1st century BC) in his "Geography" tells the legend how the leader of the Argonauts Jason came from Colchis to the shores of the Caspian Sea and visited Albania. Pliny the Elder in Natural History asserts that the Albanians are directly descended from the Argonauts. However, the Greeks explained the origin of many peoples with their myths. So, at the same Strabo, the beginning of the Armenians was given by Jason's companion named Armen. The self-name of the Albanians is not exactly known.

However, science believes that a single people of the Caucasian Albanians did not arise. It was a conglomeration of different tribes. Strabo testifies that "they have 26 languages, so that they do not easily enter into relations with each other." According to him, only in his time "they have one king governs all the tribes." Most modern scholars believe that the Albanian tribes spoke the languages ​​of the peoples of the Nakh-Dagestan family. This is evidenced by the surviving inscriptions, compiled by the ancient Albanian alphabet in a language close to Udi. Some newcomers could also join the Albanians, especially from among the Iranian-speaking peoples (Scythians, Sarmatians, etc.).

Folding the state

The core of Caucasian Albania was located on the territory of Northern Azerbaijan to the north of the Kura River, between Georgia and the Caspian Sea, or a little short of the latter. It is possible that it also included part of the Mountainous Dagestan. At different times, Albania could also include part of Azerbaijan between the Kura and Araks, Karabakh, as well as most of both Mountainous and Primorsky Dagestan.

The consolidation of the Albanian tribes into one state apparently took place no earlier than the 2nd century BC. Strabo, as we have seen, still remembered the time when the Albanians did not have one king, and "each multilingual tribe was ruled by its own king." The capital of Albania was the city of Kabala, the ruins of which have been preserved near the regional center Gabala of the modern Azerbaijan Republic.

Albania was in very close contact with Armenia, was conquered by it more than once and regained its independence. Frequent conflicts did not interfere with intensive cultural contacts between the two countries, and the receiving party was Albania, which lagged behind ancient Armenia in economic and cultural development. This process allowed historians to even talk about the “Armenization” of Caucasian Albania. There is a hypothesis according to which the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh are the descendants of the ancient armenized Albanians. Whereas the majority of modern Azerbaijanis are descendants of the same Albanians, but Turkified in the early Middle Ages.

Caucasian Albania adopted Christianity from Armenia in the 4th century. The first bishop of Albania was the grandson of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the baptizer of the Armenians, Grigoris, and the first Albanian king to be baptized was Urnair, who ruled after 370.

Land and people

According to Strabo, the Albanians in his time were noted for their "beauty and tallness". Speaking of their qualities, he notes that they are "naive and not petty." “Old age is extremely respected by the Albanians,” he writes, “and not only for parents, but also for other people.” Together with the dead, they bury all their property (which is why the Albanians “live in poverty, deprived of their father’s property,” Strabo assures), after which it is not customary to remember the dead.

Clearly idealizing, Strabo paints the extraordinary fertility of the Albanian land, which “does not require the slightest care”, for “once sown land in many places gives two or three crops [per year], and the first crop is even fifty itself.” According to him, the Albanians do not trade for money and know only barter, “and they express indifference regarding other vital issues. The exact measures and weight are unknown to them. They treat issues of war, government and agriculture carelessly. According to modern archaeologists, Strabo greatly exaggerated the backwardness of Albania, in which, in his time, there were already developed crafts and the circulation of (foreign) coins. Speaking of human sacrifice among the Albanians, he also clearly described the customs of the past centuries.

The fate of Caucasian Albania

At the very end of the 4th century, the Huns invade Transcaucasia, and in the 5th century, the Turks. Their invasions did not spare Albania either. At the same time, the influence of Persia was growing in Albania, Christianity was partially replaced by Zoroastrianism, and in the middle of the 5th century, the Persians included Albania in their empire. However, at the end of the 5th century, as a result of an uprising, the independence of Albania was restored.

But at the end of the 6th century, Albania again turned out to be the arena of struggle between Persia and Khazaria. The defeat of Persia by the Arabs only worsened the situation of Albania. It also remained a theater of war for the great powers, and Zoroastrianism was replaced by Islam. From time to time, Albania regained its independence, but at the beginning of the VIII century, its statehood was finally eliminated by the Arabs.

The remnants of the Albanian ethnic groups on the plains of Azerbaijan disappear, apparently, already in the 10th century. Most of them underwent Turkization and Islamization, the smaller part was assimilated by the Armenians of Karabakh. Only a tiny part has managed to preserve until now the Albanian language and the Christian religion (with remnants of Zoroastrianism), adopted in ancient Albania. These are the people of Udin, currently numbering no more than 10 thousand people around the world, of which at least 4000 are in Russia.

March 4, 2018 at 13:00 "Bulletin of the Caucasus"

The territory of present-day Azerbaijan for many centuries was part of one of the state formations most unstudied by historians - Caucasian Albania. The ancient Albanian state has existed since ancient times. From the 13th century, the Center of the Albanian Church was located in Karabakh, where the patriarchal church, Gandzasar, was built, which served the Alban-udins until 1836. However, in 1836, at the insistent request of the Armenian Church, a rescript was issued by the Russian emperor on the abolition of the Albanian autocephalous church and the transfer of its property, including archives and all documentation, to Etchmiadzin. So there was a violation of the hierarchical relationship - all the churches of Nagorno-Karabakh began to be called Armenian, and the Christian population of this land was automatically rewritten into Armenian.The abolition of the Albanian Church was the beginning of a policy of aggressive appropriation of the Albanian ethno-cultural heritage and its transformation into Armenian.

Professor Farida Mammadova, an Albanian historian, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, told Vestnik Kavkaza about what happened to the heritage of a rich civilization and who are considered the direct descendants of the Albanians.

- When and why did you become interested in such a little-studied topic as the history of Caucasian Albania?

Armenian historical science - both pre-revolutionary and Soviet - has always declared a monopoly on the heritage of Caucasian Albania. Azerbaijani historians have long been thinking about the need to study this topic, however, in addition to writing monographs, it was necessary to publicly, at international conferences, bring the scientific truth to recognized scientists of the world who study the historical problems of the Caucasus. This mission fell to my lot. Although before that, Armenian historians made considerable efforts to prevent me from becoming a doctor of science.

- Who dealt with this topic before you?

The study of Caucasian Albania was carried out by the Soviet and Azerbaijani scientist Ziya Buniyatov. When his book "Azerbaijan in the 7th-9th centuries" was published in 1965, I just arrived in Leningrad to study ancient Persian and ancient Armenian languages ​​on the recommendation of Zelik Yampolsky, a prominent Azerbaijani scientist, Doctor of Historical Sciences. I wanted to learn not ancient Armenian, but Arabic, but Zelik Iosifovich said: “We have a lot of Arabists, but there are no Armenians. Then, when they wanted to make a candidate of my thesis, Yampolsky promised:“ You will give everyone the heat! ”But that was later , and then I was studying the ancient Armenian language and the history of the Iranian Pahlavi dynasty.Suddenly, a teacher of ancient Armenian, an eminent Soviet, Armenian scientist who worked in the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Karen Yuzbashyan calls me and says: "Because of Ziya Buniyatov's book, I'm flying away to Armenia. We're interrupting classes."

It turns out that after the publication of Buniyatov's book, a discussion of it took place at Leningrad University, where serious passions flared up. Yuzbashyan ransacked the book, and Zia called him a "Dashnak". At that time, few people in cold academic Leningrad knew what Dashnaktsutyun was. In addition, the rector of the Leningrad Institute, who went through the Great Patriotic War, adored the front-line soldier Ziya and somehow settled everything. Yuzbashyan flew to Yerevan, but returned a week later and said: "The Academy of Sciences of Armenia, all the universities of Armenia, all the institutions of Armenia, issued a verdict on the rejection of Nagorno-Karabakh." But then it was 1968!

- That is, the book influenced the rise of nationalism in Armenian scientific circles?

The fact is that before Buniyatov, no one lifted the veil of a false Armenian concept related to the history of Caucasian Albania. Zia was the first to show why Armenians call the book of the Albanian author Mukhtar Gosh "Armenian law book". In fact, the book of Gosh, who was born in Ganja, is simply called "Sudebnik". But the Armenians called it the "Armenian Code of Law", editing it at their discretion. So Zia wrote the truth about it.

When Yuzbashyan said that a verdict had been passed in Armenia on the rejection of Nagorno-Karabakh, I, frankly, did not understand the situation. By and large, scientists had to turn to Heydar Aliyev, who then served as chairman of the KGB of the Azerbaijan SSR, so that he would convey the information to the Central Committee. After all, it was about the fact that the Armenian nationalists set out to seize Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan, realizing that the veil of lies that they had been forming for a long time was lifted.

- How were the facts manipulated?

For example, in the book "History of Albania" by Moses Kalankatuysky there is an elegy "On the death of Javanshir", consisting of 19 couplets, written by the Albanian poet Davtak. Upon a detailed study of this elegy, it becomes clear that it was originally written in Albanian and later translated into Armenian. (Javanshir went down in history as an outstanding commander and wise statesman who did a lot for the development of the material and spiritual culture of Albania. It is believed that on his instructions, the Albanian historian Moses Kalankatuysky wrote the "History of Albania" - ed.)

When I started working on the elegy, I found the manuscript of Moses Kalankatuysky in Leningrad. The niece of academician Iosif Orbeli, Rusidama Rubenovna Orbeli, who headed the archive of orientalists and the Caucasian department of the Leningrad branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, was a specialist in Georgian sources, but it was in her archive that I found the manuscript of Moses Kalankatuysky, which belonged to Iosif Orbeli.

Two more manuscripts were kept in the Yerevan Institute of Ancient Manuscripts Matenadaran. I tried for two years to get permission to work with them, but I never got it. Then I found out that two more manuscripts are kept in the British Museum and in the National Library of Paris. Ziya Buniyatov wrote a request to foreign archives, and just a month later we received copies of the manuscripts from there. It turned out that those manuscripts of Davtak's poems that we received from abroad retained the original Albanian edition.

- What was the difference between the Albanian and Armenian editions?

In the Albanian manuscript, the elegy consists of 19 quatrains, and in the manuscripts that have undergone Armenian editing, it consists of 36 quatrains, according to the number of letters of the Armenian alphabet. Davtak's elegy was written in an acrostic. In an acrostic, the initial letters of the lines must form a word or phrase, or the acrostic may contain all the letters of the alphabet of the language in which it is written. In the Armenian translation of Davtak's elegy, the first 19 letters of the Armenian alphabet have quatrains each, and after the 19th couplet - only one, two or three lines instead of quatrains. The harmony of the rhythm is broken, and it becomes clear that the lines have been added in order to show all 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet. In addition, the elegy was written in such a way that in 19 verses, not one thought should repeat another. However, in the Armenian edition, after the 19th verse, all thoughts are repeated - there is a stretch.

- Has the Albanian alphabet been studied enough?

The Albanians had the richest literature. The alphabet consisted of 52 letters. It was the alphabet of all 26 tribes inhabiting Albania. It has been well studied. The sound of each letter is known. The first inscriptions in the Albanian alphabet were found in Egypt, in the monastery of St. Catherine. I was there together with the famous scientist Zurab Aleksidze, who was working on deciphering and reading Albanian inscriptions.

The "History of the Albanians" by Moses Kalankatuysky says that the holy apostle Elisha founded the first Kish church in the Caucasus, which later became a metropolis. It is located in the village of the same name in the Sheki region. Was restored in 2003. (See video below)

- It turns out that the Armenian Church “appropriated” the heritage of the Albanian Church?

Every nation, whether Christian or Muslim, has its own place of worship. Muslims - a mosque, Christians - a church. Where people live, there are their places of worship. Almost all the bishoprics of the Armenian Church, cities, areas where Armenian councils were held, were located on the eastern banks of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, around Lake Van, that is, outside the Eastern Caucasus, in rare cases in the southwestern Caucasus.

