What do Avars and Avars have in common? Origin and history of the Avar people

The Avars are a brave and independent mountain people who have maintained their independence throughout their history: no one has been able to conquer them. In ancient times, their totem animals were wolves, bears and eagles - strong in spirit and body, free, but devoted to their native lands.

Name

The exact origin of the name of the people is unknown. According to one version, it is associated with the ancient nomadic Avars people from Central Asia, who in the 6th century migrated to Central Europe and then to the Caucasus. This version is supported by archaeological finds on the territory of modern Dagestan: rich burials of people of the Asian type.

Another version is associated with the ruler of the early medieval state of Sarir named Avar. Some researchers agree that the ancestors of the kings of Sarir were the same Avar tribes. During the period of settlement throughout Europe, they traveled to the Caucasus, where they founded Sarir or, at least, had a significant influence on its formation.

According to the third version, the name of the nationality was given by Turkic tribes, who brought it to the Russians. In the Turkic language, the words “avar” and “avarala” mean “restless”, “anxious”, “warlike”, “bold”. The definitions correspond to the Avar character, but in the Turkic language these words were common nouns and could refer to any people, objects or groups.
The first reliable mention of the name dates back to 1404. Diplomat, writer and traveler John de Galonifontibus in his notes included the “Avars” among the peoples of Mountainous Dagestan, along with the Alans, Circassians and Lezgins.
The Avars themselves called themselves Maarulal (in the Avar language MagIarulal). The origin of the word is unknown, and most researchers consider it an untranslatable ethnonym. However, there is a version that the word is translated as “highlander” or “supreme”.
It’s interesting that the Avars themselves never called themselves that. They either used the word “magIarulal”, common to all Caucasian peoples, or introduced themselves by the name of the area or community in which they lived.

Where live

The vast majority of Avars live in the Republic of Dagestan, which is a subject of the Russian Federation and is part of the North Caucasus Federal District. They occupy most of mountainous Dagestan, where they lived historically. Some Avars live on the plains in the Kizilyurt, Buynak and Khasavyurt regions. 28% of the population lives in cities, but the main settlement area can be considered the basins of the Avar Koisu, Kara-Koisu and Andean Koisu rivers.
A significant part of the Avars live in other regions of Russia and foreign countries. Among them:

• Kalmykia
• Chechnya
• Azerbaijan
• Georgia
• Kazakhstan

The descendants of the Avars, who have significantly assimilated, but retained their national identification, live in Jordan, Turkey and Syria.

Although the Avars considered themselves a single people, they distinguished smaller ethnic groups within the community, called by the name of their place of residence. Those that have survived to this day include:

• Bagulals, Khvarshins and Chamalins - live in the villages of the Tsumadinsky district;
• Botlikhs and Andians - live in the Botlikh region;
• Akhvakhians - live in the Akhvakh region;
• Bezhta and Gunzib residents - villages of the Bezhta section.

Number

There are more than 1 million representatives of the Avar nation in the world. Most of the nation is located on the territory of the Russian Federation: 912,000 people. 850,000 of them live in their historical homeland - Dagestan.
About 50,000 people live in Azerbaijan - this is one of the largest foreign diasporas. The Avars diaspora in Turkey numbers about 50,000 people, but it is difficult to document this, since the laws of the country do not require indicating nationality.

Language

The language of the Avars belongs to the North Caucasian superfamily, distinguished within it by the Nakh-Dagestan family. There are pronounced dialect differences in different areas, but all Avars easily understand each other. 98% of the population speaks the national language.
Avar writing began to take shape during the Islamization of the region. It was based on the Arabic script, which was taught by educated church ministers to the children of wealthy Avars. Since 1927, the letters were changed to Latin, and at the same time they began to improve the level of education. The alphabet was finally formed only in 1938: it was created on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet.
Today, the Avar language is taught in primary schools in the mountainous regions of Dagestan. From the fifth grade, teaching is conducted in Russian, and Avar is studied as an additional subject. Along with other national languages, it is one of the state languages ​​of the Republic of Dagestan.

Story

The first people appeared on the territory of modern Dagestan as early as 8 thousand years BC. in the Upper Paleolithic-Mesolithic era. In the Neolithic era, they already had stone dwellings, and cattle breeding, animal husbandry and agriculture were actively developing. It is believed that the ancestors of the Avars were the tribes of Albanians, Legs and Gels, who were part of the most ancient state in the Eastern Caucasus - Caucasian Albania.

The first stage, which laid the foundation for the national identity of the Avars, dates back to the 6th century of the new era. During this period, the state of Sarir (also Serir) was born, which existed until the 13th century and was considered the largest and most powerful in early medieval Dagestan. Crafts and agriculture flourished here, and trade routes passed through. Neighboring states paid tribute to the rulers of Sarir in gold, silver, fabrics, furs, food, and weapons. The unification of the Avars during this period also occurred along religious lines: Orthodoxy replaced pagan mythology.
Starting from the 12th-13th centuries, Islamic preachers began to have an increasing influence on Sarir, who soon converted almost the entire population to the new faith. At the same time, Sarir is split into small feudal settlements, living independently and uniting only in case of war.
The Mongols repeatedly tried to capture the Avar lands, but they met serious resistance and changed their tactics. In 1242, during the Golden Horde's campaign against Dagestan, an alliance was concluded, supported by dynastic marriages. As a result, the Avars retained their own independence, but under the influence of their allies they formed a new Avar Khanate, which lasted for more than five centuries.

Period of wars

In the 18th century, a new threat loomed over the Avars: the invasion of Nadir Shah, the ruler of the powerful Persian empire, which occupied territories from Iraq to India. The Persian army quickly captured all of Dagestan, but the Avars' resistance could not be broken for several years. The result of the confrontation was a battle in the fall of 1741, which lasted 5 days and ended in victory for the Avars. Nadir Shah's losses were enormous: out of 52 thousand, only 27 thousand soldiers remained alive. The battle was widely described in folk epics. It is also striking that the Persian army used the entire arsenal of weapons of those years, while the Avars used only muskets and sabers.

In 1803, the Avar Khanate ceased to exist, and part of the Avar territories became part of the Russian State. However, the Russians did not take into account the freedom-loving mentality of the people: they sharply taxed them, began to cut down forests and develop lands. As a result, a national liberation revolution took place, as a result of which the people regained independence. The Avars and other peoples of the Caucasus rallied under the banner of Sharia, and the supreme imams took on the role of leaders. One of the national heroes who started the holy war against the Russians was Shamil, who led the movement for 25 years.
Over time, his popularity began to decline, and the Avars again became part of Russia. Remembering past unsuccessful experiences, Russian rulers did their best to encourage the people and soften taxes for them. And a special Avar unit was even part of the elite guard guarding the chambers of the royal family.
After the revolution, part of the Caucasian peoples was united into the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Representatives of the republic bravely showed themselves on the battlefields of the Second World War and made a significant contribution to the development of industry and culture of the republic.

Appearance

Avars are classified as the Caucasian anthropological type, which belongs to the Balkan-Caucasian race. The main external features of this group include:

• white skin;
• eyes of green, brown or blue, as well as transitional shades, for example, green-brown;
• “eagle” or even high nose;
• red, dark brown, dark brown or black hair;
• narrow and protruding jaw;
• large head, wide forehead and middle part of the face;
• high growth;
• large or athletic build.

Many Avars to this day have retained an appearance that is not similar to the appearance of other Caucasian peoples. However, the influence of neighboring Alans, Chechens, and Lezgins could not but affect the appearance of the Avars. Haplogroups I, J1 and J2 classify the ancestors of the Avars as Semitic peoples and “northern barbarians”, who later had a significant influence on the formation of the Croatian and Montenegrin nations.

Cloth

The clothing of Avar men is similar to the costumes of other Dagestan peoples. Everyday attire consisted of a simple undershirt with a stand-up collar and loose pants. The look was necessarily complemented by a beshmet - a quilted national fitted semi-caftan. The Circassian coat was also widely used - a longer, fitted caftan with a cutout on the chest. Burkas and sheep's coats served as winter clothing; in the off-season, a lining was attached to the beshmet. The look was complemented by a papakha - a tall fur headdress.

Women's clothing varied significantly depending on the region: it could be used to determine not only the place of residence, but also social and family status. Most often, the outfit consisted of a long, loose shirt, cut from straight pieces of fabric, with gathered sleeves and a round neckline.
In some areas, it was belted with a bright sash, the length of which reached 3 m. Rich Avarks used a leather belt with silver clasps for this, and wore flared silk capes over their shirts. Young girls preferred fabrics in green, blue, and red shades, while older and married women chose black and brown colors. The traditional headdress is chukta: a cap with bags for braids, over which a scarf was tied.

Men

The man occupied a dominant position and decided all social and financial issues. He fully provided for the family and was responsible for the children, including their upbringing, choice of bride and future profession. Only men had the right to vote, and the age of majority was 15.

Women

Despite the patriarchal structure, the Avars did not have the tyranny of women; they were revered and incredibly respected. Even touching a stranger was considered a disgrace for her, and rape meant blood feud, so it almost never happened.
A woman’s kingdom is the home, here she was in charge and decided all household issues without asking her husband’s opinion. Avar women were valued for hard work, submissive character, decency, honesty, cleanliness, and cheerful disposition. Avarks were distinguished by their slender figure and attractive appearance, which was noted more than once by foreigners who saw them.

