Last modified: 2011-10-21 by andrew weeks
Keywords: daghestan | ethnic group | nogai | kumukh | triskelion | crescent: points to top fly (white) | lezgi | savdal | bird | laks | avars | aguls |
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In Daghestan live about 35 different ethnic groups.
Some of these peoples have their own flags.
António Martins, Nov 1998
Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008
Yet another nation in Dagestan with the flag and emblem - Agul - located in the central part of south-eastern Dagestan, in the deep canyons, hence relatively isolated. Aguls number ca.28,000 in all of Russia. In Dagestan there are ca.23,000 Aguls and another 2,000 in Stavropol Krai. Agulskiy Rayon of Dagestan has a population of ca.12,000, some of them Dargwins.
According to the ancient Armenian chronicles, Aguls were practicing equally Judaism and Christianity. After Arab invasions of the region, starting in 7th Century, they were islamized. From the 13th Century, the Mongol-Tatar influence was considerable. By the 1813 Gulistan Peace Treaty between Russia and Persia, the area was annexed to the Russian Empire. In 1921 it was included in the Dagestan ASSR and in 1935 the Agulskiy Rayon was created.
Agul language didn't have a written form until 1990. Instruction in schools were given originally in Lezgian (since 1921) and in Russian (since 1953) Being written in modified cyrillic, The Agul language became the medium of instruction in Agul primary and secondary schools in 1992. Agul language (four dialects) is close to Lezgin and belongs to Nakh-Dagestan group of Northern Caucasian family of languages. The dialects vary from one gorge to another.
Capital of Agul is in the village of Tpig. Present head of the administration of Agulskiy Rayon is Mr.Yuriy Guseinovich Ismailov. One of the larger villages, Burshag, is located at the elevation of 2,200m above the sea level. Considering a relatively low level of education and the isolation, it is quite amazing how many Aguls attained prominence in various spheres of Dagestani life - political, scientific, cultural and military. The information about the flag and emblem of Agul was gathered from the variety of sources, among them:
The flag of Agul is in proportions 1:2, horizontally divided black-
blue-red with a yellow triangle placed along the hoist and reaching
one-third of the length of the flag.
The flag appears twice on the emblem of Agul, the upper flag being
"normal" and the lower one "mirrored" (with the triangle facing the
right of the emblem)
Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008
Chrystian Kretowicz, 21 May 2008Yet another nation of Dagestan (and Azerbaijan), this time the largest one - the Avars. Their complicated history, both medieval and modern, is presented at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Avars They total slightly over million people (together with absorbed, related nationalities like Andis, Akhvakhs, Botligs, Godoberis, Bagulals, Karatas, Tindis, Chamalals (all considered Avars), the Dido group, which includes Didos, Khwarshia, Bezhetas, Khunzals and Ginugs and, not so closely related, but belonging to the proto-Avar tribes - the Archis). About 815,000 Avars live in Russia (750,000 in Dagestan, the rest in Chechnia, Kalmykia, Moscow and elsewhere) About 160,000 live in Azerbaijan, 45,000 in Turkey and 2,500 in Georgia. Smaller communities can be found in Jordan, Germany and the U.S. They are overwhelmingly Sunni Moslems. Majority adhere to the Shafi rite. Their language belongs to Nakh-Dagestan branch of the Caucasian languages. Khunzakh dialect serves as lingua franca and is a foundation for the Avar literary language written in modified cyrillic script since 1938 (from 1927 to 1938 it was written in latin script, and before that in arabic) The town of Khunzakh is a cultural center of Avaristan and serves as an unofficial capital of the Avars. Although the Avaristan (the Avar homeland) has no official status, the nationalistic feelings of the Avars are strong and on the rise.
Recently, the modern version of the old Avarian Khaganate flag, white
wolf of the Huns on black, is gaining an acceptance as the national
flag of the Avars and of Avaristan. Original old flag is on display
at the Central Museum in Makhachkala. The modern flag shows the white
wolf holding a banner with swastika and looking backward toward the
crescent moon. It is framed in yellow. The Avar swastika is a common
symbol there since ancient times. Called "sswerdiro" in Avar
language, it means: "Power to Destroy - Power to Create: Power of God".
Chrystian Kretowicz, 21 May 2008
The beast portraited, flying lion with dog’s
head, sure fits the description of
Chelyabinsk/Bashkir simargl
— and though Daghestan (where the Nogai dwell) is
some 1500 km SW of Chelyabinsk
region, there may be a connection, as both
Nogay and Bashkir (the
second largest ethnical group in Chelyabinsk region,
after the Russians) are
(western) turkic
(slim connection, shared with eight other
proples of the Russian
Federation, but who knows…).
António Martins, 26 Dec 2002
I’ve just seen on the french-german cultural TV channel Arte a
documentary about Daghestan, in which the flag of nationalist movement of
Kumukh people was shown (interview of its leader, with a big flag on the
wall and a table flag in front of him). The emblem on the flag is white
outlined black; the three “beasts” are linked together (as in the emblem
of Isle of Man), and the circle in the center is
is the border of zone where the three beasts join in one. In the center of
the circle, crescent and star, white outlined black.
Olivier Touzeau, 16 Mar 2000
On cpekacar.sitemynet.com/anadagkum.htm,
there are pics of Kumukh Arms, which are actually the flag with somewhat
different colors from this one.
Michael K. Renalds, 01 Jul 2002
I believe that several patterns exist; the basic design is what all people
agree.
Jaume Ollé, 22 Nov 2002
This image is from Gaceta de Banderas
[gdb],
information of Michel Lupant.
Jaume Ollé, 22 Nov 2002
I remade the image according photo of real flag received from
Khadzhy Bayram Bolat (Turkey).
Order of stripes is different.
The flag is used by kumyk people in Dagestan and kumyk diaspora in Turkey.
Victor Lomantsov, 23 Sep 2006
Accordin Aliev Saumur this flag want to be:
Lezgi (Lezgian, Lezghi, Lezgin, Kiurinsty) [LEZ] 257,000 in Russia
(1996); 171,400 in Azerbaijan (1996); 3,650 in Georgia; 2,570 in
Kazakhstan; 1,599 in Kyrghyzstan; 10,400 in Turkmenistan; 1,708 in
Ukraine; 1,585 in Uzbekistan; 1,200 in Turkey (1996); 451,000 in all
countries. Southern Dagestan ASSR, the western Caspian Sea coast,
central Caucasus. North Caucasian, Northeast, Lezgian. Dialects: Kiuri,
Akhty, Kuba, Gjunej,
Garkin, Anyx, Stal. Has literary status based on the Kiuri dialect.
Cyrillic alphabet. Some dialects are reported to not be inherently
intelligible with other. Mountain slope. Agriculturalists. Sunni and
some Shi’a Muslim.
Jarig Bakker, 07 Oct 1999, quoting from the
Ethnologue database
Lezghistan (or Lezgia) is the southernmost tip
of Russia, included in the multi-ethnic republic of
Daghestan. Its does include
also some neighbouring territory of
Azerbaijan
António Martins, 10 Aug 1999
Lakku Bilayat - Zeml'ya Laktsev - Land of the Laks
Yet another nation within multi-ethnic Dagestan.
They are native to the region. Live in the mountains
of central Dagestan in Lakskiy and Kulinskiy Rayons.
Some were moved to the lowlands in 1944 to replace the deported
Dagestani Chechens.
Their language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan group of the
North Caucasian linguistic family.
They number ca.157,000 (140,000 in Dagestan).
Sunni Muslims
Capital in the village of Kumukh.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 5 Mar 2008
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.