In 2002, an international conference was held, paid for by the Armenian Catholicos. The organizers were warned not to let me into the conference. I contacted an Austrian scientist, Professor Seibt, who confirmed that the conference should take place without me. And then I worked at the Western University with Hussein Bagirov. He calls me and says: "Why are you sitting there? You must be there. Go to the American embassy, ​​go to all the embassies. Do whatever you want, but you must be there."

I was able to take part in the conference as a listener, without the opportunity to speak. I sit at the end of the hall. An Armenian scientist speaks, says that the entire Caucasus is Armenian. I knew that one of the ancient Armenian sources says: "They entered the Euphrates River and were baptized there." But the Euphrates River is not in the Caucasus! From the gallery I ask the question: "Where did the Armenians get baptized? In what river?" The Armenian scientist was confused, but answered: "Farida, in that very one. In which one, you know. In that very river" ... I ask again: "In the Euphrates?" They shushed me. The organizers announced a break. The shock is small. Seibt brings a map, we look where the Caucasus is, and where Eastern Anatolia is. Seibt says: "Does this mean that the Armenians were not in the Caucasus?!"

Since the 13th century, the center of the Albanian church was located in Karabakh, where the patriarchal church of Gandzasar was built. Since April 3, 1993, the Gandzasar monastery complex has been under the occupation of Armenian military units.

Is the Gandzasar monastery in the Kalbajar region a monument of Albanian or Armenian culture? They say that this is the heritage of the Albanians, but after the reconstruction, nothing Albanian remained there.

The Armenians did something terrible there. They also destroyed all Albanian literature. The Albanian church was reassigned to Etchmiadzin. The entire archive of the Albanian church went to the Armenians, it was translated, finalized, Armenianized, like the “Sudebnik” of Mukhtar Gosh, which I spoke about at the beginning.

Gandzasar was built by Hasan Jalal in the 12th century, when there was stability and a renaissance of the culture of Muslim and Christian peoples in Azerbaijan. But in the Gandzasar Monastery, the Armenians stamped the ancient Albanian letters and edited them. Inside the Gandazar Cathedral there was an inscription, I don’t know if it has survived now: “I am Hasan Jalal, the Grand Duke of Albania, built this cathedral for my Albanian people.”

- It turns out that the Karabakh Armenians incorrectly identify their belonging, and can they be considered Albanians?

They are Albanians, but they consider themselves Armenians. This was the result of the propaganda of the Armenian authorities and scientists. A striking example of the Albanians can be considered Udis. Now my student and niece Ulviya Hajiyeva is working on ancient sources. She examines the books of Maakar Barkhudaryants, the last representative of the 19th century Albanian clergy. When examining the work "Albanians and Their Neighbors", my student found the following text: "Until 1829, the entire Albanian heritage was in a flourishing, excellent condition, but now everything is plundered, destroyed, broken." Makar Barkhudaryants ends his book with these words, showing where this legacy has gone.
"Artsakh" is a region of Albania, which had nothing to do with Armenia. The Albanian historian Moses Kalankatuysky also writes about this. But the Armenians for a long time inspired the Azerbaijanis that Albania is an Armenian region.

- Is there a need to recreate the Albanian church today?

Undoubtedly, although her diocese is small. There is a church in Nij. There are Udins who live in America, but come to their homeland. We must cherish this ethnic group like the apple of our eye. (After the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence, in the early 1990s, the historical and cultural revival of the Udins and the renaissance of the culture of Caucasian Albania began. If the Armenians pursued a policy of assimilation towards the Udins, in Azerbaijan, on the contrary, Udin churches are being restored and cultural monuments are being repaired, - ed.) ed.).

CAUCASUS ALBANIA - ANCIENT STATE

ON THE TERRITORY OF THE CAUCASUS AND RUSSIA

CAUCASIAN ALBANIA, THE MOST ANCIENT STATE ON THE TERRITORY OF THE CAUCASUS AND RUSSIA

© 2014 Gasanov M. R.

Dagestan State Pedagogical University

Dagestan State Pedagogical University

Summary. The article is devoted to one of the topical problems of the history of the Caucasus. It highlights the issues of the emergence of Caucasian Albania, the settlement of tribes, the socio-economic, political development of the country. The article reveals the struggle of Albanians against foreign conquerors. When writing the article, ancient and medieval sources, archaeological materials, as well as literature were used.

abstract. The article deals with the actual problem in the history of the Caucasus. It highlights the issues of occurrence of Caucasian Albania, resettlement tribes, socio-economic, political development of the country. The article considers the struggle of the Albanians against foreign invaders. The article used the ancient and medieval sources, archaeological materials and literature.

Rezjume. Stat "ja posvjashhena odnoj iz aktual" nyh problem istorii Kavkaza. V nej osveshhajutsja voprosy voz-niknovenija Kavkazskoj Albanii, rasselenija plemen, social "no-jekonomicheskogo, politicheskogo razvitija strany. V stat"e raskryta bor"ba albancev protiv inozemnyh zavoevatelej. Prinapisanii stat"i ispol"zovany antichnye-ve s , archeological materialy, a takzhe literatura.

Key words: Caucasian Albania, Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, Albans, Gels, Legs, Gargarei, Udins, Tavaspars, Rome, Tigranes.

Keywords: Caucasian Albania, Strabo, Pliny, Ptolemy, Albanians, Gels, Legs, Gargarians, Udi, Tavaspars, Rome, Tigran.

Kljuchevye slova: Kavkazskaja Albanija, Strabon, Plinij, Ptolomej, albany, gely, legi, gargarei, udiny, tavas-pary, Rim, Tigran.

The Albanian state, which occupied part of the territory of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, played a big role in the history of the peoples of the Caucasus. Various authors of the 18th-20th centuries addressed this topic. The greatest interest in the history of this state was shown by historians of the XX - early. 19th century

One of the disputable issues is the issue of the borders of Albania, which, depending on the internal situation and the international situation in the Caucasus, changed.

In substantiating the question of the indisputability of the entry of Dagestan into Albania, Strabo's message about 26 different tribes of Albania is of considerable interest - these are Albanians, Legs, Gels, Gargars, Caspians, Andaks, Sodas, Tavaspars, Udins, etc. . Ethnic variegation, multilingualism in the ancient era is evidenced by scientists on the territory of Dagestan.

During the period of strengthening, it included the territory of Dagestan up to the Sulak River. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that the largest number of Albanian tribes occupied the territory of Dagestan.

Archaeological research has shown the striking unity of archaeological cultures on the territory of Dagestan and Northern Azerbaijan in the era of the Albanian state.

The material culture of the peoples of Dagestan from the III century. BC e., as archaeological materials indicate, it is basically local, Albanian, because its formation took place as part of Caucasian Albania.

The main occupation of the population of Albania was agriculture and gardening. According to ancient authors, the natural conditions of the Albanian state were favorable for the successful development of agriculture.

On the territory of Dagestan, during excavations, many agricultural tools were found, indicating the development of agricultural crops. Strabo notes that all sorts of plants grew in Albania; there are even evergreens.

Izvestia DSPU, No. 4, 2014

The Albanian population was also engaged in cattle breeding. Strabo writes: "In the same way, their animals, both domestic and wild, are of good growth." In Dagestan, a variety of breeds of livestock were bred: sheep and goats, bulls, horses, pigs and donkeys. Great attention was also paid to horse breeding.

The level of development of trades and crafts in Albania is evidenced by the reports of ancient authors about military equipment that was excellent for this era, as well as archaeological materials.

The development of agricultural and cattle breeding, trade and handicraft production, the strengthening of internal and external exchange - all this created the conditions for the emergence of cities - centers of trade in Albania.

A detailed description of the cities and significant settlements of Albania is given by Ptolemy, who lists them up to 29. The number mentioned by Ptolemy far exceeds the number of settlements in neighboring states. A number of cities on his map are localized on the coastal plain of Dagestan, at the mouths of rivers. The large political and trade and economic center of the Albanian state was the city of Albana, which, apparently, was not accidentally named after the country.

Archaeological excavations on the territory of Toprakh-Kala, where Albana was located, showed that this was a large city of the ancient era.

In the III-II centuries. BC e. The Urtsek settlement grows into a city, the layout of which reflected the class structure of society.

The fortified citadel occupied hills; residential, economic and public buildings were erected along its slopes. “The settlement of Urtseki,” write J. A. Khalilov, I. A. Babaev, “is identified with the early medieval city mentioned by Moses Kagankatvatsi, the capital of the Hun kingdom in Dagestan - Varachan. There is no doubt that before that the city was one of the largest cities in Albania. The development of agricultural and cattle breeding, as well as trade, contributed to the deepening of property and social differentiation, the allocation of "kings". About the social structure of Albania at the first stage of its existence, Strabo wrote: "Before, every people with a special dialect had its own king."

In the III-II centuries. BC e. Albania is already acting as a state with a strong central authority. This is also reflected in religion. Historical, ethnographic materials give a whole pantheon of gods, headed by the gods of the central government of the country.

On the socio-economic development of Albania in the IV-III centuries. BC e. such a factor as its connections with the most ancient slave-owning states of the East and Transcaucasia - Urartu, Iberia (Kartli), etc. could not help but influence. It is known that Urartu had a huge impact not only on Transcaucasia, but also on the North Caucasus.

Regarding the social system of Albania, it should be noted that various social groups were presented to the king. The person closest to the king of Albania was the priest, about whom Strabo reports the following: “The priest is the most respected after the king, the person who is at the head of the administration of the sacred land, vast and well populated, and also at the head of the servants of the temple, of whom many are inspired and prophesy ".

The term priest, by which Strabo refers to the ruling class in Albania, was a widespread social term in the Hellenistic East. Therefore, Strabo, himself being a Malaysian by origin, imagined the Albanian priests to be more similar in social status to the priests of the eastern countries.

The priesthood in Caucasian Albania, as well as in the slave-owning states of the Ancient East, played a significant role in the economic and political life of the country.

The "kings" of 26 peoples, whom Strabo wrote about, also belonged to the ruling class. Later, the ancient Armenian authors Yeghishe and F. Buzand also wrote about them.

Military forces are also an attribute of the established state. The Albanians already in the IV century. BC e. there was an army. Arrian (II century AD), telling about the battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC. e., reports that the Albanian detachment was part of the Achaemenid army. In the IV century. BC e. in the first period, when a state unit began to take shape in Albania on the basis of a tribal union, an army was formed. Strabo testifies that "they (Al-bans) put up more troops than the Iberians: they arm sixty thousand infantry and twenty-two thousand horsemen - with such forces they fought against Pompey." Plutarch reports that the equipment of most of the Albanians who fought the Romans was made from animal skins. It can be assumed that the mountaineers represented the main military force in Albania.

On the high level of weaponry of the Albanians in the 1st c. BC e. the comparative data of their weapons with the Armenian and Iberian also speak. As a result of archaeological excavations on the territory of Dagestan, various types of weapons were obtained. Of no less interest in studying the social system of Albania is a comparison of the level of its development with neighboring Iberia. “A similar social process took place in neighboring Albania,” writes

The main social unit of the Albanian state was the rural community with all the specific features of the eastern community. To designate a community in the Dagestan languages, there are terms: in the Avar “bo”, in the Dargin “khGureba” (lit. hGureba), which, according to researchers, arose in the era of military democracy. Of course, these terms had a different content in the Albanian period. The rural community of Albania was named by Moisei Kagankatvatsi "mi-

Social and Human Sciences

rum", and community members - "laity". To designate community members in Dagestan, Iakut finds the term "khamashira", which in translation

VF Minorsky means "free".

The community members, who enjoyed self-government, retained, of course, a certain independence, but were not spared from exploitation by the state authorities of Albania. Their independence was nominal.

