Abkhazians who are they and where are they from? History of Abkhazia (antiquity, the Abkhazian kingdom and modernity). Filatov K.A. Lazy

Abkhazians represent the Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples and are the indigenous population of Abkhazia. This nation lives in diasporas and is characterized by a number of features that we will consider in our article.

Where do they live (territory)

Most Abkhazians live in the Republic of Abkhazia. Türkiye comes in second place in terms of population, followed by Russia. There are Abkhaz diasporas in Syria, Georgia, Ukraine, the United States of America and other countries.

Story

There are several versions that consider the origin of the people. One of them says that the Abkhazians previously lived in North-East Africa, and from there they already began moving towards the Caucasus. Another version claims the origin of the Abkhazians as the people of the North Caucasus, but it is refuted by many archaeologists who rely not only on excavations, but also on written sources. There is a third version, according to which the Abkhazians come from Asia Minor.
It is also necessary to note a mixed concept based on a number of archaeological finds. Following it, the Abkhazians appeared as a result of the interaction of the inhabitants of the Caucasus and the peoples who came from Asia Minor, and the formation of the Abkhazians itself began in the 32nd century AD.
Historians believe that the peak of Abkhazia’s heyday came in the 8th century, when Leon II began to strengthen the position of his kingdom, taking advantage of the temporary weakness of Byzantium. Abasia was subject to him, and he was going to take Colchis. This partly influenced the entry of the Abkhazian kingdom into the united Georgian one. As time passes, Georgian disintegrates, and Abkhazia regains independence. With the onset of the 17th century, the Turks came here and occupied part of the territory. The Abkhazians were also affected by the Russian-Turkish and Caucasian wars. As a result of the latter, many were forced to leave their native lands and move to Turkey. The revolution of 1917 made Abkhazia a subject of a mountain republic. The Soviet government made Abkhazia its own subject by carrying out administrative reforms.

Culture

An important cultural feature of the Abkhazians is music. She was always devoted to hunting, the work of a farmer or shepherd. At a wedding, the ouredada is performed, to which it is customary for the bride to enter the groom's house. In the event of the death of an honorable person, an aow was performed. Each singer in the choir sings in his own style.

Traditions

In Abkhazian traditions, hospitality stands apart. Regardless of faith, everyone should welcome a guest with cordiality. You cannot ask a guest for money, but you must receive him no worse than in a hotel. The guest is entitled to a place to sleep, food, care and refreshments. Sometimes Abkhazians are ready to set a whole table if they consider their guest to be an honor. In the old days, entire houses were built for guests. Now guests are received in spacious premises. The guest must sit down first, then the head of the family and everyone else sits at the table.

Abkhazians adhere to the Apsuar code. It was compiled many centuries ago, and now has not lost its meaning. The main points of apsuar are alamys and auayura. It's about conscience and humanity. Abkhazians believe that if a person forgot about his conscience, he died at that very moment. Apsuara encourages a person to be condescending and noble, telling him to stand up whenever someone enters the room, which shows greeting and respect for the person entering.
Abkhazians respect shame as a feeling that helps them control themselves. A person needs shame so that he does not violate accepted norms. Abkhazians are taught shame from childhood, focusing on life, not religion. The norms cover every aspect, from vocabulary to gestures.
There is also a rather curious paradox: modesty is valued in Abkhazia, but many residents like to boast. Modesty refers to the ability to turn a blind eye to shortcomings, such as a poorly made chair or untidy dishes in the house. It is tactless to point out to homeowners that they are doing something wrong. If a person boasts of wealth, he must certainly wish the same for everyone else. The manifestation of theatrical and excessive modesty, coupled with apologies and indications of one’s own shortcomings, although very exaggerated, is received with respect.
According to tradition, wine is given to a guest who asks for a drink. Abkhazians believe that wine is the best drink. And the guest must be given the best. They can also give him some home decoration if he likes it. It is not customary to shake hands when greeting, although such a gesture is quite normal. Hospitality sometimes extends beyond the home. Even a foreigner can be asked by a random passerby about his vacation and what he liked.
The tradition of the feast occupies a special position. The decoration of the kitchen itself looks quite rich, because Abkhazians customarily organize celebrations and holidays in such a way as to create a bright impression for all its participants. In the tradition of a feast, many points are taken into account: inviting guests, washing hands, exchanging gifts, disposition of guests, items of discussion, toasts. The celebration can be celebrated on a grand scale; it is not surprising that the hospitable Abkhazians invite almost everyone to attend.
The most difficult is the seating procedure. The age of the guest, his gender, who he is related to and much more must be taken into account. All guests must be introduced to each other.
Senior and honored guests sit at the head of the table. When making a toast, younger people hold their glasses lower than older ones. The first toast is usually a toast to the people, followed by a toast to the friendship of peoples. Be sure to raise glasses to the hero of the occasion and to relatives.

