Photographs of exhibits from two halls of the Hermitage dedicated to the art of the Dagestan village of Kubachi. Now this village is famous for its craftsmen, specialists in artistic metalworking. But in the Middle Ages, the villagers were famous as skilled stone carvers.
The reliefs from the village of Kubachi are very interesting; they are almost never found in other regions of Dagestan. And they are very similar to similar images in the cities of the Seljuk Sultanate in Asia Minor, I posted photos of them before and. There is a legend in the village that their ancestors came here from Rum, i.e. from Asia Minor, from the Rum Sultanate, created by the Seljuk Turks. All architectural details decorated with carvings from the village of Kubachi date back to the 14th-15th centuries. It can be assumed that the Rumians appeared in the mountains of Dagestan after the defeat of the Rum Sultanate by the Mongols, just in the 13-14th centuries. Perhaps immigrants from Asia Minor tried to hide from the Mongols in inaccessible mountains, at the same time (around 1305) the first evidence of the penetration of Islam into Kubachi appeared. On this moment, these reliefs are poorly studied, and there is no clear opinion about their origin.
It is unknown from which buildings these fragments of architectural decor were taken. When they were discovered in the 19th century by researchers from Russia, all the stones were reused and built into residential buildings. But the tradition of making stone reliefs in the village of Kubachi turned out to be very persistent; images from the 16th and even 19th centuries are known, having a style similar to the stones of the 14th century.
But most of the reliefs date back to the 14th-15th centuries.
An interesting fragment, on the left are fighting heroes, in the center are flags and a shield with some kind of “bird” symbolism, on the right is a warrior shooting backwards, this is the so-called Parthian shot, which was used by all nomads.
The Seljuks brought their main symbol- double-headed eagle. Apart from the village of Kubachi, it is not found anywhere else in Dagestan.
In addition to stone reliefs, bronze cauldrons remained in Kubachi; they also date back to approximately the 14th century. True, it has now been proven that some of them could have been made earlier, and not in Dagestan, but in Iran. This is evidenced by the names of the masters who cast them. For example, Qazvini, a native of the Iranian city of Qazvin, Marvazi - a man from Merv, Tusi - a man from Tus. But the boilers and those cast in the village of Kubachi remained.
A warrior shoots a bow at the sun, occupied by evil four-legged creatures)
Dancing people.
The figures are apparently lions, or some kind of cat, with long necks. The lion, along with the double-headed eagle, was an important symbol of the Seljuk Sultanate.
These cat heads have been preserved only separately; it is unknown which figures they belonged to.
Figures of deer from the village of Kubachi of the 16th century.
These fragments show the style of Byzantium, Iran, and even China.
Dragons or snakes curling in coils are very characteristic characters in Seljuk art. They decorated with similar dragons entrance doors, for example the famous Snake Gate - the main entrance to the Aleppo citadel.
Mustachioed people dance with drinking horns. Islam took root in the Caucasus for a very long time; the pagan mountaineers resisted until the 19th century. Therefore, widespread drunkenness here was not surprising.
Facade of the house of Ahmad and Ibrahim in Kubachi (based on a drawing by N.B. Baklanov, circa 1925). It's clear that architectural elements with reliefs were located very chaotically, which proves their secondary use.
And an interesting fragment with stone carvings made in 1870. Here we observe the snake-fighting of the main character and a woman in a dress more typical of Russian culture. At the same time, the aesthetics of the Middle Ages are preserved. It's as if the masters of the Rum Sultanate were trying to portray Russian characters folk tales and young ladies of the Russian Empire of the 19th century.
Boiler lid, late 19th century. Kubachi.
Silver buckle from the village of Kubachi, late 19th century. It is precisely such silver jewelry that has glorified Kubachi in our time.
My posts dedicated to museums around the world.
