No 3 (2025)

The article is devoted to the problem of Balkar ethnogenesis, considered in the context of the ethnopolitical situation in the Central Caucasus during the Golden Horde period. A set of sources that shed light on the early ethnic history of the Balkars is analyzed: information from Persian authors of the late 14th-early 15th centuries Sharaf ad-din Yazdi and Nizam ad-din Shami, materials from the academic expedition of G. Yu. Klaproth to the Caucasus in 1807-1808, ethnogenetic and genealogical legends about the origin of various divisions of the Balkar people, materials from archaeological excursions of V. F. Miller and M. M. Kovalevsky to mountain societies in the 1880s, etc.Some results of research into the process of ethnogenesis of the Balkars in modern historiography are summarized. It is emphasized that the process of formation of an ethnic group is accompanied by its socio-potestary self-organization. This aspect of ethnogenesis cannot be ignored in the historical interpretation of the ethnogenesis of the Balkars and the formation of Balkaria as an ethno-socio-territorial entity. Just as in pre-revolutionary and Soviet historiography, the article asserts that the place where the processes of Karachay-Balkar ethnogenesis ended was the highlands of the Central Caucasus, corresponding to the Balkar ethnic area of a later time.In relation to the 15th-16th centuries, we can talk about the stabilization in the highland zone of the Central Caucasus of a special ethno-socio-territorial entity, which later became known to the outside world as Balkaria. Its population acquired a set of characteristics of an ethnic group as a special community of people: territorial integrity, common language and social ties, specific features of traditional material and spiritual culture.The study allowed us to conclude that the main components of the Karachay-Balkar ethnogenesis – the autochthonous Caucasian, Iranian (Sarmatian-Alanian) and Turkic (Bulgar-Kipchak) – interacted over a long historical period. However, the formation of the Balkarian ethnic group itself, localized within the historical Balkaria, occurred only with the end of the Golden Horde era.

In the second half of the 18th century, foreign trade relations of the population of the Central and Northwestern Caucasus underwent significant changes. The noted phenomenon was the result of the interaction of a complex of socio-economic and geopolitical processes that took place in the region during this period. With the increase in the turnover of the mountaineers' production economy, its further development came into conflict with the preserved traditional forms and mechanisms of functioning of the Black Sea direction of foreign trade. Communications of the Black Sea traffic could not fully satisfy the growing needs of the region's population. In contrast, the Astrakhan direction of foreign trade turnover in the second half of the 18th century was at a stage of unprecedented growth, ensured by skillful regulation and competent trade policy of Russia. The wide involvement of the population of the Central and North-West Caucasus in the Astrakhan trade was objectively conditioned not only by economic expediency, but also by the logic of historical events. 

The article is devoted to the study of the structure and powers of the financial institutions of the Caucasian Region in 1827-1845, based on an analysis of the main provisions of the "Imperial Approved Institution for the Administration of the Caucasian Region" (1827). To achieve this, the article examines the features of the formation and activities of financial institutions at the national, regional (financial institutions of the Caucasian Region), district (financial powers of the district bodies of the Caucasian Region), and local (financial powers of the local bodies of the Caucasian Region) levels. It is noted that the Ministry of Finance, through its representatives in the Caucasus Committee, participated in the development of a general strategy for the region's economic development, which allowed the imperial authorities to combine general imperial interests with local specifics, creating a balanced model of financial management for the empire's outlying regions. Attention is drawn to the fact that the Caucasian Treasury Chamber played a key role in the financial management system of the region and adjacent territories, combining the functions of revenue collection, expenditure control, and methodological guidance for lower-level financial authorities. The status and powers of the district treasuries and certain local authorities and courts are described. It is concluded that the financial management model created at that time reflected the balance between unification and regional specificity that was characteristic of the Russian Empire throughout the 19th century.