Wedding

The Abkhazian wedding is known as magnificent and spectacular. A wedding ring is not a mandatory piece of jewelry for exchange, like many other nations. Sometimes they exchanged the most ordinary things. A girl could make a scarf or towel as a gift for her groom, while a man would give a horn. This symbol meant the ability to hunt and get food.
At the wedding itself, the mother or father of the bride should not appear among the guests. At the celebration, guests on the bride's side are expected to behave respectfully and even modestly. Nowadays the number of guests is rarely large, but previously it could exceed 200 people. It was always a wedding tradition to defer to the elders on stage or at the table. The newlyweds practically did not drink alcohol, because being drunk at a wedding was considered shameful for them. The stage should not be empty, more and more people came on it when the dancers began to get tired.

Life

Raising your voice is not recommended; it is considered impolite towards the interlocutor. Abkhaz customs dictate not to make noise, so loud music is also perceived negatively. The usual form of address is “you”, while there are many additional respectful addresses that are certainly taken into account by every resident of Abkhazia. The appeals concern elders, women, and other representatives of different groups.
Abkhazians treat children in a special way, trying to pamper them but teach them restraint.

Religion

In Abkhazia, Christianity was adopted back in the 6th century. It had a Byzantine image. Islam gradually came here, although among many residents this religion is perceived as alien. Representatives of paganism still survive - there are about a hundred of them.

Language

Abkhazians speak Abkhazian (belongs to the Abkhaz-Abaza branch of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of languages) and Russian. Russian is widespread in written and spoken form.

Appearance

Cloth

The national clothing of the Abkhazians has always been distinguished by its ornament. It was he who indicated the social status of the owner. Everyone sought to show their belonging to a specific clan by applying generic signs. The most expensive items remained the belt and clasps; there were big differences between ordinary clothing and the outfits of wealthy people. The clothes of the peasants were embroidered from linen and cotton, while the princes had velvet, lace and brocade. One of the most important attributes of the Abkhaz costume was the alabashya staff. It was made from strong wood, used as a support, and elders especially often used it. By sticking such a staff into the ground, a person indicated that he was ready to give an important speech.

Food

Abkhazian cuisine is extremely rich. It uses a variety of ingredients:

• fruits
• vegetables
• different types of milk
• cereals.

The most preferred cereals are corn and wheat; dairy products include buffalo, cow and goat milk. Instead of bread, they mainly used corn flour, from which they made hominy porridge. Nut butter, cheese or milk could be added to it. Corn flour is used to make flatbreads, breads and halva. The corn itself is also consumed, usually boiled.
Wheat flour is used to make pies, dumplings and baklava. The meat is cooked together with adjika, and the chicken is served with nut sauce. Lamb and goat meat with the addition of mint are considered favorite delicacies.
Akud is prepared from vegetables, to which spices, beans, and hominy are added. Sometimes they make a simple achapa, which includes fresh vegetables. In winter, achapa is salted.

Cheese can also be served in a special way: with mint, in the form of cottage cheese, in cream. Common spices include:

1. Coriander
2. Parsley
3. Nettle
4. Dill
5. Purslane.

Adjika, which is considered spicy, always comes first, although this directly depends on the amount of red pepper and spices. Adjika can be light or very scorching. It is adjika that is used to prepare a variety of sauces with berries and nuts.

Character

By nature, Abkhazians are hospitable and friendly. Many remain conservative only in certain aspects. In general, people are open to new knowledge. Patriarchy is maintained in families, with the woman taking care of the children and home. Hot blood for Abkhazians means the absence of guile and true sincerity in relationships with friends and loved ones. The Abkhazians themselves say that they are wise, cunning and always hospitable.

