The Dagestani People

By Jonathan Hernandez, and Christopher Santos

The Republic of Dagestan, or simply Dagestan , is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea coast. Its government was dissolved in a major corruption investigation on 5 February 2018, and the region is currently under the direct control of the Russian government.

With a population of 2,910,249, Dagestan is very ethnically diverse and Russia's most heterogeneous republic, with none of its several dozen ethnicities and subgroups forming a majority. Largest among these ethnicities are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgian, Laks, Azerbaijani, Tabasaran, and Chechen. Ethnic Russians comprise about 3.6% of Dagestan's total population. Russian is the primary official language

Dagestan has been a scene of Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, and ethnic tension since the 1990s. According to International Crisis Group, the militant Islamist organization Shariat Jamaat is responsible for much of the violence. Much of the tension is rooted in an internal Islamic conflict between traditional Sufi groups advocating secular government and more recently introduced Salafist teachers preaching the implementation of a certain form of Sharia in Dagestan.

The word Dagestan is of Turkish and Persian origin. Dağ means 'mountain' in Turkish and -stan is a Persian meaning 'land'.

The name Dagestan referred to Dagestan Oblast during 1860 to 1920, corresponding to the southeastern part of the present-day Republic. The current borders were created with the establishment of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921, by the inclusion of the eastern part of Terek Oblast.

Dagestani Languages

Official and biggest languages spoken

Russian
Avar
Dargin
Kumyk
Lezgian
Lak
Tabasaran
Rutul
Aghul
Tsakhur
Nogai
Chechen
Azerbaijani

Geography

Dagestan is in the North Caucasus mountains. It is bordered on its eastern side by the Caspian Sea. Dagestan has an of Area: 50,300 square kilometers (19,400 sq mi). Dagestan Borders three countries inside Russia Republic of Kalmyki to the north, Chechen Republic to the west, and Stavropol Krai to the north west. Dagestan also borders two more countries outside of Russia, Azerbaijan to the south, and Georgia to the southwest.

History

Islamic Influence

In 664, the Persians were succeeded by the rising Arabs from the Arab caliphate, who in the 8th century repeatedly clashed with the Khazars (Controlled Dagestan at the time). Although the local population rose against the Arabs in 905 and 913, Islam was eventually adopted in Dagestan. By the 15th century, Albanian Christianity had died away to rising Islam and Russian Orthodoxy.

Beginning of Russian Rule

In 1806 the khanate voluntarily submitted to Russian authority, but it was not until the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War (1804-1813) that Russian power over Dagestan was confirmed, and that Qajar Iran officially ceded the territory to Russia. In 1813, following Russia's victory in the war, Iran was forced to cede southern Dagestan with its principal city of Derbent, alongside other vast territories in the Caucasus to Russia, in the Treaty of Gulistan. The 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay indefinitely consolidated Russian control over Dagestan and removed Iran completely from Dagestan.

Soviet Era

On 21 December 1917 Ingushetia, Chechnya, and Dagestan declared independence from Russia and formed a single state called the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus which was recognized by major world powers. The capital of the new state was moved to Temir-Khan-Shura (Dagestan). In 1921, Russians attacked and occupied the country and forcefully joined it to the Soviet state. The Caucasian war for independence continued but the government went into exile. After the Bolshevik Revolution, Ottoman armies occupied Azerbaijan which had been split off from the rest of the Mountainous republic of the Northern Caucasus. After three years of fighting the White army and other nationalists groups, the Bolsheviks achieved victory and the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed on January 20, 1921. After Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union his industrialization largely bypassed Dagestan and the economy was crippled, making it one of the most poorest regions in Russia.

Post-Soviet Era

In 1999, an Islamist group from Chechnya launched a military invasion of Dagestan, with the aim of creating an "independent Islamic State of Dagestan". The invaders were driven back by the Russian military. As a retaliation, Russian forces subsequently reinvaded Chechnya later that year. Violence in the Republic exploded from the beginning of 2010 to the end of 2012. This upsurge led many people to claim that Dagestan was about to enter into a situation of sectarian civil war. Dagestan became the epicenter of violence in the North Caucasus with Makhachkala, Kaspiisk, Derbent, Khasavyurt, Kizlyar, Sergokala, Untsukul, and Tsumada all becoming hotbeds of militant activities.

Demographics

Dagestan is unusually ethnically diverse, and still largely tribal.

It is Russia's most heterogeneous republic.

Dagestan has a rapidly growing population.