Slaves also belonged to the dependent population of the Albanian state. “Before the Arab conquest,” writes Prof. S. V. Yushkov, - slavery in Dagestan did not have a pronounced character. At the same time, it was patriarchal. It should be assumed that in determining the social system among the Albanians, the main role was played not by the absolute number of slaves, but by their importance in production.

There is no reason to suspect Strabo and other ancient authors of distorting the facts on the issue of slavery in Albania. But it is quite possible that they, under the impression of highly developed slaveholding relations in their own country, reduced their role in Albania, as well as in neighboring Iberia, and left only meager data. One should also keep in mind the tendency of ancient authors to emphasize the backwardness of other peoples.

Temple attendants known from ancient sources (hyerodules), about whom, in particular, Strabo reports, are believed to have been slaves. In the Armenian source, the category of dependent population, designated by the term "common people", most likely should be attributed to slaves. Arab authors refer to the servants of the Dagestan possession of Lakz as "mshak". A similar term was used to designate slaves in ancient Armenia.

Linguistic analysis of social terms in the Dagestan languages ​​allows us to judge that slavery in Dagestan has its roots in the depths of centuries. The presence in the words "bow!" and "lag" (which in the Dagestan languages ​​denotes a slave) of sounds characteristic of the Iberian-Caucasian languages, according to linguists, suggests that they belong to the same basis of the original Dagestan lexical fund and are ancient social terms.

The main sources of slavery in Albania seem to have been the slaves that appeared as a result of the wars.

In the Greco-Roman era, Albania did not pay as much tribute to the Roman Empire as it pledged to participate in joint campaigns, as a result of which a large proportion of the prisoners went to the Albanian military nobility, who turned them into slaves. The Hellenistic period is a time of widespread piracy. The ancient Armenian historian F. Buzand (5th century AD) notes: “But when the Persian troops went on a campaign against the Armenians, the Albanian king Urnair with his detachment was also with them. The Albanian king entered into a conversation with those who were with him, and said: “Now I warn you so that you remember

that when we take the Greek troops into captivity, many of them must be left alive, we will tie them up and take them to Albania and make them work as potters, masons and masonry workers for our cities, palaces and other needs. Quite interesting information about the piracy of the North Caucasian tribes is reported by Strabo.

Slave labor was used mainly on construction sites. Ancient cities and other structures were erected by slaves, the construction of which required extraordinary effort.

In connection with the further development of productive forces, the growth of handicraft production, trade, as well as the emergence of cities - trade and craft centers, a certain percentage of the population of Albania were artisans who specialized in the production of luxury goods, military equipment.

Of great interest for revealing the social relations that prevailed in Albania is the elucidation of the question of land relations. Comparing what is known about Albania with the state structure of neighboring Iberia, we can assume that there was a "royal land" in Albania.

Temples, which owned vast land holdings, acted as large landowners in Albania, as in other Western Asian states. The land owned by the priests is called "sacred" by Strabo. It was inhabited mainly by slaves (hierodules).

The military nobility was also endowed with land. The Arab geographer Iakut has a term that, in the translation of A. Karaulov, means "al-akra", and prof. V. F. Minorsky - “aka-ra”. The term "agarak" denoted a privately owned economy in ancient Armenia. It goes back to the Sumerian-Akkadian<^аг» (акар) со значением «посев», пахотное поле, луг. Можно допустить, что и в древней Албании частновладельческая земля обозначалась подобным термином. О других формах земельной собственности античные авторы ничего не сообщают.

Due to the presence of transit trade routes crossing in Albania, its population is included in the exchange of goods of the Hellenistic-Roman world. This position is illustrated by numerous coins and other finds in various places of ancient Albania. In the world market, foreign coins played the role of an international standard. During this period, Albanians used Roman and Arshakid coins.

In the era of Pompey, Indian goods went from India to Bactria, from here to the Caspian Sea, and further along the Kura and Phasis to the Black Sea. This path has been used since early Hellenistic times. Intermediaries in the Indian trade that took place in the Caucasus were Albanians, Iberians, and others.

In turn, the population of Albania exported various products. Even in the first centuries of our era, the population of Albania made

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lo linen, linen fabrics. From Albania, as ancient authors noted, they exported fish, glue, fabrics from camel hair to neighboring and distant countries. The latter were widely known outside of Albania. Albania was the mediator of trade relations of the Northern Black Sea region, the South of Russia with the countries of Central and Western Asia.

In ancient times, the interest of the peoples in the western coast of the Caspian Sea, where international trade took place, was significant. As ancient authors point out, on the Caspian road, the Utidorses traded Indian and Babylonian goods, and Albanian fishery products were exported to Ekbatani (the modern Iranian city of Hamadan) and other countries.

According to the evidence of Greco-Roman, ancient Georgian and ancient Armenian sources, the Albanian state in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BC. e. and the first centuries of the 1st millennium AD. e. was at a fairly high level of economic development.

There were many trade and craft centers reported by Pliny and Ptolemy in Albania. According to the latter, in Albania the number of cities and the most significant centers reached 29. A large number of foreigners lived in Albanian cities - Greeks, Armenians, Syrians, Jews, etc. Craft centers were located on trade routes connecting various interior parts of Albania with neighbors. The fact that there are cities in this state speaks volumes.

The active participation of Albania in international trade in the last centuries BC. e. and first centuries AD. e. well illustrated by numismatic and archaeological materials. Another major trading center in the Caucasus in ancient times was the city of Phasis, where

sixty tribes converged, speaking different languages. The significance of Phasis went far beyond the Caucasus. Merchants from India and Bactria came here. At the turn of the century BC. e. the interest of both the East and the West in the Caucasus was quite great. The cities of the Eastern Black Sea coast in ancient times played the role of connecting links both in relations between the West and the East, and the Caucasian peoples themselves.

Thus, the population of Albania in ancient times maintained economic contacts with many countries and peoples. The main items of exchange were the products of agricultural and cattle breeding, household items - jewelry, tools, weapons.

The territory occupied by Albania played an important role in the relations between the peoples, since international routes of trade, economic and military strategic importance ran through it.

The shortest communication routes between Albania and neighboring regions were along the passes of the main Caucasian ridge. The population of Albania communicated with the outside world not only along these shortest routes, but also through the coastal territory.

Playing an important role in the relations between peoples, trade routes contributed to the further economic and cultural development of Albania and the expansion of trade and economic contacts between the Albanian population, on the one hand, and the ancestors of Georgians, Armenians, Chechens, Ingush, Ossetians, on the other.

Trade routes drew Albania into the orbit of international trade - with China, India and Egypt, Parthia and the Black Sea region, Central Asia.

The ancestors of the Dagestan highlanders fought against numerous conquerors as part of Albania.

Arrian (II century BC), referring to the author of the book Anabasis, reports that in the battle of Gaugamela, in the battle in which it was decided whether or not to be a Persian state, Darius III put an Albanian on the battlefield, and with this in the center of his battle formation.

The eyes of Alexander's successors repeatedly turned towards the Caucasus; they made numerous attempts to conquer this region, but all their attempts to conquer it were in vain. Armenia, Albania, Iberia withstood the stubborn long-term struggle and retained their independence.

The Albanians also fought against the Roman slave state, which had become the leading power in the Mediterranean basin. In an effort to capture and hold world routes and markets in the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, the Romans made a number of conquest campaigns in the East, in particular, in the Caucasus. Mastering it gave Rome the opportunity to keep the Caucasian highlanders and the dangerous rival Parthia in subjection, as well as to protect its richest eastern provinces.

Social and Human Sciences

tion from the invasion of nomadic tribes.

The same economically and strategically important areas were also claimed by the Pontic king Mithridates Eupator (111-63 AD). Between Rome and the Pontic kingdom at the beginning of the 1st century. n. e. there were a number of wars, as a result of which the Pontic king lost important economic areas.

Having defeated the troops of the Pontic king Mithridates Eupator, the Romans under the command of Lucullus in 69 BC. e. attacked Armenia. Roman troops headed for the city of Tigranocerta, founded by Tigran II. The Armenian king was forced to retreat deep into the country in order to gather forces to fight against Rome. A long siege of the city began. In this struggle, the Albanians and other peoples came to the aid of the Armenian people. The fight against Rome for the Albanians was not only a matter of nobility. In essence, the war of the population of the Caucasus against the Roman conquerors begins. Although the Roman commander managed to occupy the territory of the Pontic kingdom, he could not take Tigranokert. Tigran, supported by the joint efforts of the Albanians, continued to fight against Rome.

In 68 BC. e. the Romans moved to the city of Artashad (Artaxatus - Greco-Roman). And here the Albanians opposed the Romans. In the battle near Artaxatus, in the army of Tigranes, many horsemen and selected detachments were lined up against Lucullus, among them were Albanians. The hostilities took on a protracted character, the Roman legions suffered significant losses, Lucullus was forced to retreat to Cilicia without achieving his goals. In 66 AD e. the people's tribune Gaius Mamilius submitted to the comitia a proposal to transfer the supreme command to Pompey in order to continue the war with Mithridates.

The Albanians put up strong resistance to Pompey, who was pursuing the Pontic king Mithridates. Plutarch reports that the Albanians, in the amount of about forty thousand people, attacked the Roman army, crossing the Kura River. The leader of the Albanians in this battle was King Orioz (Oris). The Iberians and other Caucasian highlanders came to the aid of the Albanians this time too.

Roman authors exaggerated the successes of the military operations of the legions. But they could not ignore the struggle waged by the Caucasian peoples against the Roman conquerors. Dio Cassius admits that Pompey failed to subdue the Albanians, Iberians and other Caucasian peoples. About this fact, he writes the following: “Pompeii granted peace to the Albanians and concluded agreements through ambassadors with some other inhabitants of the Caucasus to the Caspian Sea, at which this ridge ends, starting from Pontus.”

Albania's dependence on Rome was nominal.

In the middle of the 1st c. BC e. The Roman-Parthian wars continued. An open military clash between Parthia and Rome followed in the 50s. BC e., when Parthia tried to

stop Armenia. In 54 BC. e. Rome moved to active operations in the Caucasus and began another expansion against the Albanians. At the suggestion of Pompey, Krase was appointed leader of the troops. Having defeated the Iberians, he invaded Albania, but he could not establish himself here. The campaign of Crassus, undertaken against Parthia and the Caucasus in 53 BC. e., also ended in his defeat.

In 36 BC. e. M. Anthony again made a trip to Parthia. Antony left one of his generals, Crassus, in Armenia to pacify the neighboring Albanians.

The Romans in the Caucasus pursued a traditional policy of setting some peoples against others, which was in their interests. According to D. Cassius, in winter, Krasse, having undertaken a campaign against the Iberians, defeated the king from Pharnavaz in battle, attracted him to an alliance and, having invaded neighboring Albania with him, defeated the Albanians and their king Zober. Although at times the Romans were able to bribe the rulers and stir up hostility between them, the Iberians and Alans mostly fought together for their independence. And after the Parthian campaign of Antony (36 BC), the Iberians and Albanians actually remained independent from the Romans.

The joint struggle of the peoples of the Caucasus against the Roman conquerors was of great importance. By their stubborn struggle for independence, the Albanians made a significant contribution to the defeat of the common enemy.

In the 1st century n. e. a fierce struggle flares up between Parthia and Rome. The international situation prevailing in the Caucasus and Asia Minor again dictated the need to unite the forces of the peoples of the Caucasus against foreign conquerors. The Roman conquerors made new attempts to conquer the peoples of the Caucasus. Emperor Nero at the end of his reign (368) dreamed of eastern campaigns against the Caucasian peoples. According to some researchers, the matter did not go beyond broadcast plans, and, according to others, Nero's detachment made an expedition to the border of Dagestan, to the coast of the Caspian Sea, to the Derbent passage, known in ancient times as the Caspian Gates. Under Domitian, the Roman troops found themselves not far from present-day Baku, on the way to the Derbent passage. It is believed that the new Roman emperor carried out Nero's plan: he captured Albania and subjugated the Sarmatians who lived near present-day Derbent, leaving a whole legion in the country of the latter. Objectively, all these events were dictated by the desire of Rome to establish itself in Transcaucasia and take possession of the Derbent passage. Researchers believe that there is every reason to believe that the punitive expedition of Domitian ended in failure - the departure of the Romans from Albania. Thus Nero's plan was half executed by Vespasian and completed by Domitian.