Housing

The traditional dwelling of Abkhazians is apatskha. This type of building is more than a thousand years old. The walls in Apatskhe are wicker, they are made of hazel, azalea, and yew or oak is used for the base. In apatskhe they usually receive guests, prepare and eat food. Animals were rarely kept in the house, especially livestock.
The dwelling included 2–3 rooms. In the largest room there was a fireplace, near which the elders slept. They could also receive guests there. The younger ones lived in smaller rooms. Maintaining a fire in the hearth was an important task, as it symbolized life.
Benches were placed next to the fireplace, and bunks with woolen blankets were attached to the walls. Some Abkhazians still use the same utensils as their ancestors: chests, boxes, old boxes that are covered with a blanket. Spices were stored on shelves, and guns were hung on special hooks. Firewood for the hearth was stored at the head.

Video

N And at the end of the twentieth century, almost the entire world was shocked by changes on a historical scale. The collapse of the USSR brought a few nationalities, including the Abkhazians, to the brink of extinction. In such a critical situation, the traditions of the people, which had been eradicated by the power of the Soviets for almost a century, not only became relevant again, but became a means of ethnic, cultural and sometimes even literal survival of a given nation.

Who are the Abkhazians?

Abkhazians, as they call themselves, Apsua, are the indigenous inhabitants of Abkhazia, settled in the north-west of the Caucasus. They belong to the group of Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples, which, in addition to themselves, includes the Adygs (Circassians), Abazas and the now defunct Ubykhs. The Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples are mainly settled in the North and South Caucasus, but also have diasporas in different countries of the planet.

Today there are approximately 115 thousand Abkhazians on Earth: in Abkhazia itself - 93.3 thousand, in the territories of the Russian Federation - six thousand, and little by little in Syria, Turkey, Jordan, America and individual states of Western Europe. Apsua is spoken in the Abkhaz language, which includes Abzhui (the base of the literary language) and Bzyb dialects. They write in Cyrillic.

Origin of the Abkhazians

Representatives of this nation have always lived in the Caucasus. The ancient ancestors of the Abkhazians and their “neighbors” in the Abkhaz-Adyghe group were part of a huge conglomerate of tribes settled along the Eastern Black Sea region. In the second half of the first 1000 BC. e. The lands of the Eastern Black Sea region were greatly influenced by the cultural traditions of the ancient Greeks. Since the beginning of e. There was a separation of two related ethnic groups: Apsils and Abazgians. Later they merged, thus forming the ethnic “core” of the Abkhaz nation.

Abkhaz religion

Based on religion, the Abkhaz people can be divided into Orthodox Christians and Sunni Muslims. Christianity came to the lands of the Abkhazians in the fourth century, Islam - in the sixteenth. However, remnants of the primordial faith of the Abkhazians have survived to this day: an extensive pantheon of deities of various ranks, traditions of worshiping sacralized trees, hills, and places of prayer for childbirth.

History of the Abkhazians

In the eighth century AD e. The Abkhazian kingdom appeared, whose territories included part of today's western Georgia. Two centuries later, Abkhazia and Georgia merged into a single country. This state lasted for three centuries. At the end of the 16th century, the Abkhazian principality appeared - a Turkish vassal.

1810 - Abkhazia becomes part of the Russian Empire. In 1864, Apsua was deprived of its autonomy, abolishing the sovereign principality, which a couple of years later provoked a popular uprising. In the 1870s, approximately two hundred thousand Abkhazians fled to Turkey.

The February Revolution of 1917 gave the Abkhazians the opportunity to politically self-determinate - and they did not miss it. The Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia, which emerged on March 31, 1921, joined Georgia at the end of 1921 on the basis of an alliance agreement. Ten years passed and Abkhazia became part of Georgia as an autonomous republic. In the eighties, a national movement arose among the Apsua masses, led by Abkhaz intellectuals - radicals. The first and main task of this movement was to change the state-legal status of the country. Relations between Georgia and Abkhazia began to deteriorate. This process lasted almost ten years and brought first conflict and then the war of 1992–1993.

Traditions and customs of the Abkhazians

Abkhaz villages are incredibly chaotic in layout, literally scattered across mountainous terrain. Houses are not crowded together. Classic Abkhaz housing is a farmstead-type estate. In the old days, dwellings were made of wicker - quadrangular or round - and covered with a sloping roof made of straw. In the nineteenth century, houses began to be built from planks (the so-called akuaskia). They rose above the earth's surface on pillars, they had many rooms, the sloping roof was covered with shingles, and a balcony decorated with intricate carvings stretched along the facade. Today, Abkhazians, like everyone else, build houses of stone or brick: usually of two floors and with many rooms.