The article is devoted to the study of some features of the territorial organization of the activities of the first hundred of the Terek Permanent Militia in the Nalchik District in the last third of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The article examines the features of the work of the first hundred of the militia in the Nalchik District in terms of protecting the employees of the district and district government offices and guarding the security posts. The article also examines the distribution of guards under the head of the Nalchik District, his senior and junior assistants, and the heads of the districts. The article examines the dynamics of changes in the number of policemen who served at the Nalchik, Shalushkin, Urvan, Kyashev, Cherek, and Doutokov cordon posts at different times. It is noted that service in the first hundred of the Terek Permanent Militia created additional social elevators for the population of the Nalchik District: inclusion in the system of public order enforcement bodies, receiving salaries from the treasury and class ranks, etc. It is concluded that in the last third of the 19th century and the early 20th century, the first hundred of the Terek Permanent Militia played a key role in ensuring public order and the functioning of the administrative apparatus in the Nalchik District. It is noted that she was not only a security unit of the Terek Permanent Militia, but also an important segment of state administration in the region at that time, contributing to the strengthening of power and the integration of the local population into the political and legal system of Russia.

The article comprehensively examines the problems of socio-economic development of the Mountain Jewish community in Kabardino-Balkaria in the 1920s–1980s and the reasons for their emigration in the late 1990s. It summarizes the experience of the Executive Committee of the Soviets of the Mountain Jewish Colony in organizing the cooperation of leather-working artisans into production cooperatives and agricultural partnerships. The article also identifies the number of dispossessed and repressed Mountain Jews. The community's efforts to eliminate illiteracy, as well as its efforts to develop education, culture, and the formation of a national intelligentsia, have been studied. The article explores the participation of Mountain Jews in the Great Patriotic War. It also examines the socio-economic development of the Mountain Jewish community in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in the post-war period, during the years of perestroika, and in the post-Soviet era. Our research suggests that the democratic transformations that took place in the post-Soviet space in the 1980s and 1990s created favorable conditions for the Mountain Jews to freely choose their country of residence. As a result, a significant number of Mountain Jews began to leave the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. The reasons for emigration have been identified, and the main ones are Israel's policy aimed at uniting the Jewish nation and the desire of the Mountain Jews to live in their historical homeland.

The article is devoted to the study of meat dishes in the traditional gastronomic culture of the Kabardians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It provides general information about meat dishes, methods and technologies for preparing meat dishes, as well as information about the variety of meat dishes made from cattle, small livestock, and poultry. Based on the analysis of scientific literature and field materials collected by the staff of the Kabardino-Balkarian Research Institute in the 1950s and 1970s in the villages of Kabardino-Balkaria, the article examines the features of cooking dishes made from lamb and its by-products, goat meat, beef, and the meat of some other animals. The article draws attention to the widespread use of lamb, beef, and poultry meat in Kabardian cuisine, and also describes the methods of preparing dishes from these ingredients. The study revealed that poultry meat can be classified according to its prestige. It was also found that goat meat dishes were widely used in the traditional gastronomic culture of the Kabardians. It was revealed that most dishes had names in their native language that accurately reflected their semantics and characteristics. It has been established that meat was one of the markers of ethnocultural identity, reflecting one's belonging to one's own people.

In the 2020s, companies specializing in wedding car decoration appeared in Karachay-Cherkessia. Announcements began to appear on social networks and online platforms about various types of wedding motorcade design that are new to the region. In this article, we will look at the features of wedding car decoration, as well as the changes that have occurred in the design of cars in recent years. The auto–decoration of wedding motorcades is an important element of modern wedding rituals, which reflects not only the aesthetic preferences of the newlyweds, but also, in some cases, the cultural traditions of the region. The wedding decor is considered from the perspective of a semiotic approach that performs a marking role. Based on the research of foreign and domestic researchers, as well as field materials collected by the authors, it was possible to characterize the modern car decor as a marker of national identity. At the beginning of the article, a small historical digression is given, which allows us to show how in the past historical periods.The need for self-identification has always existed among the majority of society, since Karachay-Cherkessia is home to five titular nations. In such a multinational entity, many newlyweds had a desire to emphasize their national identity, and in recent years this has become very relevant and important for most of the married couple. It is important to emphasize that in this article we consider only such markers that were used in the design of the machine body. The conducted research allows us to conclude that the car acts as a means of marking the national identity of the married couple.

