The history of the origin of the Ossetian people. How Ossetians were able to preserve the ancient culture of their ancestors

Today, the minds of our neighbors are widely taken over by the idea that they are descendants of Alans, and we are supposedly descendants of “Iranian Mazdakite Jews.” This idea runs like a red thread in all their history textbooks and articles written on this topic. If you do not take into account many, then the articles written by certain people on the Internet are especially distinguished: Denis Baksan and Yusup Temirkhanov. The latter, by the way, in his articles mainly refers to the famous Ingush historian Kodzoev (whose works we are not going to subject to critical analysis since his works, by hook or by crook, are of a historical and descriptive nature, both in contrast to the articles of Yu. Temirkhanov, and, in in general, not directed against Ossetians).
The books and articles they wrote are full of all sorts of scientific terms, most of them pompous, as well as a whole bunch of “facts” (actually used to falsify the idea), which for an inexperienced outside reader who is not well versed in the intricacies of historical science may seem like a completely truthful research work having a newer, truthful view of things and containing a whole arsenal of irrefutable facts and evidence, especially for the majority of fellow tribesmen of these writers who are not sufficiently knowledgeable in historical science, for whom one idea, no matter whether it is true or not, flatters their immense national pride, since it belittles In their eyes, the Ossetians are depriving them of their glorious ancestors, and also, more importantly, turning them into some evil aliens who have not rightfully occupied “lands that are not theirs.”
In a huge number of scientific works written over the centuries, it has long been established and proven that the Alans are Iranian-speaking just like their predecessors: the Sarmatians, Scythians, Cimmerians. The Iranian-speaking nature of the Alans, Sarmatians, and Scythians is an axiom that does not even require any proof, just like the fact that they are the direct ancestors of the Ossetians. However, some adventurers and falsifiers of history “turn everything upside down.” Let us look into their untruthful propaganda and expose them.

In his work “The Trace of Satan on the Secret Paths of History” full of ideas of anti-Semitism, nationalism and religious chauvinism, in chapter 11 under the intricate title “Mazdakits on the Terek” Denis Baksan writes about the Ossetians: “the Ossetians themselves have no legend, no tradition, no “They don’t talk about their origins from the Alans with just the phraseology of their language.”
He is echoed by another pseudo-historian Yusup Temirkhanov, who in his article “The Motherland Waits” on the website ingush.ru writes: “Using a systematic approach, we determined that Ossetians who do not have the obligatory Alan ethnic identity (self-determination) and the Alan stereotype of behavior will never were Alans and cannot be their descendants, and the search for the ethnic roots of the Ossetians led us to the Iranian Mazdakite Jews, who fled from the repressions of Khosrow Anushirvan in 529 in the area between the Terek and Sulak rivers, and then, with the help of the Khazars, occupied part of the Alan territory on the plain and foothills."
About the Alans, both of them say that they are the direct ancestors of the Ingush.
Here is what Yu. Temirkhanov writes: “Kodzoev convincingly etymologizes the ethnonym “Alan” based on the Ingush word “Ala” using the suffix of ownership “n” and, thus, ala+n=alan - God’s, belonging to God.” etc. and so on.
What do these “historians” rely on? What sources and facts, whether archaeological or historical, are used to put forward ideas that clearly contradict generally accepted historical science? Is there really any truth to their ideas? What goals are pursued by putting forward such ideas?
As the main source for interpreting their ideas, these “historians” chose the work of the medieval Georgian writer-monk of the 11th century Leonti Mroveli “Kartlis Tskhovreba” or, translated into Russian, “The Lives of the Kartlian Kings”, which Denis Baksan spoke of as “the only source which reflects the circumstances of the appearance of Ossetians in the Caucasus.”
Well, since there are no other sources, then let’s look at whether what is said in “The Lives of the Kartli Kings” by Leonti Mroveli about the Ossetians, and what the “historians” of the national-administrative entity adjacent to us so zealously refer to, is true?
Before we understand the issues at hand, let’s carry out a brief review of Leontia Mroveli’s book “The Lives of the Kartlian Kings.”
So, “The Lives of the Kartli Kings” is undoubtedly a valuable historical work that has absorbed a lot of valuable information of a historical nature, at the same time containing part (this mainly concerns the origin of all Caucasian peoples from one mythical ancestor, their kinship and initial settlement in the Caucasus) information that is clearly mythological character. However, this is typical for almost all works of the Middle Ages, taking into account the worldview and views of the people of that time, for whom it was closely intertwined with religion (due to which it does not at all detract from the significance of what Mroveli wrote for us living today). Therefore, our goal is not a critical analysis (a small part of the interweaving of myths with some realities, bias in the description of some events or some inaccuracies) of the work of a medieval historian (this was already done a long time ago by eminent scientists and detailed written analyzes of Mroveli’s work were given) but facts about the ethnic origin of modern Ossetians from Alans based on the work of Mroveli, which (using the same source) is questioned by Ingush “historians”.
The narrative of “The Lives of the Kartli Kings” begins with a description of the origin of all the mythical ancestors of the Caucasian peoples from one mythical ancestor and their subsequent settlement in the Caucasus. The following describes their joint struggle against Nebrot (which should mean the mythical founder of Babylon Nimrod, who is reported in the Bible in the book of Genesis chapter 10) and their victory over him.
If you follow biblical chronology, Nimrod reigned in the East in the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. Thus, the events that begin the narrative of “The Lives of the Kartli Kings” can hypothetically be attributed to the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. AD
Further, in the book by Leonti Mroveli, the process of formation of the ancient Kartlian nation from the descendants of the ancestor of the Georgians or Kartlians, Kartlos, is described in detail. After this, the invasion of the peoples inhabiting the Caucasus by the Khazars and the struggle of the “related” Caucasians with them are described. Then it describes the defeat that the Caucasians suffered from the Khazars, and the settlement of the central part of the Caucasus west of the Lomeki River by the son of the Khazar king Uobos, who is the ancestor of the Ovs or Ossetians.
After this, the book of Leonti Mroveli describes the invasion of Alexander the Great on Kartli. Of course, in real history, Alexander the Great never went on a campaign in the Caucasus.
After this, the reign of Azon in Kartli is described. Thus, . the time when Alexander the Great reigned is the third quarter of the 4th century BC. AD, which means Azon ruled in Kartli in the last quarter of the 4th century BC. AD
I would like to note that the kings described by Mroveli after Alexander are individuals whose existence has been historically proven, in contrast to the mythical ancestors of the Caucasian tribes, about whom Mroveli reports at the beginning of his book.
So, according to Mroveli, Azon was replaced by Farnavaz, who is considered the first king of Kartli, the time of his reign in official historiography is 299-234. BC. Next comes Saurmag (234-159 BC), after him Mirvan (159-109 BC), then Farnadzhom (109-99 BC), after him Arshak (90-78 BC), Artag (78-63 BC), Bartom (63-30 BC), Mirvan (30-20 BC .). We will learn later why such a detailed description of the chronology of the Kartli kings and what significance this has in refuting the “pseudo-historical facts about the Ossetians.”
In the continuation of the description of the chronology of Kartlian kings from the book of Leonti Mroveli, kings Arshak (20 BC) and Aderka (1-35 AD) are mentioned, after which kings Azork and Armazel are mentioned, about whose reign nothing is known known from Greco-Roman sources, unlike the above-mentioned rulers of Kartli. Next, according to Mroveli, there is a description of the reign of Farsman (135-185 AD) and Amazasp (185-189 AD), after which the reign of Rev (189-216 AD) and his successors, among which the most significant are Aspagur (256-284 AD) and Mirian (284-361 AD), with a description of whose reign the book about the Kartlian kings ends. The second book written by Mroveli “The Life of Vakhtang Gorgasal” also belongs to the set of “The Lives of the Kartlian Kings” and contains information about the reign of the king of Kartli Vakhtang Gorgasal (447-506 AD). Thus, Leonti Mroveli’s book covers with its description the period from ancient times (at least from the end of the 3rd millennium BC) to the 5th century. AD Moreover, the chronological sequence in the description of historical events (as we have already examined) in Mroveli is obvious.
Based on the main goal of analyzing the work of Leonti Mroveli in the light of tendentious statements, let us pay attention to Mroveli’s description of the Ossetians, from their origin to their deeds.
So, according to Mroveli, the Ossetians are the descendants of the son of the Khazar king Uobos. This cannot but raise many questions. But before we describe and consider these issues, let us briefly examine what the Khazars were like in history.
According to the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary: “The Khazars are a Turkic-speaking people who appeared in Europe after the Hunnic invasion (which occurred in the 4th century AD) and roamed the Western Caspian steppe. The state of the Khazar Kaganate was formed."
Note that the first real mention of the Khazars in the Caucasus is contained in the “Ecclesiastical History” of Pseudozachariah, and, judging by the mention of the Avars (another nomadic Turkic tribe), it dates back no earlier than 560-562. But it was in the 60s. VI century The Turkuts (i.e., Khazars) also penetrated the Caucasus for the first time, pursuing the Avars. Sources use the ethnonyms “Turks” and “Khazars” in parallel, and there is not a single text where these two ethnonyms are distinguished. Mid-6th century was notable for the fact that in the vastness of the Eurasian steppe from the Black Sea and almost to the Pacific Ocean, the state of the Turkic Khaganate was created, the dominant ethnic group of which were the Turkuts, some of the tribes of which, after the collapse of the Turkic Khaganate, created in its western part the state - the Khazar Khaganate, as many believe by the name of the main tribe or people - the Khazars.
It is interesting that the name of this people is Khazars, as two peas in a pod are similar to the Ossetian word “khædzar”, which means house. A very suitable name for a tribal union or state formation in the era of antiquity or the early Middle Ages. For clarity, I would like to refer to the Bible where peoples, tribal unions, states are called the word “house”: “House of Israel, House of Judah, House of Togarmah. It is possible that in this case, with the formation of the state of the Khazar Khaganate in 670 AD. its name included a word, the explanation of which can only be found in the Ossetian language: “haedzaer”; and the Khazar Kaganate or “Khædzar Kagan” in translation is literally “House of the Kagan” or “Possession of the Kagan” - a kind of Iranian-Turkic symbiosis in the name of the state , and perhaps that is why the people of this state were called Khazars, because initially they were Turkuts. However, the question may arise: What does the word “khædzar” have to do with it, explained in Ossetian, if we are talking about Turkic-speaking tribes linguistically belonging to the Altai language family, and not Iranian tribes that belong to the Indo-European language family?
The answer, of course, lies in numerous conclusions based on rigorous research made by eminent scientists and recorded by them in scientific works. I would like to cite some of them. The famous anthropologist G.F. A debater about the origin of the Khazars claims that the latter came “from the ancient population of Eastern Europe, assimilated by the Turks by language” and further “How and where that ancient people who were assimilated by the Turks by language... is difficult to say. Most likely, it was one of the peoples known to the ancient Greeks under the collective name of Sauromatians or Sarmatians...”
Another statement of the writer L. Gumilyov in his book “The Discovery of Khazaria”, page 155: “because the Khazars are the descendants of Xiongnu warriors and Sarmatian women”, page 159: “The Khazars are to some, albeit small, extent the descendants of the Sarmatians.”
Based on the above, we can conclude that the Khazars are an ethnic group of Turkic-Iranian origin. Of course, this does not mean at all that the Ossetians descended from the Khazars, about which we complete the introductory information and return to main goal our article.
So Mroveli described the origin of the Ovs or Ossetians from the son of the Khazar king, but the Khazars first appeared in the Caucasus only in the middle of the 6th century AD. as recorded in the “Ecclesiastical History” of Pseudozachariah, and based on the description of Leontia Mroveli in the strict chronological sequence of which we were convinced, having briefly examined its contents, the Khazars appear in the Caucasus somewhere at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. (according to the interpretation by Georgian historians - 2032 BC) - a clear discrepancy with history. And if you pay attention to the time of the events described in Mroveli’s book from antiquity to the middle of the 5th AD, then the Khazars have no place there at all. Let's figure out where Leonti Mroveli got these Khazars from, at the same time attributing to them the origin of the Ossetians from them.
Scientists have long analyzed this description, and this is the conclusion they came to regarding the Khazars mentioned at the beginning of Mroveli’s book: “Then follows a description of the “invasion of the Khazars.” The core of this legend was the information that existed in the Georgian historical tradition about the campaigns of the Scythians through the Caucasus to Western Asia in the 7th century. BC e. 2 and the associated formation of the ethnic map of the North Caucasus, the main moment of which the author of the chronicle considers the appearance of the Ovs here and the entry into the political arena of the ancestors of the modern Nakh-Dagestan peoples - Durdzuks, Leks, etc.” (Leonti Mroveli. Life of the Kartli kings. Preface. Moscow. Science publishing house, 1979). In Mroveli’s work, the ethnonym Scythian is not mentioned anywhere, although it is known that in the 7th century BC. The Scythians very actively participated in the political events that were taking place at that time both in the Transcaucasus and in Western Asia, which could not but leave a mark in the historical memory of the Georgians. Another thing is that by the time of Mroveli the word “Scythian” was pretty much forgotten, due to the absence of the ethnos itself (since at least a thousand years had passed since the Scythians left the historical arena) and Mroveli did not study Herodotus along with other ancient historians (i.e. nowhere in Mroveli’s work are there any references to any historian) in order to revive the memory of the Scythians in his work, limiting himself only to written or oral information of his nameless contemporaries, but the memory of the Khazars, almost contemporaries of Mroveli, was alive and this is not surprising, because the Khazar The Kaganate was a strong state that extended its power to the entire North Caucasus, the Volga region and the Don region and opposed such a Superpower of that time as the Arab Caliphate for several centuries. This confrontation was accompanied by numerous, sometimes victorious, military campaigns of the Khazars both in Transcaucasia and Western Asia, which were at that time under the rule of the Arab caliph.
By the time of Mroveli, the Khazars were the last tribe that was very influential and owned territories north of the Caucasus. Before the Khazars there were the Huns, Sarmatians, Scythians, Cimmerians, who almost all made campaigns in Transcaucasia, not neglecting ancient Kartli: Mroveli does not have a word about them since they were already forgotten, and instead of them the Khazars are mentioned, as if personifying all these tribes, although according to history and the correspondence of the time of the description of certain events, it becomes clear who appears in Mroveli’s work under the name Khazars. In addition, during the early Middle Ages, historians often wrote down the names of peoples as they heard from contemporaries, and not always in a reliable form.
For example, medieval Arab and Persian historians called all Europeans Franks, although at first this word meant the tribes that formed the kingdom and people of France. European historians called all the inhabitants of the East Saracens, although initially this name meant Arabs, etc. For example, the Armenian historian Matvey of Edessa calls the Seljuk Turks who came from Iran as Persians.
Thus, it is clear that the “Khazars” in the work of Leonti Mroveli are Scythians. The origin of the Ovs from the “Khazars”, that is, the Scythians, is the most accurate interpretation made by scientists in the analysis of Mroveli’s book, because the Scythians are to some extent the ancestors of the Ossetians.
However, our opponents look at Leonti Mroveli’s book in a completely different way: Yu. Temirkhanov and D. Baksan, believing that by Mroveli’s Khazars they mean the Khazars, and by Ovs the descendants of certain Iranian Mazdakite Jews who intermarried with the Khazars due to the fact that they , as is known, adopted the religion of Judaism, although Mroveli himself has nothing close to indicate the origin of the Oats from Iranian Jews (if this were so, then Mroveli would have had nothing to reflect this in his work). It is clear that Yu. Temirkhanov, and D. Baksan and others like them have already figured this out themselves. For what purpose – we’ll look at it later. However, let us return to the opinion of these “historians” who consider the Khazars described by Mroveli to be real Khazars. If this is so, then the question arises: Why in the work of Leonti Mroveli, which is characterized by chronological order, suddenly (with the light hand of pseudo-historians) such an inconsistency arose that events that, according to the interpretation of “historians,” happened much later, for no apparent reason began to be described much earlier.
But here D. Baksan hastens to answer, who, referring to the opinion of the scientist Gadlo, deduces his axiom: “Leonti Mroveli’s work is built not according to a chronological principle, which involves a step-by-step description of events in their mutual sequence, but in blocks-stories, each of which has its own themes, internal logic and special chronology determined by the development of an isolated plot.” If you follow the philosophy of this “interpretation,” then wouldn’t it seem strange that first Leonti Mroveli begins the description of his history with the settlement of the Caucasus by mythical ancestors, their life, then abruptly moves a little, a lot, and about two and a half thousand years forward to mention Khazars, then returns again to hoary antiquity, already to the time of Alexander the Great, from whose time a smooth and consistent chronological description of the dynasty of kings ruling in Kartli begins, and so on until the very end of its description, until the 5th century. AD, while Mroveli seems to completely ignore the historical events of the times of the real Khazars, no less but more important, in which Kartli was involved than the message about the “Invasion of the Khazars”, such as the Iranian-Byzantine wars, or the conquest of Georgia by the Arabs and its annexation to the Arab Caliphate, which is simply impossible not to mention along with the description of the real Khazars. The same applies to the Scythians, whose campaigns and indeed their existence in general are reduced to zero in the history of Georgia and Transcaucasia, if we consider the “Invasion of the Khazars” described by Leonti Mroveli to refer to the real Khazars.
If we do not take into account the controversial message about the “Khazars”, then we cannot talk about any “block stories with their own special chronology”, of which the “Kartlis Tskhovreba” narrative supposedly consists (which in fact has a coherent, consistent chronology). out of the question.
Thus, the questions raised by us shake the untenable assertion of the Ingush “historians” that the “Khazars” described by Mroveli are real Khazars, and not Scythians, and at the same time shake the untenable theory invented by “historians” about the supposed Jewish-Mazdakite origin Ossetian. This is just something that fluctuates.
But there is something that nullifies this whole false theory, which at the same time bursts like a soap bubble. This is information that is contained directly in Leonti Mroveli’s book “The Lives of the Kartli Kings”, a book which Ingush “historians” identified as the main argument against the Alan origin of the Ossetians. Well, as they say, “don’t dig a hole for someone else...”. Before considering this information, I would like to draw attention to the sarcastic, mocking and deceitful statement advocating the false theory of the origin of the Ossetians by Yu. Temirkhanov in his article “The Motherland is Waiting” on the website ingush.ru in relation to the Ossetians: “the Ossetians, although they lived in the Caucasus for just under 15 centuries and in 2029 they can celebrate the 1500th anniversary of life in the Caucasus...”
Well, let’s look at whether it’s really 15 centuries or whether it’s actually much more.
So, if at the beginning of Mroveli’s work the appearance of the Ovs as part of the “Khazars” in the Caucasus is described, then later they are mentioned repeatedly and this mention is connected with events that took place long before the appearance of the real Khazars in the Caucasus.
After describing the invasion of the “Khazars” (i.e. Scythians), the Oats continue to be mentioned by Mroveli in connection with the accession of the famous Farnavaz Kartlosian (299-234 BC), whom they supported in the overthrow of Azon and accession to the throne: “ They united and conspired with the Oats and Leks. They rejoiced, for it was very unbearable for them to pay tribute to Azon. Oats and leks came to them, and the troops multiplied 95. In Egrisi they called together a countless army and went to Azon...”, for which they were awarded the honor of becoming related to Farnavaz. “Then Farnavaz gave one of his sisters to the king of the Oats.” Then, under the son of Farnavaz Saurmag (234-159 BC), the oats are mentioned as allies of Saurmag “Then Saurmag came to an agreement with the king of the oats - his cousin (Literally: “the son of his father’s sister”) - and asked him for help "
Under the king of Kartli Aderka (1-35 AD), Ovseti is mentioned as a country of missionary activity of the apostles of Christ: “At the same time of the reign of Aderki, Andrei and Egrisi Andrei and Svimon Kananite came to Abkhazia - two of the twelve holy apostles. Great Andrey Together with Svimon, they entered the Ovsetian lands and reached a city called Fostafor.”
Further apparently in the second half of the 1st century AD. the Ovs are mentioned as allies of the Kartlians in their campaign against the Armenians: “the kings of 123 Kartli - Azork and Armazel - called the Ovs and Leks, brought the kings of the Ovs - Goliath brothers named Bazuk and Anbazuk - with the Ovs army.” In another campaign against the Armenians, the Ovs are also mentioned: “But the Kartlians and the Ovs gathered and met the Armenians in Javakheti. Together the Kartlians and Ovs [Armenians] defeated, put the Armenian prince Zaren to flight, destroyed his entire army and pursued him to the very borders of Armenia. Wanting to avenge the death of their king, the Ovs demanded the blood of Zaren.”
Under King Amazasp (185-189 AD), the Ovs already acted as opponents of the Kartlians, (“During his [Amazasp’s] 128 reign, numerous Ovs troops came along the Dvaleti route 129. Amazasp did not sense the advance of the Ovs before they crossed mountains [Caucasian]. The Oats appeared and for eight days they stood over Liakhvi at a halt, without organizing any raids, for they came [only] with the goal of crushing the city of Mtskheta") and the allies of the Armenians ("Then the king of Armenia called an army from Greece and with "He went to Kartli with a large army. [In addition] they came to an agreement with the Ovs. And the Ovs joyfully came to them, for they were the blood of Amazasp."
Further, Ovseti is mentioned under King Aspagur (265-284 AD): “The Kartlian king Aspagur went to Ovseti in order to bring an army from Ovseti and strengthen the fortified cities. But upon his arrival in Ovseti, Aspagur was overtaken by death,” and under King Mirian (284-361 AD): “Mirian circled Ovseti and [from the rear] invaded it. He devastated Ovseti and reached [the borders of] Hazareti. Then he returned to his place along the Dvaletian route.”
Further, in continuation of his chronicle “The Life of Vakhtang Gorgasal”, which describes the initial stage of the life of the famous king of Kartli Vakhtang Gorgasal (447-506 AD), Mroveli describes in detail two events associated with the Ossetians - the “Campaign in Ovseti” and “Fight with Ovsom Bakatar."
Thus, the testimony of Mroveli himself refutes the false theory of all sorts of pseudo-historians that the ancestors of the Ossetians appeared in the Caucasus in the 6th century. AD, and even as part of some Mazdakite Jews.
Linguistic analysis finally buries the false theory of the origin of the Ossetians.
Descendants of Mazdakite Jews resettled by the Shah of Iran Khosrow Anushirvan in the 6th century. to the Caucasus are the living mountain Jews - Dzhuhurs, living in the southern regions of Dagestan. The language of the Mountain Jews is a dialectal offshoot from the language of all Iranian Jews - Zeboni Imrani and belongs to the Iranian group (the Jews who lived in Iran for centuries lost their Jewish language over time, just like in Germany, switching to German and thereby creating the language - Yiddish) of the Indo-European family of languages, just like Ossetian. The Iranian group of languages ​​itself includes more than 50 languages, dialects and dialect groups, and to a certain extent, they are as different and at first glance dissimilar to the common listener, as are the languages ​​of other groups. Proof of this is the position of the Mountain Jewish and Ossetian languages ​​in the Iranian group (the Iranian group of languages ​​is divided into western and eastern branches; in turn, the western branch is divided into southwestern and northwestern subgroups, and the eastern into northeastern and southeastern subgroups ). If Mountain Jewish and, in general, the language of all Iranian Jews Zeboni-Imrani belong to the southwestern subgroup of the Iranian group of languages ​​(this subgroup also includes the languages ​​of Farsi, Dari, Tajik, etc.), then scientists attribute the Ossetian language to the northeastern subgroup Iranian group (the Pamir language of Yaghnobi also belongs to this subgroup). And this, as they say, is “heaven and earth,” so empty talk about the supposed Jewish origin of Ossetians is unscientific and simply groundless. To confirm the difference, here are a few colloquial expressions and their sound in one and another language:

Expression Ossetian Mountain-Jewish
Good morning Dae raysom khorz Sebehe khair bu
Have a nice trip Faendaerast Ryakh tui nik
Okay Horse Hub

Son of Firth Cook
Daughter Chyzg Dukhtar
Very good Tyng horse Ambar hubo

I think that is enough, because... everything is obviously clear that looking for the roots of Ossetians among Iranian Jews is not only an adventurous activity, but also stupid, and therefore pointless.
From all this we can conclude that the “theory” of the allegedly Semitic origin of the Ossetians, put forward by Ingush “historians” is the “theory of the Inca mummy”; just as the Incas kept the mummies of their rulers, and in honor of their festivities they brought out their mummies, seated them on the throne along with the living, or at the festive table they talked to them, fed them and gave them something to drink, and thereby showed that they were alive, so historians are trying to make their virtually unviable , the inanimate fictitious “theory” of the origin of the Ossetians should be given the appearance of objectively reflecting historical reality, but no matter what you do, the Inca mummy will not come to life, just like this theory, as well as all others like it. In this connection, I would finally like to briefly draw attention to another similar false version of our origin, posted on one of the Vainakh sites: “Ossetians are Yagnobis from the Pamirs, slaves of Timur.” “Timur thoroughly prepared for waging a mountain war in the Caucasus, having brought for this purpose thousands of Tajik slaves from the highlands of the Pamirs. Any war tends to end; Tajik slaves from the Pamirs remained in the depopulated gorges, fulfilling the wishes of the conquerors, perhaps to protect the Daryal Gorge.”
“The Yaghnobis came to the Caucasus in Timur’s wagon train in the 13th century, like slaves who helped the troops rise to the mountains behind the Alan-Nakhs”... If our enemies from our neighbors are lying about our origin (we are from Iranian Jews, then from Tajiks - Yagnobis) then at least let them do it consistently so as not to contradict each other so disgustingly. And although linguistically the Yagnobis are close to the Ossetians, no historical sources, especially the chroniclers of Timur himself - Shami and Yezdi - nothing about the use of Pamir Tajiks in the war against the Alans , not said. Yes, if this were so, wouldn’t it be reflected not only in the memory of the people (only a little over 350 years passed from Timur to the first deputation of Ossetians to St. Petersburg), but also in the historical works of the same Georgians with mention of the origin of the peoples of the Caucasus in the .h. and Ossetians, at least from the same Vakhushti Bagrationi (on the contrary, the same Mroveli mentions oats as existing already in the 3rd century BC). In addition, Timur was a Muslim and did not tolerate pagans, and all his soldiers and auxiliary units were Muslims. It is not clear how, according to this false version, the Pamiri Muslims became pagan Ossetians; there was and is not such a religion as the Ossetians in the Pamirs, and at the same time, etiquette, customs, cuisine and other national attributes, not to mention their appearance Pamirs belonging to the Pamir-Fergana racial type.
Now let’s find out who, in reality, contrary to the version invented by the Ingush “historians,” are the ancestors of the Ossetians. Let's turn to the Alans. According to Temirkhanov’s interpretation with reference to Kodzoev, the Alans are the direct ancestors of the Ingush.
He explains the ethnonym Alan as follows: “ala+n nakh - God’s people”, where “ala” is supposedly god, and the ending “n” is supposedly a plural indicator - an abbreviated name for the word “nah” - “people”, and together “alla” and “n” allegedly form Alan (it is completely unclear, if this is so, then why the word “nakh”, supposedly in the ethnonym “Alan”, is reduced to only one, the first letter “n”, because even in modern ethnic the name is “Vainakh”, and not some kind of “Vain”, in the name of which the word “nakh” could similarly be reduced to one letter “n” in the “interpreted” ethnonym “Alan”. However, such a primitive interpretation is not capable of truly reflecting the meaning of the ethnonym “Alan” for many reasons. If you look at the Russian-Ingush dictionary, then the word “ala” translated into Russian as “God” is not at all, but it is known that “God” in the Vainakh languages ​​is “Dela” (of course, during the times of paganism, Dela was the supreme god of the ancient Vainakh pantheon, the most high, the creator and the creator of all things, therefore, in modern times among the Nakh peoples, who are Muslims, “Works” is the Vainakh name for the Almighty). Thus, it is completely incomprehensible how “Dela” in the “interpretation” of the ethnonym “Alan” turned, thanks to “venerable historians,” into more like the Arab-Muslim name of the Almighty, which has a similar pronunciation in all Semitic languages. From this it follows that literally “God’s people” would actually sound like “delanakh”, but not like “alan”. But not a single ancient or medieval historian reports about any people living in the Caucasus with this name. But they report about the Dzurdzuks, Nakhchomatyans and other Vainakh tribes, without confusing them with the Alans. And the very name “God’s people” means that the people bearing it should be more engaged in religious affairs, being a kind of class of priests, like the Celtic Druids, and not in wars and everyday life. In addition, the translation of the ethnonym “Alan” as “God’s people” does not reflect the full depth, and therefore the accuracy of the name. The question is, what god are these people, if the ancient Vainakhs revered many gods: first of all, the supreme god Del, then Sela, Tusholi, Myatsil, Erdy, Molyz-Erdy, Bella, Gela, Elda, etc.
It is clear that in the presence of so many revered gods, as indeed among all other ancient peoples, the Vainakhs could not call themselves simply “God’s people”, and by “etymologizing” the ethnonym “Alan”, thus, such “historians” are actually juggling the truth a fictitious fact that the Alans are not the ancestors of the Ossetians, but of the Ingush. As for etymology, the etymologization of ancient names with the help of modern languages ​​is not only adventurous, but also sometimes implausible, and therefore unscientific. Even in ancient times, the language of one people was noticeably different from the language of modern representatives of this people. In every time period there are outdated and outdated words; over the centuries, not only these words are forgotten, but also what they meant. The same applies to the ethnonym “Alan”, which, in our opinion, was only correctly explained by Vaso Abaev, as coming from the ethnonym “Aryan”, i.e. Aryan or Iranian, and the “Alan” that spread and also came down to us in a somewhat distorted form. There are a great many examples of how peoples call themselves one thing and are called something else. For example, the Chinese call themselves “Han”, and in English common throughout the world they are called China or China, and in Russia they are known under the name of the Chinese, from the nomadic Khitan tribe who ruled northern China in the 12th century. If we take into account the Finns, they call themselves “Suomi”, while all over the world they are called Finns, the same applies to the ethnonym Alan, which among Iranian-speaking nomads sounded like “Arians” (hence the linguistic chain - a modification of one word: Arians - Iran - Iron) and then by some chance through Armenian authors, since Armenia was the first to be invaded by the Alans in the 1st century. n. e., and the Armenians were the first to encounter this people, the ethnonym “Aryan” was rendered as “Alan”, since then the name “Alan” has been firmly established in ancient historical works for the Iranian nomadic tribes who lived in the 1st-4th centuries. AD in the steppe lands west of the current Volga River in its lower reaches, as well as north of the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea. Of course, the ancestors of the Georgians, and not the Armenians, were the first to come into contact with the Iranian-speaking nomads, however, the Kartvels or the ancestors of the Georgians sometimes acted as allies of the Iranian-speaking nomads of the Alans, since they held a mountain pass in their power and used it to let the Alan troops through to Transcaucasia and the Front Asia, for raids or wars of the latter, and thereby gained personal benefit in the then “Great Geopolitical Game” in the struggle for hegemony in Transcaucasia. As for the written sources of the Kartvelians, the only one for that time (when the Georgians had Alans, as we have already discussed above, was “The Lives of the Kartlian Kings”, however, nothing is said there about the Alans, there is not even such an ethnonym. Of course, this is not means that the ancient Georgians, who were in closest contact with the Alans, did not know them as Alans at all, it’s just that the Georgians had long ago assigned a different name to the Iranian-speaking nomads located to the north of them, even before the ethnonym “Alan” appeared. Leonti Mroveli's book "Kartlis Tskhovreba", this is the name of the Oats. Of course, the Oats from Georgian sources and the Alans are one and the same. For as it comes from the "Life of the Kartli Kings" the Oats are most often mentioned as a people who carry out military campaigns, raids and participate in wars both between the Kartvels and between the Kartvels and the Armenians.D. Baksan believes that the Dzurdzuks in Mroveli’s work should be considered Alans, however, in Mroveli the Dzurdzuks only once opposed the Kartvels under the king of Kartli Mirvan and were defeated. In another mention, the Dzurdzuks, as part of the Ovsian army, under the leadership of the Ovsian leaders, took part in a raid on Armenia. More than this, nothing is said about the Dzurdzuks in Mroveli’s work, in contrast to the Ovs, who are presented in Mroveli’s work as the most influential and passionate ethnic group, whose representatives constantly took part in military campaigns in Transcaucasia and Western Asia. Because of this, of course, the Oats are Alans, and not the Dzurdzuks.
As for the name oats, this is apparently the Georgian pronunciation of the ancient pre-Alan ethnonym of the Sarmatian tribe Aors “ovs” - “aors”, hence also other forms of this name ossy, osa, asy, yasy, etc.
Another argument in favor of the identity between Alans and Ovs is historical chronicles. If we compare the description of the campaign of the Ovs to Armenia in the same “Lives of the Kartlian Kings” with the description of the campaign of the Alans in the “History of Armenia” by the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, then without a doubt it becomes clear that both descriptions relate to the same historical event.
To the falsifiers of the history of the origin of the Ossetians (end)