The traditional Abkhaz costume includes a beshmet, skinny trousers, a Circassian cap, a bashlyk, a burka, a papakha, and a stacked belt with a dagger. Abkhaz women traditionally dressed in dresses gathered at the waist with a wedge-like neckline on the chest, which was closed with metal fasteners. The dress was complemented with a belt and a headscarf. Upon reaching a certain age, girls began to wear a fabric corset. Akapkap - ancient women's shoes made of wood - are a bit like stilts.

Traditional cuisine includes thick corn porridge, boiled beans, milk and its derivatives, beef, goat, lamb, vegetables, fruits, nuts and honey. Food is often seasoned with bitter sauces and adjika.

Prominent Abkhazians

The first of the famous Abkhazians is Leon II, the first sovereign of the independent Abkhazian kingdom. It was during his reign that the formation of the Abkhaz nation as a single whole was completed.

Further in the history of the Abkhaz people there were talented politicians and heads of state: Vladislav Grigorievich Ardzinba, chairman of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz SSR in 1992 - 1993, and then president of the republic; Sergei Vasilievich Bagapsh, also President of Abkhazia (2005 - 2011); Nestor Apollonovich Lakoba, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and others. The Abkhaz land gave the world such talented poets and writers as Fazil Iskander, Alexey Gogua, Georgy Gulia and others. There are also Heroes of the Soviet Union among the Abkhazians: Varlam Alekseevich Gablia, Yason Basyatovich Kokoskeria, and others. Among the Abkhazians there is also a Christian saint - this is Saint Eustathius, and the famous Soviet football player Vitaly Kukhinovich Daraselia.

Culture of the Abkhaz people

Today, Abkhazians grow corn and many other grains, grapes, and garden plants; They raise cattle, and in the mountains, goats. Crafts familiar to many generations of Apsua include making tools for agriculture, various household utensils, and clothing; They also make beautiful things from horn and metals, they are engaged in weaving, embroidery, inlay, and wood carving.

Folklore consists of many genres: from heroic tales about local heroes - the Narts - to lyrical songs and proverbs full of wisdom. In 1862, the Russian philologist P.K. Uslar first tried to compose the Abkhaz alphabet based on Russian letters. Three years later, a primer of the native language was published for the first time in Abkhazia.

Abkhazians have a very strong culture of laughter. These people know how, without crossing the boundaries of decency, to ironize and laugh at themselves and others even in the most extreme situations.

Apsua folk music is very distinctive and often includes polyphony. This is a complex of ritual, labor, historical and everyday songs, each of which is endowed with its own genre characteristics and varieties.

The origin of the Abkhazians and their place among other peoples of the world has long been of interest to researchers. There are not many written sources from which they draw their knowledge. And archeology, without the availability of appropriate written data, cannot paint a true picture of the origins of the people. The possibilities of ethnology and anthropology are further narrowed. Experts believe that language is a kind of unwritten chronicle of the centuries-old memory of the people. It contains information about economic activities, the way of life of distant ancestors, their connections with other peoples and much other interesting information. All this helps to understand the linguistic kaleidoscope of the peoples of the Caucasus, which, due to the mountainous landscape, played a preservative role in contrast to the expansive steppes. Therefore, the Caucasus is united in its diversity and many-sided in its unity, which must always be taken into account. It is recognized that the Abkhaz language is one of the oldest languages ​​in the world. It, together with other closely related languages ​​(Abaza, Ubykh, Adyghe, Circassian, Kabardian) forms the Western Caucasian (Abkhaz-Adyghe) language group, numbering several million people today.

The Abkhaz-Adyghe group of languages ​​is related in origin to the East Caucasian languages ​​(Vainakh and Dagestan). Both of these groups form a single Caucasian family of languages.

Researchers of the Abkhaz language note that it is the most difficult for outsiders. Until recently, in the hunting environment, the Abkhaz-Adygs had a special “forest” or “hunting” language.