The article is devoted to the study of the mourning ritual complex Muharramlik in Derbent, which is a central event for the local Shiite community. The author analyzes its transformation in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods, highlighting the key factors of change. Two main trends are highlighted: the preservation of local traditions (for example, the "bash chapan" ritual) and the borrowing of practices from Iran and Iraq, and the change in the balance between them in recent decades is determined, as well as the role of religious revival in the region and the influence of the global Shiite world in these processes. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of young people who received religious education abroad and new public institutions that shape the modern appearance of the rite. Particular attention is paid to visual and institutional changes, such as the emergence of new rituals, charitable foundations and the involvement of women in the organization of rituals. The article also considers the community's interaction with the outside world, including the Sunni majority, representatives of other faiths in the city, local authorities and tourists. The article is based on the author’s field materials (interviews, observations, photos and videos) collected in Derbent in 2007-2008 and in 2022.

In the 18th century, the peoples of the North Caucasus conducted active domestic and foreign trade, which played an important role in their socio-economic life.  Trade relations facilitated the exchange of goods and cultural traditions between different ethnic groups. Unfortunately, domestic trade in the region of the 18th century has been studied much more modestly in science than foreign trade. However, the study of domestic trade in the region during the 18th century is less extensive than the study of foreign trade. The Russian-Mountain trade relations, due to the availability of numerous archival documents, have been extensively researched. This article publishes one of the rare documents that characterize the range of handicraft products that were available in the domestic trade of the North Caucasus (in this case, in this case Chechnya, Malaya and Bolshaya Kabarda, as well as the Nogai nomads) by the mid-18th century, which is of independent scientific interest.

The article, based on archival materials introdused in to scientific circulation for the first time, reveals an unknown page in the scientific activity of the prominent Russian Soviet scientist, caucasus specialist M.A. Polievktov (1872-1942). Based on archival material deposited in the fund on the scientist of the Central Historical Archive of Georgia, a small, but characteristic epizode of the scientific work of M.A. Polievktov, decleated tj the patriotic theme, is restored.During the Great Patriotic War, M.A. Polievktov, like many historians, could not remain indiffierent to the heroism of the Soviet people. The handwritten unfinished work «The Crimean War of 1853-1856 in the notes and letters of contemporaries» (f. 1505. inv 1. case 70. 34 sheets) was addressed to the historical memory of the heroes of the Crimean War and recalled the glorious military traditions of their cencestors. In one of his last work (1942) M.A. Polievktov presented a tipology of the perception of war, «heroism and devastation», characteristie of last yeare of the Nichоlae regime. He noted that some author of memoirs have discovered a deep undestanting of the dramatic conseguences in the life of Russian society caused of the Crimean War.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the role of horse breeding in the socio-economic life of Kabarda in the second half of the 19th century and the identification of signs of its crisis in the pages of the Russian periodicals of that time. The article examines the features of the development of horse breeding, its importance in the economic system of the region, as well as the direct and indirect influence of political and economic factors on this sector. Special attention is paid to the assessments of contemporaries reflected in the periodicals that covered the state of horse breeding, the analysis of the causes of its decline, and proposals for overcoming the crisis. The article identifies the factors of the decline of this industry, which the authors attribute to the reluctance of most horse breeders to use new methods of horse breeding and raising. Using the example of horse breeding, the article explores the process of transformation and modernization of traditional farming in the region during the land reform of the 1860s.