Carpet making is one of the ancient arts in the world. Even Herodotus in his writings mentioned the use of carpets among the peoples of the Caucasus. The Great Silk Road passed through Derbent, which contributed to the development of crafts in Dagestan. This is how the art of carpet weaving developed in the region over many centuries.
Usage
Carpets served a variety of functions.For babies covered the cradles special carpet covers,carpets for brides given as dowry(the bride had to weave a carpet for her future husband),carpets were used and in funeral rites. by them covered the clay floor, insulated stone walls homes and even replaced furniture in the house. After the penetration of Islam into Dagestan, this type of carpet appeared:namazlyk -small rug to perform prayer. Besides practical purposes, carpet also brought aesthetics into the monochrome dwellings of the mountaineers.
Carpet making
The process of creating a carpet is labor-intensive. Wool for carpets for autumn and spring shearing went through several stages of preparation. First, the wool was washed, dried, sorted, then combed and spun into yarn. The yarn was then dyed by boiling it along with various natural dyes. This is one of unique advantages Dagestan carpets - color obtained from the bark, leaves, roots of plants, does not undergo discoloration and allows the carpet to last up to 300-400 years.
The root of madder (a herbaceous plant) gave the products a red color; yellow - obtained from barberry bark, onion peel, St. John's wort and oregano; for the blue color, indigo was brought, from the leaves of which dye powder was obtained. Indigo was also added to yellow yarn and obtained green color. The peel and bark of the walnut tree gave a wide range of colors: light yellow, marsh, brown, black.
Types of carpets
According to the manufacturing technique, Dagestan carpets come in four types: lint-free, pile, felt and combined.
Lint-free
(common among Avars, Kumyks, Laks, Dargins, Lezgins)
Sumac
Who produced: Southern Dagestan and some regions of Azerbaijan
Pattern: complex and most often geometric, sometimes with plant, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements. On the central field there are several medallions (ornamental forms), and the gaps are filled with rare small patterns
Color: warm, restrained tones - brick-red, ocher-golden on a dark red or blue background
Kilim
Who produced: Lezgins and Laks
Pattern: repeating hexagonal medallion.The composition consisted of sequentially arranged figures that formed horizontal rows of the kilim. Also, the ornament was formed in the form of one or several large rhombuses, with a vertical or lattice arrangement along the length of the field
Color: rich palette - blue, red, orange, white, olive and others
Davagin
Who produced: Avars
Pattern: symmetrical rhombic medallion with a large number of branches with zoomorphic figures. This ornament is called “rukzal”, which means a long-necked and multi-legged house. The entire central part is framed by a wide frieze (horizontal stripe) with geometric patterns
Color: blue background, pattern of red, black, yellow
Doom
Who produced: Kumyks
Pattern: the main compositional solution is the presence of a central part and a border of one to three stripes
Color: blue or red background, and the ornaments, depending on the background, have shades of yellow, green, blue, brown
Supradum
Who produced: Kazbekovsky district of Dagestan
Pattern: three to five large octagons filled with ornaments of a zoomorphic, anthropomorphic nature and small geometric patterns. In the center of the octagon there is a rounded medallion with filling similar to the decoration of the field. The field is bordered by a border with a repeating floral or geometric element
Color: dark red background
Chibta
Who produced: Avars from the village of Urma, Levashinsky district
Pattern: large symmetrical geometric elements in the form of triangles, zigzags with stepped shapes and horn-shaped motifs
Color: yellow background, burgundy, terracotta pattern, blue color, black outline
Simple and patterned rugs
Who produced: many peoples of Dagestan
Pattern: various compositional structures based on wide stripes framed by narrower stripes with a fine pattern. The ornament of wide stripes was built from large medallions of geometric shapes - triangles, rhombuses, crosses
Color: With a combination of shades of red, orange, brown, purple, blue, white, black and other colors
Pile carpets
(common among Tabasarans, Lezgins, Kumyks, Avars)
Pile carpets have become very popular both in Dagestan and abroad. Many local peoples were engaged in the production of this type of carpet, but only Tabasaran masters managed to gain international recognition.