Family life

The life of the Avars was based on veneration and respect for the older generation. Thus, the daughter-in-law, coming to her husband’s house, did not have the right to be the first to speak to her father-in-law. Usually the mother-in-law started a conversation the very next day, and the father-in-law's silence could last for years. However, more often the young people lived alone: ​​according to tradition, the husband’s parents built a new house for their son and after the wedding sent him to live there.
There has always been a clear gender division in Avar families. Boys and girls were not allowed to be alone, touch each other, or communicate closely. There was always a male and a female half in the house, and even after the wedding, the woman slept and lived in the same room with the children, and not with her husband. When the boys turned 15, they went to live in their father's bedroom. Children were loved, but from childhood they were taught to work and morality, they were taught military affairs, since the Avars themselves considered themselves a warrior people.

Housing

The Avars lived in houses made of processed stone, located crowded together, which was due to the lack of space in the mountains and for defensive purposes. The houses were quadrangular, one-, two- or three-story with a gallery-terrace equipped for relaxation.

In some villages, the house consisted of one room with an area of ​​80-100 m2, in the center of which there was a hearth and a pillar decorated with carvings, around which they ate and received guests. In multi-room houses, they had to equip a room with a fireplace, carpets and a carved sofa: this is where they rested and received guests.
The Avars settled in related communities - tukhums. They, in turn, united into large settlements - from 30-60 households in the highlands to 120-400 in the foothills and mountains. Each village was headed by an elder, decisions were made jointly in the council. All men took part in it; the heads of the tukhums had the decisive votes.
Most of the villages were fenced with walls and fortified with defensive towers. In the center of the village there was a central square where general meetings and celebrations were held.

Life

Since the Neolithic era, the ancestors of the Avars were actively engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Most of the herds were sheep, about 20% were cattle. For auxiliary needs they kept horses, goats, and poultry.
Farming was terraced and arable. In the highlands it was much more difficult to cultivate the land than in the plains, and due to the limited territory it was more valuable. The main crops grown were wheat, barley, rye, millet, and pumpkin. Plums, cherry plums, peaches, apricots, corn, beans, lentils, and beans were planted in gardens and orchards.

Crafts flourished, among which blacksmithing, jewelry, weapons, pottery, and weaving stood out. The exquisite silver jewelry and handicrafts of Avar craftswomen were especially famous:

• warm wool socks
• shawls and scarves
• felt saddle bags
• clothmaking
• embroidery with gold threads
• woven carpets

Military training played a special role in the life of the Avars. From early childhood, boys were trained in stick and saber fighting, close combat, and tactics. Later, all types of training moved into the direction of freestyle wrestling, popular throughout Dagestan.

Culture

Avar folklore is represented by legends, fairy tales, proverbs and sayings, as well as songs:

• love
• military
• crying
• heroic
• historical
• lyroepic
• lullabies

All songs, except love songs and lullabies, were sung by men in one voice, melodiously and soulfully. A large number of traditional musical instruments were used to accompany the singers and dancers. Among them:

1. String instruments: chagur and komuz.
2. Reed: zurna and balaban yasty.
3. Percussion: tambourine and drum.
4. Bowed: chagana.
5. Pipe type: lalu.

The art of chasing silver jewelry and weaving patterns was widely developed. Traditional ornaments and symbols were images of wolves and eagles, spiral swastikas, labyrinths, Maltese crosses, and solar signs.

Religion

Before the adoption of Christianity, Avars believed in white and black spirits. They asked the former for mercy, recovery, good luck, and from the latter they wore amulets. The totem animals of different ethnic groups were wolves, bears and eagles. The wolf was called “God's watchman” and was respected for his courage, independence and desire to live by his own rules. Eagles were revered for their strength and love of freedom, and they said that, just as eagles do not fly away to winter in warm regions, so the Avars will never leave their homeland.
During the reign of Christianity, the people adhered to the Orthodox faith. The ruins of temples and Orthodox burials have survived to this day: one of the well-preserved ones is located near the village of Datuna and dates back to the 10th century. Today, most of the Avars profess Sunni and Shafi'i Islam.

Traditions

Avars' weddings were always held on a grand scale and lasted from three to five days. There were the following options for choosing a bride:

1. By agreement of the parents. They practiced “cradle marriages,” but more often they wooed cousins, preferring to marry within the tukhum.
2. By the young man's choice. To do this, he came to the house of his chosen one and left his things in it: a knife, a hat, a belt. If the girl agreed, matchmaking began.
3. Against the will of the parents. If the young people fell in love with each other, but their parents did not approve of the choice, the bride and groom ran away and got married. They had to pray for parental blessings after the fact: although such a wedding was considered a shame, the new family received forgiveness.
4. At the insistence of society. Those who had spent too much time as girls and widows were taken to the central square and asked to name the free man she liked. The chosen one had to marry if he was not in cahoots with anyone else.

On the first day of the wedding, a noisy feast was held at the groom's friend's place, and only on the second day - in the house of the hero of the occasion. The bride was brought to the evening, wrapped in a carpet, and taken to another room, where she spent the evening with her friends. On the third day, the husband's relatives honored the newlyweds and gave them gifts.

The bride had a special rite of entry into a new family and was called the “rite of the first water.” On the morning of the 3-5th day, the groom's sisters and daughter-in-law gave the daughter-in-law a jug and, singing, went with her to fetch water. After that, she was obliged to get involved in everyday household affairs.

The Avars had a special attitude towards guests: they were received with honor, even if they did not know the purpose of the visit. Any stranger who came to an Avar village was assigned by the elder to stay. In the house he was placed in the best room, festive dishes were prepared, and he was not pestered with questions. The guest, in turn, was not supposed to speak negatively about the food or the host, get up from the table without asking and go to the women's half of the house.

Food

It is a mistake to believe that the main diet of the Avars was meat: it was only an addition to other dishes. The main one is khinkal, which is in no way similar to Georgian khinkali. The dish consisted of large pieces of dough cooked in meat broth with herbs and vegetables. In many villages, instead of khinkal, soups were cooked, the main of which was churpa based on sorrel, beans or lentils.
Every house had flatbread made from thin dough - botishalas. The fillings were meat, cottage cheese with herbs, and cheese with seasonings. The Avars also have an analogue of dumplings: kurze. They are distinguished by their drop-shaped shape, large size and the obligatory pigtail tuck, which allows the filling not to leak out.

Famous Avars

A famous Avar is the poet and prose writer Rasul Gamzatov, who composed a unique Avar hymn: “Song of the Avars.” His works have been translated into dozens of languages; for his special contribution to culture, in 1999 he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree.

The Avars have always been famous for their excellent physical fitness and mastery of martial arts. These titles are confirmed by fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, the current UFC lightweight champion in mixed martial arts.

Video

September 5, 2016

Sometimes some of us hear about such a nationality as the Avar. What kind of nation are the Avars?

They are the indigenous population of the Caucasus, living in eastern Georgia. Today, this nationality has grown so much that it is the main population in Dagestan.

Origin

The origin of the Avars is still very vague. According to the Georgian chronicle, their family descends from Khozonikhos, a descendant of the progenitor of the Dagestan people. In the past, the Avar Khanate - Khunzakh - was named after him.

There is an opinion that in fact the Avars descended from the Caspians, Legs and Gels, but this is not supported by any evidence, including the people themselves do not consider themselves to be any of the above tribes. Currently, research is being conducted to find a connection between the Avars and the Avars who founded the Kanagat, however, so far these attempts have not brought the desired result. But thanks to genetic analyzes (maternal line only), we can say that this nationality (Avar) is closest to the Slavs than to other peoples of Georgia.

Other versions of the origin of the Avars also do not clarify, but only confuse due to the existence of two different tribes with almost the same name. The only thing that historians mention is the likelihood that the name of this nationality was given by the Kumyks, to whom they caused a lot of trouble. The word "Avar" is translated from Turkic as "anxious" or "warlike", in some legends this name was given to mythical creatures gifted with superhuman strength.

Those whose nationality is Avar often call themselves as they see fit: maarulals, mountaineers and even “supreme”.

History of the people

Land occupied by Avars from the 5th to the 6th centuries. BC e., was named Sarir. This kingdom extended to the north and bordered the settlements of the Alans and Khazars. Despite all the circumstances playing in Sarir’s favor, it became a major political state only in the 10th century.

Although this was the period of the early Middle Ages, the society and culture of the country were at a very high level, various crafts and cattle breeding flourished here. The capital of Sarir was the city of Humraj. The king who especially distinguished himself by his successful reign was called Avar. The history of the Avars mentions him as an extremely brave ruler, and some scientists even believe that the name of the people came from his name.

Two centuries later, on the site of Sarir, the Avar Khanate arose - one of the most powerful settlements, and independent “free communities” emerged among other lands. Representatives of the latter were distinguished by their ferocity and strong fighting spirit.

The period of existence of the Khanate was a turbulent time: wars constantly raged, the consequences of which were devastation and stagnation. However, in times of trouble, the people of Dagestan united, and their unity only grew stronger. An example of this was the Battle of Andalal, which did not stop day or night. However, the mountaineers achieved success thanks to their knowledge of the area and various tricks. This people was so united that even women, driven by the desire to preserve their home, took part in hostilities. Thus, we can say that this nationality (Avar) really received the correct name, well deserved by the belligerence of the inhabitants of the Khanate.

In the 18th century, many khanates of the Caucasus and Dagestan became part of Russia. Those who did not want to live under the yoke of the tsarist power organized an uprising that grew into the Caucasian War, which lasted for 30 years. Despite all the disagreements, in the second half of the next century, Dagestan became part of Russia.