Relationship with the Hutts. The collapse of the Abkhaz-Adyghe proto-language into three main branches (Abkhaz-Adyghe-Ubykh) is believed to have begun approximately 5 thousand years ago. In modern science, the hypothesis about the relationship of the Abkhaz-Adyghe languages ​​with the Hutt language, whose speakers lived in Asia Minor (in the territory of modern Turkey), has received wide recognition. The direct connections of the ancient population of the Western Caucasus with Asia Minor and Western Asia, with the civilizations of the Ancient East are indicated by the famous monuments of Maikop (until the second half of the 3rd millennium BC) and megalithic (dolmens, cromlechs - second half of the 3rd millennium BC .) archaeological cultures. The well-known “Maikop” and “Esher” epigraphic inscriptions can also testify to the traditional connections of the Abkhaz-Adygs with ancient Eastern civilizations. The signs of these texts show a certain similarity both with the writings found in Byblos (XIII century BC), in Phenicia, and with the signs of the Hittite hieroglyphic writing (II-I millennium BC).

The people, who spoke the proto-language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe, were engaged in agriculture, raised livestock, made various handicrafts, and processed metals. This is confirmed by archaeological materials from Abkhazia. There is an opinion that the Hutts were the inventors of iron metallurgy and that their name iron found its way into many languages ​​of the world (in particular, the Russian word “iron” comes from it). Words such as “sea”, “shore”, “fish”, “mountain (wooded )", "forest (deciduous)", "forest (coniferous)", "fir", "beech", "dogwood", "chestnut", etc. Toponymic names indicate the same thing. For example, names of rivers that include the element “dogs” - water, river (Aripsa, Supsa, Akampsis, Apsar, Lagumpsa), as well as words with the name “kua” - “ravine”, “beam”, “river”, etc. And the archeological data of Abkhazia indicate the continuity of local cultures in time and space before and after the mention of ancient Abkhazian tribes in ancient written sources in the first centuries of our era.

Ecological niche and ethnogenesis of ancient Abkhazians. In the origin of peoples, the role of natural conditions (features) should also be taken into account, i.e. geographical environment. For the history of the Abkhaz-Adygs, the preservative and differentiating processes that took place in the Western Caucasus gorges and mountain passes were very important.

Language decays usually occur during the movement of part of the speakers of the proto-language to another geographically isolated (mountains, rivers) area - the so-called ecological niche.

There is an opinion that the ancestral home of the Abkhaz-Adygs was the Colchis ecological niche and the adjacent northeastern regions of Asia Minor, where in the second - early first millennium BC. e. Kashki-Abeshla, related to the Abkhaz-Adygs, lived (they most likely spoke the Hutt language). Then, perhaps, there was a movement along the coast through the eastern Black Sea corridor (Meoto-Colchian road) and through the passes of the direct linguistic ancestors of the Circassians to the northern slopes of the Western Caucasus. The ancestors of the Zikh-Ubykhs occupied a niche between the Gagra ridge and Tuapse, connected with neighboring territories by difficult-season paths. The Proto-Abkhazian tribes, as the primary part of the community, continued to live in Colchis, where ancient authors found them in the person of the Apsils, Abasgians and Sanigs. Experts believe that cultural advances from Colchis along the Black Sea coast to Eastern Transcaucasia and the northern slopes of the Central Caucasus reached their peak in the 9th-8th centuries. BC e. This time coincides with the heyday of the “Colchis-Koban metallurgical province.” As for the ancient non-Kartvelian tribes: Kardu-Kart, Kulha-Kolhi, Lusha-Laz, etc., they, there is an opinion, even before the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. lived in the northeastern regions of Asia Minor. And only then did these tribes advance through the river gorge. Chorokhi along the coast or along the river gorge. Kura to the Kolkhida ecological niche. The historical plausibility of this option may be indicated by its primacy in Transcaucasia before the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. Proto-North Caucasian “Hurrito-Urartian” element, related to the East Caucasian languages ​​(Nakh-Dagestan).

Speaking about the origin of the Abkhaz people, it is important to always remember that since the settlement of the Western Caucasus by humans, southern influences have traditionally prevailed here - from Asia Minor. From there, in ancient times, speakers of the Abkhaz-Adyghe proto-language moved into the Western Caucasian valleys.

Taking into account the geographical factor and many other things, we should not forget that no people can develop independently, without interaction with other neighboring peoples. Abkhazians are no exception in this regard.