Who produced: pile carpets were named after the locality where they were produced. Each locality had its own characteristic ornament. In Southern Dagestan there are 8 species: “Akhty”, “Mikrakh”, “Derbent”, “Rushul”, “Tabasaran”, “Khiv”, “Kasumkent”, “Rutul”. The northern group of pile carpets includes the Avar “Tlyarata”, Kumyk “Dzhengutai” and “Kazanishche”. This classification is applicable only to old carpets; modern ones do not require strict ornamental differentiation
Pattern: a central field and a border, which consists of an odd number of borders. As an ornament - geometric motifs: elements of plants, celestial bodies, objects, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images. The patterns form a world of symbols through which the masters reflected the world around them and their feelings. Previously, images of people and animals bore magical motifs associated with ancient rituals and cults, but the meaning has long been lost, and now the patterns are decorative in nature
Color: blue or red background with patterns of various colors and shades. Color harmony was achieved through a balance between bright and dark spots, warm and cool colors
The ornament of pile carpets, depending on the composition, is:
Centric - concentration on the central large figure (medallion)
Background - filling empty seats on the central field
Border(tape) - accent on the border
Felt carpets
(common among Laks, Kumyks, Nogais, Avars)
Felt craft is one of the oldest crafts; it was most developed in the foothills of the northeastern part of Dagestan and the Nogai steppe.
Arbabash
Who produced: Avars and Kumyks
Pattern: smooth images of plants
Color: contrasting combinations of red, blue, white, black, gray. White braid along the contour
And rbabashi p They were made by placing several felts of different colors on top of each other and cut out according to the intended ornament. The cut out elements were sewn into felt of a different color, and thus two arbabas with the same pattern in different colors were obtained. The gap between the drawings was closed with white tape.
Kiyiz
Who produced: Nogais, Laks
Pattern: geometric, plant, zoomorphic and object elements, images of the generic symbol. Laks used diamonds and intersecting stripes
Color: white, black, gray, brown background. The pattern is embroidered with bright threads of blue, yellow, white, black, orange.
Combined carpets
(common among Avars and Dargins)
Tsakh
Tsakh carpets They are a combined type that combines kilim (lint-free) weaving and knotted weaving. The weaving technique allows the carpet to be double-sided: smooth on one side and terry on the other. Such carpets were woven by Avars, Dargins, and Rutulians. Tsakh was called the “mother of the carpet,” considering him the founder of all carpets.
Carpet making is one of the most ancient types of decorative and applied arts in Dagestan. Carpets of impeccable quality are still in demand today for interior decoration. Unfortunately, today this is a great rarity: natural colors are replaced by artificial ones, and high technique is lost. However, there are still villages in Dagestan where craftsmen follow traditions and produce unique carpets that look original and can last about 300 years.
Based on materials from the book “Dagestan Carpets: From the Collection of the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts named after. P.S. Gamzatova."
Mariam Tambieva
Details are very important
The traditional clothing of the Dagestan peoples is so diverse that by the details of the costume one could determine not only what nationality a person belongs to, but even what village. Moreover, the outfit could speak about the age, status and financial condition of its owner. However, this applies mostly to women’s outfits rather than men’s, which were much more monotonous and differed from other traditional attire of the peoples of the Caucasus only in individual details, ornaments and other subtleties. In addition, it is the traditional Dagestan women’s outfit that has retained its archaic and original character.