Firstly, Mroveli’s description of the beginning of this campaign (probably taking place in the second half of the 1st century AD) begins like this: “And Sumbat Bivritian killed Iarvand, the king of the Armenians, and elevated Iarvand’s brother, whose name was Artashan, as king. Then the kings of Kartli - Azork and Armazel - called on the Ovs and Leks, brought the kings of the Ovs - Goliath brothers named Bazuk and Anbazuk - with the Ovs army. And they brought with them the pachaniks and jiks. The king of the Leks also came to them and brought the Durdzuks and Didoi. And the kings of Kartli gathered their armies - and countless (armies) gathered. They gathered secretly, hastily and skillfully, before the Armenian troops could gather. And they invaded Armenia unexpectedly.” Khorenatsi, several stories above, describes the murder of the Armenian ruler Ervand during a clash with the detachment of the military leader Smbat. Further, as a reaction to the murder of the ruler, the invasion of neighbors: “About this time, the Alans unite with all the highlanders, attract half of the Iverskaya country to their side and penetrate into our country in a huge crowd.”
Further, after the raid, with the booty, the troops of the Alans and their allies, pursued by the Armenians, are located on the banks of the Kura River; from Mroveli: “The Armenians, hastily gathered, began to pursue [the Kartlians and their allies]. The northerners completely crossed the Kura and entered Kambechoani, set up camp above Iori and began dividing up the captives and booty.” From Khorenatsi: “The Alan people yield a little and, retreating, cross the Kur River and camp on the northern bank of the river.”
The ending of the story described varies; At Mroveli, the Armenians, led by the commander Sumbat (or in other words, Smbat), defeat the northerners; at Khorenatsi, the Armenian king Artashes, having captured the Alan prince on the advice of his military leader Smbat, asks for the hand of the daughter of the Alan king Satinik (Alanian Satan), after which, having paid a ransom for her, makes peace with the Alans and takes Satinik as his wife.
Thus, it becomes clear that the Oats and Alans are one and the same tribe.
To prove that the Alans, like the Scythians, were Iranian-speaking people, I would like to cite evidence from ancient authors.
Firstly, a historian of the 1st century. AD Josephus: “It seems to me that I mentioned the Alan people even higher, as a Scythian tribe living on the shores of Tanais and Lake Meotia.” Josephus Flavius ​​“The Jewish War” book 7, ch. 7 p. 4.
Secondly, the historian of the 4th century AD Ammianus Marcellinus: “all of them [about the Alans] become, as a result of various exercises, magnificent warriors. That is why the Persians, being of Scythian origin, are very experienced in military affairs.” Ammianus Marcellinus “Roman History” book XXXI chapter. 2, paragraph 17-25.
So, from Flavius ​​we learned that the Alans were of Scythian origin, and from Marcellinus, that the Persians, a people of clearly Iranian origin, descended from the Scythians (and to decipher more precisely, not directly from the Scythians, but from Iranian-speaking nomads related to the Scythians), it follows that The Scythians are an Iranian-speaking people, and if this is so, then the Alans who descended from the Iranian-speaking Scythians, as comes from Josephus, are also Iranian-speaking. By the way, Yu. Temirkhanov, in his article “When myths become reality,” speaks of Marcellinus’ statement about the origin of the Persians from the Scythians (i.e., nomadic Iranian-speaking tribes) as follows: “Scythian origin is erroneously attributed to the Persians.” Why is it wrong (after all, of course, we are not talking about the Scythians themselves, 7th-6th centuries BC, the Persians already existed then, but as we understand today, about the Iranian-speaking nomads of the ancient Yamnaya, Srubnaya and Catacomb cultures, from which they descended actually the Persians, Parthians, Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmatians, Alans, and whom ancient historiography called the collective name - Scythians, since the latter most retained the features of the material culture inherent in their distant ancestors), is not substantiated and is not proven in any way. And why is it wrong to say “here even a fool can see”: if we admit that the Iranian-speaking Persians descended from the Scythians, a logical chain arises in which belonging to the Iranian-speaking community of Persians-Scythians-Alans is an indisputable fact and here the false theory about the non-Alanian origin of the Ossetians collapses by itself, and in order to prevent this, Yu. Temirkhanov recognizes the message of the ancient historian Ammianus Marcellinus as erroneous, in contrast to some other statements of the same historian.
That's it! There is a desire to attribute direct descent from the Alans not only among our close neighbors, but also among other peoples of the North Caucasus (Karachais, Balkars, part of the Kabardins).
To be fair, it should be admitted that this desire is not unreasonable.
The fact is that the Alans of the 1st century. AD - this is one thing, but the Alans of the 14th century are something else. In the 1st century, Alans were directly Iranian-speaking nomads. And in the 14th century it was a conglomerate or confederation of North Caucasian tribes, called by foreigners by the common name Alans, because Since ancient times, the latter have played a consolidating role among the North Caucasian tribes, as the strongest and most powerful tribe. An example of this is the above-quoted message from the “Life of the Kartli Kings” about the campaign of the Ovs (Alans) together with the Ivers against the Armenians. The army of the Ovs (Alans) also included representatives of other Caucasian peoples: “The king of the Leks also came to them and brought the Durdzuks and Didoi.” And over time, this consolidation could intensify, to the point that foreigners call representatives of the majority of North Caucasian tribes (especially in the Mongolian period of the 13th-14th centuries) by one name: Alans, without seeing any differences in them. This is similar to how all residents of Russia in the West are called Russians, or the fact that, for example, all residents of Russia, despite their national characteristics, are called by a common name: Russians. And all this continues until the time of Tamerlane, who destroys the remains of Alania.
As for the tribes of the Koban culture, opinions about their ethnicity among scientists are varied. Some scientists argue that the Koban people belonged to the Indo-European linguistic community, remembering the exodus of representatives of the Indo-European community (Slavs, Germans, Celts, Romance peoples, Indo-Iranian peoples, Greeks, Armenians, Albanians) from Western Asia to Europe, according to one version, in transit through the Caucasus ( Here it is not superfluous to remember that the name of the greatest peak of Europe, Mount Elbrus, is Indo-European, Iranian (Elbrus - “sparkling ice”) among the ancient Slavs it is the name “Alabyr”, which is a derivative of “Elbrus.” It is not superfluous to mention that the name of the race “Caucasoids” Western European peoples are referred to as “Caucasoids.” And although these are only indirect facts of the presence of Indo-Europeans in the Caucasus, their reliability should not be doubted.
Many scientists claim that the Koban people apparently belonged to purely Caucasian-speaking tribes, which also includes Nakh-speaking tribes. In particular, Gamkreli claims that the “dvals” or “tuals” are clearly a Nakh-speaking tribe. In addition, a number of toponyms on the territory of our republic, according to scientists, linguistically originate from the Nakh languages.
Other scientists argue that the Koban people are representatives of other ethnic groups. For example, ethnographer Y.A. Fedorov argues that in the name of the Ossetian-Digorians “Dyguron” the prefix “dig” or “dyg” indicates the substrate influence on the ethnic map of the Caucasus from the times of the Koban culture, the ancient Adyghe tribes.
Well, it is quite possible that all options could have taken place. Moreover, the Koban culture is just the material culture of the tribes of the central Caucasus, which could well be multilingual. And the arrival of Iranian-speaking nomads from the depths of Asia, the last of whom were the Alans, served to ensure that the language of the latter became generally accepted for the completely multilingual tribes of the central Caucasus. This helped the aborigines communicate both with each other and with the rulers of the steppes - the Alans (just as today, with the help of the Russian language, we communicate with representatives of other nationalities of the Caucasus and Russia, as well as with the Russians themselves). Subsequently, taking into account the unifying consolidating role that the Alans played in relation to the tribes of the North Caucasus (as comes from Mroveli’s message) and especially in relation to the tribes of its central part, with whom they were in closest contact, the local autochthonous tribes of the central Caucasus began to perceive the Alan language as their native language , and later, in the course of a historical process of a certain duration, merged into a single people, now represented by the Ossetians, whose language today is the Alan language with some purely Caucasian linguistic inclusions. Thus, it is clear that the local tribes of the central Caucasus are also our ancestors (and not the ancestors of Yu. Temirkhanov and D. Baksan) along with the Alans.
By the way, anthropology confirms this to an even greater extent. Here is what the famous anthropologist V.P. Alekseev writes about this. in his article “Anthropological data in the origin of the Ossetian people”: “What are the craniological features of the Ossetian people as a whole and its constituent ethnographic groups? First of all, what is striking is the clear expression of the features of the Caucasian race and the rather sharp profiling of the facial skeleton... The large width of the facial skeleton, but some flattening in the upper part... brachycrania, the cranial relief of the brow ridges and glabella is extremely well developed... These features, as well as the other repeating cephalometric, Ossetian skulls show complete similarity with the skull of the Balkars, Khevsurs, Ingush, high-mountain Laks and other representatives of the Caucasian type.” And what then of the Alans, whose physical appearance was different from the Caucasian, which is confirmed by the same Alekseev: “All the burial grounds that can rightfully be attributed to the Alans in the North Caucasus gave craniological series distinguished by an artificially deformed cranium and a narrow facial skeleton. Artificial deformation of the head of a specifically Alan type (by the way, confirming the hypothesis of the Central Asian origin of the Alans, since the highest concentration revealing such deformation falls on ancient population Central Asia) a cultural trait that could have disappeared in the thousand years separating the Middle Ages from modern times. But their narrow faces and gracefulness make us consider the Alans to be representatives of a different anthropological type, compared to modern Ossetians.” As the only exception, Alekseev cites the Zmeysky burial ground, in which skulls were found that were deformed according to the Alan type but, at the same time, had a facial indicator characteristic of the brachycephalic Caucasian type, but this exception is explained by ethnic assimilation and integration processes. Thus, according to anthropology, the Dolichocephalic Alans are craniologically different from modern Ossetians, who are generally identical (with the exception of some anthropological subtle features that we will consider below) to modern Caucasians. This is important information because then, all the statements of our opponents that we descended either from Jews or from someone else (whose alleged presence in the distant past in the territories that are part of modern Ossetia has not been proven by anything) is an absolute myth because . Anthropologically, the Ossetians are very different from all those from whom, according to the Ingush “historians,” the Ossetians descend. Moreover, anthropology directly exposes the myth that the Alans (dolichocephalic) are the direct ancestors of the Ingush people, whose representatives have a purely Caucasian appearance that differs in anthropology from the appearance of the Alans. It is clear that the question naturally arises: Why then are the Alans considered the ancestors of the Ossetians? The answer is obvious based on the linguistic uniqueness, according to which Ossetians with Caucasian appearance speak not the Caucasian language, with its guttural phonetics, but Indo-European, a language belonging to the Iranian group. According to the famous archaeologist E.I. Krupnov, “When one of the Sarmatian tribes - the Alans - moved towards the Central Caucasus, it mixed with the local autochthonous population and passed on its language to them.”
Well, it is also useful to pay attention to the anthropological features that were mentioned above and which show that in addition to the actual Caucasian anthropological features that generally determine their belonging, the Ossetians are also characterized by the presence of features that are not so common and characteristic of the Northern Iranian nomadic tribes: This and dolichocephaly, characteristic of Alan skulls, which is found among some Ossetians, and, no less important, the structure of the palpebral fissure, which is characterized by features that are present in varying degrees of development in all peoples who lived or currently live in the vastness of the Great Eurasian steppe from the Danube in the west to the Gobi Desert and the Greater Khingan Range in the east.
A similar structure of the palpebral fissure, found among many Ossetians and expressed to a greater or lesser extent, is attributed by scientists to an element characteristic of the North Iranian racial type (which included both the Alans and their predecessors the Sarmatians, Scythians, etc.), which itself is a mixture paleo-European with cordid-like, Mongoloid and West Asian, and which is preserved today only among the Ossetians, as a North Iranian element within the Caucasian racial type, to which today’s Ossetians generally belong. The North Iranian element in the structure of the orbits is characterized by a somewhat almond-shaped narrowed palpebral fissure (this is not a Mongoloid feature, since there is no epicanthus characteristic of the Mongolian type) with an average degree of development of the fold of the upper eyelid, and, most importantly, the outer corner of the palpebral fissure higher than the internal one, which is typical only for the North Iranian type.
A similar feature, indicating to a certain extent steppe origin, is almost (because as a result of mutual contacts, some, almost a few of the Alans, settled among the ancestors of the Ingush and, having married, left their genes to new descendants) is absent from our Ingush neighbors: they are 100% racially mountaineers and therefore cannot be considered as descendants of the steppe people - Sarmatians and Alans.