The objective of this article is to integrate the national Kabardino-Circassian literature into the new socio-cultural reality, which will help determine its status in the modern artistic context. An attempt has been made to substantiate the concept of a comparative-typological nature – the transition from stating the general provisions of literary criticism to developing specific issues on specific material, that is, analyzing and identifying the national-artistic context of the novel "Riders of the Dawn". It has been established that the work of the Kabardian prose writer Akhmedkhan Naloyev is currently still among the little-studied. It is argued that to date his work is still among the little-studied: there are no monographs or other scientific works on a comprehensive study of the author's works. Currently, only the dictionary entry of P. Shevlokov with the same name, the article of S. Alkhasova in the KBIGI Bulletin and the preface of M. Sokurov to the Russian translation of the novel are known. Meanwhile, a serious study of the work of the writer Akhmedkhan Naloev is caused by an urgent need. It is shown that the novel by Akhmedkhan Naloev was written in the then dominant Soviet ideology and methodology of socialist realism, with artistic comprehension, a consistent recreation of the atmosphere of days gone by. A successful and original choice of the theme of the novel, the writer's ability to boldly and broadly cover the grandiose historical events in the life of the small Kabardian people, together with the talent of the author himself: liveliness and clarity of image, the ability to penetrate into the depths of the problem and philosophically comprehend it - these are the distinctive features of the author in this work. It is proven that A. Naloev successfully coped with the main task - to reveal as fully as possible the spiritual life and character of a person whose image should be depicted in expressive colors. The stated goal determines the task. The theoretical significance of the work is that this article will to some extent fill the existing gap in Kabardino-Circassian literary criticism. Research methods: comparative-contrastive, comparative-historical, cultural-historical, historical-typological.

The detective genre in Kabardian literary criticism is insufficiently studied, which determines the relevance of the presented research. Based on the works of writers and at the same time law enforcement officers Rashid Keshokov (1907–1975) and Alexander Sarakhov (1934–2022), the features of the Kabardian police (militsia) detective are considered, literary techniques characteristic of this genre are named (main characters are official representatives of law enforcement agencies, work is carried out in a team, it is important to follow procedures, etc.), his connection with the national mentality (description of rituals and customs, characters that are specific only to Caucasian society, the internal code of honor of investigators, etc.). Both authors have shown that detective fiction in Kabardian literature can successfully combine a fascinating plot with serious themes, and national flavor with the universal motives of the law's struggle against crime. 

This article examines folk tongue twisters presented in Lezghin children's amusing folklore. The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of using tongue twisters in children's society, as well as their role in the formation of the aesthetic, artistic and pedagogical content of folklore texts. When studying the tongue twister genre, we rely on the theoretical basis developed in the Russian science of folklore, since this genre has not been studied in Lezghin folklore. The analysis is based on a systematic approach, which involves a comprehensive method for studying folklore in the context of specific realities. The results of the analysis showed that in children's folklore, tongue twisters’ function in the form of entertainment, games. However, the content of the game is revealed only in oral verbal form. In the context of studying tongue twisters in Lezghin children's folklore, the study revealed that tongue twisters can be classified according to various genre features. It has been proven that tongue twisters are used by speech therapists (to eliminate speech defects) and teachers (to strengthen the articulatory speech apparatus and develop speech). Tongue twisters are based on alliterations, internal rhyme, rhythm, frequent repetitions (repeated reproduction of consonant sounds in combination with vowel sounds; repetition of the same words or root words; repetition of entire grammatical constructions; morphological repetitions based on numerals, interjections, etc.).

The article examines the grammatical indicator of the plural in the speech of representatives of the Kabardian-Circassian diaspora in Turkey, in comparison with the literary Kabardian-Circassian language. The study of the speech of Circassians abroad is of scientific interest not only for linguists, but also for historians and ethnographers, in order to restore the history of the language and the culture of the people. It is argued that the speech of representatives of the Circassian diaspora shows an archaic form of plural formation -hэ or хьэ, and the plural is also indicated by the particle сымэ. A comparative analysis of the speech of the diaspora abroad with the dialects and vernaculars of the Kabardian-Cherkessian language showed that in the historical homeland, in the modern speech of some representatives of dialects and vernaculars, the archaic affix -hэ has been preserved instead of the modern -хэ. It is noted that the plural suffix -hэ is primary, and -хэ is a new formation that entered the language with the creation of writing. It is concluded that archaic forms have been preserved in the speech of the Circassian diaspora abroad, and a new suffix -хьэ has been formed as a plural affix. All these changes are caused by external and internal influences on the language.