Part of the Dagestan highlanders took an active part in the struggle against the Romans, Sassanids and under the collective name of the Alans.

V. Miller writes that there is no doubt about

Izvestia DSPU, No. 4, 2014

the fact that all the North Caucasian peoples, whom the Georgian chronicle sometimes calls by name, were known to the Romans under the common name of the Alans.

The formation of the New Persian kingdom of the Sassanids in the East disrupted the stability of the Roman Empire. The contradictions between the Sassanid state and Rome were far from being eliminated. The desire to conquer the Caucasus and other regions of the East continued to be one of the main foreign policy tasks of the Romans and the New Persian state. The protection of the Caucasian passages has been since the first centuries AD. e. the subject of agreements between the empire and the Parthian state, and later, from the middle of the 3rd century, which replaced it with the Persian one. During the period of Sassanid Iran (III-IV centuries), the struggle of the Dagestan highlanders and other peoples of the Caucasus against the invasions of the Sassanids did not stop. Thus, the Dagestan highlanders as part of Caucasian Albania put up fierce resistance against numerous conquerors. The state, which managed not only to resist, but also to maintain its independence from the major powers of the ancient era,

it must be assumed that it was sufficiently organized and significant.

Summing up, it should be noted that the Albanian state arose as a direct result of the development of the ancient Dagestan and ancient Azerbaijani societies.

The Albanian state, which arose in ancient times, was an early class state with remnants of the primitive communal system.

The presented material gives grounds to propose the following periodization of the history of ancient Albania: V-III centuries. BC e. - the period of the birth and formation of a strong union of Albanian tribes and the emergence of the beginnings of statehood; III-II centuries. BC e. - II century. n. e. - the period of the emergence and flourishing of a multi-tribal, early slave-owning or communal slave-owning state with remnants of the primitive communal system; from the middle of the 2nd century n. e. - IV century. n. e. - the period of the collapse of the Albanian early slave-owning state and the formation of early feudal political possessions on the territory of Dagestan.

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The article was received by the editors on June 10, 2014.

UDC-94(470.67)

"Flexible Means" of Autocracy in Relation to the People's Liberation Struggle of the Peoples of the Caucasus in the First Half of the 19th Century

“FLEXIBLE MEANS” OF THE AUTOCRACY AGAINST THE NATIONAL LIBERATION STRUGGLE OF THE CAUCASIAN PEOPLES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19th CENTURY

© 2014 Gichibekova R. M.

Dagestan State University

© 2014 Gichibekova R. M.

Dagestan State University

Summary. Based on archival and other materials, the article describes the methods and means of flirting with Muslim religious leaders in the Caucasus in the first half of the 19th century. in order to discredit the leaders of the people's liberation struggle and suppress this struggle.

abstract. The author of the article on the basis of archival and other materials describes the methods and means of making advances with Muslim religious leaders in the Caucasus in the first half of the 19th c. to discredit the leaders of the national liberation fight and to suppress this struggle.

Rezjume. V state na osnove arxivnyx I drygix materialov opisybautsa metodi I sredstva zaigrivania s mysyl-manskimi religioznimi liderami na Kavkaze v zelax diskreditazii predvoditeleu narodno-osvoboditelnou borbi i podovlenia atou borbi.

Keywords: Caucasus, imam, Muslim clergy, Shamil, armed struggle, qadi, Dagestan, Russian authorities, highlanders, Naib.

Keywords: the Caucasus, Imam, Muslim clergy, Shamil, armed struggle, Qadi, Dagestan, Russian authorities, highlanders, Naib.

Kluchevie slova: Kavkaz, imam, mysylmanskoe dyhovenstvo, Shamil, voorygonnaa borba, kadiy, Dagestan, rossiuskie vlasti, gortsi, naib.

Caucasian Albania is a confederate state of 26 Albanian-speaking (read: Caucasian-speaking) tribes. It was formed in the 4th century. BC, after the fall of the ancient Persian dynasty of the Achaemenids in 330 BC Under the rule of the Achaemenids (558-330 BC) were most of the countries of the Near and Middle East. In all likelihood, Transcaucasia was also in the sphere of influence of this kingdom. The victories of Alexander the Great over the Persian king Darius III under Grannik in 334 and under Issus in 333 led to the suppression of the Achaemenid dynasty and the fall of their state in 330. Naturally, under these favorable conditions, a confederal multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic state was formed - Caucasian Albania. The ethnic groups that were part of the union were aware of their blood (historically tribal) and linguistic community. This was the strength of 26 tribes, united in a state with more than a thousand years of history (IV-III centuries BC - IX-X centuries AD).

Caucasian Albania, possessing rich natural resources and favorable climatic conditions, constantly maintained economic and cultural ties with the Near and Middle East. These ancient contacts with Iranian, Semitic-Hamitic (Afrasian) peoples and languages ​​are reflected in material culture, in languages ​​and in the spiritual sphere.

Unfortunately, the history, economy, culture, beliefs of Caucasian Albania are very poorly covered in science, and the works that are available on these issues are largely contradictory, incorrectly polemical. After the collapse of Caucasian Albania, feudal states with their kings, nutsals, sultans, khans and other rulers, as well as free societies, were formed on an ethno-linguistic basis.

Caucasian Albania (in Armenian historiography - Aghvania) was left without successors, an "orphan". Everyone treats her according to his own whim, sometimes they “pity” and “caress” her, and sometimes they take her to pieces; strife breaks out between heirs and non-heirs over the right to inherit “property”.

The most unexplored in the history of Caucasian Albania are its spirituality, its beliefs, languages, writing and written traditions, culture and values ​​associated with it. Until this side is explored, Caucasian Albania remains a mystery to historians.

There is a wise saying: if you want to know the essence of a person, make him speak. Indeed, if you want to know the essence (truth) of Caucasian Albania, make it speak, enter into a dialogue. There are ample opportunities for this: man-made monuments of Caucasian Albania have been preserved. These living witnesses will tell us many unknown things.

Caucasian Albania economically, in terms of natural resources, territorially, in terms of climatic conditions, in terms of living standards, modestly speaking, was not inferior to its neighbors - Armenia and Georgia. She was not inferior to them in the field of the spiritual. The values ​​of the Near and Middle East were part of her values: faith in one God (in Zoroastrianism - in Ahura Mazda, in Judaism - in Yahweh). Albanian-speaking, that is, mountain Caucasian-speaking, or East Caucasian peoples, especially in the metropolis (Kur-Alazani and Samur valleys), professed Zoroastrianism, and Judaism in islands.

Christianity in Caucasian Albania began to settle from the moment of its appearance, that is, from the first century. Active missionary work in Caucasian Albania was carried out by the Apostle Thaddeus and his disciple Elisha.

In Caucasian Albania, in its metropolis, in the historical homeland of the Lezgin-speaking peoples, Christian shrines of a high level of monumental architecture have survived to this day. In ancient times and in the Middle Ages, the shrines of Zoroastrianism and Christianity in Caucasian Albania still coexisted. Elements of Zoroastrianism in civil construction were present among the Tsakhurs until the 30s of the 20th century: in the living rooms, a special niche was left in the wall for storing fire. Before the advent of electricity, a lit lamp was left in this niche; it was extinguished only during the day, at sunrise, and at sunset it was lit again.

In fire man saw sacred power. Many peoples in the history of mankind professed the cult of fire. It is also present in various variations in the rituals of monotheistic religions. You come to God's temple - the church, and put a candle; in Islam, they drive out evil forces with fire or consecrate the wedding procession with lamps. The legacy of antiquity is the Olympic flame, a traditional attribute (since 1936) of the Olympic Games, lit from the sun in Olympia and delivered by relay to the grand opening of the games.

Before the establishment of Christianity in Caucasian Albania, there were temples of the sacred fire and ministers of these temples. Fire has always been symbolically associated with the sun. In the architecture of the Tsakhurs and Rutuls, the symbol of the sun as a source of life and light is preserved to this day.

Nevertheless, Christianity, by the power of God's word from the lips of the Apostle Thaddeus and his disciple Elisha, already in the 1st century A.D. finds fertile ground in Caucasian Albania. The temple founded by Thaddeus and completed by Elisha in the village of Kish was built on the foundation of an older temple, most likely the temple of the sacred fire.

Kish is an ancient village of the Yikiy-Albanians (modern Rutulians, who in the past were part of the free society of the Khinovites; the village of Khin is located beyond the pass in the Greater Caucasus at the beginning of the Charagan-Akhty Chai River, the right tributary of the Samur) is located more than seven kilometers from the city of Sheki to the side Greater Caucasus.

In recent years, the village of Kish has regained its former glory: the oldest (perhaps the first) Christian apostolic church in the Caucasus has been studied and restored. The leadership of Azerbaijan has recently begun to pay serious attention to the history and spiritual values ​​of Caucasian Albania; The Republic of Azerbaijan finally declared itself as the legal successor of the heritage of Caucasian Albania. This is the truth: without the past, there is no present. An Azerbaijani-Norwegian project was implemented (with the participation of the famous scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl) for the study, restoration and museumification of the apostolic church in Kish (2000-2003). And now active work continues to identify the possibility of restoring the Christian shrines of Caucasian Albania in the Republic of Azerbaijan.

There are many Christian shrines in the Republic of Dagestan. It would be worthwhile at the level of two sovereign states - the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan - to create a common project for the study and restoration (at least selectively) of the Christian shrines of Caucasian Albania, to include them in the list of protected cultural values. Dagestan (RD), along with Azerbaijan, is the direct successor of the heritage of Caucasian Albania. It is undeniable that Caucasian Albania has gradually become Christian since the 1st century A.D., and in 313, under King Urnairi, Christianity was declared its official religion.

There are works describing the Christian world of Caucasian Albania. They convincingly show that Christianity in Caucasian Albania, in its metropolis, for a long time was the main (perhaps the only) religion. Yikiy-Albanians (first of all, the ancestors of modern Tsakhurs, Rutuls, Kryzs, Budukhs), Kyurints, Aguls, Tabasarans, Udins lived by the canons of Christianity, according to which they created and developed their Christian culture: theological and secular literature, jurisprudence, opened schools, prepared clergy. The Albanian church had a rich material base, the clergy constituted the elite part of the population. The affairs of the church were managed by the clergy in the person of the independent Albanian Catholicosate, the military and ruling laity had no supremacy over the Church, had no right to interfere in its affairs. The church was also endowed with landed property.

The Christian shrines of Caucasian Albania have mainly been preserved from Derbent to the west, towards the Kuro-Alazani valley. They are presented rather compactly (and have survived to this day) in the Sheki-Kakh-Zakatala zone.

In the IV-VII centuries. the role of Derbent as a center of Christian culture in Caucasian Albania was great, but from the 8th century. Derbent becomes a stronghold for the spread of Islam in the mountains of Dagestan, and indeed the entire North Caucasus. According to legend, and according to the testimony of architects, modern Juma mosque in Derbent in the past it was a church, later reconstructed.

Positions of the Christian Church until the 16th century. inclusive were strong among the Tsakhurs, although since 1075 the first madrasah in the Caucasus worked in Tsakhur. Surprisingly, the Islamization of Dagestan, for a number of reasons, dragged on for almost a millennium. The Arab conquests in Dagestan ceased at the beginning of the 9th century, and Islam, despite military and economic pressure from the Caliphate, had established itself by that time only in a fifth of the region. The subsequent Islamization of Dagestan was no longer associated with the Arabs, but with the Seljuk Turks, who settled in compact settlements in the territory of Caucasian Albania and other regions.

