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The Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria is a federal subject of Russia (a republic), located in the Caucasus region.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2012) |
The Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria is a federal subject of Russia (a republic), located in the Caucasus region.
As with other parts of the Caucasus, the area that is now known as Kabardino-Balkaria has been inhabited for thousands of years. The origins of its inhabitants are intrinsically tied with its neighboring republics, Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia. See Circassia.
It is known that modern-day Circassians also called Kassogs were inhabiting that area since at least the 6th century BCE, then known as Zichia. [1] Balkars were part of Alania and one of the Vainakh tribes, who were influenced by Turkic culture after the Mongol invasion's split of the lowlands of Nakh tribes and adopted the language. Also genetically they are closely related to Chechens and Ingush. [2]
The region came under the control of the Mongols between 1242 and 1295. It passed into the hands of the Georgians from 1295 to around 1427 when it was incorporated into a unified Circassian Kingdom, [3] it remained part of the Kingdom until King Inal's death in 1453 where afterwards it remained independent until somewhere between 1769 and 1830 with the Russo-Circassian war and subsequent genocide when it fell under Russian occupation. It was eventually annexed by Russia. See Kabardia.
Kabardia gained independence briefly between 1739 and 1774, before being annexed by Russia under the terms of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca. Balkaria was annexed in 1827. The Russians established a number of forts in the region, notably at Nalchik (the republic's present-day capital), to secure their control over it. A significant number of Russians – many of Cossack descent – also settled there.
During the Russian Civil War, the region became part of the anti-communist South-Eastern League (1917–1918), then joined the Mountain Peoples’ Autonomous Republic in 1921. On September 1, 1921, with the emergence of the Soviet Union, the territories were organized into the Kabardin Autonomous Oblast. The region's name was changed to the Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Oblast the following year, and on December 5, 1936, it was elevated in status and named Kabardino-Balkar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1944, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin falsely accused the Balkars of collaborating with Nazi Germany and deported the entire population. Their name was deleted from the territory, which was renamed the Kabardin ASSR. The Balkar population was only allowed to return in 1957 at which point its pre-war name was restored.
Kabardino-Balkaria became a full republic in 1991 and in March 1992 became one of the constituent republics of the Russian Federation.
The republic's economy was very hard hit by the fall of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of war in neighboring Georgia and nearby Chechnya. The instability produced by the conflicts led to a collapse in tourism in the region and produced an unemployment level estimated to be as high as 90%. The republic's mainly Muslim population has become increasingly radicalised by the region's instability. In October 2005, Kabardino-Balkaria's capital Nalchik was the site of fighting after an attack on the city by Chechen militants. On 1 July 1994 Kabardino-Balkaria became the second republic after Tatarstan to sign a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy. [4] This agreement would be abolished on 8 August 2002. [5]
Karachay-Cherkessia, officially the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. It is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District. As of the 2021 census, Karachay-Cherkessia has a population of 469,865. Cherkessk is the largest city and the capital of the republic.
Nalchik is the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia, situated at an altitude of 550 meters (1,800 ft) in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about 100 kilometers (62 mi) northwest of Beslan. It covers an area of 131 square kilometers (51 sq mi). Population: 247,054 (2021 Census); 240,203 (2010 Census); 274,974 (2002 Census); 234,547 (1989 Soviet census).
The Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic or Mountain ASSR was a short-lived autonomous republic within the Russian SFSR in the Northern Caucasus that existed from 20 January 1921, to 7 July 1924. The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was created from parts of the Kuban and Terek Oblasts by the indigenous nationalities after the Russian Revolution; however, Soviet rule was installed on this territory after the Red Army conquered the Northern Caucasus in the course of the Russian Civil War, and the former republic was transformed into a Soviet one. The area of the republic was over 73,000 square kilometres (28,000 sq mi), and the population was about 800,000. It comprised six okrugs: Balkar, Chechen, Kabardian, Karachay, Nazran (Ingushetia), and Vladikavkaz Okrug (Ossetia) and had two cities: Grozny and Vladikavkaz. In addition, a special autonomy was provided to the Terek Cossacks: Sunzha Cossack Okrug, which included a large enclave in northern Ingushetia, and a smaller one bordering Grozny. Its boundaries approximated those of classical Zyx.
The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a region in Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which forms the natural border between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bordered by the Sea of Azov and Black Sea to the west, the Caspian Sea to the east, and the Caucasus Mountains to the south. The region shares land borders with the South Caucasus countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan. Located in the south of the region, Mount Elbrus is the tallest peak in Europe. Among its urban centres, Krasnodar is the most populous.