Dagestan is made up of more than 70 nationalities - Avars, Andians, Botlikhs, Godoberins, Karatins, Akhvakhs, Chamalals, Baguals, Tindins, Khvarshins, Zunzibians, Ginukhs, Didois, Bezhta, Lezgins and many others. Each of them has its own language, culture, traditions and original costumes. However, despite the fact that each nation had its own characteristics in clothing, they were united by many basic things, such as, for example, a tunic-like shirt, a scarf, a chukhta, a turban, as well as a long beshmet, which was also extremely popular among many Dagestan nationalities. Ornament and embroidery were of great importance in women's outfits. The patterns were most often worn as a talisman, sacred meaning, or served simple decoration, depicting trees, branches, leaves, birds, animals and more. Rich festive outfits were richly embroidered with silver, gold, precious stones or pearls. Women's costumes of many Dagestan peoples often abounded in various decorations - bracelets, rings, metal belts, coins, plaques, etc.
About color
The colors of traditional Dagestan outfits also had a symbolic, ritual meaning. Despite the apparent diversity, the clothes were dominated by white, black and red. White color Most often used in festive, usually wedding, clothing. Moreover, both for women and for men. Red had the meaning of wealth and prosperity, and black had a kind of magical meaning, symbolizing connection with ancestors and protection. Many peoples of Dagestan preferred black as the main color. Women, especially older ones, wore dark-colored clothes. Young, unmarried girls could wear bright items of clothing - red, green, orange, blue, etc.
Everyone has a little something of their own
An important unifying principle in all Dagestan costumes is multi-layering. A woman’s headdress alone could consist of several parts, not counting jewelry, which formed an important part of the entire image.
Thus, among one of the most numerous indigenous peoples of Dagestan - the Avars, women's attire was quite complex in its design. Almost every item of clothing had certain meaning. The tribal differences of the Avars, the peculiarities of their formation on the territory of Dagestan influenced the emergence large number options women's suit. Khunzakh Avars, for example, did not wear massive headdresses or a lot of decorations on them. Their costumes were quite light and comfortable. While other Avars wore heavy sashes that encircled women's dresses. The length of these belts could reach up to 3 meters. Women for the most part wore tailored dresses with wide sleeves and narrow sleeves. In an elegant Avarok costume, a special forehead plate with hanging silver coins was put on the headdress under the scarf. Some Avars, especially from the village of Andi, wore amazing saddle-shaped caps, which were stuffed with sheep or goat hair - this tradition has been preserved among the Avars since ancient times.
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Luxury and mystery, oriental wisdom and aristocracy - all this is contained in two words “Kubachi silver”. A silver bracelet on a delicate female hand attracts and fascinates with its intricate interweaving of the pattern. I want to solve these jewelry signs, to comprehend their secret without taking your eyes off the shine of the precious metal.
Since ancient times, one of the most skilled craftsmen who created real masterpieces from silver were the Kubachi - residents of a settlement in the mountains of Dagestan, famous for their ability to make armor and chain mail. Since then, Kubachi silver has been a sign of quality worthy of the most precious people.
Kubachi craftsmanship is named after the place where the craft originated - the Dagestan village of Kubachi. In ancient times, the ancient Greeks developed mines in the Caucasus, extracted precious metals, including silver, and made jewelry here. So local residents adopted the art of working with metal. However, independent Kubachi masters became known from the works of the Arab historian Al-Masudi, who lived in the 10th century. According to his stories, on the territory of the present village of Kubachi lived artisans - chain mail makers, who made not only chain mail, excellent in its protective properties, but also the best military weapons. This is where the name “Kubachi” came from, which translated from Turkish means “weapons masters” or “chain mailers.”
“Kubachi” is rightfully a brand in the world of exclusive silver jewelry.
Silver products self made have always been considered a sign of good taste. The Kubachi silverware amazes with its luxury and uniqueness. Silver bowls and dishes with blackened floral designs will surprise true connoisseurs of exclusive jewelry. Cups for drinks, inlaid with various stones, are reminiscent of oriental tales about genies and padishahs. Kubachi silver will rightfully take the main place in the collection of family jewelry.
The products of Kubachi craftsmen have been awarded prizes and certificates at many Russian and foreign exhibitions. Some silver items are exhibited in museums around the world. Kubachi silverware is distinguished from other manufacturers by its original metal processing, complex engraving, magnificent patterns, often covered with niello and enamel, and Kubachi craftsmen place ivory inserts and stones on the products different beauty and values.