A simple list of Christian shrines from Sheki towards Kakha, Zakatala and Belokana , and also in the upper reaches of the Samur clearly shows that Christianity among the peoples of this region was at one time the only guide in spirituality, they fully lived the values ​​of Christianity.

Below we give the names of localities (villages) in western Caucasian Albania, where dilapidated shrines of Christianity have been preserved:

1. Sheki region: Bideiz - a dilapidated small Albanian church (AC), Bash-Kungyut - there is also a small AC on the outskirts of the village, Orta-Zeydit - not far from the village on the AC mountain; the architectural structure has been preserved; there are two chapels nearby; the village of Dzhalut (now the Oguz region, during the years of the USSR it was called the Vartashen region. In Vartashen, the Udins mostly lived, some of whom went to the Russian Federation in the 90s of the XX century. The Udins are one of the ancient peoples of Caucasian Albania, they preserved Christianity) - the ruins of an ancient AC; its construction, as well as the construction of the church in Kish, is associated with the name of St. Elisha, which means that the church was built in the 1st century BC. according to R. H.; on the southern outskirts of Shin (a Rutul-speaking village, in the past it was one free society with the village of Barch) at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, towards the Shinsko-Salavatsky pass, west of Sheki, a small church-chapel has been preserved; it is heavily overgrown with dense forest, but the walls are well preserved; perhaps in the distant past there was a place where the “sacred fire” was kept.

2. Kakh region: the largest number of Christian shrines have been preserved here in the villages where the Tsakhurs live; the Kuma basilica stands out here, the pearl of the Christian shrines of Caucasian Albania 5th–7th centuries; the church is located in the center of the village of Kum (Russian transliteration - Kum); the walls and columns of the building have been preserved; this is a revered temple, a shrine for both the inhabitants of the village of Kum and the surrounding settlements (all of them are Tsakhur-speaking). Researchers evaluate Kuma basilica as the most archaic. In all other villages of the region (Kakhi, Lekide, Zarne, Gulluk , Chinare, Mukhakha, etc.) also preserved dilapidated churches of Caucasian Albania. In Qom, in addition to the main one described above, there were other churches, according to the architects, very original, possibly older than the Cathedral Church of Qom of the 5th century BC.

In the Kakh region, among the shrines of Caucasian Albania, the Lekid Monastery, the only one in Caucasian Albania, stands out in a significant way (see color insert between pp. 96 and 105). It occupies a dominant height among the surrounding Tsakhur villages; this height forms a plateau at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, convenient for the monastery. The entire complex of the monastery is surrounded by a wall,

entrance to the monastery, a huge stone with a cross is mounted in the wall. Inside the monastery, about 200-250 meters from the gate, dilapidated cult and household buildings of the monastery have been preserved: two churches, five chapels, underground storage of rice and other products. These vaults amaze with their depth (more than 5–6 meters), finishing with special building cement, which is not susceptible to dampness and is extremely resistant (among the Tsakhurs it is known as qiraj and, apparently, was borrowed from the Greeks in connection with the construction of Christian churches already from the 1st century A.D.; other borrowings from Greek in building vocabulary: kIarametI‘tile’, kyir‘tar roofing’. Inside the monastery, the ruins of residential and outbuildings have been preserved. There is no doubt that the monastery had great wealth, in particular, arable land for growing cereals (mainly wheat of various varieties - winter and spring, corn, rice), summer and winter pastures for keeping sheep and cattle, hazelnut plantations, walnut groves walnut and chestnut; there were also fruit orchards and melons.

From the Lekid Monastery to the south on the slope of the mountain is the Tsakhur village of Lekid, whose scientists are known in the Muslim world both in Dagestan and in the Near and Middle East. To the north of the monastery is the Tsakhur village of Lekid-Kutuklu. The shrines of the Lekidsky monastery are directly connected with the Mamrukh temple - an outstanding shrine of Caucasian Albania.

3. In the Zakatala region, the Mamrukh temple (see color insert between pages 96 and 105) stands out in particular. It is located on the pass between the Tsakhur villages of Mamrukh - Zarna - Dzhinykh (Gullug). Mamrukh belongs to the Zakatala region, Zarna and Dzhinykh (Gullug) - to the Kakh region. The Mamrukh temple is located at an altitude of 1600–1700 m above sea level. The mountain is covered with dense forest, typical for this zone: oak, elm, walnut, chestnut, fig, dogwood, cherry plum, apple tree, pear, etc. The temple was protected by fortress walls. It was built earlier than the Lekidsky temple (before the official date of adoption of Christianity in 313). One of the most revered among the shrines of Caucasian Albania, the temple was subjected to repeated robbery. Two chapels have been preserved in the center of the village of Mamrukh, and a mosque has been built not far from them. It is likely that there used to be a church where it was built. The Mamrukh temple is directly connected with the village of Attal, located in the upper reaches of the Samur at an altitude of 1800–2000 m above sea level. Mamruh and Attal form one community (jamat).

In Attala, two slabs with Albanian writing with ornamented graphics, made very skillfully, are inserted into the wall of a house. On the sides on both sides there are crosses described in special literature. Attala also has a Christian cemetery from the early Middle Ages.

In June 2009, in Attala (Rutulsky district, Republic of Dagestan), while preparing a foundation pit for the foundation of a house, a local stone was found with graphemes close to the Albanian alphabet (see color insert between pages 96 and 105).

The Attal inscription adds to the list of well-known epigraphic monuments of the Albanian script from Mingachevir and other monuments of Albanian studies (Caucasian-Albanian alphabet found by I. Abuladze in 1937 in Matenadaran, find by Armenist A. Kudryan in the USA in 1956, Sinai palimpsests of Albanian texts found Prof. Z. Aleksidze at the end of the 20th century).

It should also be noted Christian shrines in the Zakatala and Belokan regions: the church in Mukhakh, which was also a political center: the rulers of the Tsakhur Khanate/Sultanate met here every spring in the Mukhakh Church with the Albanian Catholicos on issues of domestic and foreign policy of the Khanate/Sultanate and free societies; ruins of small churches in Kabiz-Dera (Avars live), Mazim-Garay (Belokansky district, Avars live). West of Muhaha, KA Christian shrines are rare.

The Christian world of Caucasian Albania, its shrines, which have come down to the 21st century, deserve the close attention of mankind; lives in them Spirit Savior. The Lekida cult ensemble of Christianity should be included in the list of UNESCO protected sites, restored and preserved for humanity: “The temple in Lekida, located in the extreme northeast of Christian culture even before the Arab conquests, can help in solving one of the most important problems in the history of world architecture(our italics - G. I.) - the question of the formation and development of buildings with a square under the dome, which gave the idea of ​​the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople ” .

I am sure that there will be sponsors who will come to the aid of the priceless shrines of Caucasian Albania, and that they will be preserved as pearls of world culture.

Ibragimov G. Christianity among the Tsakhurs (Yikians-Albanians) // Alpha and Omega. 1999. No. 1(19). pp. 170–181; Ibragimov G. Kh. The riddle of history - will it be solved // Theoretical and methodological problems of national-Russian bilingualism. Makhachkala, 2009, pp. 115–130.

The study “Christianity in Caucasian Albania” was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Humanitarian Foundation within the framework of the project “Tsakhur-Russian Dictionary” (project No. 09-04-00495).

(Lezg. - Alpan, Alupan; Greek - Albania; Armenian - Aluank, Agvank; Persian - Arran) - an ancient Lezgi state that arose in the 4th century. BC. in eastern Transcaucasia, which occupied part of the territory of modern Azerbaijan, Eastern Georgia and Southern Dagestan.

The capitals of Caucasian Albania at different times were the cities of Chur (Chola), Kabala (until the 6th century) and Partav.

1. Etymology
2. Population
3. Territory
4. History

4.1 Ancient history
4.2 Fighting Sasanian Iran
4.3 Invasion of the Arabs. Religious and political split
4.4 The collapse of the Albanian state and civilization

5. Religion

5.1 Paganism
5.2 Christianity

6. Language and writing
7. Albanian kings and royal dynasties
8. List of Albanian Catholicoses

1. ETYMOLOGY

The Soviet historian K.V. Trever in his book Essays on the History and Culture of Caucasian Albania in the 4th c. BC e.-7th c. n. e." explores the issue of the origin of the name "Albania" (in Greek and Latin sources), "Alvank" (in Armenian sources), considering it not fully clarified. In her opinion, the issue is complicated by the fact that the same name is given to a country in the Balkans, and this term is also found in the toponymy of Italy and Scotland. The ancient Celtic name for Scotland was "Albania", the largest of the Scottish mountainous islands is called "Arran", also called part of Caucasian Albania after its conquest by the Arabs. In the fair opinion of the author, the explanation of the origin of this term from the Latin "albus" - "white" and attributing the creation of this name to the Romans is not justified, since the Romans could only give a Latin sound to the name of the area.

KV Trever also considers the version given in the Armenian and proper Albanian sources.

At the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries. Armenian historian Moisey Khorensky tried to explain the origin of the name "Alvank", referring to the name of the legendary ancestor of the Sisak clan, who, during the distribution of the northern countries, "had inherited the Albanian plain with its mountainous part, starting from the Yeraskh River (Aras - Araks) to the fortress , called Hnarakert and ... this country, due to the meekness of Sisak's temper, was called Alvank, since his own name was Alu. The same version is repeated in the work of the Albanian historian of the 7th century. Moses of Daskhuran, which has come down to us, unfortunately, only in Armenian translation.

Further, K. Trever gives two more versions. The first is A.K. Bakikhanov, who at the beginning of the 19th century made a very interesting and unsubstantiated assumption that the ethnic term “Albans” contains the concept of “whites” (from the Latin “albi”) in the sense of “free”. The second is the assumption of the Russian Caucasian specialist N. Ya. Marr that the word "Albania", like the name "Dagestan", means "country of mountains". The author points out that "taking into account that Balkan Albania, like Scotland, is a mountainous country, this explanation by N. Ya. Marr seems more convincing."

Similar studies were done by other authors, who approximately came to the same conclusions. Interestingly, none of the authors of the XIX-XX centuries. in his developments he did not turn to local onamastic, linguistic and folklore material. Some of the above-named authors reached in their research right up to Scotland and Ireland, but did not see what was literally lying under their feet. Until now, in the Quba region of modern Azerbaijan, a village has been preserved, which still bears the name Alpan. Until recently, the village of Alpanar was located in the Agulsky district of the region of modern Dagestan. A number of toponyms with the same name are found in other Lezgin-populated regions of Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

In addition, it is known that the ancient pagan god of fire among the Lezgins was called Alpan. Lightning in the modern Lezgi language is called "tsIaylapan", which means "Alpan's fire".

In recent years, another version of the origin of the name "Albania" has appeared. It is connected with recently found pages from a book that tells about the history of Albania. According to this book, the self-name of the Albanian state was Alupan. And it happened on behalf of the first legendary Albanian king - Alup.

2. POPULATION

The population of Caucasian Albania - Albanians Initially, it was a union of 26 tribes that spoke mainly various dialects of the Lezgin branch of the Nakh-Dagestan group of the North Caucasian family of languages. These included Legs, Gels, Gargars, Utii, Chilbs, Silvas, Lpins, and others. Numerous tribes of the Albanian tribal union inhabited the territory between Iberia and the Caspian Sea, from the Caucasus Range to the Aras (Araks) River. The most common opinion is that the Albanian alphabet was created on the basis of the Gargar dialect.