Y. Temirkhanov very often in his articles mentions the term formulated by L.N. Gumilyov “passionarity”, which he refers to his fellow tribesmen.
According to L.N. Gumilyov, “passionarity” is an irresistible internal desire (conscious or, more often, unconscious) for activity aimed at achieving a goal. In other words, this is a property of an ethnic group or individual, in which people show themselves to be strong-willed, decisive and purposeful individuals. They are very energetic, brave to the point of selflessness, so much so that it seemed that in the most hopeless situations, showing all their strong qualities, they steadfastly endure trials and sometimes achieve success. In a word, these are strong people in all respects. And if there are many of these people in one ethnic group, then the ethnic group begins to fight with other ethnic groups for power and territory, claiming a dominant position among all other ethnic groups.
This happened and happens with all ethnic groups, but according to L.N. Gumilyov, not always, but only during a certain period of time from the entire period of existence of the ethnic group. The same thing happened with the Ossetians during the Sarmato-Alan period.
Quoting L.N. Gumilyov “Passionarity is a phenomenon transmitted by inheritance” Yu. Temirkhanov mistakenly concludes that if passionarity is invariably and constantly transmitted from generation to generation, then representatives of this ethnic community are always passionate, throughout the entire history of the existence of the ethnos, which is, first of all, manifests itself through their increased belligerence.
However, as history shows, ethnic groups experienced different phases, and if in one period of time an ethnic group was highly passionate, then in another period of time it could be characterized by insignificant passionarity. There are many examples of this, for example, the Mongols, who in the time of Genghis Khan were known as formidable conquerors, but today they are a completely peaceful and harmless people. Or the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes, descendants of the legendary Vikings, whose name struck fear into the peoples of early medieval Europe; today they are peaceful and completely civilized nations.
The same applies to the Ossetians, whose ancestors, the Sarmatians and then the Alans, were quite warlike, so their name was widely known to the ancient world of that time, while their descendants are completely peaceful and civilized, modern people.
If we follow the dense logic of neighboring “historians”, then the Ossetians, just like the Mongols and Scandinavians, “as ironic as it may sound”, should probably, like their ancestors, constantly raid their neighbors, rob and kill, so that this will serve direct evidence, as neighboring “historians” believe, that we really come from warlike ancestors, who were the Alans, and otherwise it is wrong to consider them descendants of the Alans. Thus, the character and passion of peoples never remains eternally unchanged, but constantly undergoes changes throughout history, depending on certain circumstances.
The fact that the character of a people can change from warlike to peaceful and at the same time the degree of passionarity changes - history has shown this in the example of the above-mentioned peoples; it can also change and, conversely, from peaceful to warlike and passionarity also changes, as can be seen in the example Vainakhs and together with them the Ingush, as we learn from V.I. Potto from his book “The Caucasian War”: “Sheltered from their predatory neighbors by centuries-old forests and fast mountain rivers, the Chechens lived calmly and peacefully for a long time, until the predatory Kumyks, who began to spread throughout Sulak and Aksay, did not meet them on Michika. Then the Kumyks, and after them the Nogais and Kabardins - traditionally warlike peoples, having learned about their rich neighbors, made them the subject of their constant bloody attacks and robberies. These difficult circumstances, the eternal need for protection and resistance, according to legend, quickly changed the character of the Chechens themselves and made the shepherd tribe the most severe and warlike people of all the tribes that then lived in the Caucasus.”
Now I would like to draw attention to the goal pursued by “historians” from the neighboring republic, considering, unlike the Ossetians, themselves and their fellow tribesmen to be descendants of Alans.
This opinion, that the Ingush are supposedly descendants of the Alans, but the Ossetians are not, is caused by its appearance not so much in order to get to the bottom of the truth or even to belittle the Ossetians, as if in retaliation for the events of past conflicts, but is entirely related to the issue of the eastern territories included in the present-day Prigorodny district, which our neighbors consider theirs and on which (exactly like in the territories of flat Ingushetia itself) there are Alan burial mounds and other monuments of the Alan era. Based on this, if the Ingush, and not the Ossetians, are the descendants of the Alans (as Ingush historians believe and try to instill this in their fellow tribesmen), then the demands for the return of the territories on which the Alan archaeological monuments are located can be said to be more than justified in the eyes of others, and if not the Ingush, and the Ossetians are direct descendants of the Alans (which is confirmed by the official historical science), then the existence of Alan monuments in the eastern territories of the Prigorodny district shows that the ancestors of the Ingush were not the first of those who settled in these territories, and if so, then the political demands of our neighbors to revise administrative boundaries today are not justified and inappropriate.
But “our” neighboring “historians” think differently, because they believe that supposedly their ancestors, being Alans, lived in the territories that were part of ancient and medieval Alania and which today are part of the republics of North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Here is what Yu. Temirkhanov said about this with reference to the “work” of another neighboring “historian” Kodzoev N.D. “On the question of the origin of the ethnonyms “Alan” and “GIalgIa”: “The weakening of the Alan (Ingush) tribes that had just begun to restore their strength on the plane and in the foothills of the Alan (Ingush) tribes was facilitated by the aggressive campaigns of 1563, 1565 of the Kabardians who moved to the Central Caucasus... As a result of the first During the campaign of the Kabardians, 164 taverns (settlements) of Mshansky and Sonsky were destroyed and their “cities” of Alagir, Koban and Mokhan (Stepantsminda) were conquered (ibid.) Therefore, it is said in the legends of the Ossetians that these lands (Tagaur, Kurtatinsky and Daryal gorges) were free and they occupied these places migrating from west to east (Kurtatinskoe and Tagaur gorges) in the 16th-18th centuries." Just think... Alagir and even in the 16th century, and even an Ingush city... whose name is translated from Ossetian as “ Uallag" - upper "Ir" - from Iron, the abbreviated self-name of Ossetians... or Koban... or Stepantsminda, the old name of Kazbegi located on the territory of Georgia.
Leonti Mroveli in his work “Kartlis Tskhovreba” describes the settlement of the North Caucasus as follows: “he chose Targamos from among the many heroes of two - Lekan (Lekos) and Caucasus. Gave Lekan lands from the Daruband Sea to the Lomek (Terek) River, to the north - to Great River Hazareti. To the Caucasus - from the Lomeka River to the borders of the Caucasus in the West."
According to the interpretation of Denis Baksan, the “descendants of Lekos” are Dagestanis, and the “descendants of Caucasus” are Vainakhs.

Back in 1822, Klaproth expressed the opinion that Ossetians are descendants of Alans (they are also Os and Yas, depending on the sources). Further research confirmed the assumption that the ancestors of the Ossetians were among the Alans, and clarified the Iranian origin of the latter, as well as their relationship with the Asian Sarmatians. The Ossetians constitute the remnant of the once numerous Iranian tribe, which occupied a significant area in the northern Caucasus, on and in the Black Sea region. All the way to Elborus and further in the region of the upper Kuban, Ossetian names of rivers, gorges, passes, mountains, etc., are still preserved, indicating that these places were inhabited by their ancestors.

Observing the type of Mountain Tatars, studying their legends and customs leads to the conviction that the Tatars found the indigenous Ossetian population here. The ancestors of the Ossetians lived even further to the west, on the lower reaches of the Kuban and Don, which has still retained its Ossetian name (don means water, river in Ossetian). The antiquity of Iranian settlements in southeast Russia dates back to the times of the Greek Black Sea colonies. In the Greek inscriptions of Tiras, Olbia, Panticapaeum and especially Tanais, among the non-Greek personal names there are many Iranian ones, indicating the presence of a significant Iranian element in the local population. Linguistic analysis of these names made it possible to understand some phonetic laws of the Sarmatian language and establish its special relationship with Ossetian.

Historical data about the fate of the ancestors is provided by the few written evidence about the Asian Sarmatians, Alans, as well as the scant indications of the Russian chronicle about the yas. The closest southern cultural neighbors of the Ossetians, the Georgians, also preserved in their chronicles several evidence of Ossetian raids in Transcaucasia. The Armenian historian Moses Khorensky knows the Ossians under the name Alans, under which they were also known to Byzantine historians. In the Georgian chronicle, the Oss are portrayed as a strong, numerous people, who deployed several tens of thousands of horsemen for raids. The Ossetian kings and family alliances between the royal house (Bagratids) and the Ossetian are mentioned.

The power of the Ossetians, weakened in the north of the Caucasus by the Russians, (Kasogs) and Cumans, was finally undermined by the Tatar pogrom during the time of Genghis Khan. Ossetians were forced to pay tribute to the Tatars. In the north, the Tatars occupied part of the Ossetian territory, and finally locked Setin in the mountains. The Digorians, Tagaurs and part of the Kurtatins were tributaries of the Kabardins at the beginning of the 19th century. The South Ossetians, previously so formidable for Transcaucasia, submitted to the influence of the Georgians and became serfs dependent on the Georgian feudal lords Eristovs and Machabelovs. The establishment of Russian rule in the Caucasus was favorable for O., who found support in the Russian government on the one hand against the Kabardians, on the other against the oppression of the upper class and Georgian princes. As a result of incitement by the latter, unrest sometimes occurred among the South Ossetians, but government measures and the activities of missionaries brought the Ossetians closer and closer to the Russians. In 1866-67. The liberation of the serf classes from the power of the landowners took place in Ossetia.

After the revolution, there was a massive resettlement of Ossetians to the plain. In 1922, the South Ossetian Autonomous Republic was formed, which became part of the Georgian SSR, two years later the North Ossetian Republic was formed, which in 1936 was transformed into the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1990, the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic of North Ossetia (now North Ossetia-Alania) was adopted. South Ossetia became part of.

Ossetians are a people in Russia, the main population of Northern and South Ossetia, also live in Kabardino-Balkaria (10 thousand people), in Karachay-Cherkessia (4 thousand people). The total number of people in Russia is 402 thousand. Before the conquest of the Kabardians by the Russians, Ossetians lived exclusively in the mountains. Having pushed the Kabardians away from the mountains, the Russian government allowed them to settle on the plain.

The Ossetians are a viable tribe, rapidly increasing in number since they were placed in more favorable economic conditions. According to 1833 data, there were only 35,750 Ossetians; According to information from the 60s, there were 46,802 northern Ossetians, 19,324 southern Ossetians. In 1880, there were already 58,926 people in northern Ossetia, and 51,988 in southern Ossetia.

According to the observations of Dr. Gilchenko, the majority of North Ossetians (almost 64%) are dark-haired and dark-eyed; their skin color is darkish, their forehead is straight, wide, with well-developed frontal tubercles and poorly developed brow ridges; the nose is quite large, prominent, straight; the mouth is small, with straight, thin lips. The majority are tall; shoulders and pelvis of considerable width.

On the plane, Ossetians live in mud huts or whitewashed huts; in the mountains, where there is no forest or where it is difficult to access, Ossetian sakli are made of stones without cement and, for the most part, stick one side to the rock. Sometimes part of the side walls is also formed by a mountain.

The main part of the national Ossetian house is a large common room, kitchen and dining room together. Cooking takes place all day long, since Ossetians do not have a specific time for eating, and family members do not eat together, but first the older ones, then the younger ones. In the middle of the room there is a fireplace, above which a copper or cast iron cauldron hangs on an iron chain. The hearth is the center around which the family gathers. An iron chain attached to the ceiling near the smoke hole is the most sacred object of the house: anyone who approaches the hearth and touches the chain becomes close to the family. Insulting a chain (for example, taking it away from home) was considered the greatest offense for the family, which was previously followed by blood feud.

As the family grows (divisions between married brothers during the lifetime of their parents are a rare occurrence), new huts and outbuildings are added to the house. All buildings are covered flat roofs, where bread is often threshed and grain is dried.

The clothes of the Ossetians do not differ from the general Caucasian, mountain clothes: men have the same shirts, beshmets, Circassians, trousers made of cloth or canvas or burkas; for women - long shirts up to the toes, trousers and cotton or nankee caftans with a narrow neckline on the chest. The winter headdress is a high lambskin cap (papakha), the summer one is a felt hat. Women's headwear consists of different types of hats and scarves. Men prefer dark brown and black in clothes, women prefer blue, light blue and scarlet.

The main food of the Ossetians, who are generally distinguished by moderation, is bread - made from barley, corn, wheat, millet, as well as dishes made from milk and cheese. They eat meat only on holidays and when guests arrive. The main occupations of Ossetians in the mountains, where there are rich pastures, are cattle breeding and agriculture; crafts are poorly developed.

The main ethical principles guiding the life of Ossetians are respect for elders, blood vengeance and hospitality. Every Ossetian considers it his duty to stand up when an elder enters and greet him, even if he is of lower origin; adult sons do not have the right to sit in the presence of their father, the owner cannot sit in front of the guest without his permission, etc. In general, family and social relationships are determined by strict etiquette and peculiar concepts of decency, often extremely shy.