Vital statistics

	Average population (x 1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Fertility rates
1970	1,438	41,381	9,543	31,838	28.8	6.6	22.1
1975	1,544	42,098	10,292	31,806	27.3	6.7	20.6
1980	1,655	44,088	11,188	32,900	26.6	6.8	19.9
1985	1,744	50,053	12,010	38,043	28.7	6.9	21.8
1990	1,848	48,209	11,482	36,727	26.1	6.2	19.9	3.07
1991	1,906	47,461	12,062	35,399	24.9	6.3	18.6	2.94
1992	1,964	44,986	12,984	32,002	22.9	6.6	16.3	2.70
1993	2,012	41,863	14,777	27,086	20.8	7.3	13.5	2.46
1994	2,117	44,472	15,253	29,219	21.0	7.2	13.8	2.45
1995	2,209	45,680	15,700	29,980	20.7	7.1	13.6	2.41
1996	2,251	42,282	15,565	26,717	18.8	6.9	11.9	2.19
1997	2,308	41,225	15,662	25,563	17.9	6.8	11.1	2.10
1998	2,363	41,164	15,793	25,371	17.4	6.7	10.7	2.05
1999	2,417	38,281	16,020	22,261	15.8	6.6	9.2	1.87
2000	2,464	38,229	16,108	22,121	15.5	6.5	9.0	1.82
2001	2,511	38,480	15,293	23,187	15.3	6.1	9.2	1.79
2002	2,563	41,204	15,887	25,317	16.1	6.2	9.9	1.85
2003	2,609	41,490	15,929	25,561	15.9	6.1	9.8	1.81
2004	2,647	41,573	15,724	25,849	15.7	5.9	9.8	1.76
2005	2,684	40,814	15,585	25,229	15.2	5.8	9.4	1.69
2006	2,721	40,646	15,939	24,707	14.9	5.9	9.1	1.64
2007	2,761	45,470	15,357	30,113	16.5	5.6	10.9	1.81
2008	2,804	49,465	15,794	33,671	17.6	5.6	12.0	1.94
2009	2,850	50,416	16,737	33,679	17.7	5.9	11.8	1.92
2010	2,896	52,057	17,013	35,044	18.0	5.9	12.1	1.92
2011	2,914	54,427	16,917	37,510	18.1	5.8	12.3	1.98
2012	2,931	56,186	16,642	39,492	19.1	5.7	13.4	2.03
2013	2,955	55,641	16,258	39,383	18.8	5.5	13.3	2.02
2014	2,982	56,888	16,491	40,397	19.1	5.5	13.6	2.08
2015	3,003	54,724	16,132	38,592	18.2	5.4	12.8	2.02
2016	3,029	52,924	15,642	37,282	17.4	5.2	12.2	1.98(e)
2017	3,041	50,322	15,562	34,760	16.4	5.1	11.3

Ethnicities

The people of Dagestan include a large variety of ethnicities. According to the 2010 Census, Northeast Caucasians (including Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, and Chechens) make up almost 75% of the population of Dagestan. Turkic peoples, Kumyks, Azerbaijanis, and Nogais make up 21%, and Russians 3.6%. Other ethnicities each account for less than 0.4% of the total population.

Ethnic group	1926		1939		1959		1970		1979		1989		2002		2010
Ethnic group	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Avars	177,189	22.5%	230,488	24.8%	239,373	22.5%	349,304	24.5%	418,634	25.7%	496,077	27.5%	758,438	29.4%	850,011	29.4%
Dargins	125,707	16.0%	150,421	16.2%	148,194	13.9%	207,776	14.5%	246,854	15.2%	280,431	15.6%	425,526	16.5%	490,384	17.0%
Kumyks	87,960	11.2%	100,053	10.8%	120,859	11.4%	169,019	11.8%	202,297	12.4%	231,805	12.9%	365,804	14.2%	431,736	14.9%
Lezgians	90,509	11.5%	96,723	10.4%	108,615	10.2%	162,721	11.4%	188,804	11.6%	204,370	11.3%	336,698	13.1%	385,240	13.3%
Laks	39,878	5.1%	51,671	5.6%	53,451	5.0%	72,240	5.1%	83,457	5.1%	91,682	5.1%	139,732	5.4%	161,276	5.6%
Azerbaijanis	23,428	3.0%	31,141	3.3%	38,224	3.6%	54,403	3.8%	64,514	4.0%	75,463	4.2%	111,656	4.3%	130,919	4.5%
Tabasarans	31,915	4.0%	33,432	3.6%	33,548	3.2%	53,253	3.7%	71,722	4.4%	78,196	4.6%	110,152	4.3%	118,848	4.1%
Russians	98,197	12.5%	132,952	14.3%	213,754	20.1%	209,570	14.7%	189,474	11.6%	165,940	9.2%	120,875	4.7%	104,020	3.6%
Chechens	21,851	2.8%	26,419	2.8%	12,798	1.2%	39,965	2.8%	49,227	3.0%	57,877	3.2%	87,867	3.4%	93,658	3.2%
Nogais	26,086	3.3%	4,677	0.5%	14,939	1.4%	21,750	1.5%	24,977	1.5%	28,294	1.6%	38,168	1.5%	40,407	1.4%
Aghuls	7,653	1.0%	20,408	2.2%	6,378	0.6%	8,644	0.6%	11,459	0.7%	13,791	0.8%	23,314	0.9%	28,054	1.0%
Rutuls	10,333	1.3%			6,566	0.6%	11,799	0.8%	14,288	0.9%	14,955	0.8%	24,298	1.0%	27,849	1.0%
Tsakhurs	3,531	0.4%			4,278	0.4%	4,309	0.3%	4,560	0.3%	5,194	0.3%	8,168	0.3%	9,771	0.3%
Others	43,861	5.6%	52,031	5.6%	61,495	5.8%	63,787	4.5%	57,892	3.6%	58,113	3.2%	25,835	1.0%	19,646	0.7%