It is believed that throughout its almost 1000-year history, the consolidation of the Albanian tribes never took place. It is hard to believe. After all, in other peoples with the formation of the state, similar processes took place much faster. For example, in Kievan Rus, the Old Russian nationality developed over two centuries. The same can be said about France, England, Germany, etc. Rather, the already formed Albanian nationality, due to the prevailing circumstances, after the establishment of the Arabs in the Eastern Caucasus, again broke up into separate nationalities. A significant part of the Albanian population, which retained the Christian faith, underwent Armenization during this period and in subsequent times. . Western Albanians, who also remained Christians, settled down and formed the basis of the population of the historical province of Hereti. Well, those who converted to Islam from the Arabs - these are the current Lezgins, Tabasarans, Rutuls, Tsakhurs and other peoples of the Lezgi group of languages ​​\u200b\u200bsurvived only partially - having first undergone Arabization and Persianization, and then, starting from the XIII century, and Turkization.

All these processes took place over the centuries. Sources, for example, still record the Albanian-Lek language in the district of Barda, which is in present-day Karabakh, in the 10th century, but then the mention of it gradually disappears. The population of southern Albania at this time is increasingly switching to the Persian language. This mainly applies to the cities of Arran and Shirvan, while the rural population retained for a long time the ancient Albanian-Lek language, related to the modern languages ​​of the Lezgi group. The Albanians, who inhabited the eastern flat lands, must have been first subjected to partial Persianization, then, after the adoption of Islam and Arabization, after which, already from the beginning of the 13th century, they began to undergo Turkization. In the XII-XVII centuries, the foothill part of Arran was intensively populated by Turkic nomads, and gradually the ancient name Arran was replaced by Karabakh (Turkic-Iranian "Black Garden"). At the same time, the mountainous regions of Karabakh strongly resisted Turkization and became a refuge for the Christian population, although by that time it was already partially Armenianized.

3. TERRITORY

The most ancient region of Caucasian Albania was the northern part of the Kura valley to the south of the confluence of the Alazani into it. In I millennium BC. e. early urban communities began to form here, including the ancient capital of Albania - Kabalaka. The population of the country, as usual before and at the beginning of the formation of the state, was multi-tribal, its basis was the ancestors of the modern Lezgin peoples.

From the beginning of the emergence of the centralized Albanian kingdom, it occupied the territory from north to south from Derbent to the Aras (Araks) river, from west to east from the middle reaches of the Iori and Alazani rivers to the Caspian Sea.

Anthropological studies show that the current Karabakh Armenians are mainly direct physical descendants of the ancient population of the region, i.e. Albanian

4. HISTORY

4.1. ancient history

About the ancient history of Caucasian Albania evidenced by artifacts from archaeological cultures such as the Yaloylutepa.

The Yaloylutepa culture dates back to the 3rd-1st centuries. BC e. and named after the monuments in the area of ​​Yaloylutepe (Gabala region of Azerbaijan). Among the finds are burial grounds - ground and mounds, burials in jugs and mud tombs, burials - crouched on their sides, with tools (iron knives, sickles, stone grain grinders, pestles and millstones), weapons (iron daggers, arrowheads and spears, etc. ), ornaments (gold earrings, bronze pendants, brooches, numerous beads) and mainly with ceramics (bowls, jugs, vessels with legs, "teapots", etc.). The population was engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding.

The Albanians are first mentioned in the time of Alexander the Great by Arrian: they fought against the Macedonians on the side of the Persians in 331 BC. e. under Gaugamela in the army of the Persian king Darius III. At the same time, it is not known what dependence they were on King Darius III, whether this dependence was at all, or whether they acted as mercenaries - like, for example, the Greek hoplites.

The truly ancient world met the Albanians during the campaigns of Pompey, in 66 BC. e .. Pursuing Mithridates Eupator, Pompey moved to the Caucasus and at the end of the year he stationed his army for winter quarters in three camps on Kura, in Albania. Apparently, the invasion of Albania was not originally in his plans; but in mid-December, the Albanian king Aras (Oroiz) crossed the Kura and unexpectedly attacked all three camps, but was repulsed. The following summer, Pompey, for his part, made a surprise attack on Albania in retaliation and defeated the Albanians. But the Romans still failed to conquer Albania and they were forced to make peace with it. In the course of these events, the first detailed descriptions of Albania were compiled (especially by Pompey's historiographer Theophanes of Mitylene), which have come down to us in the presentation of Strabo (Geography, 11.4):

« People there are distinguished by beauty and tall stature, but at the same time they are simple-minded and not petty. ... They are carefree about issues of war, government and agriculture. However, they fight both on foot and on horseback in full and heavy weapons...

They field a larger army than the Iberians. It is they who arm 60,000 infantry and 22,000 cavalry, with such a large army they opposed Pompey. The Albanians are armed with javelins and bows; they wear armor and large oblong shields, as well as helmets made of the skins of animals, ..

Their kings are also wonderful. Now, however, they have one king governs all the tribes, whereas before every multilingual tribe was ruled by its own king. .... They revere Helios, Zeus and Selene, especially Selene, whose sanctuary is located near Iberia. The duty of the priest among them is performed by the most respected person after the king: he stands at the head of a large and densely populated sacred area, and also disposes of the slaves of the temple, many of whom, obsessed with God, utter prophecies. …..

Old age is extremely respected by Albanians, and not only by parents, but also by other people. Caring for the dead, or even remembering them, is considered impious. Together with the dead, they bury all their property, and therefore they live in poverty, deprived of their father's property.»

The ruins of the fortress walls of ancient Kabala
(the white limestone foundation was made in the 20th century to prevent the collapse of the remains of the towers)

One way or another, by the IV century. BC e. Albania turned from a union of tribes into an early class state with its own king. Until the 6th century, the main city of Albania was Kabala (Kvepelek: Kabalaka; Kabalak). This city existed until the 16th century, when it was destroyed by the Safavid troops. Its ruins have been preserved in the modern Kabala (formerly Kutkashen) region of Azerbaijan.

Octavian Augustus mentions in his inscription the allied relations of Rome with the kings of Albania, as well as Iberia and Media Atropatene. The ancient Greek historian Claudius Ptolemy (II century), in his geographical description of Albania, divides its territory into five zones, the natural geographical boundaries of which are the rivers of the Eastern Caucasus he calls. Moreover, in four such districts, he singles out one city in particular and names other settlements. In the interfluve between the rivers bordering with Asian Sarmatia, the Soana River and the Gerr River are the city of Telaiba and the settlement of Tilbis, in the interfluve of Gerra and Kaisiya - the city of Gelda and the points of Tiavna and Tabilaka, in the interfluve of Kaisiya and Albana - the city of Albana and the points of Khabala, Khobot, Bosiata, Misia, Hadakha, Alam, in the interfluve of Alban and Kur - the city of Gaitara and 11 settlements, and, finally, between the anonymous river flowing into the Kur and the border with Iberia - five more settlements.

4.2. Fighting Sasanian Iran

In 450, the Albanians took part in the anti-Persian uprising, which was headed by Vardan Mamikonyan and which was also joined by the Iberians. The first major victory of the rebels was won precisely in Albania, near the city of Khalkhal, which then served as the summer capital of the Albanian kings. Then, however, the rebels were defeated in the Battle of Avarayr. In 457, King Vache raised a new uprising. But it also ended in failure. As a result, in 461 the independence of the Albanian kingdom was abolished, and Albania became a marzpan - a province (military-administrative district) within the Sasanian state.

Fortress Chirakh-Kala VI century -
part of the Gilgilchay defensive wall built
during the reign of the Sasanian king Kavad.
Shabran region of Azerbaijan

In 481, an uprising broke out in Iberia, where King Vakhtang Gorgasal, having removed the head of the pro-Iranian party in the country, the pitihsha (governor) Vazgen, began military operations against the Persians. Soon, Albania and Armenia joined the uprising, and the rebels managed to inflict sensitive blows on the Persians twice: in 481 near the village of Akori, and in 482 - in the battle of Nersekhapat. The successful course of the uprising was largely facilitated by the war between Shah Peroz and the Hephthalites, which ended in 484 with the defeat of Peroz and his death. The extremely tense foreign policy situation caused by the unsuccessful war with the Ephthalites, the difficult economic situation of the state, the ongoing uprising in the Transcaucasus forced the Walarsh (484-488) who ascended the throne in 484 to make significant concessions to the Transcaucasian peoples. In 485, a peace treaty was concluded in the village of Nvarsak, which legalized the privileges and rights of the Albanian, Iberian and Armenian nobility, and in Albania the royal power of the local Albanian dynasty, which was abolished more than 20 years ago under Peroz, was again restored. The nephew of Vache II, Vachagan, who was once a hostage of the Persians, was elevated to the throne in Partava.

Vachagan the Pious, probably on the one hand because of his inclination towards Christianity - his parents were Christians, but for internal political reasons he renounced the teachings of magicians, forbade the construction of fire temples, and expelled sorcerers, sorcerers and priests of fire. He carried out such a policy throughout the country. Vachagan III, according to Moses Dashuransky, founded schools, fought against sects that appeared in connection with the forced imposition of Zoroastrianism in 439-484.

An Albanian historian of the 7th century wrote about Vachagan III: “Being a very philanthropic, beneficent, peace-loving person, creative, he sent a command to all sides of his kingdom, many areas of which were torn away by the villain Peroz, and many princes were deprived of ancestral possessions, and returned to each his possession . Then the princes of Albania, who received their possessions, united, took with them to Persia a husband from the royal family of their country, fearless, wise, learned and prudent, tall and slender Vachagan, brother of the king of Albania Vache, and summoned him to the royal throne through Valarshak, king Persian.

Vachagan III was a reformer. He officially returned the country to Christianity, expelled the sectarians of Zoroastrianism from the country, created a general educational network of schools in the country, restored the ancestral possessions of the princes, strengthened the integrity of the country, and again united all the ancient Lezgin lands as part of a single state.

However, with his death, the royal power in Albania was again liquidated and replaced by the power of Persian governors - marzpans.

Meanwhile, the raids of nomadic tribes from the north intensified through the Derbent Pass. In 552, the Savirs invaded Eastern Transcaucasia, and over time, Albania began to be subjected to increasingly strong pressure from Sasanian Iran, both political and religious. After that, the Persian Shah Khosroy (531-579) launched a grandiose fortification construction in the Derbent region, designed to protect his state from nomads. Derbent fortifications blocked the narrow passage between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains, but still did not become a panacea for invasions. So in 626, the invading Turkic-Khazar army under the command of Shad captured Derbent and again plundered Albania.

4.3. Arab invasion. Religious and political division of the country

VII century - the most difficult period in the history of the Albanian-Lezgi peoples, which became a turning point, primarily in terms of ethno-religious and political development. Contradictory events that occurred during this period turned the history of the country back. The invasion of the Arabs and the ensuing confrontation in the region of the Byzantine Empire, the Khazar Khaganate and the Caliphate itself, and at the beginning of the period also Sasanian Iran, turned the country into an object of insatiable imperial aspirations of the above-mentioned powers. Despite the stubborn resistance of the people and the efforts of the feudal nobility, Albania was fragmented and split into parts.

True, at the beginning of the period, in 628, after more than a 100-year break, all the attributes of statehood were restored in Albania. The country became independent again. The local Mikranid dynasty was established in power. Varz-Grigor (628-643) and his son Jevanshir (643-680) become completely independent rulers.

Jevanshir showed himself as a very subtle politician and a talented military leader. Skillfully maneuvering between the Arabs, Khazars and Byzantines, Jevanshir for the entire period of his reign managed to create quite acceptable conditions for the successful development of his country in the most difficult foreign policy conditions of that time. Under him, there is a new (after Vachagan the Pious) surge in both the economic and cultural life of the country. In this era, Albanian writing and literature developed further.

Soon after the death of this prince (who was killed by the conspirators), the “History of Albania” was compiled by the Albanian historian Moses Daskhuransky (Armenian historians most often call him Movses Kagankatvatsi or Kalankatuysky). This monument also contains a unique example of Albanian poetry - an elegy-lament, composed by an Albanian lyric poet of the 7th century. Davtak for the destruction of Jevanshir.

In 654, the troops of the Caliphate went beyond Derbent and attacked the Khazar possession of Belenjer, but the battle ended in the defeat of the Arab army.