Bridge between Europe and Asia. The territory inhabited by Abkhazians has always served as a kind of bridge between the North Caucasus and the Black Sea coast. The second direction of connections was determined by the sea, along the shores of which ships moved towards Asia Minor and Crimea. In this regard, we can recall such coastal civilizations as, for example: Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Genoa, with which the ancient ancestors of the Abkhazians were also in close contact (by the way, in the village of Tamysh a clay model of a boat was found in the 8th century layer. BC.). An important role was also played by the fact that the base of the triangle of space occupied by the Abkhazians was open to influences from the southeast, from where the foothill “Abkhazian road” led, which was used by merchants and conquerors. It is possible that in the late Middle Ages this path was protected by the Great Abkhazian (Kelasur) Wall, as evidenced by its configuration, the architectural features of the towers themselves and curtains (the fortress wall between the towers), as well as the accompanying archaeological material.---

Geniochi Tribal Union and its components. The population of Abkhazia and adjacent regions, as evidenced by ancient written sources, was in the 1st millennium BC. e. a rather powerful and at the same time motley union of Geniochian tribes. Nevertheless, they were close to each other linguistically and culturally. At least, the ancient cities of Dioscurias (modern Sukhum) and Fasis (modern Poti) were located on the land of the Geniokhs.

In the first centuries of our era, the Geniokhian union broke up into smaller ancient Abkhazian tribes: Sanigs, Abasgians, Apsils (the latter gave the Abkhazians the self-name Aps-ua). In the VI century. n. e. The Misimians emerged from the Apsils. At this time, the ethnopolitical border between the ancient Abkhazian and ancient Kartvelian tribes (Laz) ran approximately along the river. Ingur. This is how it was in the 7th - early 8th centuries, before the formation of the Abkhazian kingdom. In the I-VI centuries. all of the listed ancient Abkhaz tribal associations were early class state formations (“principalities” or “kingdoms”) - Sanigia, Apsilia, Abasgia and Misiminia (from the 6th century). They became the basis for the formation of first the Abkhazian (Abasgian) principality, and then the Abkhazian kingdom (8th century). This was facilitated by the unity of the ancient Abkhaz tribes, which led to the creation of a single Abkhaz feudal nation - the common ancestor of both Abkhazians and Abazins (this process could have begun back in the 7th century, or maybe a little earlier, after the official adoption of Christianity in Abkhazia in the 30-50s of the 6th century). It should be remembered that during the period of the “kingdom of the Abkhazians and Kartlians”, back at the end of the 12th century, the language of the ancestors of modern Abkhazians (Apsaras - Apsua) was well known and respected at the royal court.

Subsequently, the ancestors of some of the modern Abazas (Tapanta), having crossed the spurs of the Main Caucasus Range, settled in the valleys of the North Caucasus devastated by the Mongol invasion. Relocation there of another Abazin tribe - the Ashkharians, who call themselves ap-sua, i.e. Abkhazians, happened even later. Therefore, the speech of the Ashkharians, unlike the Tapants, is less different from the Abkhazian. In a word, the Abkhaz and Abaza actually speak close dialects of the single Abkhaz-Abaza language.

This is how today we can briefly imagine the rather complex process of the origin of the Ab-Khaz people, one of the most ancient peoples of the world.

Illustrated encyclopedia of the peoples of Russia. St. Petersburg, 1877.

Abkhazians - (self-name Apsua) autochthonous population of the Caucasus.

Literature: Janashia N.S., Articles on the ethnography of Abkhazia, Sukhumi, 1960; Inal-Iia Sh., Abkhazians, 2nd ed., Sukhumi, 1965; Chursin G.F., Materials on the ethnography of Abkhazia, Sukhumi, 1956. See also lit. to the article Abkhaz ASSR. Abkhazians / ot. ed. Yu.D. Anchabadze, Yu.G. Argun; Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology named after. N.N. Miklouho-Maclay RAS; Abkhaz Institute of Humanitarian Studies named after. DI. Gulia. - M.: Nauka, 2007. - 547 p. - (Peoples and cultures). Read the following materials here:

Smirnova Y.S. Abkhazians

ABKHAZ (self-name - Apsua) - nation, indigenous population of the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Some Abkhazians live in the Adjarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, as well as in Turkey. The number of Abkhazians in the USSR is 65 thousand people (1959). The ancestors of the Abkhazians, mentioned in Assyrian sources of the 11th century BC. e. under the name Abeshla, and among ancient authors of the 1st and 2nd centuries under the name Abazgians and Apsils, they are among the most ancient inhabitants of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The process of formation of the Abkhazian people, which emerged mainly by the 8th century, can be traced back to the 18th century.