The custom of blood revenge, sacredly observed before, but now almost eradicated, led to constant wars between individual families and significantly reduced the number of the Ossetian tribe. Hospitality is still an outstanding feature. It is observed with greater sincerity and cordiality in places less touched by European culture. Until recently, marriage was based solely on the payment of bride price (ireda) for the bride, which the groom had to purchase personally. The size of the bride price was determined by the dignity of the bride and the related families. In some places, part of the bride price, and sometimes the entire bride price, goes to the girl’s dowry. Ossetian weddings are accompanied by many rituals that retain interesting traces of antiquity.

Between funeral rites The so-called dedication of the horse to the deceased, performed at the grave, and the wake deserve attention. The purpose of the first rite is for the deceased to have a horse in the afterlife and be able to ride safely to his appointed place. The wake consists of a rich treat not only for relatives, but for all fellow villagers and strangers, in honor of the deceased, and the so-called great wake is sometimes accompanied by horse racing and shooting at a target for prizes given by the family of the deceased. Ossetians look at wakes as feeding dead ancestors, believing that the food eaten at the wake reaches them. Converting to Christianity, Ossetians perform some rituals, observe fasts and holidays, attend church, mention the name of Christ and some saints, but at the same time they also celebrate former pagan rituals, say prayers to their village and family shrines, and on certain days they make sacrifices - rams, goats , bulls. In the rituals of the Ossetians, traces of extinct Christianity, mixed with ancient paganism, are also visible.

Of considerable interest is the folk literature of O., especially their tales about heroes called Narts. Some types and plots of the Ossetian Nart epic are found in the tales of Kabardians and. The latter, apparently, borrowed some stories from the Ossetians, who themselves received something from the Kabardians. Some stories connected with the Persian hero Rustem, a hero almost universally known in the Caucasus, also penetrated into the Ossetian Nart epic from Transcaucasia, through the mediation of Georgians. In addition to epic tales, Ossetians have many songs, especially satirical and humorous ones, which are just as easily formed as they are forgotten and replaced by new ones. Singing and playing musical instruments are widespread among the people.

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The question of who Ossetians are Muslims or Christians, and which religion is most widespread in North Ossetia, can only be resolved by considering the history of this people, starting from ancient times, when various tribes and ethnic groups lived on this territory.

History of the Ossetian people

Ossetians are one of the most ancient peoples of the Caucasus, having a specific religious culture and a rather complex structure of customs and beliefs. For centuries, their religion retained pagan roots, and then, under the influence of Christianity, the characters of pagan deities were firmly united with the Orthodox.

Therefore, answers to the questions of who the Ossetians were before the adoption of Christianity and what religious views they had must be sought in their historical roots, which originated from the Scythian-Sarmatians who founded the state of Alania here.

The inhabitants of the territory where North Ossetia is now located were tribes of Sarmatians and Alans, who back in the 9th-7th centuries. BC. settled here, creating a fairly developed “Koban” culture, the language of their communication was Iranian. Later, these settlements were raided by the Scythians and Sarmatians, who assimilated and formed new ethnic groups.

The appearance of the Sarmatian tribe of Alans happened in the 1st century. BC. and contributed to the emergence of the Alanian state in the 5th-6th centuries, the basis of whose government was military democracy. It included not only the current Ossetian territories, but also most of North Caucasus.

The capital of Alanya - the ancient settlement of Tatartup - was located near the modern village. Elkhotovo. On the territory of the Alanian state, 2 ethnic groups emerged:

• proto-Digorians (Asdigor) - the western territories of Kuban, Pyatigorye and Balkaria, their population maintained economic and friendly relations with Byzantium;
• proto-Ironians (Irkhan) - eastern Alans (North Ossetia, Chechnya and Ingushetia), who were oriented towards Iran.

Christianization in the Alan Empire

In the VI-VII centuries. Byzantine preachers appeared in Alanya, introducing features of Orthodoxy into their life and religion. The process of Christianization was one of the forms of relations with Byzantium, which pursued its own political goals. With the help of Christian bishops and priests, the empire began to expand its sphere of influence and power over these lands, working through local leaders through bribes and gifts, endowing them with various titles.

This happened in order to reduce the danger of an attack by nomadic tribes on the borders of Byzantium, which at that time inhabited the steppe and mountainous regions from the North Caucasus and Maeotis to the Caspian Sea. Therefore, the empire tried to provoke conflicts between them, and also tried to enter into an alliance with the steppe peoples in order to resist Iran.

The strategic position of the territories of the Alanian state contributed to the empire’s interest in its population, whom they, although they considered barbarians, sought to strengthen relations with them with the help of Christianity. Until the middle of the 7th century. independent Alania was an ally of Byzantium in confronting the Arab caliphate in the Caucasus.

After the end of the Arab-Khazar hostilities, the political influence of the Khazar Khaganate was greatly strengthened, which was Alania’s tactics in order not to fall under the rule of the Arab conquerors.

The fall of Byzantium, friendship with Georgia

At the end of the 10th century. Alans enter into an alliance with the Rus, thus ensuring to the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav won the victory over the Khazars, which helped the state free itself from the influence of the Kaganate and Arabs. In independent Alanya in the X-XII centuries. a period of supreme political, military and cultural prosperity begins.

The Christianization of the Alans in these years was greatly influenced by friendly relations with the Georgian kingdom, where King David IV the Builder and Queen Tamara ruled. They pursued an active educational, missionary and peacekeeping policy throughout the region. An important point In the history of the consolidation of Christianity as the religious worldview of the Ossetians, the emergence of the Alan metropolis was evident. Georgian missionaries who came to the Ossetian lands were engaged in the construction of small Orthodox churches, which later began to turn into pagan sanctuaries.

In the Alanian state in the 2nd half of the 12th century. Feudal fragmentation begins, and then after the Tatar-Mongol raids it ceases to exist. In 1204, the crusaders' campaign and the capture of Constantinople led to the fall of Byzantium.

The era of rule of the Golden Horde led to the isolation of the Ossetian population, which survived only in the areas of mountain gorges, isolated from other peoples and states. During the period of the XII-XIII centuries. There was a decrease in the influence of Orthodoxy in the North Caucasus region; the bulk of the population adhered to semi-pagan beliefs, remaining isolated from civilization.

Religion of Ossetians - a mixture of Christianity and paganism

Forming mountain communities, Ossetians preserved their pagan religion for many years. Even during their subsequent migration to the plains, they adhered to these ancient views. According to the descriptions of travelers who visited them in past centuries and were interested in what religion the Ossetians professed, it was noted that they adhered to mixed religious rites.

Their religion intertwined Orthodox traditions, the veneration of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary with semi-pagan holidays. Together with pagan deities (Ovsadi, Alardy, etc.), they worshiped Chiristi (I. Christ) and Madia-Mayram (Mother of God), etc. The Alans celebrated Orthodox holidays (Easter, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, etc.), strictly They kept fasts and went to the cemetery to remember the dead.

The Ossetian folk religion was created by a mixture of Christianity and paganism, partly Mohammedanism. Moreover, the adherence to religious rituals was not always accurate; much was confused and mixed up, which is associated with the missionary movements of not only Christians, but also Muslims.

Influence of the Russian Empire

Since the 18th century. comes next stage: Christianity comes from Russia. Orthodox missionaries preached religious dogmas in the most remote mountain settlements, bringing with them goods for exchange and money to pay for baptism. Moreover, the highlanders managed to baptize not only themselves, but also their pets in order to get more coins.

Ossetian Christianity took a unique form: they believed in Jesus Christ, but also in their pagan deities. Ossetians did not go to churches built by Georgians, because the service there was conducted in Georgian. And only at the end of the 19th century. Local priests began to appear. After the founding of the Ardon Theological Seminary in 1880, where Ossetians studied, Orthodox churches also began to be built in settlements on the plains, which were supposed to resist the Muslim religion that had spread during these years.

Ossetians (Muslims or Christians) lived in small groups in the mountain gorges, continued to celebrate their traditional holidays and pray to their pagan deities.

Islam in Ossetia

Information about the preaching and acceptance of Islam by some families indicates its spread in the territory of Alanya back in the 7th-10th centuries, after the Arab campaigns. According to some sources, minarets were functioning already during the time of the Golden Horde, one of which, Tatartup Minarets, was destroyed in the 1980s.

However, in the official history of Ossetians it is generally accepted that wealthy feudal lords (Digorians, Tagaurians, Kurtatinians) began to accept Islam from the Kabardian princes only in the 16th-17th centuries. Moreover, the poor mountaineers at that time remained Christians, but gradually also adopted Islamic ideas. TO early XIX V. Most of the families were Muslims, with the exception of the Alagir and Tual communities.

During the Caucasian War (1817-1864), the propaganda of the Muslim religion began to prevail and came from Dagestan: the arrival of the envoys of Imam Shamil helped spread Islamic ideas to 4 more mountain communities.

In the second half of the 19th century. The Russian government, following an anti-Islamic policy, forces Muslims to settle separately from Christians to prevent the further strengthening of the influence of this religion. Islamic villages had their own imams, who received education in Dagestan and Kabarda, the spread of Arabic writing began, and religious publications were published. The Caucasian War, which lasted almost 50 years, caused a partial resettlement of highlanders and Ossetians to Turkey.

Active anti-Muslim policies during the Russian Empire continued after the 1917 revolution by the communist government, along with the propaganda of atheism. During Soviet times, Islam was persecuted and banned.

Since the late 80s of the 20th century, there has been an increase in the influence of the Muslim religion, which is expressed in the adoption of Islam by Ossetians, who came from Muslim families.

Deities of folk religion

The native Ossetian religion believes in the existence of a God who rules the world (God of Gods). Below him there are other deities:

• Uacilla - the god of thunder and light (Gromovnik), the name comes from the biblical prophet Elijah;
• Uastyrdzhi or Saint George is the most important deity, the patron of men and travelers, the enemy of all murderers and thieves;
• Tutir is the ruler of wolves, people believe that by respecting him, they divert wolves from attacks on livestock and people;
• Falvara is the most peaceful and kind deity, protector of livestock;
• Afsati - controls wild animals and patronizes hunters, looks like a white-bearded old man sitting on a high mountain, it is for him that the traditional 3 pies are baked, calling for good luck in life;

• Barastyr is the deity of the afterlife who cares for the dead in both heaven and hell.
• Don Battir is a water ruler who owns fish and patronizes fishermen.
• Rynibardug is a deity who sends diseases and heals them.
• Alard is an evil spirit that sends mass diseases - a monster with a scary face.
• Khuytsauy Dzuar - patronizes family and old people.
• Madii-Mayram - protects and patronizes women, the image is taken from Saint Mary in Christianity.
• Sau Dzuar is the “black” patron of the forest, protecting against fire and deforestation, etc.

Religious holidays in Ossetia

Numerous holidays in Ossetia differ in form and content, and in mountain villages they differ in their rules and customs. The main religious festivals of Ossetians are as follows:

• Nog Az ( New Year) is celebrated on January 1 by the whole family, when treats are put on the table: traditional 3 pies, fizonag, fruits and festive dishes. A Christmas tree with toys is set up for children. The eldest, sitting at the head of the table, reads a prayer to God for the blessings expected in the coming year.
• Donyskafan - celebrated after 6 days, in the morning all women take jugs of “basylta” and go for water, where they pray for prosperity and happiness in the family, carry water home and spray all the walls and corners, wash themselves with it. It is believed that such water helps purify the soul; it is stored for future use.
• Hayradzhyty Akhsav - celebrated at night to appease the devils who, according to ancient legends, once lived with people. On “Night of the Devils,” it is customary to cut a kid (chicken, etc.) and bury its blood so that no one will find it. The table set at midnight with refreshments was first left for the “unclean”, and then the whole family feasted.
• Kuadzan (corresponding to Easter) - marks the end of Lent on the first Sunday after the full moon in April. All preparations are identical to the Orthodox holiday: eggs are painted, pies and meat are prepared. At the festive table, the eldest in the family prays, turning to Jesus Christ about everything that Ossetians believe in: about the good for the family, about the remembrance of deceased relatives, etc. A holiday for the whole village (kuvd) is held, general fun, dancing, and visiting neighbors .
• Tarangeloz is one of the oldest traditional celebrations, celebrated 3 weeks after Easter. Tarangeloz is the name of the fertility deity, whose sanctuary is located in the Trusovsky Gorge. A sacrificial lamb is brought to him, the holiday is celebrated for several days, and races are organized for young people.
• Nikkola - the name of an ancient saint, known since the time of Alanya, is considered the deity of cereals, who helps to harvest the crops. The holiday falls in the second half of May.
• Rekom is a men's holiday, named after the sanctuary, especially revered among the mountaineers of the Alagir Gorge. According to tradition, a sacrificial lamb is slaughtered, national festivities and sports competitions are organized. During the festival (7 days), many families move into temporary buildings located near Rekom, ritual dances and processions are organized around the sanctuary, and neighbors from other villages are invited to tables with refreshments.

• Uacilla is the Thunder God, who takes care of everything that grows from the earth, a traditional holiday of agriculture since the time of Alanya. Its sanctuaries are located in different places, the main one in Dargavs on Mount Tbau. For the festive table, pies are baked, a sheep is slaughtered, and prayers are offered during the feast. Only the priest can enter the sanctuary, who brings offerings and a bowl of beer brewed specially for this day.
• Khetaji Bon is the day of Uastirdzhi, which helped the Kabardian prince Khetag escape from the enemies who were persecuting him for accepting Christianity. Celebrated in the Holy Grove near the village. Suadag on the 2nd Sunday of July is a national holiday with the ritual of sacrificing a ram and a feast.

Religions in Ossetia: XXI century

The question of whether Ossetians are Muslims or Christians can be answered accurately by looking at statistics that confirm that 75% of Ossetians are Orthodox Christians. The rest of the population professes Islam and other religions. However, ancient pagan customs are still practiced and have become firmly established in the everyday and family relationships of representatives of the people.

In total, 16 religious denominations are now represented in Ossetia, among which there are also Pentecostals, Protestants, Jews, etc. In recent years, attempts have been made to create a “neopagan” religion, an alternative to traditional beliefs, but based on tribal rites and the way of life of the population.

Center of Christianity in the North Caucasus

North Ossetia is the only Christian republic in the North Caucasus; Vladikavkaz is home to the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which unite the believers of this region.

The native religion of the Ossetians has its own national identity and can become the basis for the existence of Orthodoxy in this country, which preserves Christian values ​​and the heritage of the Alans. The Russian Orthodox Church in Vladikavkaz begins work on the development of Ossetian-language worship, beginning the translation of Christian texts into the Ossetian language. Perhaps on native language the tradition of holding Orthodox services will return to the ancient churches scattered in mountain settlements.