Javanshir resisted the conquerors for several decades, made alliances with the Khazars, then with Byzantium, then with the Arabs. Balancing between them, Jevanshir proceeded from the interests of his state and achieved a lot in this. However, after his death, the situation changed.

It is believed that the Arabs forced only pagans to accept the new religion. In relation to Christians and Jews, they adhered, it seems, to a different tactic. Christians and Jews, as "People of the Book", were given the opportunity to voluntarily adopt a new religion, i.e. violent actions to force them to convert to Islam were not acceptable. In case of non-acceptance of Islam, Christians and Jews had to pay an additional tax - jizya.

But for some reason this "rule" was not applied to the Christian people of Albania. The Albanian people were subjected to violent Islamization. Why did it happen? Why did the Georgians and Armenians manage to preserve their ethnicity and religion, while the Albanians did not?!.... Unfortunately, this problem, with such a formulation of the question, was not even considered in domestic or foreign historiography at any time. Apparently, someone did not really need it! ...

Be that as it may, it is believed that by the 11th century, despite stubborn resistance, most of the population of Caucasian Albania was Muslimized by the Caliphate. Many Albanians preferred to move under the bosom of the Armenian or Georgian churches, avoiding Islamization, which contributed to the de-ethnization of the Albanians, turning them into Armenians and Georgians.

In 705 the Arabs abolished the authority of the Mikranids in Albania.

With the establishment of the Umayyad dynasty, the Arabs managed to gain a foothold in Transcaucasia, and from the first years of the 8th century they made decisive attempts to expand their zone of influence further north. And here they are faced with the Khazars, whose state at that time was at the peak of its power. The period of continuous Arab-Khazar wars begins. Success accompanied alternately both one and the other side. Derbent remained the border zone between the opponents, and the Albanian-Lezgi lands became the arena of confrontation in many respects. The Arabs were never able to advance further than Derbent. Of course, the Khazars played a primary role here. However, the Albanian-Leks, who opposed the adoption of a new religion for at least several hundred years and annoyed the Arabs in every possible way, also played an important role here.

4.4 The collapse of the Albanian state and civilization

The 8th century is a turning point in the history of the Albanian-Lezgi people. It was during this period that the mass migration of Arabs to Arran and to the Derbent region took place. The Arab historian al-Balazuri reports that even during the reign of Caliph Osman (40-50 years of the 7th century), the ancient city of Shamkhor (Shamkhur) was inhabited by Arabs. After the conquest of Derbent by Maslama, 24 thousand Arabs from Syria and other places were resettled there.

This policy of the Arab conquerors met with widespread resistance from the Albanian people. But the forces were not equal. Under the onslaught of the superior forces of the conquerors, the local population gradually began to move to the mountainous regions of Albania, that is, to where they mainly live to this day. At the same time, the mass migration of Arabs from their native places to the territory of Albania continued. The Arabs, together with the Persians and the Tatami, who had already entrenched themselves here, greatly changed the ethnic background in the interfluve of the Samur and the Kura. Christianity ceased to be the state religion. Islam spread everywhere. Arabs rampaged throughout the country.

According to sources, during these years, the territory of Albania called Ran was included by the Arabs in a new administrative unit created by them, which they called - Arminia. This formation was ruled by the governor of the caliph, who was sitting in the Armenian Dvin, and then, from the beginning of the reign of the Abassids, he transferred his residence to Partav, the former capital of Caucasian Albania.

The wars with the Caliphate and joining it had the most detrimental effect on the socio-economic, ethno-religious, cultural, and foreign and domestic political development of Caucasian Albania. Massacres and enslavement of masses of people became commonplace at this time. The destruction and plunder of towns and villages, the capture or destruction of agricultural crops and handicraft products, the theft of tens and hundreds of thousands of heads of livestock undermined the productive forces of Albania. All this especially affected the flat and foothill lands, led here to a slowdown and regression of economic and social development.

Moses Daskhuransky wrote in this regard: “At that very time, the violence of the people of the south (meaning the Arabs, in the book the Arabs are also called “Ismailites”, “agari”, “tachiki”) spread to all sides of the earth, cruel and ruthless, which is like a flame devoured all the splendor and well-being of people. The time of violence has come ..., the brutal Ismailites - the Hagarians took possession of all the blessings of the earth, both the sea and the land submitted to the forerunners of the Antichrist - the sons of perdition. This also turned into heavy revenge on Albania, whose capital, Partav, was taken away from the Alpan princes as a punishment for their nasty incest. And since they established the first throne of their power in Syrian Damascus, so here, in Albania, in Partava, they planted a governor from the court (tachiks) to suck out the juices of the country. (1, p. 163).

The difficult situation of the Albanian people and state was aggravated by the treacherous policy of the Armenian Church. Having entered into an agreement with the heterodox conquerors, the Monophysite Armenian Church, with their help, did everything to discredit the dyophysite Alpan church organization in the eyes of the Arabs, presenting it as hostile, based on almost pagan foundations. Thus, the Armenian church ministers paid off in full with the Albanian church for the disagreements and contradictions that had existed between them since ancient times, long before the arrival of the Arabs. All this led to a significant weakening of the positions of the Albanian church. In fact, she was in a subordinate position in relation to the Armenian Church, which contributed to the fall of the authority of the Alpan Church, the destruction of all literary monuments. In 704 the Alpan dyophysite church loses its independence. Henceforth, Albanian Catholicoses were to be ordained in Armenia, i.e. actually approved by the Armenian Catholicos. “Since the 8th century, the Albanian church has been considered as part of the Armenian church, and the language of worship has become ancient Armenian.” The Armenian Church did everything to leave nothing that could remind of the history and culture of the Albanians, destroying or subjugating them or, in general, passing them off as purely Armenian. All these outrages began under the Arabs and continued in subsequent times under other conquerors. Similar actions take place in our days, but more on the part of Armenian pundits.

Z. Buniatov believes that part of the Armenians of modern Artsakh are Armenianized Albanians. S.T. Yeremyan also notes that part of the Albanians became Armenianized. A.P.Novoseltsev believes that part of the Albanians who preserved Christianity gradually adopted the Armenian language. Another argument in favor of what has been said is the identical names of villages and localities in Artsakh, in South Dagestan and in North Azerbaijan.

Armenization of the Lezgi population of Artsakh happened, according to I.P. Petrushevsky, because the Armenian Church in Albania also served as an instrument for the Armenianization of the country.

Even before the 15th century, priests who spoke the Lezgin language served in the monasteries of Artsakh.

According to I.A. Orbeli, “in the northern mountainous regions of Albania, which currently make up Southern Dagestan, settlers also found shelter, ousted from more accessible and more attracting invaders parts of the country, from such areas abounding in blessings, such as a wide strip between Araks and Kura ... ".

Aran, abandoned by the majority of Albanians, was inhabited by Arabs, some Persian tribes in the VIII-IX centuries, and after the XIII-XIV centuries, i.e. after the conquest of the territory of the historical Alpan by the Mongols, Turkmen tribes began to move here. They were the first Turkic tribes to move to the territory of historical Caucasian Albania. It is no coincidence that the Lezgins, as an autochthonous people, call the Turks Mongols, keeping in historical memory the fact that they moved to the territory of historical Alpan (Albania) on the "bayonets of the Mongols".

Starting from the 9th century, the ethnonym "Alban" gradually began to fall into disuse. Alpan, as a single country with a single Alpan-Lek people and the Christian religion, no longer exists.

5. RELIGION

5.1. Paganism

Before the adoption of Christianity, the Albanians were pagans. According to Strabo, "the Sun, Zeus and the Moon, especially the Moon" were revered here. Strabo describes an Albanian temple of the deity of the moon, located not far from the borders of Iberia, possibly in present-day Kakheti. In Albania, the temples were allotted land (hora), according to Strabo, "vast and well populated." The influence of Zoroastrianism also penetrated into Albania, however, compared to neighboring Iberia, this happened later.

5.2. Christianity

Christianity in Albania as early as the 1st c. n. e. brought Saint Elisha (Elisha), a disciple of the Apostle Thaddeus, who was killed in Armenia. Elisha was ordained by the first patriarch of Jerusalem, the brother of the Lord Jacob, and, having received the eastern countries as his inheritance, from Jerusalem through Persia, avoiding Armenia, he entered the country of the Mazkuts - Maskuts - Mushkur. In 43 AD he began his preaching in Choge (Chur) and attracted many disciples in different

places, making them know salvation. As a result, the first Christian communities appeared in Albania, especially in its northern and eastern regions. This refers to the beginning of our era. But Christianity became the state religion in Albania only in 313 under King Basle (Urnair).

The primary fundamental canons were adopted at the Alpan (Aluen) Cathedral, which took place in the summer residence of the Alpan princes at the end of the 4th century.

Candlesticks found in Mingachevir.
History Museum, Baku

In 551, under pressure from the Iranian authorities and the Persian marzpan, who defiantly refused to sit in the capital of Albania, Kabala and settled near the border of Iran - the city of Partav, the Albanian Catholicos Abas transferred his residence from Chur to Partav.

One of the tragic pages in the history of the Albanian-Lezgi people is connected with the fate of the Albanian Catholicos of the end of the 7th - beginning of the 8th centuries Bakur.

6. LANGUAGE AND WRITING

6 Stone capital of the 5th-6th centuries. columns of a Christian church (VI-VII c.) with an Albanian inscription,
found during excavations in the settlement of Sudagylan,
at Mingachevir. History Museum, Baku

In historiography, for various reasons, the opinion of the "multilingualism of the Albanians" was firmly established. The main argument in favor of this version is the message of Strabo, who lived at the turn of two eras, that "the Albanians had 26 tribes" who spoke different languages ​​or dialects. At the same time, everyone seems to forget at once that all the ancient states in the early stages of their development were nothing more than a union of various tribes. And no one wonders how such a multilingual state existed for almost 1000 years!

Z. Yampolsky believes that the translation of Strabo's work is not entirely correct: “The translators of his text into Russian translated his words as 26 languages, together 26 dialects. This follows from the subsequent statements of Strabo, where he notes that "nowadays one king rules over all." In this regard, K. Trever notes that “we have the right to conclude that by the middle of the 1st century. BC, when the Romans first encountered the Albanians on their territory during the campaigns of Lucullus, Pompey and Anthony, the union of tribes was already headed by the Albanian tribe and their language became dominant.

Arab sources report that in the 10th century in the district of Berdaa (Partav), and in the lowlands of Utik, the Albanian language was still spoken. In particular, Al-Muqaddasi wrote: “Armenian is spoken in Armenia, and Arran in Arran; when they speak Persian, they can be understood, and their Persian language is somewhat reminiscent of Khurasan.”

Ibn Haukal also writes about this: “For many groups of the population in the outskirts of Armenia and adjacent countries, there are other languages ​​than Persian and Arabic, like Armenian - for the inhabitants of Dabil and its region, and the inhabitants of Berd’a speak Arran.”

Armenian writer of the 5th century Koryun reports that Mesrop Mashtots, having arrived in the country of the Albanians in 415, “renewed their alphabet, contributed to the revival of scientific knowledge and, leaving their mentors as well, returned to Armenia.” It is important to pay attention to the word "resumed". It turns out that Mashtots did not create the Albanian alphabet, but restored and improved it.

Koryun also has other important information regarding the writing of the Albanians. He points to the translations of religious books into Albanian, in other words, the creation of literature in it. He writes that the Bishop of Albania “blessed Jeremiah immediately set about translating divine books, with the help of which the wild-minded, idle wandering and harsh people of the country of Agvank quickly recognized the prophets, apostles, inherited the gospel, were aware of all the divine traditions…” .

From the 30s of the XIX century. Albanian texts are being searched. And only after more than 100 years, the Albanian alphabet was discovered. Then at the turn of the 40-50s. Several lapidary inscriptions and graffiti were found on two candlesticks and roof tiles in Mingechur. A small inscription copied from the Derbent wall at the end of the 19th century has also been preserved.

