Bav-Tugai

Cities of Khazaria. Kromos Estatium
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     The khazar cities here include not only those cities that were built by the khazar architects, but also those that were built before the arrival of the khazars, were used by the khazars for their needs and tasks for a long time.
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Bav-Tugai **
     The earlier naming of the city was Gyantugay and Davtugay. In these names, the word «tugai» means valley, the word «gyan» means bloody or khan, and the word «dove» means battle. All these names indicate that in these places, in the era of the formation of the city with a fortress, violent events took place, accompanied by bloody skirmishes.
     The modern preserved name, which means valley of Gardens, reflects the peaceful development of the city, which continues in the post-Horde era to the present day.
     The city was founded at the end of the 4th century after the birth of Christ by the last sarmatians, possibly alans, as evidenced by materials raised from the settlement of Bav-tugay in modern Dagestan, which is located on the left bank of the Sulak. These materials allow us to classify the city as part of the system of cities of the Kumyk platform and the Caspian Khazaria, a new term introduced in the second half of the 20th century.
     In different epochs, the city's territory ranged from 3 to 15 hectares. The city was in cultural and military contact with another, more extensive city located 5 kilometers away on the Verkhneyurt hillfort, as well as a city that is attributed to the Shelkovscy hillfort.
     The foundation of the fortress is attributed by historians to the 6th century after the birth of Christ, when the persian kings began to strengthen their customs points along the Kumyk trade Route from attacks by hunnic tribes from the steppes of the North Caucasus. However, there was a sarmatian-type settlement with small fortifications here earlier, from the 4th century, where a small persian-type military contingent was located.
     At the beginning of the 7th century, the entire system of fortifications along the Great Silk Road passes under the control of the Western Turkic Khaganate, and then it is taken over by its socio-cultural and genocultural heir, Khazaria, who strengthens the walls of the fortress, building a Citadel inside it for the khaqan and his family.
     Until the middle of the 8th century, the fortress was an important stronghold for the military garrisons of alternately the Caliphate and the khazars, who eventually established their control here for the next three centuries.
     In khazar times, people of different religions and nationalities lived here, which was traditional for the cities of the Caspian Khazaria. The turks called all this mixture of peoples and religions avarals, which meant the militancy of these peoples and the desire for nomadism. Gradually, the local peoples transformed this name into their own selfname of Avars.
     On the north side, the fortress was fenced off by a wall erected on a rampart, under which a deep moat was rubbed. On other sides, the city was protected by cliffs and river spurs, along which there were additional fortifications.
     In the city, people were engaged in the production of dishes from gray clay ceramics, traditional for the saviro-bulgars, who settled here by the 7th century.
     Near the village of artisans there were villages where farmers and cattle breeders lived.
     Most of the city is now located on the territory of the Chiryurt hydroelectric power station and is unlikely to be preserved.
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