Abkhazians. Family: structure and internal organization

Historical data - literary, historical and statistical, as well as obtained by the method of ethnographic reconstructions, indicate that until relatively recently among the Abkhazians, the most common form of organization of family-related groups was the large family. Given the low level of productive forces, the existence of a large family team was a real necessity, because the extensive transhumance form of cattle breeding, which was the leading branch of agriculture in mountainous Abkhazia at that time, required a significant number of workers.

Akaba L. Traditional religious beliefs of [Abkhazians]

The traditional religion of the Abkhazians is a system of polytheistic beliefs that are multi-layered in nature, with a very large pantheon of deities and objects of sacred veneration included in the scenarios of ramified cult practices. The function of the supreme deity belongs to Anzea. He is the creator of nature and people (often the epithet “who gave birth to us” is attached to his name), the ruler and omnipotent ruler of the universe. Possesses all perfections: omnipotence, omniscience, absolute goodness, limitlessness, immutability, etc. Anzea resides in the sky (often given the epithet “above”). When it descends from the sky, thunder rumbles, when it rises, lightning flashes. Thunder and lightning are his punishing powers. On the one hand, there is the idea of ​​Anzea as a deity devoid of any specific external features; on the other hand, he is represented either as a young handsome man or as a gray-haired old man...

Filatov K.A. Lazy

The Lazy are an ancient tribe, related to the Georgians, who occupied the fertile and rich valley of the river. Fasis (modern Rioni), called Muhirisi. The ancient Greeks called this country Colchis. Most of the internal Laz cities were located in the Muhirisi region - Rhodopolis, Kutaisi, Vashnari, Apsar, etc. Fasis (modern Poti), a significant trading city on the Black Sea, at the mouth of the river, was also connected with Muhirisi. Rioni. In the 4th century. the sovereign prince Lazov subjugated the Abazgs, Apsils and other smaller tribes, and by the end of the 4th century. and Svans. Thus arose a new kingdom, which the Romans called Lazica.

A.I. Broido, R.M. Bartsyts. Byzantine expansion and the legend of Abryskil.

The bright dominant of the Abkhaz national mentality - Apsadgyl bziabara, which became one of the ethnopsychological factors in the victory in the Patriotic War of the people of Abkhazia in 1992-1993, reveals the presence of a corresponding archetype in the ethnic collective unconscious, which is revealed in folklore and epic materials. Among them, a special place is occupied by the legend of Abryskil, the defender of the fatherland from foreign conquerors.

Rumyantsev V.B. Great Pitiunt and its surroundings. (Travel notes of a Great Russian about Abkhazia).

It was just dawn, my wife and I packed our things, walked out through the wrought iron door from the fortress walls, passed the main gate and the flat battlemented tower, locked at such an early hour, crossed a small square and got into a minibus, ready to head to the Russian border. Our state was somewhat nervous - we had to get to the border, cross it, that is, go through the control of the border guards on this and that (Russian) side, then drive through the traffic jam to the airport, go through a “search” there and have things scanned at the airport itself... In short, we had to spend the entire day solving an equation with many unknowns. It was supposed to end with a safe landing at Vnukovo airport and a happy meeting with relatives, which, thank God, eventually happened. In the meantime, we only walked the first fifty meters of the long journey, sat in soft chairs and waited for the minibus trailer to be filled to capacity with people - after all, until the cabin is completely filled, the driver here won’t lift a finger. There is nowhere for him to rush here...

(self-name - Ansua), people, indigenous population of Abkhazia. They also live in Russia (6 thousand people) and other countries. The Abkhazian language is of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian family of languages. The believers are mostly Sunni Muslims, with some Orthodox Christians.

Language

They speak the Abkhaz language of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the North Caucasian language family. There are dialects: Abzhuy (underlies the literary language) and Bzyb. Writing on a Russian graphic basis.