(The indigenous ethnicities of Dagestan are in bold)

There are also around 40 groups such as the Hinukh that are 439 of the total population of Dagestan, and the Akhvakhs, who are members of a complex family of indigenous Caucasians.

Languages

More than 30 local languages are commonly spoken, most belonging to the Northeast Caucasian language family group. Russian became the principal lingua franca in Dagestan during the 20th century; prior to that, beginning in the 18th century, it had been Classical Arabic. The northern Avar dialect of Khunzakh has also served as a lingua franca in central Dagestan. Over 20 of Russia's 131 endangered languages as identified by UNESCO can be found in Dagestan. Most of these endangered languages have Dagestani speakers in the mountainous region on the Dagestan-Georgia border.

Religion

Religion in Dagestan as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)^[1]^[2]

Islam			82.6%
"Spiritual but not religious"			8.6%
Russian Orthodoxy			2.4%
Rodnovery and other native faiths			1.6%
Other Christian denominations			0.8%
Atheism and irreligion			2.2%
Other and undeclared			1.8%

According to a 2012 survey 83% of the population of Dagestan adheres to Islam, 2.4% to the Russian Orthodox Church, 2% to Caucasian folk religion and other native faiths, 1% are non-denominational Christians. In addition, 9% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 2% is atheist and 0.6% follows other religions or did not answer the question.

Dagestanis are largely Sunni Muslims, of the Shafii rites, that has been in place for centuries. On the Caspian coast, particularly in and around the port city of Derbent, the population (primarily made up of Azerbaijanis) is Shia. There is also a Salafi population, which is often a target of official repression.^[3]

A relatively large number of native Tati speaking Jews, designated by the Soviet state censuses as the "Mountain Jews" were also present in this same coastal areas, but since 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union they have migrated to Israel and the United States. These were an extension of much larger Jewish community across the border in Azerbaijan (districts of Quba and Shamakhi).

The appearance of Sufi mysticism in Dagestan dates back to the 14th century. The two Sufi tariqas that spread in the North Caucasus were the Naqshbandiya and the Qadiriya. The mystic Tariqas preached tolerance and coexistence between the diverse people in the region. The Communist total intolerance for any religion after the Communist Revolution of 1917 also suppressed the Sufi movements. Shaykh Said Afandi al-Chirkawi was a prominent scholar, spiritual leader and murshid of Naqshbandi and Shadhili tariqahs in Dagestan until his death.

The number of Christians among the non-Slavic indigenous population is very low, with estimates between 2,000 and 2,500. Most of these are Pentecostal Christians from the Lak ethnicity. The largest congregation is Osanna Evangelical Christian Church (Pentecostal) in Makhachkala, with more than 1,000 members.

Sources

Official governmental website of Dagestan
Egbert Wesselink (1998). "Dagestan (Daghestan): Comprehensive Report". Caspian.net. Archived from the original on October 5, 2001. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
Dagestan in Iranica Encyclopaedia
History of Islam in Russia
"The North Caucasus," Russian Analytical Digest No. 22 (5 June 2007)
BBC Country Report on Dagestan
University of Texas maps of the Dagestan region
Radio Free Europe discusses religious tension in Dagestan
ISN Case Study: The North Caucasus on the Brink (August 2006)
Articles on Dagestan, reports from research, photos
Dagestan in Pictures
Daghestan's Kaitag Embroideries – and Henri Matisse?
(in Russian) Dagestan\\ Republic News Portal
Russian Federal State Statistics Service

^ "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.
^ 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.
^ Russia’s crackdown on Salafis may be breeding extremism

[2012ArenaAtlas-1] "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.

[2012Arena-religion-maps-2] 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.

[3] Russia’s crackdown on Salafis may be breeding extremism

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