Video on the topic

Language

The Avars developed their own language and writing during the times of Caucasian Albania. Since this tribe was considered the strongest in the mountains, its dialect quickly spread throughout the surrounding lands, becoming dominant. Today, the language is native to more than 700 thousand people.

Avar dialects are very different and are divided into northern and southern groups, so native speakers speaking different dialects are unlikely to understand each other. However, the dialect of the northerners is closer to the literary norm, and it is easier to grasp the essence of the conversation.

Writing

Despite the early penetration of Arabic writing, the inhabitants of Avaria began to use it only a couple of centuries ago. Before this, an alphabet based on the Cyrillic alphabet was in use, but at the beginning of the 19th century. it was decided to replace it with the Latin alphabet.

Today, the official writing is graphically similar to the Russian alphabet, but containing 46 characters instead of 33.

Customs of the Avars

The culture of this people is quite specific. For example, when communicating between people, a distance must be maintained: men are prohibited from approaching women closer than two meters, while the latter must maintain half that distance. The same rule applies to conversations between young people and old people.

Avars, like other peoples of Dagestan, are instilled from childhood with respect for elders, not only in age, but also in social status. The one who is “more important” always goes to the right, and the husband goes ahead of his wife.

The customs of Avar hospitality break all records of friendliness. According to tradition, the visitor rises above the owner, regardless of his rank and age, and can come at any time of the day without notifying him in advance. The owner of the house assumes full responsibility for the health and safety of visitors. But the guest is also obliged to observe certain rules of etiquette that prohibit performing a number of actions that are not accepted in local society.

In family relationships, the power of the head of the house was not despotic; the woman had a leading role in resolving many issues, but at the same time there was some forced alienation between husband and wife. For example, according to the rules, they should not sleep in bed together or live in the same room if there are several rooms in the house.

There was also a ban on communication between girls and boys, so the Avar (what kind of nation was told earlier) visited the house of the chosen one to leave in it a certain thing, regarded as a marriage proposal.

Nationality Avar

Thus, we can say that the Avars are an extremely interesting people with a rich centuries-old history and fascinating customs, which are far from being fully described in this article. These are very open people who do not know irony, but love farce. They are extremely emotional, so in personal communication you should not make an Avar angry by hurting his sense of patriotism or hinting at physical weakness.

Avars. Who are they?

Peoples who left the historical arena often did not leave behind memoirs, written monuments, or even documents. Often the only evidence of their life is archaeological evidence. This happened when studying the history of one of the “disappeared peoples” - Avar, a Hunnic tribe that was part of the tribal union of the Xiongnu, and then the Bulgars, Khazars and Pechenegs, in which much remains mysterious.

They were first mentioned in the history of the Caucasus (Dagestan, “beyond the Caspian gates”) in the 6th century. together with the Bulgars, Savirs and Khazars. And almost two and a half centuries Avars, settled as a result Great Migration peoples in the area Carpathian Basin(current Transdanubia, Central Hungary, Transylvania), had strong political power here. In the 9th century. they left the historical arena - disappeared among other peoples. IN Hungarian There is no information about them in the chronicles at all. Local people help us determine the ancient settlement territory of this tribe and imagine its daily life. Byzantine And Latin (Frankish) chronicles, as well as archaeological data. They are also known to Russian chronicles and in particular “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” (IX century) in the following context: “ The Ovar helmets were scratched with red-hot sabers: ", i.e. helmets made by the Avars, a tribe known in Russian chronicles as ov're/ov'ri.

Who were the Caucasian and European Avars?

About the names (ethnonyms) of the Avars

origin of name avar/awar remains to this day not fully established. There are different points of view.

Avaz/abaz(M.I. Artamonov) - the name of the Khazar family. It is possible that phonetically it represents a later version of the name Avar, Similarly cucumber; cm. Avar.

Avar (avyr/abar/augar/havur/aviyor/aguiyor/avaz/abaz) - the name of the Khazar and Bulgar clans according to Syrian and other sources (Artamonov, Tsegledi).

Of the existing etymologies, the most likely are ancient Turkic:

1) awa- “resist, resist, rebel” + -ar/-r-affix of the name of the character -> awar“resisting, rebel” - the name of the genus by analogy bulgar with the same meaning: bulga-"to mix, to disturb" -> bulga-r"rebel" (J. Nemeth, Munkacsy);

2) av- “destroy, devastate” + -ar/-r- affix of the name of the character -> av-ar“destroyer, destroyer” (Pello);

3) qabar (qawar, habar, hawar, awar) - qap-"attack, grab" + ar- affix of the name of the character -> qabar-hawar-awar“attacker” is the name of the tribe (O. Pritzak).

It is also possible that the name Avar (Avyr, Khabyr) is a phonetic version of the name cucumber (ogur). The Kipchak and Oghuz tribes could call the Ogurs Avars. It is possible that variant names of this genus -aviyor, agyor, augar- are intermediate forms of adaptation: ogur-aguiyor-ovur-avyar(A.N. Baskakov).

Origin of the Avars

The origin of the Avars is a matter of debate. There are the following hypotheses regarding their origin and identification:

A) Avars- these are tribes that came out of Central Asia and are known as juan-juan;

b) they belonged to the Ural-Altai (Finno-Turkic-Mongolian) tribe (Uslar);

c) Avars - a tribe of the Ural-Altai race related to the Huns, which appeared after the fall of the rule of the Huns on the Don and on the coasts of the Caspian Sea, north of the Caucasus, around 555, penetrated the Danube and settled in Dacia (F.A. Brockhaus Encyclopedia);

d) Avars are a tribal union, mainly of Turkic-speaking tribes who lived on the Volga and the Caspian Sea. One of the three branches of a single Turkic group (Avars, Khazars, Bulgars);

e) Avars (obry) - one of the three Turkic-speaking branches of the tribal union of Avars, Khazars and Bulgarians;

f) Avars - Mongols (Pello);

g) Avars - a mixture of Turks and Mongols (I. Erdeli);

3) Avars - a Caucasian-speaking tribe, the ancestors of modern Avars (Yu. Klaprot, A.-K. Bakikhanov, T. Aitberov, M. Aglarov, M.G. Magomedov);

As we see, even in modern times, opinions regarding the origin of the Avars are still very different. Therefore, one cannot claim a final solution to the question of the origin of the Avars on the basis of still insufficient facts, but these latter, undoubtedly, should be identified for future researchers.

Avars in the Caucasus

The Avars were first mentioned here (the steppes of the Western Caspian region) in sources from the middle of the 6th century. We are referring to the testimony of the Syrian author Zechariah the Rhetor (VI century). He names among the 13 Turkic tribes living “beyond the Caspian gates” “Bulgar” (burgar), Avar/Avgar/avangur (“people living in tents”), Sabir, Khazars (N.V. Pigulevskaya). The Khazars themselves, if you believe the letter of King Joseph, considered themselves related to other nationalities and tribes of the “Hunnic” circle: Avars, Bulgars and Savirs, Barsils (Kokovtsov P.K. Jewish-Khazar correspondence in the 10th century L., 1932. With .74). In this regard, the assumption of the historian M. Artamonov (History of the Khazars. pp. 140-141) is interesting that Semender was originally a camp Uar-Hunnic tribe "zebender". This tribe was subsequently noted among the Avars in the Danube region. According to the American Turkologist P. Golden, the Avars in the Volga-Northern Caucasus steppes accepted some Bulgar (Ogur) tribes (clans) into their union.

According to Karamzin and other historians, the Avars were a powerful people. In 568, the Avars' possessions extended from Elbrus to Atel (Volga). The Avars did not have a numerical superiority over the local tribes, but it was not by chance that they had the opportunity to rule other peoples... The Avar cavalry was armed with excellent bows, and their arrows with narrow triangular tips struck to death at a distance of 500 meters. From 200 meters, Avar arrows pierced even armor made of metal and thick cowhide. It was difficult to withstand an avalanche of arrows - the Avar archers were able to fire 20 arrows per minute!

Not only the weapons, but also the armor of the Avar cavalry and horse harness were better than those of their enemies. Thanks to the iron stirrups, the Avars stayed firmly in the saddle, despite the heavy equipment. Although the Avars were a fairly strong tribal association, they left little trace in the Caucasus and the Ponto-Caspian steppes.

In science, the opinion has been established that supposedly the Avars, almost in their entirety, went to Europe. This has never happened, some, of course, left, some (albeit insignificant) always remained. This, in all likelihood, happened with the Avars. This is, in particular, evidenced by historical facts. Thus, according to the source used by Ibn Rusta, who wrote around 900, “malik (Sarira) is called Avar". Gardisi gives an option Avaz(see above). Based on these scant data, some scientists come to the conclusion that the dynasty of rulers (the ruling class) of one of the possessions here, namely Sarira, could consist of alien conquerors of the 6th century. those. from the Avars (V.F. Minorsky).

According to Rashid ad-Din, it is known that during the period of the Mongol invasion in Primorsky Dagestan, in the foothills there was "Avir region". And historians of Timur, speaking about his campaign in Dagestan in 1396, mention the region Auhar. And at the beginning of the 15th century. (1404) along with the Kumyks, some Avars are mentioned here by John de Galonifontibus.

