Balkars

The Balkar (proper name: Малкъарла / Malqarlar ) are a Turkic ethnic group of the Caucasus. You are under a lot Circassian culture and influence are closely related to the neighboring Karachay. The Balkar among the Turkic peoples. Their language is a dialect of Balkar Karachay- Balkar.

Alternative names

The ethnic group of Balkar called himself a long time as Tavhlu as " mountain people ". However, when the Russians and Western Europeans, they were well into the 20th century as the " five tribes of the Mountain Tatars " known. The Balkar were incorrectly identified only by the name " Tatars " and " Muslims."

Origin of the name

The first mention of the Balkar comes from Ibn A. Kotiny from the fourth century and in the Latin work " Anonymous chronograph ". The name of the Balkar in the form болхары / bolchary is in Russian documents known since the 17th century. This name may be derived from the ur -Bulgarian word for mixed or of the ancient Bactrians, who settled the region around Balkh in present day Afghanistan.

→ Article: Proto-Bulgarians

Settlement area

Most of the approximately 112 924 Balkarians (2010 ) re-establish is mainly in Russia belonging to the Autonomous Republic of Kabardino -Balkaria ( in Russian Census 2010: 108 577 ) and in the adjacent areas.

Religion

The Balkar were to the 18th century Orthodox Christians. From the 18th century they were converted to Sunni Islam.

History

The Caucasus region was subjected by parts of the Urbulgaren in the 6th century and later belonged to the Great Bulgarian Empire. In the 9th century settled parts of the Magyars in the region. In the 10th and 11th centuries included large parts of the Caucasus to Großseldschukischen Empire.

Between the years 1219 and 1223, the region was repeatedly invaded by the Mongols. The Caucasian mountain tribes were then fighting on the part of the Georgian king. After the Mongol conquest of the greater part of the Caucasus belonged to the Empire of the Golden Horde. But in 1260, a part of the Tatars of the Golden Horde broke away and formed the Nogai Horde now, considered to be autonomous. Many Caucasians later took to the Tatar language and assimilated themselves living in the region Mongols.

In the period between the 14th and 15th century, the Balkar were forced by the neighboring Circassians in the mountains. The Balkar were between the 16th and the 19th century at several dominions. So they belonged alternately to the Ottoman, Persian and Russian Empire.

In the 18th century, the Balkar were defeated by the Circassians and were converted under the influence of Nogai and Crimean Tatars to Islam. In 1827 they were subjected by the Russian Empire and lived there for a long time yet autonomous.

Since 1922 the Balkar formed together with the Kabardians a common autonomous region that in 1936 was upgraded to an ASSR. But during the Second World War, they threw the Balkar like all Muslim peoples of the Caucasus, a collaboration with the Wehrmacht before and so the Balkar were forcibly relocated in 1943 on the orders of Joseph Stalin within hours of Central Asia.

The Balkar were indeed 1957 officially rehabilitated by Khrushchev, but were only allowed in 1967 to return to the old settlements.