The policy of the government of North Ossetia within the Russian Federation is aimed at preaching and strengthening the Orthodox faith among Ossetians (Muslims or Christians).

OSSETINS

Ossetians are descendants of the ancient Alans, Sarmatians and Scythians. However, according to some famous historians, the presence of the so-called local Caucasian substrate in the Ossetians is also obvious. Currently, Ossetians mostly inhabit the northern and southern slopes of the central part of the main Caucasus ridge. Geographically, they form the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania (area - about 8 thousand sq. km., capital - Vladikavkaz) and the Republic of South Ossetia (area - 3.4 thousand sq. km., capital - Tskhinvali).

Despite the geographical and administrative division, a single people lives in both parts of Ossetia, with the same culture and language. The division occurred by a strong-willed decision from the Kremlin in 1922, without any consideration of the opinions of the Ossetians themselves. According to this decision, North Ossetia was assigned to Russia, and South Ossetia to Georgia. For seven decades, if you do not take into account the feelings of the poor stepdaughter and attempts to impose Georgian culture and language, the citizens of South Ossetia did not experience any great inconvenience from this division, since they lived in a single family of fraternal peoples of the USSR.

But times have changed. Russia and Georgia have become separate states with very strained relations. At the same time, the Ossetians found themselves on opposite sides of the state border. Moreover, even many families whose members live in different parts of Ossetia became divided. But more on this below.

Currently, the total number of Ossetians in the world is about 640-690 thousand people. Of these (according to unofficial data) live:

In North Ossetia – 420-440 thousand people

In South Ossetia - 70 thousand people

In the republics and regions of Russia - 60-80 thousand people

In Georgia – 50-60 thousand people

In states on the territory of the former USSR - 20-30 thousand people,

In Turkey and Syria – 11-12 thousand people,

In the countries of Europe, America, Australia - about 12-15 thousand people.

Ossetia borders: in the east - with the Republic of Ingushetia, in the northeast - with Chechnya, in the west and northwest - with the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the south - with Georgia and in the north - with the Stavropol Territory.

The nature of Ossetia is rich and varied: sultry steppes, flowering foothill plains, eternally ice-covered peaks of the highest Caucasus Mountains in Europe, deep gorges and swift rivers.

Ossetians are a people who, due to their uniqueness (the absence of related peoples close in language and culture), have long attracted the close attention of Russian and famous foreign historians and researchers of the Caucasus, such as Miller, Sjögren, Klaproth, Vernardsky, Dumezil, Bakhrakh, Sulimirsky, Littleton, Bailey, Cardini, Abaev, Rostovtsev, Kuznetsov and many others.

The history of Ossetia from the Alans, Sarmatians and Scythians to the present day is quite well described in the books of many authoritative scientists, and in particular M. Bliev and R. Bazrov “History of Ossetia”, as well as in the preface given in this section by academician M. Isaev “Alans . Who are they?" to the Russian edition of Bernard S. Bachrach’s book “Alans in the West”. This book itself (“A history of the Alans in the West”, by Bernard S. Bachrach)* brightly illuminates the history of the Western Alans, who settled in large numbers in the countries of Western and Central Europe, and left a noticeable mark on the development of the culture of the peoples of these countries, from British Isles and northern Italy to the Balkan countries and Hungary. There, the descendants of the Alans (Ass) subsequently formed a separate Iasi region, preserving the culture and language of their ancestors for many centuries. By the way, most studies of the history of Western Alans completely refutes the theories of some North Caucasian historians that the Alans were not Iranian-speaking. The Iranian-speaking nature of Western Alans is recognized without much effort.

Throughout its history, the Ossetian people went through periods from rapid prosperity, increased power and enormous influence in the first millennium AD, to almost complete catastrophic extermination during the invasions of the Tatars - the Mongols and the lame Timur in the 13-14 centuries. The comprehensive catastrophe that befell Alanya led to the mass destruction of the population, the undermining of the foundations of the economy, and the collapse of statehood. The pitiful remnants of a once powerful people (according to some sources, no more than 10-12 thousand people) were locked in the high-mountain gorges of the Caucasus Mountains for almost five centuries. During this time everything " external Relations» Ossetians were reduced only to contacts with their closest neighbors. However, every cloud has a silver lining. According to scientists, largely thanks to this isolation, the Ossetians have preserved their unique culture, language, traditions and religion almost in their original form.

Centuries passed and the people rose from the ashes and grew noticeably in numbers. And by the first half of the 18th century, due to the cramped, harsh and limited conditions of the highlands and the complex geopolitical situation in the region, the Ossetian people faced the urgent question of the need to become part of Russia and resettle to the lowland lands. Through elected ambassadors - representatives of various Ossetian societies, a corresponding petition was sent to St. Petersburg addressed to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. After the defeat of Turkey in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. Russia's influence in the region increased noticeably and it was able to act more decisively than before in pursuing its colonial goals in the Caucasus. And following the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty in 1974, it was decided to annex Ossetia to Russian Empire. However, the administrative subordination of Ossetia was initially of a formal nature. And the people continued to maintain independence from the Russian administration for a long time. In the Ossetian gorges, uprisings like Digorsky in 1781, which were of a people's liberation nature, broke out every now and then.

However, in general, joining Russia corresponded to the national interests of Ossetia. It brought closer the solution to such important issues as resettlement to the foothill plains, ensuring external security and the establishment of trade relations in Russia.

Over the next 100-150 years, hundreds of educated teachers, educators, writers, military leaders, statesmen and public figures grew up in Ossetia. Most of them received a good education in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other large cities of Russia. By the beginning of the last century, there were already dozens of Ossetian military generals and thousands of officers awarded the highest military awards in Russia. Faithfully and truly, with Alanian honor, they defended the interests of the Fatherland throughout, from the Far East to the Balkans and Turkey.

Years passed and the political events of the beginning of the 20th century dealt a new blow to our people, like all other peoples of the country. The revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Civil War split Ossetian society into warring irreconcilable camps for a long time. They significantly undermined the foundations of intra-social relationships, foundations and traditions. Often neighbors, relatives, or even members of the same family found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades. Many leading people of their time were killed in battle, others emigrated abroad forever. Well, the greatest damage to Ossetian culture was caused during the famous repressions of the 30s and 40s, when the color of the nation was almost completely destroyed.

The famous Alan military art and desire for military feats did not go down in history along with them. Through the centuries they were reborn in descendants, for whom military service and defense of the Fatherland have always been held in special esteem. The desire for officer service is evident in Ossetians from early childhood. And the fact that this project included information about 79 generals and admirals of the Soviet period and modern Russia convincingly confirms this conclusion.

The Ossetian people most clearly showed their best qualities, inherited from their proud ancestors, during the Second World War.

With a total population of 340 thousand people in 1941:

90 thousand Ossetians left to defend their homeland from the fascist occupiers.

46 thousand of them died in battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland.

34 Ossetians became Heroes of the Soviet Union. This is the highest figure in relation to the total population among all the peoples of the USSR (see table in the “Heroes of the Soviet Union” section).

More than 50 people became generals and admirals

The Ossetian Gazdanov family lost all 7 of them on the war fronts

Two families lost 6 sons each,

In 16 families, 5 sons did not return from the war,

52 Ossetian families lost 4 sons in this war,

The defeat of the fascist troops in the Caucasus began with their defeat in fierce battles on the outskirts of Vladikavkaz in the winter of 1942, and the liberation of the Nazi-occupied areas of North Ossetia.

Dozens of Ossetian military generals fought bravely in the ranks of the Red Army commanders. The most famous of them are twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Issa Pliev, Hero of the Soviet Union, Army General Georgy Khetagurov, Hero of the Soviet Union, Colonel General, one of the most prominent Soviet intelligence officers, who was called the father of Soviet special forces, Hadji-Umar Mamsurov and commander famous Soviet air aces, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General Ibragim Dzusov.

The post-war period in the history of Ossetia is characterized by rapid development of industry, economics, agriculture, culture and sports. Thanks to the rich natural resources, such large enterprises of the mining and processing industries have grown in Ossetia as the Sadonsky and Kvaisinsky lead-zinc plants, the Elektrozinc and Pobedit plants, the products of which were widely used in the country and abroad, the Tskhinvali plants "Emalprovod" and "Vibromashina" , Alagir Resistance Plant, Europe's largest Beslan Maize Mill, Kazbek furniture company, a whole range of large enterprises electronics, etc.

The capital of the Republic of North Ossetia is Alania, Vladikavkaz (population just over 300 thousand people) - one of the most beautiful cities in the region, a cultural, economic and transport center. Here, as throughout the republic, people of many nationalities live in peace and harmony. Vladikavkaz is famous for its prestigious higher educational institutions, including North Ossetian State University named after K.L. Khetagurova, Mountain State Agrarian University, North Caucasus State Technological University, North Ossetian State Medical Academy, higher military schools and others. The cultural life of Ossetia is diverse and rich. There are several state theaters, a philharmonic society, the state academic folk dance ensemble “Alan”, famous in the country and abroad, and the equestrian theater “Narty”.

Ossetian culture and art have given the country and the world such famous people as one of the best conductors in the world, head of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, the world's first female conductor, People's Artist of the USSR Veronika Dudarova, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater ballet, People's Artist of the USSR Svetlana Adyrkhaeva, the Kantemirov dynasty of circus artists led by the founder of the Soviet equestrian circus art Alibek Kantemirov, theater and film artists, People's Artists of the USSR Vladimir Thapsaev and Nikolai Salamov, famous pop performers Felix Tsarikati and Akim Salbiev and many others.

At competitions of the highest rank, Ossetian athletes glorify their Motherland in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, karate, Tae Kwon Do, weightlifting, arm wrestling, football, rhythmic gymnastics and many other sports. Ossetians are rightfully proud of 12 Olympic Games champions, several dozen world, European, USSR and post-Soviet Russia champions.

Thus, at the last Olympics in 2004 in Athens, the Ossetians won four gold, two silver and two bronze medals. This result is truly unique for a nation of less than 700 thousand people and is unlikely to be surpassed anywhere in the world in the foreseeable future.

The achievements of Ossetian representatives in various areas science and economics. It is enough to mention one of the pillars of world aerodynamics and rocketry, Grigory Tokati, who worked on space programs NASA in England and the USA, famous in the scientific world, the patriarch of Russian linguistics and Iranian studies Vaso Abaev, captain of the icebreaker "Arktika", who for the first time in the world conquered North Pole Yuri Kuchiev, former general director of the Baltika brewing concern Taimuraz Bolloev.

Today's Ossetia is developing, establishing contacts, achieving success in all spheres and looking to the future with hope, praying to God for peace, tranquility and prosperity.

About interethnic conflicts.

Along with everything positive described above, not everything is as cloudless over the sky of Ossetia as the Ossetians themselves wish.

In the early 90s of the last century, the nationalists who came to power in Georgia pursued a policy of ousting the Ossetian population, and then under the slogan “Georgia is for Georgians!” unleashed a new bloody conflict on the territory of South Ossetia, intending to repeat the acts of genocide against Ossetians in 1920. By his decree of December 11, 1990, the then leader of Georgia Z. Gamsakhurdia abolished the South Ossetian Autonomous Region. The South Ossetians, through a referendum, decided to secede from Georgia and form the Republic of South Ossetia. Georgian armed forces invaded the territory of South Ossetia and began to “restore order” in their own way. Later, having received a worthy answer, they went home, sowing poisonous seeds of hatred and mistrust between peoples for a long time. The war was short, but with a large number of casualties, including among civilians. The Ossetian people will never forget their sons who died at the hands of national chauvinists defending their homeland. He will not forget the brutally tortured civilians, the shooting by Georgian militants of a bus with old people, women and children on the Zar road, as well as other acts of monstrous crimes against our people. The thoughtless, great-power chauvinistic policy of the Georgian leadership has led to the emergence of hatred and irreconcilable discord between the once most friendly peoples in the region. But no matter what, Ossetians do not see the Georgian people as an enemy. They know that years will pass, history will send national chauvinists of various stripes to the trash heap and ordinary people will live the way their ancestors lived for centuries - in peace and harmony, helping each other.

The events of those days were widely covered in the press and other materials. And in this brief historical review it is not possible to describe everything in detail.

Years have passed. Leaders have changed both in Georgia and Russia, and in Ossetia. But the conflict has not yet been resolved. The new Georgian leadership, as in the past, is pursuing a policy to combat separatism by any means available, including through threats, blockades, political pressure through third countries, and organizations, in particular the USA and the OSCE. At the same time, it is increasingly moving away from Russia, which for many years was the guarantor of stability, peace and prosperity in the region.

The Ossetian side has resolutely and irrevocably set its sights on restoring historical justice* - reunification with its brothers in North Ossetia as part of the Russian Federation and, having survived three waves of genocide (in 1920, 1990 and 2004), does not intend to return to the administrative bosom of Georgia. In 2004, the leadership of the Republic sent a petition to State Duma Russian Federation on the admission of South Ossetia to Russia. To date, the issue remains open, the problems unresolved, and the conflict smoldering.

Separatism rarely brings positive results. And at first glance, the Georgian leadership has the right to fight the separatism of its former regions. But this is only at first glance, since the intentions of the people of South Ossetia cannot be called separatist for two reasons.

Firstly, the Ossetian people, having lived on this land for many centuries, never expressed a desire to be part of Georgia, and were annexed to it only by the willful decision of the then leaders of the Soviet state, without taking into account the opinions of the Ossetians themselves. Before this, there was not a single state legal act that would have stated that South Ossetia belonged to Georgia. The eternal claims of princes Machabeli and Eristavi to own this territory, as well as the frequent complicity of the Russian elite with them, were never recognized by the people of Ossetia.

Secondly, every people has the right to be “undivided” and choose their own destiny. The artificially divided peoples of Germany, Vietnam and other states were reunited. And by force, political pressure or blockade to keep one people on different sides of the state border is nothing more than a crime against this people.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a no less difficult situation developed in North Ossetia. In the 1990s, interethnic problems and contradictions that had been accumulating for decades and driven deeper into the depths, in the conditions of weakening of the central government, began to result in conflicts on ethnic grounds between the Ossetians and their closest neighbors in the east - the Ingush. The reason for them was several villages of the Prigorodny region of North Ossetia, inhabited by a mixed Ossetian-Ingush population and for 6 decades a disputed territory between the two peoples. The history of these villages dates back to the time of the resettlement of the highlanders to the plain. In those same years, the settlement of the North Caucasus by Russian Cossacks began, carried out by the tsarist authorities to maintain order and pacify the local peoples. These disputed villages were mainly founded by the Terek Cossacks. The Cossacks lived prosperously and freely, and when the years of revolution and civil war came, they for the most part sided with the White Guard, fighting against the communists. In response to this, local communist leaders, led by Lenin’s comrade-in-arms, the “fiery” Sergo Ordzhonikidze, began to incite the Ingush to carry out punitive operations against the Cossack population. There were quite a lot of raids on their villages with the aim of pushing the Cossacks beyond the Terek and seizing lands (see the article about Georgy Bicherakhov in the section “Ossetians Abroad”). The Ingush tried in every possible way to eliminate the “stripes” of Cossack lands on their territory in order to strengthen their influence in the “rounded” territories. Ultimately, in 1922, the Ingush, together with the soldiers of the Red Army, managed to implement this idea and settle in these villages for 22 years. This is the history of the territories now called “originally Ingush” by the Ingush side.