Perhaps indirectly related to the Avars in the Caspian region (Kumykia) is the information contained in the ethnogenetic legends of the Kumyk Guens, who inhabited the lands between Chiryurt and Gamri with the center in Ikhran/Chiryurt during the Timur campaigns. Thus, “according to legend, at the same time as the Khazars, Guens appeared on the Kumyk plane, and then Tumens. The Guens considered themselves descendants of the Khazars.” P. Golovinsky believed that the gouens were descendants of the Aur-Huns. The Huns, who settled on the lower Kumyk plane, in his opinion, are Guens. (From the manuscript of P. Golovinsky. Terek Gazette. 1873. No. 75). To this we add that, according to the Hungarian scientist K. Cegledi, Ovar And Xonuvi were two clan groupings: var and xuni, which formed the state of Avar (Avar state). During the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols and Timur, these guens were pushed into the foothills. Then the Guens occupied the territory of the foothills and constituted a large tribe, had their own princes" (Weidenbaum).

At the end of the 16th century. (1574-1586) are first mentioned in Turkish sources: "Avar Hakimi Nusal" (ruler of Awar Nusal) and " Avar Hakimi Tucalav Burhanettin"(ruler of Avar Tujalav Burkhanettin). The latter was the brother of Chopan-shauhal (Ullu Shauhal) Tarkovsky. In Nusret-name he is presented as "Avar Zabiti Tucalav Bek" ("conqueror of Avar Tujalav Bek").

At an even later time (late 16th - early 17th centuries) documents of Russian-Kumyk relations are well known "Avar/Uvar owners", "Uvar large" and "Uvar smaller" possessions. Speakers of the Turkic (Avar) ethnonym and the Turkic language in the 16th-17th centuries. was the ruling elite of the Gumbetites (Arguans) and Chechens - the Turlov princes. But we will discuss this in more detail in another section.

Avars in Europe

Avar envoys arrived in Europe in 558. They turned to Alanian ruler Sarosius so that, with his assistance, ask Byzantine the emperor to let them into the territory of the empire. Soon Avar an embassy headed by a certain Kandik, arrived at Constantinople. Appearance Avar in the Byzantine capital aroused great interest, because colored ribbons were woven into the hair of the men - a characteristic dress of nomads.

Presenting himself before the emperor, the ambassador said: “The people have come to you Avar, the largest and most powerful of nations. He can easily repel and destroy the enemy, so it is beneficial for you to enter into an alliance with Avars: in them you will find reliable protectors."

In the VI century. Byzantium was a powerful power and largely determined the course of European events. Rival Byzantine Empire there was a power francs. King Franks Theodebert in alliance with Lombards And gepids wanted to oppose Byzantium. These intentions were not destined to come true due to enmity between the Lombards and the Gepids.

At the same time, such an important event as the resettlement to Carpathian pool Slavic tribes that posed a serious military threat to Byzantium, especially after their merger with horse nomads-Kutrigurami, who lived in Northern Black Sea region.

In the current situation for Byzantine emperor's political situation Avars were a beneficial ally. After concluding an agreement with them, he sent Avar against kutrigur, related to them utigur and eastern Slavs which they successfully fought. After this, the emperor offered them land on the territory of modern Serbia. However, these lands were not liked Avaram. They asked for themselves Dobruja, lying along Danube coast: the flat territory satisfied the nomads more. But even here they did not stay long. Having entered into an alliance with Lombards against gepids and having defeated them, they moved to Pannonia, because, according to the terms of this alliance, in case of victory Lombards had to leave this territory. And so it happened.

Byzantine the emperor was favored by defeat gepids. After their fall, he immediately occupied their capital, which was located in the territory ancient Sirmium, which, however, caused a long Byzantine-Avar I'll fight.

Avar Khaganate and its neighbors

By 567, the Avars became masters of Pannonia. Having established itself in a new territory, Avars created a new state association - Avar Khaganate.

The first ruler was their leader kagan Accordion . He ruled over many of the tribes that lived here, including Slavs And gepids. Almost a century of power kagan spread to part of the territory of the southern Russian steppe inhabited by nomads. In addition, at the end of the 6th century. V Avar Khaganate the persecuted poured in Turks tribes Kutrigurov, Tarniakhov And zabenders.

At this time, the Byzantines on their eastern outskirts were at war with Persians. This circumstance favored the actions Avar: together with Slavs they are in the 70-80s of the 6th century. carried out devastating raids on the lands lying downstream Danube which she owned Byzantium. The latter, however, after the victory over the Persians in 591, ousted for some time Avar With Balkan territories.

Subsequently Avar-Byzantine skirmishes took place with varying degrees of success. Troops Kagan Bayan reached Constantinople, but it happened that Byzantines they reversed them, and part of the Kagan’s army went over to the enemy’s side.

Western neighbors Avar They were also not peaceful. In 595, in alliance with Slovenes they had to fight with Bavarian tribes, and then with francs.

The 7th century was no less stormy. On the western border Avar lands Slavs headed by Frankish merchant Self created a short-lived (623-658) state that united Czechs, Moravians, Slovenians etc. Their rebellion against Avar was a success. Moreover, in 631 they managed to defeat francs. But the state collapsed immediately after death Self.

At that time Avar Khaganate is experiencing a severe internal crisis associated with the end of the dynasty Bayana. In order to seize the golden throne of the Kagan Kutriguro-Bulgarians raised an uprising within the country, suppressed Avars. Consequently Kutriguro-Bulgarians were forced out of the lands Khaganate.

At the end of the 70s of the 7th century. Proto-Bulgarians(not to be confused with modern Bulgarians - editor's note) settled along the Danube and created their own state association, which supported until the 9th century. friendly relations with Avars. Moreover, as reported in one of Byzantine chronicler, one of the sons Bulgarian Khan Kuvrat(sometimes his name is pronounced Kubrat - ed.) after his formation in the southern Russian steppes Khazar Khaganate was forced to move with his people again to Avar territory. This gives some reason to believe that with the help Proto-Bulgarians ethnic type changed Avar, which is confirmed by archaeological material.

Ethnogenesis of European Avars

It has already been said above that the Avars, according to one hypothesis, are the descendants of the Juan-Juans, whose nomadic empire at one time included the Turks. According to another hypothesis, they came from Central Asia and their ancestors were the Varkhonites; the latter version is allegedly confirmed by the fact that on the territory of Hungary the names of some villages have the root “varkony”. Having overcome in the middle of the 6th century. vast territories, the Avars brought other ethnic elements with them to the Carpathians: Iranians from the Volga region, Bulgars (Kutrigur) from the southern Russian steppes. Thus, the Avars themselves were initially not a “pure”, but an ethnically mixed people. The customs of setting up large burial grounds and burying horses separately from people indicate that there were Mongoloids among the aliens, while “partial” burials of horses (only legs and skull) indicate Iranian customs. Reconstruction of skulls from some burial grounds of the Avar era makes it possible to classify them as Mongoloids. But in other burial grounds this type is rare, and in others belonging to the same era it is completely absent: only Caucasoids (Northern European, Mediterranean, East Baltic types) were buried in them.

Among the ancient population of Central Hungary there were descendants of the Sarmatians and the population of the ancient Roman provinces, who lived here even before the arrival of the Avars - the Avars married with all of them. If we add to this the Slavic influence, it turns out that in the VI-IX centuries. In the Carpathian Basin lived an ethnically mixed population, united by the name Avars or Obrov, as they called themselves. This is precisely the conclusion that Istvan Erdely, Doctor of Historical Sciences, head of the sector of Early Middle Ages Archeology at the Institute of Archeology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, comes to. But this conclusion can hardly be considered final.

What language did the Avars speak, and what kind of writing did they use? These are the questions without answers to which it is hardly possible to correctly identify them ethnically.

Avars: language and writing

Very little is known about the Avar language. We can get some idea about it only from personal names and titles, although both names and titles could not be of Avar origin.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Avars knew runic writing; they carved and scratched various spells to protect themselves from harm, and personal signs of ownership (tamgas) on various objects. However, we have no evidence that this writing was used in correspondence or in the creation of literary monuments.

It has been established that the runic script, well known from the Orkhon, Yenisei, Talas, Kazakhstan, North Caucasus, Volga-Don, Balkan and Danube written monuments, was used in ancient centuries by Turkic tribes living on a vast territory from Mongolia to the Balkans. In all likelihood, it was also used by the Avars. And that's why. In 1799, in the village of Nagy Szent Miklos on the Aronica River (Torontal district in northern Romania), in an area inhabited by a mixed Hungarian-Romanian-Bulgarian population, during archaeological excavations a treasure was discovered - an iron chest with 23 gold vessels weighing a total of 9 kg 945 g, some of which had runic and Greek inscriptions. The magnificent find was initially dated to the end of the 4th - beginning of the 5th century and was declared a Hunnic or Hunnic-Bulgar property, and more specifically, a set of the legendary Hunnic leader Attila (J. Hampel, 1885; Mladenov, 1934). Others, dating the treasure to the Proto-Bulgar era, put forward the opinion that these golden vessels were Bulgar and were stolen from the tomb of the Bulgar king Asparukh (Dimitrov, 1929; Mladenov, 1934). Still others attributed it to the 8th-9th centuries or later and recognized it as the property of the Avars (Tsalani, 1956), the Pechenegs (Thomsen, 1917) or first the Pechenegs, and then the Cumans (Nemeth, 1932).

The question of the ethnicity of the inscription on the bowl from the “Attila treasure” was dotted already in our time in his recent article “Avar inscription on a vessel from the Nagy-Sent-Miklos treasure” (2007) by the Moscow scientist O. Mudrak, who Based on careful study, he established that it was written in the Avar dialect of the Bulgarian (Turkic) language. However, the first to come to the conclusion about the Turkic-speaking Avars was the Hungarian scientist Z. Gombots back in 1916, who subjected the Avar problem to critical consideration. This conclusion was subsequently documented by the Hungarian Turkologist J. Nemeth, who compiled a list of words preserved from the language of the European Avars and having a reliable scientific interpretation.