The Abkhazian language belongs to the Western Caucasian (Abkhaz-Adyghe) language group. It has two dialects - Abzhuy (the basis of the modern literary language) and Bzyb. Abkhazian writing developed on the basis of the alphabet created in 1862 by linguist P.K. Uslar. Later it was improved by Abkhaz scientists. The basis of the national alphabet is the Cyrillic alphabet.

Religion

Abkhaz believers are Orthodox Christians (from the 4th century) and Sunni Muslims (from the 16th century).

Story

Abkhazians are the autochthonous population of the Caucasus. In the 8th century they developed statehood, which to one degree or another lasted until their annexation to Russia in 1810. In the 1870s. more than half of the population of Abkhazia, dissatisfied with the policies of the autocracy, moved to Turkey.

In 1921, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia was formed, which became part of Georgia on the basis of a union treaty. In 1931, the status of Abkhazia was downgraded to the level of an autonomous republic. The growth of Abkhaz-Georgian contradictions in the late 1980s. led to a serious political crisis.

Representatives of the Abkhaz people appeared on the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the 1930s (16 people). In the post-war period, their numbers gradually increased: 1970 - 68 people, 1979 - 89, 1989 - 124.

In the 1990s, the diaspora decreased by half and numbered 60 people by the end of 2002. The Abkhaz community of Krasnoyarsk is characterized by a double predominance of men and the absolute dominance of city dwellers (88%).

Life and activities

The main traditional occupations of the Abkhazians are agriculture, transhumance and grazing; auxiliary occupations are beekeeping and hunting. In the 20th century The cultivation of tobacco, tea, and citrus fruits (tangerines) has been mastered. Crafts were developed - making utensils, clothing, metal and horn products, wood carving, inlay, embroidery, weaving.

Traditional men's clothing - beshmet, circassian coat, skinny trousers, burka, bashlyk, papakha, stacked belt with a dagger; for women - a fitted dress with a wedge-shaped neckline on the chest, closed with metal fasteners, a belt, and a scarf on the head.

The national food of the Abkhazians is hard corn porridge mamalyga (abysta), boiled beans, milk and dairy products, various types of meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, honey. Characteristic are spicy gravies and sauces, the famous seasoning adjika. Alcoholic drinks - dry wine and grape vodka.

Famous Abkhazians

• Apsha Leon
• Ali Bey - Sultan of Egypt 1763-1773.
• Ardzinba, Vladislav Grigorievich - Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz SSR (1990-1992), Chairman of the Supreme Council (1992-1994) and President of the Republic of Abkhazia (1994-2005).
• Arshba, Otari Ionovich (father's side) - Russian entrepreneur.
• Bagapsh, Sergei Vasilievich - Prime Minister (1997-1999) and President of the Republic of Abkhazia (2005-2011).
• Gablia, Varlam Alekseevich - Hero of the Soviet Union.
• Gogua, Alexey Nochevich - prose writer.
• Gulia, Georgy Dmitrievich - Russian Soviet writer, Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR (1943), Honored Artist of the Abkhazian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1971).
• Gulia, Dmitry Iosifovich - writer, people's poet of Abkhazia (1937); founder of Abkhaz written literature.
• Daraselia, Vitaly Kukhinovich - Soviet football player, midfielder, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.
• St. Eustathius
• Iskander, Fazil Abdulovich - Soviet and Russian prose writer and poet.
• Kokoskeria, Yason Basyatovich - Hero of the Soviet Union.
• Lakerbay, Mikhail Aleksandrovich - writer, playwright, theater critic, Honored Artist of the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1961).
• Lakoba, Nestor Apollonovich - Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the SSR Abkhazia (1922-1936), Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Abkhaz ASSR (1930-1936).
• Orbay, Rauf - Prime Minister of Turkey (1922-1923).
• Papaskiri, Ivan Georgievich - Abkhaz Soviet writer, Honored Worker of Culture of the Georgian SSR (1968).
• Hareiddin Pasha - Prime Minister of Tunisia, author of the Tunisian Constitution of 1861.
• Shinkuba, Bagrat Vasilievich - writer and poet, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1958-1979).

• Among all the regions of the USSR, the record holder for the number of centenarians per capita was Abkhazia. In 1956, there were 2,144 people aged 90 years and older living in the Abkhaz SSR; of these, 270 are over a hundred, and 11 are over 120 years old. Among the Abkhaz long-livers there were no gloomy and angry people; The Abkhazians have a saying: “Evil people do not live long.”