In history, the Kubachi people have been known since the 11th century as the Zirichgerans (Persian: “chain mailers”), and since the 15th century. - like Kubachi (Turkish: “chain mailers”). In the V-X centuries. Kubachi is the center of Zirikhgeran - one of the early state formations of Dagestan, which played an active role in political life North-Eastern Caucasus. In the XVI-XVII centuries. defended independence in the fight against the Kaitag Utsmi and Kazikumukh khans. In the 18th century The Kubachi residents experienced an invasion by the troops of the Iranian conqueror Nadir Shah. After the annexation of Dagestan to Russia under the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, the village of Kubachi became part of the Kaitago-Tabasaran district. Since 1921, Kubachi has been part of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, since 1991 - the Republic of Dagestan.
Activities and traditions
The main traditional occupation of the Kubachi people is crafts. Agriculture and cattle breeding were of an auxiliary nature. Developed branches of craft were metalworking, stone and wood carving, construction, and bone processing.
Women's crafts included hand knitting, embroidery, weaving (making cloth), and making felt and shoes from it. There were no established workshop organizations in the village of Kubachi. The skill was passed down through generations. The leading and highly developed branch of traditional craft - metalworking included: 1) copper minting - the manufacture of water-bearing vessels, ritual utensils, lids for cauldrons; 2) casting bronze cauldrons, lamps; 3) production of artistically finished cold and firearms; 4) production of various women's jewelry, men's costume items (belts, gazyrs), parts of horse equipment. The products of these industries found wide sales far beyond the borders of the region. High degree reached perfection in the XIII-XV centuries. casting of decorated bronze cauldrons. In the XIV-XV centuries. stone and wood carving flourished. Scenes of hunting, competitions, animal fights, rutting animals, images of animals and birds, plantings, and epigraphs were carved on stone reliefs. ornament. In the XVI-XVII centuries. the main types of Kubachi floral ornament took shape, which was widely used in various types folk art. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. The production of bladed weapons and firearms, trimmed with silver, carved bone, and gold notching, as well as jewelry, patterned knitting, and gold embroidery, became widely developed. Kubachi became the largest center for the production of the best weapons and jewelry in the Caucasus. From the 2nd half of the 19th century. The migration of craftsmen to the cities of the Caucasus became widespread. Among the Kubachi residents, the owners of gold-smithing workshops, who used hired labor, stood out, as well as buyers, moneylenders, and antique dealers. In the life of Kubachi residents in the 19th - early 20th centuries. the importance of related groups - tukhums, consisting of consanguineous families (initially on the paternal side, later on the maternal line) remained. Tukhum supported social and ideological unity, and in economic terms, each related family represented an independent unit. Tukhum was endogamous; intra-Tukhum marriages were preferred. Marriage, divorce, and the procedure for dividing inherited property were determined by Sharia law. The woman’s position was without rights; her behavior was strictly regulated by adat and Sharia. Polygamy did not become widespread. Marriages between cousins second cousins and were not limited to sisters and were carried out at the will of the parents. Kubachi people almost did not marry representatives of other nations. IN public life Among the Kubachi people, a large place was occupied by male unions gulalla ak bukun (union of unmarried people), replete with complex and heterogeneous, strictly observed ceremonies and rituals. The basis of the social organization of the Kubachi residents was the rural community - jamaat, inner life which was regulated by the norms of adat and Sharia. Internal and external affairs, judicial and executive branch was under the jurisdiction of a special organization of Chine of 7 people. elected by the jamaat at a national gathering. She obeyed military organization Batirta, whose functions included protecting the village from external attacks, protecting forest, pasture and haylands, and livestock. After the introduction of administrative management in the middle of the 19th century. Chine's importance faded, but the village remained a self-governing unit. Kubachi is a large mountain village (shi). When choosing a settlement location, four factors were taken into account: 1) maximum land savings; 2) proximity to water sources and lands; 3) reliable defense; 4) solar (south) orientation. According to the layout and nature of the development, Kubachi is a terrace-like (multi-tiered) settlement with closely and compactly built-up blocks and vertical zoning. In planning and general architectural appearance villages of Kubachi, significant changes have occurred since the early 60s. XX century, when intensive construction began in all directions where the terrain allowed.