Thus, we can assert that “the Avars were of Turkic origin and spoke approximately the same Turkic dialect as Attila’s tribe, very close to the language of the Orkhon inscriptions” (Yu. Nemeth). In addition, scientists (O. Mudrak and others) came to another equally significant conclusion within the framework of the problem we are considering: the huge number of Bulgarisms in the Hungarian language (about 300 words) is not the fruit of fleeting contact during the resettlement of Hungarians to their new homeland , and represents a reflection of the Avar substrate in Transylvania and Pannonia. After all, from the 6th to the beginning of the 9th century, the main domain of the Avar Kaganate was located in these territories. The disappeared “like Obra” nomadic population of the main ethnic group simply joined the new community of Hungarian settlers and left more than a hundred words during their gradual assimilation.

Fall of the Avar Khaganate

On the internal situation of the Avar Kaganate from the end of the 7th century. and until the end of the 8th century. there is almost no data in written sources. The growing power of the Franks, headed by Charlemagne in 768, gradually subjugated an increasing number of European nations to its influence. The Saxons and some Slavic tribes were conquered. The population was forcibly Christianized.

The Avars were the most dangerous opponents for the Franks. Therefore, at first they tried to establish friendly relations with them. To do this, they exchanged embassies: in 780, Avar ambassadors arrived in Worms, and then the Frankish embassy visited the Kaganate.

Nevertheless, in 788, the Bavarian prince Tassilo managed to conclude an alliance with the Avars against the Franks. However, their army was defeated. Then Karl developed a plan for the final reprisal of the Avars. To do this, he previously fortified a number of cities, including the border town of Regensburg.

In 791, the Franks opposed the Kaganate. Crown Prince Pepin, who led his army from Italy, captured one of the Avar fortresses. The main forces of the Franks, led by Charles, moved east along the Danube. At Regensburg, the Franks built a bridge across the Danube to constantly support their troops from the rear. Defeated, but not completely conquered, the Saxons decided to support the Avars, sent an embassy to them, and then raised an uprising in their homeland, behind the lines of the Franks. However, this could no longer save Avar, since discord began within the Kaganate itself.

During the internal turmoil, Yugur was killed, and later the Kagan himself. In 795, the tudun already tried to convert to Christianity and, in connection with this, sent ambassadors to the Franks. In 796, he personally arrived in Aachen, the capital of Charlemagne, and swore allegiance to the king.

In the same year, an army of Franks led by Pepin captured the residence of the Avar Khagans, apparently located near the river. Yews. Many Avars fled beyond the Tisa, but even more were captured. The Franks won a complete victory, eliminating the political independence of the Avar Kaganate. Carts with treasures accumulated by the Avars over the centuries went to Aachen.

In one Byzantine source of the 9th century. curious details have been preserved about the reasons for the decomposition of late Avar society; These are the stories of old Avar warriors who were in Bulgarian captivity under Khan Krum. The Khan asked them: “What do you think, why were your masters and your people ruined?” They answered like this: “At first, due to a quarrel that deprived the Kagan of his faithful and truthful advisers, power fell into the hands of wicked people. Then the judges, who were supposed to defend the truth before the people, were corrupted, but instead fraternized with hypocrites and thieves; the abundance of wine gave birth to drunkenness, and the Avars, having weakened physically, lost their minds. Finally, a passion for trade began, the Avars became traders, one deceived the other, brother sold brother. This, our lord, became the source of our shameful misfortune."

Still, the Avars did not accept defeat for a long time. In 797 they rebelled, and the Franks were forced to repeat the campaign, which was again crowned with success. At the end of 797, the Avar ambassadors again swore allegiance to Charlemagne. However, rebellion broke out again in 799, and in 802 Frankish officials were killed. These were the last outbreaks: the Franks won not only by force of arms, but also by a new worldview. In 798, a bishopric was established in Salzburg, preaching the Christian religion to the Avars. In 805, the Kagan himself accepted the new faith.

Avar (Turkic) heritage

The Avars were actively in contact with Germanic tribes, the ethnonym "Bavarians" (German. bajuwaren), according to one version, literally means “white Avars” or “ noble Avars", although the connection between the Avars and modern Bavarians is quite controversial and is usually denied. Medieval name of the Greek city of Pylos "Navarino" goes back to the combination "eis ton Avarinon" ("where the Avars are", "to the Avars"), a modern Albanian city Antivari was formerly known as " Civitas Avarorum"(translated from Latin as “Avar community”, “Avar state”). Austrian historians regard the principality "Avarenmark" formed after the collapse of the Avar Kaganate as the foundation of Austrian statehood. Hungarian historians do not deny, as we wrote above, the significant role of the Avars, as well as the Hunno-Bulgars and Cumans, in the ethnogenesis of the Hungarians. The Hungarian scientist Türi believed, for example, that the Hungarian-speaking population Transylvania , Szekelly ( szōkei) , used in the XV-XVII centuries. runic writing, Avars and cited the Avar names of their settlements as evidence Zala/Sala(compare with sala-ozdenler among the Kumyks and Salasuv, Salatav), Baramia, Vas, Vespren, Gilyagi, Arat. Another Hungarian scientist N. Balint considered them, like the Kuns, to be Turks from the “Huns of Attila.” Russian ethnologist N.E. Rudensky (Hungarians // Races and Peoples, Issue 14. M. 1984. P. 234) considers them (Szekely, Hungarian szekely, in German transcriptions - sekler) as an ethnographic group of Hungarians. He also identifies a number of Hungarian groups that were once isolated from the Székelys and are now united under the common name chango (csango) and haydu (haydu). The last of them is close in origin and character to the Russian Cossacks, Yugoslav Haiduks and Kaytaks in Dagestan. There is even an area here on the Danube Hajdusag(Homeland of the Haidu).

In all likelihood, the appearance of Avars in the Caucasus and Dagestan was not episodic, as it may seem at first glance. In this sense, we should not be misled by the kaleidoscope of ethnic names, their frequent replacement in the North Caucasus and southern Russia in the early Middle Ages. It can be explained not so much by the displacement of some peoples by others, but by the spread of the name of the people who stood at the head of this or that union of Turkic tribes to the peoples included in this union. Thus, under the name of the Khazars, whose power was established in the North Caucasus from the end of the 7th century. Not only the Khazars could be hiding, but also the remnants of the Huns, Avars, Savirs, some of the Bulgars, etc. The same, obviously, happened with the Polovtsians, who established themselves here in the 11th-12th centuries. In all likelihood, they included not only the Huns, but also the Khazars and Avars. Somewhat later, they, in all likelihood, became part of the Kumyks, Balkars, and Karachais, taking part in their ethnogenesis. Moreover, it is obvious that they also played a unique role as “Varangians” in the historical destinies of some peoples of the Caucasus. For example, Avars (self-name - maarulal), Kabardians, etc. Let's try to understand some ethnic vicissitudes and transformations.

Avars and Avars: the mystery of the ethnic name

Stable ethnopolitonym "avar/ovar/uvar" in Russian historical sources in Dagestan is known from the end of the 16th century . But only at the beginning of the 19th century, it seems at the instigation of the Russian Caucasian scholar J. Klaproth, a discussion arose among scientists about the possible relationship of the Dagestan Avars and "disappeared" Avar . This scientist believed that the official name of the Avars is a memory from the medieval Avars, who, after the destruction of their kingdom, retired to the Caucasus, founded a new state and moved with the local population, retaining only some names and words. This hypothesis was subsequently supported (some partially, and some with reservations) by a number of other researchers (P. Uslar. J. Marquart, K. Menges, O. Pritsak, V. F. Minorsky, M. G. Magomedov, T. M . Aitberov, M. Gadzhiev), who consider the ethnic term “awar~auhar”, historically assigned to the Dagestan Avars, to be the heritage of the Avars, while recognizing the infiltration of some Avars into the mountainous Caucasian-speaking environment as quite acceptable. This may indicate, in their opinion, a direct connection between the two peoples. However, such an assumption is not confirmed by historical information and is unlikely to be legitimate. Language Danube Avars was, as has already been proven today (see above), Turkic , and Dagestan Avars - a kind of Caucasian. Ancient name Dagestan Avars - maarulal - also rejects the kinship of these two peoples. Let's not forget that the "title Avars completely alien to the so-called Avars themselves; This is what the Kumyks call them and from them the name passed on to the Russians: The Avars themselves, not having a common native name for themselves, call themselves differently, depending on where someone comes from: "(See: N.V. A few words about the Avars // Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders. Issue II. Tiflis . 1869. C.V). Let us recall that I. Gildenshtedt at the end of the 18th century, referring to the Khunzakh possession, noted that " Tatars and Persians call this district Aouar, its owner is called in Lesgin (in Avar - ed.) mutsal or nutsal Aur Khan, Russians Auar Khan"(DIRSEA. P.223). Academician P.K. Uslar also pointed out that “this name, alien to the mountaineers themselves (“Avars”), referred “exclusively to Khunzakh” (Uslar P.K. Ethnography of the Caucasus. Linguistics. Tiflis. 1889. P.7).