The article is devoted to the vocabulary of the Karachay-Balkarian language. In it, the faunonym eshek 'donkey' is subjected to a multilateral analysis, its word-formation intentions are revealed, and its representation in the composition of various kinds of onyms is noted. The paper notes that the zoolexeme being analyzed is associated with relevant components for the Karachay-Balkarian ethno- and linguistic culture, which, being archaic, are relevant for modern times. In its most general form, in the worldview of the Karachay-Balkarian ethnic group, the donkey appears as a pet, characterized by such characteristics as stubbornness, endurance, hard work and resourcefulness, and love for offspring, which is determined by the worldview of the ethnic group and its mentality, and is mostly found in the corpus of Karachay-Balkarian proverbs and sayings. The donkey is prey for wolves, and its image is in opposition to the image of the horse, which stands much higher in the hierarchy of domestic animals. In animal fairy tales, the donkey, by virtue of his good nature, gets into a difficult situation, but finds opportunities to regain his advantageous status. The poeticized image of the donkey generally correlates with its traditional folk image. The analyzed empirical material makes it possible to speak in general about the universals associated with the image of a donkey. The Eshek zoolexeme is a significant element of the zoomorphic cultural code in the Karachay-Balkarian worldview.

The world around us is easier to understand if we establish existing connections between things and phenomena. There is no area of ​​human knowledge that does not refer to the universal laws operating in nature and human consciousness. One of such laws or principles is the principle of the relationship between cause and effect. This paper examines the methods of conveying cause-and-effect relationships in languages ​​of different structures - Russian, English and Kabardino-Circassian. The paper analyzes about 350 examples. The main experimental material was 60 Russian sentences, which were translated into English (using a computer translator) and into Kabardino-Circassian (translated by the authors). As a result of the study, the following conclusions were made: 1. all three languages ​​​​have an inventory of means for expressing cause-and-effect relationships; 2. Russian and English are distinguished by a large number of techniques for conveying such relationships; 3. in Russian and English, stylistic differentiation of such means and techniques is clearly visible.

This article aims to describe the concept “LIFE/ZHIZN’/DAHAR” in English, Russian and Chechen linguocultures. The practical material helped to examine the concept of LIFE in the three cultures and to conduct a comparative analysis based on selected phraseological units of English, Russian and Chechen with the content of the LIFE/ZHIZN’/DAHAR semantic field.The analysis shows that English, Russian and Chechen national perceptions of the concept are similar, with only slight differences. The differences in the perception of the concept of life are justified by the national peculiarities of these ethnic groups: their way of life, worldview, culture and value assessment of the world. From the period of origin to the modern use of this concept in the languages under consideration, one can observe their similar origin and development, as well as the ways of its use

The article discusses the issues that have been raised but not resolved for many years, despite the abundance of conferences, round tables, discussions at the Parliament level and publications in newspapers and magazines. The main obstacle is that neither Kabardino-Balkaria, nor Karachay-Cherkessia, nor Adygea have a state terminology commission (neighboring republics do not have one either). The issue of borrowing foreign vocabulary in the Kabardino-Cherkess language is of particular concern. This study subjects linguists, journalists, and teachers of the native language to justified criticism, who compete with each other to replace long-borrowed and well-established terms and words with artificially invented analogs. Their actions are reminiscent of the "Slavophiles" in Russian linguistics of the distant past, who were ridiculed and stopped at that time. Numerous examples prove the groundlessness (and sometimes stupidity) of the positions of some authors. Some recommendations are given for getting out of the existing picture of the functioning and preservation of the native language. The issues of orthoepy, which our linguists do not deal with, are also touched upon. The author calls for adhering to the norms of the literary language. In conclusion, conclusions are made based on many years of observations of the work of educational institutions and the media in the areas of Adyghe literature, and several recommendations are given.

The article presents a panoramic picture of the life and creative work of the literary scholar, teacher, Doctor of Philology, Professor Khangeri Ilyasovich Bakov. His contribution to education, science, national literary criticism, criticism, and journalism is noted. A review analysis of the researcher's scientific and scientific-critical works (monographs, collections of articles, chapters and sections in collective publications, etc.) is carried out, indicating the main areas of his activity. The article uses the biographical method, as well as the methods of observation, description, analysis, which made it possible to consider various aspects of the life of Kh.I. Bakov. The results obtained can be used in studying the history of the Adyghe ethnic group, national culture and literature; compiling reference, biobibliographic, encyclopedic publications; developing special courses on various issues of Adyghe literary criticism as a significant fragment of domestic philological science.