Traditional dwellings
The dwellings of the Kubachi residents are multi-chamber, 2-3-story, flat-roofed structures made of stone. In the lowest floors there was a barn, a stable, on the 2nd floor there was a hayloft, a fuel warehouse, and in the upper floors there were housing with many rooms, food pantries, and home workshops for goldsmiths. The interior of the living room was unique. Carpets were laid on the floor. In the middle part of one of the walls there was a wall fireplace with an ornamented smoker. Along another wall there were shelves for a variety of metal utensils of local production and Middle Eastern origin (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria). The other two walls were hung with rows of copper trays, porcelain and earthenware dishes from the ceramic centers of Iran, China, Syria, Japan, Russia and European countries. The Kubachi interior with its unique home museums is still preserved by most residents of the village, although the home has undergone changes (beds, furniture, TVs, etc., rooms, except for the fireplace, are furnished in a city style).
Traditional clothing
Traditional women's clothing: shirt dress with tunic cut; brocade fur coat; with short sleeves (now out of use); headdress chukta (a square headband with sewn multi-colored patches), kaza (a white, usually embroidered towel-like cape-bandage), kate - a woolen scarf-cape, white felt boots (now out of use) and knitted patterned socks. Wedding dress: dress from the East. brocades embroidered with gold and silver threads “kazy”, various decorations- silver chains on the chukta, large gold rings, silver bracelets, chest pendants trimmed with grains, pearls and gems. Men's clothing of the general Dagestan type: tunic-shaped shirt, straight trousers, beshmet and cherkeska, morocco or felt boots, sheepskin coats and hats. The clothing set included a silver inlaid belt, a dagger and gazyrs for a Circassian coat. Nowadays, national men's and women's clothing has been replaced by pan-European urban clothing. However, the “kaz”, unique to the region, has remained a mandatory element of a woman’s wardrobe and is worn together with modern clothing of the pan-European type.
Traditional Kubachi food
The traditional food of the Kubachi people is generally similar to the food of other peoples of Dagestan, but has some peculiarities in the methods of preparing dishes, their components and names. The main products are grain and meat and dairy products. Common dishes are khinkal made from wheat and corn flour, soups with beans, rice, lentils, “pies” (the traditional name in Dagestan is “chudu”, in the village of Kubachi - “Ala-kutze”) and dumplings stuffed with meat, cottage cheese, eggs, nettles, potatoes, tripe, pumpkin, processed local cheese. Dairy products are widely consumed - milk, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk soups with rice, noodles, porridge......