But a logical question arises: why did the Kumyks call this Caucasian people by this name, which itself until the beginning of the twentieth century. continued to call maarulal? If they are not Turkic Avars, then where and why was this ethnonym assigned to them, and to the Khunzakh possession the ethnopolitonym “Avaria”? Reasonable! Why then does the Avar language have an abundance of Turkic place names and words, and rather archaic ones at that? Why did the Avars so love and love Turkic names and surnames - Karagishi, Aitber, Temir, Arslan, Alklych, etc.? Where did their family of Oguzilal, Shamkhalovs, Gunaevs, Mazharovs, Atayevs, Alikhanovs, Aldamovs come from? How did the name of the ancient Turkic deity “Tengri” (Dingir-Dangarchu) come to them? How did they get the titles of beks and chanks, khans? And most importantly, how to explain the fact that the bearers of the actual Avar (Turkic) ethnonym (Avar) for several centuries (XVI-XIX) were representatives of the ruling class and part of the population "Big Uvarsky"(Khunzakh and Gumbet) and "Less Uvarsky"(later known as the Chechen possession, from the name of their main settlement) possessions in the North-Eastern Caucasus. Are there enough questions? Where and what is the mystery here?

The origin of this name, as the orientalist V.F. quite rightly emphasized. Minorsky, difficult question. At first glance, it is easy to associate it with the name of the Turkic conquerors (Avars). The above-mentioned orientalist adhered to this point of view, leaning towards a peculiar “Varangian” theory. But the question, in his opinion, is complicated by indications that the Avar rulers received their titles from the Sassanids. We are, of course, not talking about the people themselves ( ma'arulal), who had long lived in Dagestan, but only about the dynasty of its rulers, which, following the example of many countries, could consist of aliens(V.F. Minorsky. History of Shirvan and Derbend. M. 1963. P. 133.). Obviously, he supported this same version at the beginning of the twentieth century. and E. Kozubsky, who pointed out that the Avars themselves knew this name “only in a political sense, to designate a resident of the former Avar Khanate, but not in an ethnic sense” (See: Kozubsky E. Dagestan collection. Temir-Khan-Shura. 1902 Issue 1, p.42).

As we see, exactly ethnopolitonym Avar, coinciding with our modern name, and is the basis for the assumption of a connection between the current Avars or, rather, their old ruling class with the Turkic conquerors. However, one cannot claim a final solution to the question of the origin of the name of the Avars on the basis of still insufficient facts, but these latter, undoubtedly, should be identified for future researchers.

Today, as it seems to us, the only reliable and indisputably documented genealogies of the Avar khans do not exist. As for their genealogical identification, the following versions exist:

a) they come from the Sasanian shahs of Iran;

b) they are the descendants of the Khazars who settled near Chir-yurt (Inscription in the margins of an Arabic book that belonged to Gamzat Tsadasa);

c) they are descendants of the Huns (and Magyars) (Klaproth, Uslar, Moor);

d) they are descendants of the Altai Avars (Bakikhanov, Uslar, Aitber, Aglar);

e) the sultans of Avaria were from the family of Sultan Orus (M. Rafii, N. Yakovlev);

f) they descended from a descendant of the grandson of Orus Khan Dzhanibek (M. Tynyshpayev);

g) come from the family of Shauhals of Tarkovsky (according to some information from Ottoman (Turkish) sources).

Thus, we see that the prevailing versions are the Turkic origin of the Avar khans. This is a kind of “Varangian” theory. You may not accept it and dispute it, but given the paucity of historical information, it is no less legitimate and viable than any other less plausible versions. Therefore, we can cautiously conclude that the Turkic Avars ruled directly among the Avars (maarulal) for several centuries. Naturally, over such a long period they could not help but undergo assimilation, i.e. do not accept their language and customs. There are a great many similar examples in history. A similar thing happened with the Kabar-Khazars among the Circassians, “whose language, mixing with Turkic and transforming, became prevalent in Kabarda, since the Circassians outnumbered the Khazars who led them many times, who became princes and nobles of the newly formed people” (V.M. Atlykov). The same thing happened with the Bulgars of Asparukh, who founded the first Bulgarian state on the Danube and disappeared among the predominant Slavic population. There are many such examples.

After all of the above, the question arises: who are the current Avars? We can answer this way: modern Avars, whose name is the name of one of the Hunnic (Turkic) Avar tribes, are a Caucasian-speaking people famous throughout the Caucasus, whose ruling elite for several centuries were the Avar khans (until the mid-19th century). It was in the middle of the nineteenth century. This people forcibly lost (this fact is recorded in history as the “extermination of the Avar khans”) of its ancient aristocratic elite. It is believed that this is how the line of Avar khans was extinguished. It’s not like the Russian proverb applies specifically to them “ gibosha aki obre; and there was no tribe or clan left from them..."? But that is another topic.

General remarks

We tried to analyze information from historical sources about the Avars in Dagestan in a previous publication. Now the task is different - to find out what trace the medieval ancient Turks, including the Avars, left in our toponymy and how they influenced the ethnicity and culture of the Caucasus.

We are, of course, primarily interested in socioethnonyms and ethnotoponymy. For it is they who can carry within themselves the names of not only modern, but also ancient ethnic groups that disappeared “like an obre” or were transformed into living peoples. In some cases, these may be the names of peoples that were ever found in ancient literature, but there may also be ethnonyms and socionyms recreated only from the names of geographical objects. As in any other history, in our Kumyk history we observe the process of transformation into estates of tribes, brought together by fate to live together in one state union, with the predominance of one tribe over others. This should not be surprising, since the transformation of tribes into estates is a natural process of history (V. Klyuchevsky).

There is a provision according to which peoples and tribes, replacing each other in a certain territory, do not disappear without a trace: each new tribe retains something of what it received from its predecessors. But there is another situation: the etymological nature of the name of a people does not always indicate its origin. Modern Bulgarians, for example, retain the Turkic ethnonym of their ancestors, but they are not Turks, but Slavs. In the language of the Bulgarian people, only three words remain from the Bulgar-Turks, the founders of the first Bulgar state on the Danube, including their self-name.

To determine the essence of the ethnonym, the position put forward by academician B. A. Rybakov is important: “The name of a nationality most often goes back to the name of the primary union of tribes, and thereby can go back to the name of a separate tribe, if it was the core and hegemon of the entire union.”

However, there is another pattern - as a rule, the ethnonym of the conquerors often becomes the name for the conquered peoples. We see examples of transferring the name of the conquerors to the conquered population among the Franks (France), Normans (Normandy), Lombards (Lombardy), Bulgarians (Bulgaria), etc. But the question arises: were the ancestors of modern Avars (maarulal) conquered by Turkic Avars ? Historical information does not support this thesis. In the literature, as we showed in our previous analysis, the thesis is cautiously expressed about the possibility of penetration of some part of the medieval Avars into the historical area of ​​settlement of the Avars (Khunzakh) and their influence on the ethnic group of the local Caucasian-speaking population, or the transfer of the name of the ruling class of Avars to the subject population of Khunzakh and other adjacent territories (Gumbet).

Ancient Turkic ethnotoponymy and ethnogenesis

Aww. This is what the Kumyks called and still call the Akin Chechens. Name " goes back to the name of one of the Hunnic tribes of the North Caucasus augar-avgar(VI century) (G.-R. Huseynov). This ethnonym was deposited in the toponyms “Aktash-Aukh”, “Kishen-Aukh”, “Yurt-Avukh”, “Yaman-suv-Aukh” (now in the Kazbekovsky and Novolaksky districts of the Republic of Dagestan).

Aur-guen. The self-name of one of the Hun-Avar tribes was deposited among the Kumyks in the names "Guen-tala" (now in the Kazbekovsky region), "Guen-kala" (one of the ancient names of Endirei - a Kumyk settlement in the Khasavyurt region), "Gyuntijmes" (Russian Gudermes ) "Guenler bouy gun tiymes" - which can be translated in two ways: The land of the huen (Guenler bou) or the shadow side (gun tiymes). The land of the huen is the valley of the Guntijmes river (N. Dubrovin, N. Semenov, S.A. Belokurov, P. A. Golovinsky).

Accordion. The name of a village in Chechnya in the 19th century. It is believed that it “came from the name of Bayan, the famous khan of the medieval Avars” (A.-K. Bakikhanov).

Varajan(the same - Burdzhan, the same - Borgan) - “the city of the Huns Varadzhan” in Dagestan was first mentioned in the brief edition of “Armenian Geography” of the 7th century). In the 9th century. "burjan" is mentioned by the astronomer al-Fargani in the list of lands and climates. And already in 846-47 Ibn Khordadbeh called the kingdom of Burjan, located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea and, moreover, subordinated in his time to the Sassanians.