Kabardino-Balkaria, officially the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 904,200. Its capital is Nalchik. The area contains the highest mountain in Europe, Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 m (18,510 ft). Mount Elbrus has 22 glaciers that feed three rivers — Baksan, Malka and Kuban. The mountain is covered with snow year-round.
The Kabardians or Kabardinians are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes, representing one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. They are also commonly known by the plural terms Kabardin, Kebertei, or Kabarday. Along with the Besleney tribe, they speak a distinctive dialect of Circassian. Historically the Kabardians lived in Kabardia, a region of the north Caucasus. In modern times the Kabardians live mostly in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, which partly corresponds to the historic region.
Grand Principality of Great Kabarda or East Circassia was a historical country in the North Caucasus corresponding partly to the modern Kabardino-Balkaria. It had better political organization than its neighbors and existed as a political community from the fifteenth century until it came under Russian control in the early nineteenth century after the Russo-Circassian War.
The peoples of the Caucasus, or Caucasians, are a diverse group comprising more than 50 ethnic groups throughout the Caucasus.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast within the Kabardino-Balkaria region of the Soviet Union. The Oblast was formed in 1921 as the Kabardin Autonomous Oblast before becoming the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Oblast on 16 January 1922. On 16 October 1924 it became part of the North Caucasus Krai, but was separated from it on 5 December 1936, elevated in status and renamed the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
The United Vilayat of Kabarda-Balkaria-Karachay, also known as Vilayat KBK, was a militant Islamist Jihadist organization connected to numerous attacks against the local and federal security forces in the Russian republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia in the North Caucasus. Vilayet KBK has been a member of the Caucasus Emirate group since 2007.
Muslim Atayev, also known as Emir Sayfullah, was the founder of the militant organization Yarmuk Jamaat, which later became part of the Caucasus Front's Kabardino-Balkarian Sector in the Russian-held Caucasian Muslim state Kabardino-Balkaria of the Second Chechen War. Atayev was an ethnic Balkar and started his military career as a volunteer fighting in Chechnya.
Sultan Aslambekovich Sosnaliyev was a Soviet Army officer of Circassian ethnicity who served as a commander of Abkhaz and North Caucasian forces during the War in Abkhazia and as the defence minister of Abkhazia in 1993–1996 and 2005–2007.
Circassian nationalism is the desire among Circassians worldwide to preserve their genes, heritage and culture, save their language from extinction, raise awareness about the Circassian genocide, return to Circassia and establish a completely autonomous or independent Circassian state in its pre-Russian invasion borders.
Balkar and Karachay nationalism is the national sentiment among the Balkars and Karachai. It generally manifests itself in:
Inal Nekhu was the Supreme Prince (King) of Circassia from 1427 to 1453 who unified all Circassians into one state. He led campaigns into several countries and expanded borders on all directions. He was the founder of several Circassian tribes, mainly Kabardia, Besleney, Temirgoy, Zhaney, and Hatuqwai.
The Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union, and was originally a part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. On 16 January 1922 the region was detached from the Mountain ASSR and the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Oblast on 1 September 1921. It became an autonomous republic on 5 December 1936. On 30 January 1991, the Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR declared state sovereignty. It is now the Kabardino-Balkaria republic, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. The Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR bordered no other sovereign states during the existence of the Soviet Union.
The national emblem of the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted in 1937 by the government of the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The emblem is identical to the emblem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
Amirkhan Kamizovich Shomakhov was a Soviet Kabardian lyrics, prose, and play writer, primarily known as one of the founders of the Kabardian children's literature. People's Poet of the Kabarda-Balkar ASSR (1977). Member of the Union of Soviet Writers since 1949. Member of the CPSU since 1938.
Musa Magomedovich Shanibov, born Yuri Mukhamedovich Shanibov and also known simply as Musa Shanib, was a Circassian politician and revolutionary who led the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus from its founding until 1996. Popularly known as the "Garibaldi of the Caucasus", Shanibov led a largely-unsuccessful campaign for the region's nations to achieve independence from Russia and commanded volunteer troops in both the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia. He was involved in the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia.
Adyghe Hase or Circassian Khase is a political party active in the Russian republics of Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia, as well as in the former Shapsug National District in Krasnodar Krai. Popular among ethnic Circassians during the 1990s, it called for the unification of the three republics and the district into a single federal state.