Chakavurkent in Dagestan

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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Chakavurkent in Dagestan **
     The city was founded during the period of the Khazar Khaganate's rule in the Eastern Caucasus. According to the general opinion of archaeologists and historians, this city can be identified with the settlement of Chakavurkent in the Gamri-ozen river basin on the estern slope of the Chakavur range. This is near the village of Kayakent in Dagestan.
     The first permanent settlements appear here in the 6th century BC. These were settlements of scythian yurt architectonics.
     With the arrival of sarmats in the 2nd century after Christ, from Tanais, where they were replaced by huns, settlement gets the first fortifications in the form of small shafts. Chakavurkent gets the status of protocity.
     In the 4th century comes the era of the Kingdom of the huns, who for the first time organize a system of fortifications on the route of the Great Silk Road along the Kumyk plain. Chakavurkent is also included in this system of ensuring the safety of trade caravans in the Tersk-Sulak interfluve.
     In the 6th century, the persians erected a fortress in the city, at which handicraft settlements were attached. The city serves as a roadside customs point, as well as a haven for tired caravan drivers.
     The fortress was built of rough stone. Inside the walls is the Citadel, where the family of the owner of the fortress lived, outside the walls is a vast shahristan, where the persians lived.
     On the posad, people were engaged in pottery production, ceramics were made here from the first centuries of the New Faith.
     The greatest development and prosperity of the city gets with the arrival of the khazars, which significantly increased the flow of caravans. At this time, its total area reaches 18 hectares.
     The area of Chekavur was distinguished by the softness of his plane, foothill climate. This allowed the population of the city and villages to graze cattle and engage in agriculture all year round. They grow wheat, barley, millet, oats, and rice. Cotton and silk, brought here by caravan traders, were also cultivated in distant areas.
     For almost three hundred years there was a military garrison in the city, which constantly needed good weapons and hardy horses. Very soon, the local population mastered the production of weapons and horse breeding.
     With the arrival of the khazars in the depths of the khazar multitribe, a new tribal core begins to form on the basis of the autochthonous population of local highlanders with the alien hunno-savir substrate, called kumyks.
     The kumyks enjoyed authority among the mountaineers, since their lords always responded to invitations from the khazars to take part in trade or military campaigns in Asia or Transcaucasia.
     During these campaigns, the kumyks entered into close relations with the asians in the east, with Rus in the north, with the turan tribes, while perceiving many elements of their culture, which they successfully applied on the Kumyk platform. All this allowed them to stand out among the mountain peoples.
     Urban kumyk complements mountain clothing with elements of european-style dresses. Kumyk folk chorus reflects prudence, observation, with strict concepts of honor and loyalty to the word, responsive to other people's grief, loving their land, prone to contemplation and philosophical reflection, but also able to have fun with friends. As a more cultured people, the kumyks have always had a great influence on neighboring tribes.
     In addition to ensuring the movement of merchants, the city also solved military and strategic tasks, providing additional opportunities for the khazars during the arab-khazar wars, as well as joint companies with Byzantium in Transcaucasia.
     At this time, the city and the fortress grows on an area of up to 20 hectares, which is very solid for cities and towns of the first millennium.
     After the collapse of Khazaria in the 10th century, the fortress was deserted, the caravan route changed its trace, but the settlement continued to exist.
     In the 13th century, with the arrival of the Golden Horde, the inhabitants of the settlement moved further into the mountains, not wanting to submit to the new order.
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