In 1944, the central Soviet government committed an absolutely no less serious crime, but against the Ingush, Chechens and some other peoples. Because of mass desertion from the ranks of the Red Army and support for banditry in the rear, these entire peoples, in a matter of hours, were completely loaded into freight cars and deported to the bare steppes of Kazakhstan. Along the way, many innocent people died, including frail old people, women and children. For the small Ingush people, this resettlement was almost catastrophic. Harsh conditions and the struggle for survival in an empty place for a long time delayed the processes of formation of statehood, development of education, culture and other spheres of life. At the same time, Ossetians were almost also forcibly resettled to the territory of the former Ingushetia from the mountainous regions of South and North Ossetia.

In 1957, the new Kremlin leadership, headed by Nikita Khrushchev, decided to correct the mistakes of their predecessors and returned the repressed peoples to their historical homeland. With the return of the Ingush, the Ossetians, who had managed to settle down in the new place (some had already built new houses in 12 years), were forced to leave it and start all over again, settling in wastelands on the outskirts of other settlements in North Ossetia. At the same time, part of the Prigorodny district was not returned to Checheno-Ingushetia, mainly those villages that were taken from the Cossacks in 1922 and from the Ossetians in 1926. This territory was left under the jurisdiction of North Ossetia. In exchange, three districts of the Stavropol Territory were annexed to Checheno-Ingushetia.

This part of the Prigorodny district became the cause of the bloody conflict that broke out between North Ossetia and Ingushetia. Tension had been building for a long time, teeth bared every now and then. Thus, in the fall of 1981, in Ordzhonikidze (present-day Vladikavkaz), after the murder of a young taxi driver by the Ingush, mass unrest broke out, brutally suppressed by special forces with a large number of casualties and several casualties. After such facts, the central government in Moscow, without delving into the essence of the problem, usually tried to treat the symptoms of the disease, driving the disease itself deep inside.

History has yet to say its weighty word about how this “treatment” was carried out in North Ossetia by the new leader of the republic, V. Odintsov, sent from Moscow. Out of a desire to rise and make a name for himself, allegedly by restoring order in a short time in the republic with the hands of visiting heads of law enforcement agencies with a dubious reputation and local minions, Odintsov created a situation similar to the years of repression of the 30s. Through trumped-up charges and other unworthy methods, many major leaders were arrested, including a number of those who enjoyed great authority and respect among the people. They stood in the way of Odintsovo’s rampant lawlessness and paid for it. And although, after several months, after thorough checks by authoritative commissions of the Prosecutor General's Office, justice triumphed and all those illegally accused were completely acquitted, the harm caused to the people of Ossetia over these years was already irreparable. Unfortunately, today's young generation does not know the truth about the facts of lawlessness and repression committed in North Ossetia in those years, because very little has been written about this period in the history of Ossetia.

The years of Odintsov's rule deepened and aggravated the Ossetian-Ingush contradictions. Those who were at the head of the republic cared little about the real relationship between the two peoples. It was important for them to use force to create an outer shell of well-being and report to Moscow that, through heroic efforts, order had been established in this matter. Time has shown that the creation of a most favored nation regime for representatives of one nation living on the territory of another was an additional detonator for subsequent bloody events.

Signed by Boris Yeltsin in June 1992, at first glance, the humane and fair “Law on the Rehabilitation of Repressed Peoples,” having neither a constitutional basis nor a mechanism for implementation, became only a catalyst in the aggravation of Ossetian-Ingush relations. In villages with a mixed population, armed clashes, murders, and robberies became more frequent. In the squares of the then capital of Ingushetia - the city of Nazran, rallies of many thousands were held every now and then with demands to return these several villages and the right bank part of Vladikavkaz by any means, including forceful actions. There were open threats against the Ossetians. In this situation of impending danger, the leadership of North Ossetia set a course for comprehensively strengthening its defense capability and preparing to repel possible aggression. The situation became tense to the limit.

After a series of mutual “exchanges of bloody pleasantries,” on the night of October 30-31, 1992, Ingush military formations, consisting of mobile, well-armed units, crossed the border of North Ossetia and began military operations to capture the villages of the Prigorodny region. They were joined by many residents of North Ossetia of Ingush ethnicity. In these villages, Ossetian houses began to burn, property and large cattle, vehicles of Ossetians, as well as enterprises, were stolen. At the slightest resistance, people were destroyed. The first to take the fight were the employees of the Chermensky village police department, but the forces were unequal. The militants threw anti-tank grenades at the surviving and wounded policemen, and the mutilated corpses lay under the rubble of the building for several days. Another brutal crime was committed in the village of Kartsa, where 25 Ossetian hostages were shot by the Ingush in a local club. And these were far from isolated cases.

The suddenness of the blow played a role. In 2-3 days, Ingush militants advanced 10-15 km and reached the outskirts of Vladikavkaz. During these bloody days for Ossetia, more than 100 people were killed, a large number of civilians were taken hostage and taken to Ingushetia. Many went missing and their fate is unknown to this day. Many Ossetian houses in the occupied villages of the Prigorodny district were destroyed and burned. All these events stirred up the people, causing a response of rage and a thirst for revenge for what they had done. Thousands of young people from all settlements flocked to defend the republic, joining the national guard, people's militia and the forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs previously created in case of aggression. A well-armed and combat-experienced battalion of 400-500 people arrived from South Ossetia to help the brothers. Under threatening pressure from the indignant masses of the people, the army leadership also provided some assistance in arming the militias and law enforcement agencies of the republic (see the article about G. Kantemirov in the section “Generals and Admirals”). All this had its effect, and by the end of the new week, the entire territory of the Prigorodny district was cleared of the attackers. In some cases, anger for what they had done overflowed and there were noticeably more victims on the Ingush side. Moreover, in fairness, it must be admitted that due to the high intensity of the fire and the use of heavy weapons, among these victims there were civilians.

Previously, Russian troops were brought into the conflict zone, which, having taken a neutral position, entered into battle only in response to acts of direct attack on them. By November 5, troops took up positions between the warring sides in order to prevent further escalation of hostilities.

The results of this, the first armed conflict on Russian territory, are sad for both the Ossetians and the Ingush.

-A total of 546 people died (including 105 Ossetians and 407 Ingush)

About a thousand people were wounded and maimed

Hundreds of hostages were taken, who were then mostly exchanged between the parties to the conflict.

In the combat zone, many houses and buildings, both Ingush and Ossetian, were completely destroyed.

Almost the entire Ingush population of the Prigorodny region and Vladikavkaz (more than 30 thousand people) left their homes and became refugees for a long time.

Over the past 14 years, most refugees have returned to their villages. They were allocated land for the construction of new houses, cash loans and compensation. But the problem of the Prigorodny district is raised by the Ingush side again and again, not allowing tension to ease. The Ossetian side rejects any options for redrawing the existing borders, due to the fact that for more than 60 years, by the will of fate, Ossetians have been living in these villages. More than one generation has already been born of those for whom this land is their homeland, and they have no other. And they are determined to resolutely protect it from any attacks.

In the Caucasus, all conflicts have always been resolved peacefully through dialogue between people, between nations. This dialogue between Ossetians and Ingush is not yet possible. And the bloody events that play out every now and then largely contribute to the strengthening of mistrust and hostility between neighboring peoples. One of these events was an explosion in the crowded central market of Vladikavkaz on March 19, 1999, carried out by 4 young Ingush residents of the Prigorodny district. Then 52 people died on the spot and another 168 people were injured, mostly women, old people, and students. Subsequently, a number of explosions were carried out in markets and other crowded places in the capital of North Ossetia, in which many people also died.

But the most monstrous and inhuman act that shook the whole world was the seizure of the Beslan secondary school on September 1, 2004. Early in the morning on the Day of Knowledge, a large group of heavily armed militants, having entered from the territory of Ingushetia in a truck, surrounded a school with children, teachers and parents and, locking them in the school gym, held them hostage for three days, without food or drink. Many of the children, unable to bear the hunger and stuffiness, ate flowers traditionally brought for teachers, drank their own urine, and lost consciousness. Immediately after the capture, many young people were shot. The bandits brought suicide bombers with them and filled the entire school building with mines. After the explosion of two of them, a chaotic assault began. In these, the most sorrowful days for the Ossetian people over the past few decades, 331 hostages died, of which 186 were children. different ages, from one year to 16 years. The monsters have encroached on the most sacred thing for every nation - children, our future.

According to the official version today, almost all of them, except one, were destroyed during the assault. But those who organized and planned this act of intimidation are alive, with the goal of unleashing a big war in the North Caucasus. For some reason they are still at large and threaten new terror.

They say correctly that bandits have no nationality. But at the same time, there is no hiding from the fact that the overwhelming majority of the identified militants turned out to be Ingush. And the Ossetians are unlikely to be able to bring themselves to close their eyes to this in the near future and extend a hand of friendship towards Ingushetia. Moreover, until now from that side, neither at the official nor at the popular level, not a word of repentance has been heard for those who came to Beslan to kill children.

Years will pass and generations will pass before the pain of wounds and losses subsides. Before all people understand that peace and tranquility in the region are vital for all peoples and every person. Before wisdom triumphs over ambition, political and national adventurism.

*The Russian edition of this book is published in the library of the Daryal magazine

Review prepared by R. Kuchiev

September 2005

List of some interesting books on the history of the Scythians, Alans, Ossetians:

1. Scythians. Grakov V.M. (Russian)

2. On the problem of the genesis of the Ossetian Nart epic. Guriev T.A (rus)

3. Ossetians. B.A. Kaloev (rus)

4. A grammatical sketch of Ossetic./ by V.I. Abaev. Edited by Herbert H. Paper, Translated by Steven P. Hill,

5. A history of the Alans in the West./ by Bernard S. Bachrach

6. The Sarmatians./ by T. Sulimirsky

7. The world of the Scythians./ by Renate Rolle

8. Iranians and Greeks in South Russia./ by M. Rostovtsev

9. The Scythians./ by Tamara Talbot Rice

10.From Scythia to Camelot./ by C.Scott Littleton&Linda A.Malcor

11.Alle Radici Della Cavalleria Medievale. / by Franco Cardini (in Italian)

12.Searching For The Scythians/ by Mike Edwards/ National Geographic, September 1996

13.Alans in Gaul./ by Bernard S. Bachrach

14. Sources on the Alans. A critical compilation./ by Agusti Alamany

15. The Sarmatians 600 BC - AD 450. / by R. Brzezinski & M. Mielczarek

16. The Scythians 700 -300 BC / by Dr. E.V. Cernenko

Faces of Russia. “Living together while remaining different”

The multimedia project “Faces of Russia” has existed since 2006, telling about Russian civilization, the most important feature of which is the ability to live together while remaining different - this motto is especially relevant for countries throughout the post-Soviet space. From 2006 to 2012, within the framework of the project, we created 60 documentaries about representatives of different Russian ethnic groups. Also, 2 cycles of radio programs “Music and Songs of the Peoples of Russia” were created - more than 40 programs. Illustrated almanacs were published to support the first series of films. Now we are halfway to creating a unique multimedia encyclopedia of the peoples of our country, a snapshot that will allow the residents of Russia to recognize themselves and leave a legacy for posterity with a picture of what they were like.

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"Faces of Russia". Ossetians. “These are my mountains”, 2006

General information

OSSETINS, iron, digoron [self-name; the ethnonyms Tualag (Dvals, a group of Ossetians in the Naro-Mamison region) and Khusairag (Khusars, a group of Ossetians in South Ossetia)] have also been preserved] - people of Iranian origin living in the Caucasus, descendants of Alans, the main population of the two republics of North Ossetia - Alania and South Ossetia (main population of North Ossetia, number about 335 thousand people) and Georgia (main population of South Ossetia, number 65 thousand people); They also live in Kabardino-Balkaria (10 thousand people), Karachay-Cherkessia (4 thousand people), Turkey and other countries. The population in Russia is 402 thousand people.

According to the 2002 Census, the number of Ossetians living in Russia is 515 thousand people, according to the 2010 census. - 528 thousand 515 people. The current number of Ossetians is more than 600 thousand people, taking into account the large diaspora living outside their ethnic territory. The northern part of the Ossetians constitutes the main population of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, with its center in the city of Vladikavkaz and is part of the Russian Federation. The southern part of the Ossetian people lives on the southern slopes of the Caucasus ridge (about 80 thousand people), the center of the Republic of South Ossetia (2008) in the city of Tskhinvali.

Main subethnic groups: Ironians and Digorians (in western North Ossetia). They speak the Ossetian language of the Iranian group of the Indo-European family. It has 2 dialects: Ironic (formed the basis literary language) and Digorsky. Written (since the 19th century) based on the Russian alphabet, most Ossetians are bilingual (bilingual - Ossetian-Russian, less often - Ossetian-Georgian or Ossetian-Turkish).

Believers are Orthodox, there are Muslims. The majority of Ossetian believers are considered Orthodox, having adopted Christianity in several stages from Byzantium, Georgia and Russia. Some Ossetians profess Sunni Islam, adopted in the 17th-18th centuries from the Kabardians. But Substantial part Ossetians are actually adherents of traditional Ossetian beliefs, which were significantly influenced by Christianity at certain historical stages.

Series of audio lectures “Peoples of Russia” - Ossetians

Ossetians have long been associated with the Caucasus. Since the time of the Scythian campaigns in Western Asia, they have been mentioned in the Georgian chronicle: they are called oats (wasps, hence Russian name Ossetians). The Ossetian people were formed together with the aboriginal population of the North Caucasus (the creators of the Koban culture) and with the alien Iranian-speaking peoples - the Scythians, Sarmatians and especially the Alans. This process began in the 1st century AD. The powerful alliance of Alans that formed in the Caucasus gave impetus to the formation of the Ossetian people.
The hypothesis of the Iranian origin of the Ossetians was first put forward by Jan Potocki in the 18th century. and developed in the first half of the 19th century by Julius Klaproth, it was soon confirmed by the language studies of the Russian academician Andreas Sjögren.