It should be noted: the form of the burjan almost completely coincides with the Armenian name of the Hunnic city “Varajan” (v.r.j.n). Arabic researchers quite rightly point out that the Arabic script gives four similar spellings of this ethnonym: Bulgar, Burgar, Burgaz and Burjan (See: T. Kalinina. Information from early scientists of the Arab Caliphate. M. "Nauka". 1988, p. 92) . The third consonant in these words can convey the consonant sound "g". In the last two words, the third consonant conveys the sound “g” in foreign words. From here we can safely assume that the reading “burjan” is erroneous, and the correct form is “burgan” (see V.V. Polosin. The ethnonym “Bulgars” in Arabic sources. Brief communications. VII Scientific Sessions of the Leningrad Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences. L. pp. 26-29). The forms “Bulgar”, “burgar” and “burgaz” are dialectal forms of the common, more ancient term “burgan”. The latter easily correlates with the ancient Kumyk ethnonym "Boragan". In the Kumyk historical vocabulary and toponymy, by the way, the forms Bulgars/Bolgur and Burgan/Boragan are represented quite fully and are found in the wide ethnoarea of ​​settlement of the Kumyk tribes from Derbent to Pyatigorye (see Orazaev G.M.-R. Bulgar ethnic element in historical toponymy North Caucasus. Abstracts of the conference on the results of geographical research in Dagestan. Issue XX. M.-la, 1992. pp. 124-125; His: On the interpretation of the North Caucasian toponym Boragan. Abstracts of the reports on the results of geographical research in Dagestan. Issue XXI. M.-la. 1993, pp. 93-95). The above is confirmed by the fact that in the localization zone of the “city of the Huns Varadzhan” and the “kingdom of Burdzhan” (the territory of modern Buinak, Karabudakhkent and Kizilyurt regions) we find “Buragan Bash” - a tract between Karabudakhkent and the village of Adanak; “Boragan to you” is an area near the villages. Gelly; "Boragan" sat down nearby. Nizhneye Kazanische; "Boragan bash" ("Buragan mountain") - Buragansky ridge near the village. Chirkey, etc.

Gumbet. The name of one of the feudal estates in Dagestan. Scientific naturalist I.A. Gildenstedt (1770-1773) pointed out that “Gumbet, in Andean Mikhtelar, is near the Gumbet River, which flows into Koisu. It’s two days’ drive from Chechen. It is subject to the Kumyk prince, who is in Chechnya. (DIRZEA, p. 225). It is believed that that the name Gumbet received from the Kumyk word "gyunbet", meaning "facing the sun" ("sunny side"), which seems unreliable to us. For such a designation, the Kumyks have another term "gyun+zhuvak" (sunlight). We believe that the first component “gum” is possibly associated with the Hunnic ethnonym. hum widely represented in the substrate Hunnic (Turkic) toponymy of the Caucasus. And not only the Caucasus. Thus, this ethnonym was deposited in the name of a medieval settlement near the city of Kislovodsk. The Balkars, for example, have preserved a saying associated with this ancient settlement: “Khrum-kaala, Gum-kaala, kuurup kalsyn bu kala!", which means: “Khruma-fortress, Guma fortress, may this fortress disappear!” Historian I. Miziev believes that together with the name of the Bulgarian Khrum (VII century) and the ethnonym Huns or Cumans (Gum) People's epic memory has preserved the memory of some kind of bloodshed at the walls of this fortress city. Later, the Balkars transferred the name Gum-kala to the modern city of Mineralnye Vody. To this we add that, according to Academician. Pallas, the Circassians called the Kuma River and the “wooded valley of Podkuma” "Hum". In this area the “river” was also known Ata-Kum, which, after merging with several streams, flows through a long swamp in the same direction as the Kuban, and finally flows into it from the left." And the ethnotoponym Gumbet itself is found in other regions of Russia, in particular in the Orenburg region, in Turkey and in other countries .

As for the second component of this name - bet/baht, then, according to scientists, it was widely used in the names of Hun-Khazar and Hungarian cities in the meaning of “throne, throne” (See DTS.L.1969.P.116), “fortress” (V. Thomsen, Vamberi Ilyinsky) . In many Turkic dialects baht has the meaning “strong, powerful”: Bat-yr, Bat-Bayan, Kur-bat, Ar-pad (Brutskus). In this sense, Gumbet means "fortress of the Huns."

Uzdeni(original Kumyk form - ozdenler). According to D.-M. Sheikh-Ali, “the word usden in direct translation means a free person, but in practical meaning this word signifies a nobleman who owns land and is by birth pure from a mixture with a slave state” (Shikhaliev D.-M. A Kumyk’s story: Makhachkala. 1993. P. .48). What was the ethnic basis for the formation of this social community?

As is known, the Kumyks and the Kumyk language were influenced by the Oguz and the Oguz language. In this regard, we are interested in the possible connection of the socionym uzden with the ethnonym Oguz (uguz-uz) - one of the names of the Khazar clan and the name of the union of Turkic tribes - Oghuz, ancient bonds. The fact is that the origin of the word oguz and the proper names associated with it have not yet found a single, recognized solution. One of the explanations for this name was proposed by Marquart (1914), who saw in the name oguz word-concept oq"arrow", transl. "clan, tribe, division of a tribe" + uz"man", hence - oq-uz"arrow man" In Kumyk language with stem oq and, obviously, with the meaning “clan, tribe, division of a tribe” there are words "oksuz", those. "having no clan, no tribe, orphan" and "oktem"(ok-tem) meaning “proud”. Obviously, according to the latest word-formation model, the socionyme is formed "ozden"(oz-den) meaning “free man”, “nobleman”. The first component of this term "oz", perhaps closely related to the ethnonym bonds, and the second component is den(-ten, -tem), obviously, is used in the meaning of “free, free, self-sufficient.” We needed such a short excursion into Turkic ethnonymy in order to show that there is a possible genetic and ethnosocial (transformation of tribes into estates) connection between the terms uzden and oguz (uz).

The Kumyks' uzdens included: 1) senior uzdens, called sala-ozden; 2) identification of other surnames that were called by a common name ullu-ozden; 3) free villagers, generally called dogerek-ozden(here I would just like to draw attention to the fact that the Oghuz were called by their Mongol-speaking neighbors, the Rourans, in their dialect tegreg"cart workers", in Chinese transcription tele)

Sala, salalar. This term can rightfully be associated with the Hunnic ethnonym sal (hall) and the later name salar, salyr or sala (Chinese salazu), which is one of the Oguz ethnic names. Mahmud of Kashgar (11th century) indicates the oldest form of this name salgur among the Oguz tribal names (Tenishev E.R. The structure of the Salar language. M. 1976. P.291-292).

Bearers of the ethnonym sal (hall)(see Ptolemy, III, 5, 10), according to Menander, they waged war in the North Caucasus in the middle of the 6th century with the Avars. As a result of the war, part of the Sals became part of them and, together with them, penetrated into Transcaucasia and Southern Azerbaijan (cf. Salian - in Azerbaijan, Sally - in Armenia, Salieti, literally "country of the Sals" and Salogly - in Georgia. [Geybullaev G.A. Towards the ethnogenesis of Azerbaijanis, Baku, 1991, p. 352].

In the early Middle Ages, one of the royal dynasties of Deylem in the south of the Caspian was called Kangarids, and its branch was called Salar (Salariler), so the first ruler of the Salarid dynasty was called Salar ibn Marzban ibn Muhammad ibn Musafir Kangari (mid-9th century). This suggests that the Kangar Huns (Salars) also lived in this area.

The information from Iranian and Central Asian sources about the Turkic-speaking Chols, who, according to At-Tabari, were resettled to Azerbaijan, deserves attention. They lived in two regions - in northeastern Albania and western Turkmenistan. V.V. Bartold wrote about “the Cholas descended from the Western Turks.” In the 50s of the 4th century, the Turkic-speaking Chols (or part of them) from the Aral region advanced to the Caspian Sea and the region in the eastern Caspian Sea where they settled began to be called Chor (Chol, Chul, Sul). V. Pigulevskaya noted that the name found in some sources Chol, and in others Chor and Sul in the Caspian region, means the same thing: in the second half of the 5th century, the residence of the Cholov Khan was located on the Balkhan Peninsula, in the area where modern Krasnovodsk is located. The Cholas disturbed the Shahs of Sasanian Iran with their raids, and therefore Yezdegerd I (399-420) built a border fortress in Khorasan to protect his state from them. Ezdegerd II (439-456) in 442-449 undertook a series of campaigns in the eastern Caspian region against the Chols, who were at that time in an alliance with the Kushans. Khosrow I later sent his troops to the Caspian region, inhabited by the Chols. There, many people from the Chol people were killed and taken to the plane and resettled in Azerbaijan. Among 18 of the 24 ethnonyms of the Oguz tribes preserved on the territory of Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia, there is the name salur [S.B. Ashurbeyli. About the toponym "Aran" // History of toponymic research. Baku.1992.P.49]. The “people from the Sul tribe” resettled by Khosrow Anushirvan to Azerbaijan, along with the Bulgars, were certainly located in the Northern Caucasus and belonged to the Suls (Chuls).

However, the main habitat of the Sals was obviously the foothills and steppes of the North Caucasus, Crimea and southern Russia, where they left numerous toponymic evidence (monuments). These, in addition to those noted above, undoubtedly include Salgyr (hydronym in Crimea). [IN. Bushakov Turkic ethnooikonymy of Crimea ] , the name of the Salsk steppes in southern Russia.

The above indicates that the bearers of the ethnonym sal (sala, hall) were the oldest tribal community of Avars, which left a mark on the oikonyms of not only Central Asia, Azerbaijan, the North Caucasus, but also Eastern Europe (see above about the Avars in Hungary). However, it seems to us that this Hunnic tribe, along with the Bulgars, Huens and Tyumens, left the deepest trace in the ethnopolitical history and ethnogenesis of the Kumyks. We can say that sala or salalar among the Kumyks were descendants of the medieval Avars, who carried their original ethnic name through the millennium. In this case, we should not be confused in any way by the fact that by the 19th century. they turned into one of the privileged classes of Kumyk society.

The basis "sala" is represented in the social term of the Kumyk language sala-uzden and, according to dictionaries, lard means "nobleman". In the language of the Chechens neighboring the Zasulak Kumyks, the expression was used salwoin-eli with the meaning "Salatav princes"; i.e. "Kumyk princes".