In fact, until recently, specialists did not have a single line of a letter written in Albanian, except for a few brief Mingachevir inscriptions, which could not be unambiguously deciphered due to the impossibility of a complete interpretation of the Matenadaran alphabet.

And only the 90s of the 20th century turned out to be truly fateful for the Albanian writing and language. Two most important sources of Albanian writing were at once in the hands of specialists. These are the Albanian Book by an anonymous author and the Sinai palimpsests.

Sinai palimpsests, more precisely, Caucasian Albanian texts on Albanian-Georgian palimpsests found in the library of St. Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai, are a unique historical monument written in the language of Caucasian Albanians. In 2008, 248 pages of the Albanian text of the Sinaitic palimpsests were published in Belgium in English (two large format volumes). The authors of this publication are four prominent specialists in the Caucasian languages ​​and the history of Transcaucasia - German linguists Jost Gippert (Frankfurt University) and Wolfgang Schulze (University of Munich), Georgian historian, corresponding member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences Zaza Aleksidze and French philologist and historian of Christianity, member of the Academy of Inscriptions and belles-lettres by Jean-Pierre Mahe. No one doubts the competence of these world-famous scientists.

It was at this time that the “Albanian Book” was published in the form of photocopies of its 50 pages, written in the “Mesropian” alphabet and in the Albanian language. Despite the efforts of numerous skeptics who unfoundedly called it a falsification, this book is comparable and understandable in comparison with the Sinai Albanian texts, although they refer to periods in the history of Caucasian Albania, separated from each other by 5-6 centuries.

7. ALBANIAN KINGS AND ROYAL DYNASTIES

Helmet of a Caucasian Albanian warrior
from Nuydi monument, Akhsu region of Azerbaijan.
History Museum, Baku

The legendary founder of the Albanian state was Alup, the leader and leader of the tribal union. And after Alup "the first kings of Albania were representatives of the local Albanian nobility from among the most prominent tribal leaders."

It should be noted that in Armenian sources the name of the legendary founder of the Albanian state is mentioned as Aran. Moses of Khorensky testifies that Aran, who, apparently, is a legendary ancestor, the eponym of the Albans (which is possibly associated with the Middle Median name "Aran", the Parthian "Ardan"), "has inherited the entire Albanian plain with its mountainous part…” and that “tribes descend from the descendants of Aran – utii, gardmans, tsavdei and the principality of Gargar”.

The unknown author of the "Albanian Book" lists the name of King Aran as the second after the legendary Alup. And another Albanian historian Moses Dashurinvi (Kalankatuysky) seems to claim that Alup and Aran are two names of the same person. He writes that the first king of Albania, Aran, was called Alu by the people because of his supposedly mild disposition.

According to K. V. Trever, “the first kings of Albania were undoubtedly representatives of the local Albanian nobility from among the most prominent tribal leaders. This is also evidenced by their non-Armenian and non-Iranian names (Orois (Aras), Kosis, Zober in the Greek transmission).

List of Albanian kings (according to Badalov F.A.)

1. Alup- the youngest son of the legendary Targum - the progenitor of the Caucasian peoples, the leader, leader and high priest of the ancient Lezgin tribes. The legendary founder of the Alupan state.
2. Run- another legendary ruler, possibly from the Kas (Caspian) tribe. He created a kingdom in the interfluve of the Kura and Araks. He strove to unite all the ancient Lezgin tribes under his command. For the first time he named the country Alupan-Alpan (Alupan - the country of Alupa).
3. King Legov(real name unknown) - ruler of the Legs (Lezgs).
4. Ashtik- ally of the Mannean king Iranzu. During his reign, the Cimmerians attacked Albania from the north. They destroyed the fortress on the Jilga hill, passed through Mushkur, through the Pakul (Baku) region, “from there they went south along the seashore. Ashtik ordered to quickly restore the villages, cities and fortresses burned by the barbarians. Forty days in all possessions sacrifices were made to the gods.
5. Sur- one of the early rulers of Albania, the eponym of the first capital of the Albanian kingdom: Sur - Tzur - Chur.
6. Tumarush [Tomiris].
7. Nushaba [Felistria](40-30 years of the 4th century BC)
8. Aras [Oroiz, Irris, Orod, Urus, Rusa](70-60 years of the 1st century BC) - a possible prototype of the hero of the Lezgi heroic epic "Sharvili".
9. Zober [Zuber, Zubir ] (last quarter of the 1st century BC) - fought against the Roman commander Canidius.
10. Vachagan(2nd quarter of the 1st century AD) - a contemporary of Elisha, the one who created the first Christian community in the city of Chur in 43 AD.
11. Aran(3rd quarter of the 1st century AD) - a protege of the Persians, originally from Syunik (foreigner).
12. Kakas(70-80 years of the 1st century AD) - protege of the Persian king, his son-in-law. During the reign of Kakas, the Gilans (Alans) attacked Albania, and for the first time the Persian garrison was located near the Caspian (Derbent) passage.

Farasmanid dynasty

13. Farasman(98/114 - 150 AD) - henchman of the Roman emperor Trajan.
14. Patika (n)(50-60 years of the II century AD).
15. Wachi(2nd half of the 2nd century AD)
16. Peanuts(2nd half of the 2nd century AD)
17. Shiri(1st half of the 3rd century AD).
18. Galav [Kielav](2nd half of the 3rd century AD).
19. Farasman the Last [Porsaman] in Persian sources (80-90 years of the 3rd century AD) - the ruler of Mushkur and all of Albania. The last representative of the Farasmanid dynasty.

Dynasty of Mushkurs (Aranshakhiks)

20. Vachagan the Brave [Baril Vachagan](298-302 AD) - an ally of the Romans, fought against the Sasanian Persia. After the victory, he established himself on the Albanian throne. Originally from Mushkur, founder of the Mushkur dynasty.
21. Vache I [Saint Vache, Makyas Vache](301-309 / 313 AD) - Prepared the ground for the adoption of Christianity in Albania and therefore remained in the memory of the people as St. Vache.
22. Urnair [Basla](313-377) - under him, Albania officially adopted Christianity
23. Vachagan II(378-383 AD) - Convened the Aluene Cathedral at his summer residence.
24. Mikrevan [Megrevan](383-388 AD).
25. Satu [Satu](388-399 AD)
26. Urnair [Sani (another) Urnair] (late 4th century AD).
27. Farim (end.IV- earlyVcenturies)
28. Sakas Mushkursky- ruled for only 1 year.
29. Asai (beginning of the 5th century - 413)- is notable for the fact that his throne was not in the capital of Kabala, but in the city of Chur.
30. Evsagen [Arakil, Vesegen, Arsvagan, Sagen, Segen](413 - 444).
31. Vache II [Scientist Vache, Mikitis Vache](444 - 461) - leader of the uprising against the Persian yoke in 459 - 461.
461-485- Sasanian Persia abolished the royal power in Albania and appointed its governor (marzpan) there.
32. Vachagan III [Pious Vachagan, Outstanding Vachagan](485 - 510) - from the family of Mushkur kings, the ruler of Tsakhur.
510 - 628- The Sassanids again abolished the princely power in Albania. The country was again ruled by the Persian marzpans. After Vachagan III, Albania was ruled by a marzpan named Piran-Gushnasp, from the Mikranid clan, a Christian by religion. He was martyred in 542 during the persecution of Christians by the Zoroastrian Persians. After these events, the capital of Albania, at the direction of the Persian court, was transferred from Kabala (Kvepele) to Partav.

Mikranid dynasty

33. Varz-Grigor [Girgur](628 - 643) - the first representative of the Mikranid dynasty.
34. Javanshir [Javanshir](643 - 680) - the son of Girgur, an outstanding politician of the 7th century.
35. Varz-Trdat I(680 - 699) - the son of Jevanshir's brother. From 699 to 704 was a hostage in Byzantium.
36. Sheru and Spaam- after the detention of the king by the Byzantines as a hostage, his wife Spraam actually becomes the ruler. Formally, Prince Sheru was considered the ruler.
37. Varz-Trdat(705 - 711 years (?)) - in 705 (or in 709) he was released and appointed by the Byzantine king Justinian as a Patrick-Exarch (the second person after the emperor) in Albania. The Arab governor was also in power during this period.
38. Sabas [Upas, Aviz](720 - 737) - the king of the Leks (Leks).
39. Varazman- ruled the country (formally) in the middle of the VIII century.
40. Stepannos(2nd half of the 8th century) - the son of Varazman, was the formal ruler, the Arabs actually ruled.
41. Varz Tiridates II (son of Stepanos)- was killed in 821 by Prince Nerse. He also killed his son Varz Tiridates (Varz Tiridates III) in the arms of his mother and took possession of his property. This Varz Tiridates was from the family of Mikranids, who inherited Albania, passing from father to son. He was the eighth ruler, counting from Varz-Girgur, the first prince of Albania from this family.
42. Sunbatan Sakhli(835 - 851) - a descendant of the Brave Vachagan and St. Vache, from the Mushkur-Aranshakhik dynasty. After the assassination of Varz Tiridates III, together with his brothers, he gathers the people's militia and restores the power of the Aranshahiks in Albania.
43. Hamam [GIamim](893 - beginning of the 10th century) - son of Sunbatan Sakhli. In 893 he restored princely power in Albania. Prior to that, he was one of the organizers of the military campaign against Partav in 876, where the Arabs settled.
44. Shar Qirim [ Sanakrim - Senekerim](957-1000) - after the death of the Arab governor in 957, Albania emerged from the yoke of the Salarids and Kyirim was declared the Grand Duke (shar) of Albania. Prior to that, he was the ruler of Sheki.

8. ALBANIAN CATHOLIKOS (according to Badalov F.A.)

Saint Elisha (Elise)- 43 AD (formed the first Christian community in Chur).

Due to the fault of the scribes who rewrote the ancient Albanian manuscripts, the names of the Albanian Catholicoses between St. Elisha and St. Shupalisho have not come down to us. As for Grigoris, the protege of the Armenian king, he was not accepted by the Albanians and was executed as a resident of the Armenian royal court.

Saint Shupalisho(Roman by origin)
Lord Matteos
Lord Sahak
Vladyka Moses
Lord of the Pandas
Lord Lazar
Bishop Grigor (Girgur)
Bishop Zachary
Lord David
Bishop John
Bishop Yeremiah
Lord Abas(552-575 AD)
Saint Viru- Was a Catholicos for 34 years (595 - 629)
Vladyka Zakariy- 15 years
Bishop John- 25 years
Lord Ukhtanes- 12 years old
Lord Elizar- 6 years (from the diocese of Shaka)
Saint Nerses-Bacur- 17 years (686-703/4) (from the Bishopric of Gardman)
Lord Simeon- 1.5 years
Lord Mikael- 35 years
Vladyka Anastas- 4 years
Bishop Joseph-17 years
Lord David- 4 years
Lord David- 9 years
Lord Matteos- 1.5 years
Vladyka Moses- 2 years
Lord Aharon- 2 years
Lord Solomon- 0.5 years
Lord Theodoros- 4 years (from the Bishopric of Gardman)
Lord Solomon- 11 years
Bishop John- 25 years
Vladyka Moses- 0.5 years
Lord Davut- 28 years (from the bishopric of Cabal)
Bishop Iovsep- 22 years old (878 -? YY)
Lord Samuel- 17 years
Bishop Iunan- 8.5 years
Lord Simeon- 21 years old
Lord Davut- 6 years
Lord Sahak-18 years
Lord Gagik- 14 years
Lord Davut- 7 years
Lord Davut- 6 years
Vladyka Petros- 18 years
Vladyka Moses- 6 years
Bishop Markos
Vladyka Moses
History of the Ancient World M. 1983 S. 399-414 TSB. Article: Davtak Kertog