The ethnonym Digor (Ashdigor) was first mentioned in “Armenian Geography” (7th century). The same source names the Dvals. Georgian historian Leontiy Mroveli (11th century) points to the significance of the “Great Dvalian Road,” which ran from Georgia through the territory of the Dvalians to the North Caucasus. Ossetians are one of the ancient peoples of the Caucasus. Since the time of the Scythian campaigns in Western Asia, they have been called in the Georgian chronicles as oats (wasps, hence the Russian name for Ossetians). The Svans called them Saviar, the Mingrelians - ops, the Abkhaz - auaps, the Chechens and Ingush - iri, the Balkars and Karachais - duger, the Kabardins - kuschkhye. The formation of the Ossetian people is associated with the aboriginal population of the North Caucasus (the creators of the Koban culture) and with the alien Iranian-speaking peoples - the Scythians, Sarmatians and especially the Alans (from the 1st century AD). As a result of the latter's settlement in the Central Caucasus, the indigenous population adopted their language and many cultural features.

The powerful alliance of Alans that formed here (wasps - in Georgian and Yasy, dormouse - in Russian medieval sources) marked the beginning of the formation of the Ossetian people. In the 13th century, the Alan state was defeated by the Mongol-Tatars, the Alans were pushed from the fertile plains to the south, into the mountain gorges of the Central Caucasus. On its northern slopes, 4 large “societies” were formed, dating back to the tribal division (Digorskoye, Alagirskoye, Kurtatinskoye, Tagaurskoye), on the southern - many smaller “societies”, which were dependent on the Georgian princes. Quite a few Ossetian Alans went to Mongolia and especially to the countries of Eastern Europe (a large compact group of Alan descendants settled in Hungary, who call themselves Yas, but lost their native language).

Already in the 40s of the 18th century, Russian-Ossetian relations took shape. The Russian government created the "Ossetian Spiritual Commission". Members of the commission organized the Ossetian embassy in St. Petersburg (1749-52), contributed to the resettlement of Ossetians to Mozdok and the Mozdok steppes for settlement and development of new lands. The Ossetians, experiencing an acute need for land, repeatedly turned through the commission with a request to the Russian government to resettle them to the foothills of the North Caucasus. In 1774 Ossetia became part of Russia. The consolidation of the Ossetian people has intensified. At the end of the 18th and 19th centuries, the resettlement of part of the Ossetians from the mountains to the plains began. The lands transferred to the Ossetians by the Russian government were assigned mainly to the Ossetian nobility.

After 1917, there was a massive resettlement of Ossetians to the plain. On April 20, 1922, the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug was formed as part of the Georgian SSR, in 1924 - the North Ossetian Autonomous Okrug, which on December 5, 1936 was transformed into the North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR. In 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic of North Ossetia.

On the plain, the main traditional occupation is agriculture (wheat, corn, millet, barley, etc.). In the mountains, along with agriculture, cattle breeding (sheep, goats, cattle) was developed. The traditional farming system on the plain is three-field. The main weapon in the mountains was a plow with an iron opener, a team with a pair of oxen, on the plain - a heavy plow, the team of which consisted of 8-10 oxen. Cattle breeding was the most important occupation that provided Ossetians with food, raw materials, and draft power. Sheep and goat farming predominated, with cattle and horses on the plain. Home crafts and crafts were developed - the production of cloth, sheepskin, furniture, dishes, wood and stone carving, blacksmithing, jewelry, embroidery, etc.

Traditional settlements in the mountains (kau) are small, with a cumulus or row layout; on the plains they are larger, with a street layout. The main building material is stone, in wooded gorges it is wood. The houses are one- or two-story, the first floor is for livestock, the roofs are flat and earthen. Inside, the walls were coated with clay, and with the advent of a stove with a chimney, they were whitewashed. The floor is earthen. The windows are small, quadrangular. The houses were multi-room, designed for a large family. The dining room, combined with the kitchen, had an open fireplace with a chain of fire (considered sacred, as was the central support pillar supporting the ceiling) and was divided into male and female halves. A special room was arranged for guests - the kunatskaya.

Monuments of traditional architecture are multi-tiered (3-5 tiers or more) battle towers, castles (galuans), residential two- and three-story towers (ganakh), various types of crypt structures (zoeppadz), pagan sanctuaries (zuar). In South Ossetia, dwellings with a closed terrace and a hipped roof are common; the first floor is made of stone, the second floor is made of wood. Less prosperous Ossetians lived in turluchny (pletnyov) and in adobe houses, covered with straw or reeds.

Traditional men's clothing - Circassian jacket with gazyrs, beshmet, shirt, trousers, burka, sheepskin coat. Headdresses - a hat made of sheepskin or astrakhan fur, a bashlyk made of cloth, goat down, less often camel hair, a felt hat with a wide brim. Shoes - leggings, boots, shoes made of leather, morocco or cloth. An invariable accessory of a man's suit is a dagger.

Women's casual wear until the 19th century, the cut was almost identical to men's; with the penetration of elements of Russian culture it becomes more diverse. The festive dress, which reached to the toes, was cut at the waist with a slit in the front and long sleeves, underneath there was a silk skirt; wore a short apron with a wide belt. Silver and gilded decorations (bibs) and appliqués were sewn onto the dress. The round velvet cap (wedding) was covered with a light openwork scarf.

Traditional food is close to the food of other peoples of the Caucasus. The mountains were dominated by dairy and meat dishes, on the plain - flour and vegetables. Among the national flour products, pies with meat and cheese, stuffed with beans, pumpkin, potatoes, cabbage, etc., are widespread. The most common dairy products and dishes are cheese, ghee, kefir, and various cereals with milk. Dzykka, made from fresh cheese mixed with flour, occupies a special place in the diet. In South Ossetia, lobio and ajabsandal, adopted by the Georgians, became favorite vegetable dishes.

The most revered drink is beer, which was made in the mountains exclusively from barley, and in the plains, in addition, from wheat and corn. Beer is an ancient Ossetian drink; according to legend, it was invented by the Nart heroine Satana. It is usually prepared for large family and social celebrations in huge copper brewing kettles. Araka (moonshine) made from corn is widespread everywhere, and in South Ossetia there are various wines.

Ossetian society was divided into several social groups. In the everyday life of Ossetians, remnants of many ancient institutions have been preserved. Among them, blood feud, which extended to close and distant relatives and lasted for years, stood out especially. It arose over land, insults to the honor of the house or individual family members, kidnapping of women, etc. Reconciliation ended with the payment by the guilty party of a large number of livestock and valuables (weapons, a brewing kettle, etc.) and the arrangement of a “blood table” for treating the victim parties. The customs of hospitality, kunakism, twinning, mutual assistance, and atalism differed little from those of other peoples of the North Caucasus.

In Ossetian life, many attitudes of the tribal system and patriarchal foundations have been preserved. For example, such a principle as the unconditional subordination of the younger to the older. In large families, many issues were resolved at family councils. The head of the family was the eldest in age. At the same time, many elements of matriarchy have been preserved. Older women are the stewards of family and social celebrations.

Remnants of the clan system were manifested in the division into patronymics - small (mygkag) and large (oervadosltoe). Large families persisted even in the early years Soviet power. All issues were resolved at the family council. The rights of the head of the family were limited. Usually the head was the eldest in age. Responsibilities among the women were distributed by his wife or an older woman. The main family was a small family. It was dominated by patriarchal principles: the unconditional subordination of the younger to the older, the lack of rights for women. At the same time, many elements of matriarchy have been preserved. The elderly woman was especially respected. The eldest woman was the manager of family and social celebrations.

The majority of Ossetians professed Orthodoxy, which penetrated in the 6th-7th centuries from Byzantium, later from Georgia, from the 18th century from Russia, a minority - Islam (adopted from the Kabardians in the 17th-18th centuries); pagan beliefs and rituals were preserved. Among the various genres of folklore, the epic about the Narts, heroic songs, legends, and laments stand out. In the 2nd half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, the Ossetian intelligentsia was formed.

In 1798, the first book in the Ossetian language ("Short Catechism") was published. In the 40s of the 19th century, the Russian philologist and ethnographer A.M. Sjögren compiled an Ossetian grammar and Ossetian practical alphabet on a Russian basis. It began to publish spiritual and secular literature, folklore texts, school books, and also published “Ossetian Lyre” (“Iron fandyr”). Until the mid-1910s, there were more than 200 primary and secondary schools in Ossetia, a significant number of national intelligentsia, fiction developed, drama and prose appeared. Subsequently, education, culture, art, healthcare, and science developed; professional theaters, state ensembles, and artistic groups were created.

B.A. Kaloev

Essays

What you give to the people will not be lost

When the words “Ossetian” or “Ossetian” are heard, for some reason I immediately remember a picture depicting a young and beautiful woman, and next to her a courageous man. He is wearing a traditional Circassian coat with gazyrs, a beshmet, a burka, and on his head is a sheepskin or astrakhan fur hat. The young woman is dressed in a fitted, toe-length dress, trimmed with silver and gold jewelry. On her head she wears a round velvet cap, covered with a light openwork scarf. Everything is strict and everything is beautiful. And one more significant detail of the Ossetian men’s costume is the dagger. This is not only a weapon, but also an important part of strict male psychology.

Life sticks to custom

Since the time of the Scythian campaigns in Western Asia, oats (wasps, hence the Russian name for Ossetians) have been mentioned in Georgian chronicles. The Ossetian people were formed together with the aboriginal population of the North Caucasus (the creators of the Koban culture) and with the alien Iranian-speaking peoples - the Scythians, Sarmatians and especially the Alans. This process began in the 1st century AD. The powerful alliance of Alans that formed in the Caucasus gave impetus to the formation of the Ossetian nation. In the 13th century, the Mongol-Tatars defeated the Alan state. The Alans were pushed back from the fertile plains into the mountain gorges of the Central Caucasus. Many Ossetian Alans went to Mongolia, as well as to the countries of Eastern Europe. On the northern slopes of the Caucasus, four large communities were formed, dating back to tribal division: Digorskoye, Alagirskoye, Kurtatinskoye, Tagaurskoye. In the forties of the 18th century, Russian-Ossetian relations were established. The process of rapprochement occurs quickly, and in 1774 Ossetia already became part of Russia. The current number of Ossetians is more than 600 thousand people, taking into account the large diaspora living outside their ethnic territory. The northern part of the Ossetians constitutes the main population of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, with its center in the city of Vladikavkaz and is part of the Russian Federation. The southern part of the Ossetian people lives on the southern slopes of the Caucasus ridge (about 80 thousand people), the center of South Ossetia is in the city of Tskhinval. The special strictness of the Ossetians is based on strict adherence to customs. In folklore, this theme is spelled out very carefully: “There is nothing older than custom in the world.” “Life is held together by custom.” “Custom is the boss of everything.” “Custom does not grow old.” Many attitudes of the tribal system and patriarchal foundations have been preserved in Ossetian life. For example, such a principle as the unconditional subordination of the younger to the older. In the folklore of the Ossetian people one can find many judgments confirming the stability of the fundamental principles of the clan and family: He who does not honor his ancestors is himself unworthy of respect. He who is good for his mother and father is no stronger person in the world. The son pays his father’s debt. A man for lives on for his offspring. It is impossible to understand the morals and character of the Ossetian people without knowing what “aegdau” is - a code of conduct.

Nykhas and farn of ancestors

Ossetians have this concept of “nykhas”, literally conversation. In the center of any Ossetian village there is a place where old people gather. It is also called nykhas. All complex issues were resolved here. At Nykhas, Ossetians took places strictly according to seniority. When the need arose, the elder gave the right to vote to young people. Thanks to such performances, young people learned oratory from the old men, as well as respectful attitude towards elders. And, what is also important, during the work of the nykhas (this is like an ancient parliament), young people comprehended the norms of everyday law, became acquainted with the ideological foundations of their people and moral concepts. All the most complex problems, such as conflicts with neighboring peoples, as well as issues related to the reconciliation of parties involved in blood feuds, were resolved at nykhas. In the North Caucasus, many peoples are committed to the old patriarchal way of life, but the situation among the Ossetians is quite unique. They managed to preserve their language, culture, religion, traditions almost in their original form. The most important thing for all Ossetians, including those living today, is contained in the so-called Farne of the ancestors, the Farne of the people. The concept of Farn can be translated into Russian as all good things: happiness, prosperity, prosperity, peace, silence, grace.

Hat for a man, scarf for a woman

In the minds of the Ossetian, the personal and the tribal formed a single whole. Each member of the clan collective considered himself responsible for his team, and the clan collective, in turn, considered himself responsible for each of its members. Ossetians believe that a person can be insulted and disgraced physically and morally. Physical abuse includes hitting with a stick or whip. According to popular understanding, a stick exists only for dogs, therefore, hitting a man with a stick equates him with a dog. A lash is considered a similarly humiliating insult. After all, usually only dumb and powerless slaves were beaten with whips. The Ossetian felt insulted when someone touched his headdress. No matter how poor the highlander was, he always tried to have a good, solid hat. After all, according to the views of Ossetians and mountaineers in general, a hat belongs to a real man. Accordingly, the scarf is a woman’s property. When they wanted to shame a man for cowardice, they told him that he was not worthy to wear a hat. Therefore, let him replace it with a scarf, and then there will be no claims against him that are made against a man in general. Ossetians also reacted painfully to verbal insults to their wife, mother, or deceased loved one. For centuries, the mores of pre-class society fostered pride and vindictiveness in Ossetians. For insulting personality and human dignity, the Ossetians cruelly took revenge on their enemy. Cases of deliberate murder or insult to family members inevitably led to blood feud. The clan feud could continue for centuries, claiming the lives of dozens of young men. Moreover, even in the most cruel times of irreconcilable hostility, the bloodlines never touched children, women and the elderly. Sooner or later, the blood feud ended with the conclusion of peace. At times, great diplomatic and oratory skills of mediators were required to convince the warring parties to stop the senseless bloodshed. In the proverbs of the Ossetian people we find such eloquent statements: “The edge of a sword can stretch” (that is, blood feud lasts a long time). “It is not known who will arrive first - the debtor of the blood or the avenger of the blood.” “Revenge is accomplished only in this world.”

Travel with Nart Sozyrko

As for the other world, according to the Ossetians, this is not an entirely out-of-bounds territory where living people are prohibited from entering. In Ossetian legends about Nart heroes, there is a poetic story about how a Nart named Sozyrko makes a journey into another existence, into the land of the dead. And there, in the afterlife, he actively communicates with his ancestors. This legend was translated into Russian by the poet Rurik Ivnev. In our opinion, this is a very instructive story, in which, without false pathos, the idea is affirmed that for earthly deeds a person is always rewarded according to his deserts, but in another life.