The transformation of tribes into estates is a natural process of history (V. Klyuchevsky). So in our Kumyk history we observe the process of transformation into estates of tribes (for example, Sala, Chagar, etc.), brought together by fate to live together in one state union, with the predominance of one tribe over the others.

M. B. Lobanov-Rostovsky argued that “the Sala-Uzdeni of the Kumyk plane constituted a special class, the first among the people after the princes, probably at the place of their initial settlement on the Sala-su river.” D. M. Shikhaliev in his famous work indicates exactly what places they come from: “Sala or Salatav people, people from the village of Rikoni located behind the Gumbetovsky ridge, lived near the Sala-su river, which flows into Aktash.... In Andreevo and now there is the Sala quarter."

The term itself can be traced as the first component in a number of other toponyms: Sala-tav- name of the oronym; Sala-su - hydronym name, Sala-Yurt- the name of the oikonym in the Kazbekovsky region; Sala-avul - name of the microoikonym village. Endireyaul, Khasavyurt district [Taimaskhanova T.G. Turkic element in Avar toponymy//Turkic-Dagestan linguistic relations. Makhachkala. 1985.P.108].

Solak. The name of one of the two main rivers in Dagestan. Some scientists (F. Kirzioglu) associate it with the name of the Hun tribe Sol(compare with Solaq - the name of the Avar ambassador to Constantinople in 580).

Chagar/Chakar - name of the Hunno-Bulgar family from caq-“to sow hostility, incite, rebel” (DTS, 140) + ar - affix of the name of the character -> cak-ar"one who incites, sows enmity, a rebel." This Kumyk ethnosocionim can be traced through several toponyms: Chagar-aul - the name of neighborhoods in Tarki, Endirei, Aksai; Chagar yol is the name of the road laid along the slope of Tarki-tau and connecting Tarki-Kyahulay-Alburikent; Chagar-otar is the name of a settlement in the Khasavyurt region.

D.-M. Sheikh-Ali gives the following characterization of the Chagars among the Kumyks: “Constituting the most populous class in the population of the Kumyk possession, friendly, brave and obedient to their elders, the Chagars in former times played an important role in people’s affairs, patronized all those oppressed by the aristocracy and even the aristocrats themselves in their internecine strife and mutual persecution, they gave refuge. It was dangerous to kill a Chagar, because the killer was pursued by the whole class. In Andreev, Aksai, Kostek, Tarki, Braguny and in general, where there are Chagars, the killer was unsafe; Chagars followed him everywhere. Sala -uzdeni, representatives of the aristocracy, for their own benefit and to increase their property, were united with the chagars, representatives of the people, sworn brotherhood, and in turn, also tirelessly and everywhere pursued their enemies" [Shikhaliev D.-M. Kumyk's story: Makhachkala. 1993.P.63-64].

All of the above, we think, allows us to conclude that:

a) medieval Avars had a certain relationship to the formation of the ruling class of Avars;

b) being, along with other Turkic tribes, ethnic components of the Kumyks, they played a decisive role in their ethnogenesis and the formation of the Kumyk feudal people in the 15th-19th centuries.

References:

Baskakov A.N. Turkic vocabulary in "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". M. 1985;

Benzig I. Languages ​​of the Huns, Danube and Volga Bulgarians // Foreign Turkology. M. 1986;

J. Brutzkus. The khazar origin of ancient Kiev // The Slavonic and East European Review.1944 mayis, volXXII, no58.s/108-104;

Buzurtanov M.O., Vinogradov V.B., Umarov S.Ts. Together forever. Grozny.1980; Butkov P.G. Materials for the new history of the Caucasus. Part 2. St. Petersburg;

Milestones of unity. Collection of articles dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the entry of Checheno-Ingushetia into Russia. Grozny. 1982;

Guseinov G.-R. A.-K. Turkisms in the toponymic landscape of Aukh//Abstracts of the conference.geographical research.in Dagestan. Makhachkala.1994. issue XXII. pp.88-89; Dagestan in the news of European authors. Makhachkala. 1982.S. 270;

Dörfer G. About the language of the Huns // Foreign Turkology. M.1986;

History of Hungary. Rep. ed. Shusharin V.P. - M.: Nauka, 1971. - T. I. S. 75 - 80;

Zeki Veldi Togan. Umumi Turk Tarihine giris. Istanbul. 1981.s. 161;

Islam Ansiklopedisi. Istanbul. 1970. P.2;

Peoples of the Caucasus. M.1960;

Kalinina T. Information from early scientists of the Arab Caliphate. M. "Science". 1988, p. 92;

Kirzioglu F. Dede Korkud Oguznamelerin isiginda Karapapaklar, Borcali-Kazak urugunun Kur-Aras boylarindaki 1800 yilina bir bakis. Erzerum, 1972;

Lavrov L.I. Tarki until the 18th century//Scientific records of the Institute of Languages ​​and Literature. T. 4. Makhachkala. 1958. P. 15;

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I'm starting the series "Oh, these strange..."
Features of the six nations of Dagestan. An attempt to highlight habits and differences that are different from others.

The Russians gave them this name; they themselves call themselves “maarulal” - mountaineers. There are the most of them in Dagestan, 650 thousand people. One of the most hospitable peoples in the world. When they meet, they smile and shake hands tightly. It is unforgivable to give an Avar a limp hand, almost the edges of his fingers. They will take this as an insult. Respect for elders has been elevated to the level of law. Even a very old man, who has already gone a little off the rails, will still be respected by young people. Lack of respect for elders undermines the authority of the younger. Kissing during a meeting is not encouraged. They don't have that among men. They don't like middle names, they call them by their first names. Brave warriors. Not a single war took place in Dagestan without their participation. They took upon themselves the brunt of resistance to the tsarist troops. They boast about this on occasion. The Dargins caught them on this wave and raise a toast “to the great Dagestan people and its armed forces - the Avars.” Very talented, they have many dancers, poets and singers. They love to sing patriotic songs and anthems. They love to joke with the Dargins, they compete with them in everything; other nations are no match for them. Nations are divided into good and bad. They will endure from others what they will never forgive the Dargins. They have a main principle: whoever you want is in power, but let it be your own.
They love positions very much, and in positions there are external attributes: an office, a car, a second wife, an appointed prior, a bright outfit and public show-off. He will go hungry, but he will buy a beautiful car. For the sake of this, he may enter into a dubious deal or a dishonest conspiracy.
Strong leadership qualities. Ready to take the initiative. They don’t want to let anyone go ahead of them. Despite all the cohesion in everyday life, during elections they are divided into groups. Therefore, they are easy to bypass. Fanatics of meat and khinkal reject the explanation that khinkal is harmful due to a poor combination of carbohydrates and proteins with an ironclad argument - our ancestors ate it and were healthier than all of us. They eat meat and snack on meat. Until the Avar eats meat, he will be hungry.
Avars are easy to unbalance. There are different ways, but the main one is to hurt patriotism, to say that one is physically weak. They respect physical strength and participate in sports clubs without exception. Even old people can show off their muscles and boast of strength. The nation is open, there are few secretive people, the soul is wide open. Irony is inaccessible to them. They don't like abstract jokes. They take everything said at face value. People like to jostle in queues. If there are only three people in line, they will still push forward. When getting on a bus or train, an Avar will definitely push those around him with his elbows and squeeze forward.
If an Avar is offered food, even if he is very hungry, he will refuse and say that he is full. You have to offer it three times, then only he will agree to eat.
Verbal balancing act is not typical for them; they will laugh heartily at someone who falls from a chair and slips on the ice. Cheap farce, hard and rude - that's what they like.
The Avar's gestures are brutal; he likes to wave his arms, shout loudly and express himself emotionally. The Avars, especially the Khunzakhs, have the most terrible curses, sometimes even three-story curses. Even after a serious fight and quarrel, Avars are easy to reconcile. They quickly forget grievances. This is very good quality.
They are very fond of horses and dogs. At the races, almost all the prizes are taken by Avars' horses. They love and idolize singers very much. Daku Asadulaev, Sindikov and Gadzhilav have the rank of national hero. Any singer will definitely include folk songs in her repertoire. Not re-sung, but found and our own.
Avars may not yet go to a wedding, but they will definitely go to condolences. They know their family, tukhum, almost to the seventh generation. Any old man is sure that his sons and daughters will not leave him alone in his old age. The old Avar is provided with care and attention. He knows for sure that even after death he will be buried with dignity and the prescribed ritual will be performed.
If you don't invite a close relative to your wedding, he may be seriously offended. Not going to a funeral is the same sin as not inviting your son to your wedding. The wedding of a daughter is not a significant event in the life of an Avar. The father and sons may not even come to his daughter’s wedding.
They are distinguished by their disregard for the law. They consider themselves free people. If a gas pipe runs nearby, the Avar does not see any violation of crashing into it and consuming gas. They remember the law only when they need it. In case of any violation, the Avar will begin to negotiate, look for acquaintances of an acquaintance, but will solve the problem without bringing it to court. Although it will cost him much more.
When it comes to money, the Avar is generous and can give his last to his neighbor, so it is difficult for them to rise high in business. The cherished dream of an Avar is to get rich as quickly as possible, and it is advisable to do this without lifting a finger. The Avar is good as a friend. He is ready to sacrifice a lot for his friend.
The Avar values ​​his language very much, is proud of it and does not want to learn English. He will be incredibly happy if he sees that an Englishman is learning the Avar language.
That's what they are, these strange Avars.