Everything about Chechens totally explained
Chechens (
Chechen:
Hохчи /
Noxçi) constitute the largest native
ethnic group originating in the
North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as
Nokhchii (singular Nokhchi or Nokhcho), which comes from the name of a large Chechen
tribe, the Nokhchmekhkakhoi, and their homeland.
The isolated
mountain terrain of the
Caucasus and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Chechens has contributed much to the Chechen community
ethos and helped shape a unique national character.
Origins of the word Chechen
The term "Chechen" is ultimately believed to derive from the
Iranian name for the Nokhchii and it first occurs in
Arabic sources from the
8th century. According to popular tradition, the Russian term "Chechen" comes from the name of the village of Chechen-Aul, where the Chechens defeated
Russian soldiers in 1732. The word "Chechen", however, occurs in
Russian sources as early as 1692 and the
Russians probably derived it from the
Kabardian "Shashan".
Geography
The Chechen people are mainly inhabitants of
Chechnya, which is internationally recognized as part of the
Russian Federation. There are also significant Chechen populations in other Russian regions (especially in
Dagestan,
Ingushetia and
Moscow).
Outside Russia, countries with significant Chechen
diaspora populations are
Georgia,
Kazakhstan,
Turkey, and the
Arab world (especially
Jordan and
Syria). These are mainly descendants of people who had to leave Chechnya during the
Caucasian War, which led to the annexing of Chechnya by the
Russian Empire around 1850, and the 1944 Soviet
deportation in the case of Kazakhstan. More recently, tens of thousands of
Chechen refugees settled in the
European Union and elsewhere as the result of the
Chechen Wars since 1994.
History
The
Vainakh tribes, the ancestors of the Chechens and
Ingush, lived in the mountains of the region since the
prehistory (there's an archeological evidence of historical continuity dating back since 10,000 B.C.). In the
16th century, they began settling in the
lowlands and the
Islamization of the Chechen people began under the influence of bordering nationalities.
This period was followed by the long and difficult Russian expansion into the Caucasus, when the Chechens with their extensive lowlands territory and access to the central pass were prime targets of the Russian conquest efforts. During the wars, large numbers of lives due to the Russian
scorched earth tactics which decimated the local population as the
tsarist troops tried to break the fierce resistance while large numbers of the
muhajir refugees
emigrated or were forcibly deported to the
Middle East.
Salafism was introduced to the population in the
1950s. Some of the rebels involved in the
Chechen wars are Salafists, but the majority are not.
Gallery
Image:Chechens19.jpg|Chechen warriors in the 19th century
Image:Evstafiev-chechnya-handshake.jpg|Chechen fighters in the late 20th century, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Image:Ruslan Gelayev.jpg|Chechen guerrillas in the 21st century
Image:Dudaev&family.jpg|Dzhokhar Dudayev and his family
Image:T.TM.ASI.112.jpg|Chechen children in the Pankisi Gorge
Image:Evstafiev-chechnya-women-pray.jpg|Elderly Chechen women in Chechnya in 1994, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Image:Evstafiev-chechnya-boy-house-burns.jpg|A young Chechen fighter in 1995, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Image:Chechenchildren.jpg|Chechen refugees in Georgia in 2006
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chechens'.
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