Culture
The spiritual culture of the Kubachi people, while being in common with the spiritual culture of the Dargins and other peoples of Dagestan, has specific features, manifested in the peculiarities of folk customs, rituals, traditional beliefs, the great originality of life and production, and activities. These features are manifested in folk choreography, music, and folklore. Carefully developed ceremonial and ritual dances of various types were performed to music (zurna and drum) by members of men's unions during the “union of the unmarried” cycle, as well as at weddings. Kubachi folklore, typologically close to the folklore of the Dargins, has its own characteristics due to the nature of the main. labor activity Kubachi residents - craftsmen - gunsmiths and jewelers. Marked New Year's celebration(By lunar calendar) - a day of spring and every year at the beginning of May the holiday “walking on water from the evil eye”, accompanied by ceremonial processions, music, dancing, fun, and collecting flowers. Up to the 20th century. The Kubachi people retained traditional pre-Islamic beliefs, manifested in the rituals of summoning the sun and rain, the veneration of sacred trees, the cult of the eagle, and other things. animals, magic rituals of treatment against the evil eye, wearing various kinds of amulets and talismans. IN late XIX- early 20th century Masters Magomed Hasan, Usta Ibrahim, Gadzhiabdulla Ibragimov achieved high professional skills, whose products were exhibited at exhibitions in Tiflis, St. Petersburg, Paris, London, Constantinople, Tehran and were repeatedly awarded gold and silver medals. In 1924, a jewelry artel was organized in the village of Kubachi, which was transformed in 1960 into the Kubachi Art Factory, which became a large enterprise of folk arts and crafts of Dagestan (780 craftsmen and craftswomen, of which 230 were homeworkers knitting patterned socks). The plant produces a variety of silver products, including highly artistic samples - jugs, vases, cups, sets, decorative dishes, women's jewelry, which received awards at many domestic and foreign exhibitions (Brussels - 1958, Montreal - 1967, Osaka - 1970 year, etc.). Leading masters developing national traditions folk art, awarded honorary titles of folk artists of Russia and Dagestan, many are members of the Union of Artists of Russia, awarded orders and medals, and R. Alikhanov, G. Magomedov, A. Abdurakhmanov, G. Kishev and G. Chabkaev were awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation. Collections of products and monuments of Kubachi art are stored in largest museums Russia and foreign countries - in the State Historical Museum, Moscow; Hermitage, St. Petersburg; Louvre, Paris; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and many others. The activities of the Kubachi residents have now gone far beyond the boundaries of their traditional occupations. Among the national intelligentsia are writers (Abu-Bakar and others), scientists, doctors, and engineers.
Dagestan ornamentThe diversity of cultural and artistic traditions of Dagestan is associated with ethnic fragmentation, in turn generated by the complexity of natural relief conditions, as well as the difficult history of the region. The Caspian lowland has long attracted travelers, conquerors, and nomadic peoples as the most convenient route connecting Eastern Europe with Western Asia. These were the Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, Huns, Khazars, etc. Some of them settled on the territory of Dagestan, mixed with local tribes, introducing their customs and artistic traditions.
Later, the Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Tatar-Mongol conquerors, Tamerlane, and the “thunderstorm of the universe” Nadir Shah tried to subjugate Dagestan. IN different eras Dagestan was part of such state entities as Caucasian Albania and Khazar Khaganate.
And yet, Dagestan was not a kind of “cauldron” in which everything and everyone was mixed over the centuries. The Dagestan peoples, having gone through a difficult, sometimes tragic story, were able to preserve their unique appearance, language and original culture.
The way of life of the Dagestan peoples was in many ways similar, but there were purely local features generated by the specifics historical development each of them, mentality, as well as the time of introduction to Islamic spiritual and cultural values.
Different religions have always coexisted in Dagestan: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and there were numerous remnants of pagan beliefs and Zoroastrianism. Tolerance and respect for people of different religious views seem to be one of the the most important factors cultural phenomenon Dagestan.
All this determined the development of many local schools, among which some stand out as having the most stable stylistic features, technical methods and ornamental culture. This Avar, Lak, Kubachi and South Dagestan schools. Within these schools there are specific features in each type of decorative applied arts and in every nation, sometimes even in villages.
Main centers of applied arts: Kubachi(jewelry decorated with niello, engraving, enamel), Gotsatl(copper coinage, jewelry), Balkhar(ceramics with painting), Untsukul(wooden products with silver notching, inlaid with bone, mother-of-pearl).
It is also important that the extraordinary development of the ornamental culture of the peoples of Dagestan is a consequence not only of their natural taste and sense of harmony, but also the result of developed abstract thinking and a surprisingly imaginative worldview. Therefore, ornament is not only music for the eyes, but also always certain information, which could be most fully conveyed by carpets, embroidery, as well as carved wood and stone, and artistic metal.