Tabasarans are a

Northeast Caucasian The Northeast Caucasian languages, also called East Caucasian, Nakh-Daghestani or ''Vainakh-Daghestani'', is a family of languages spoken in the Russian republics of Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia and in Northern Azerbaijan as well as ...

ethnic group native predominantly to southern part of the North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan. Their population in Russia is about 150,000. They speak the

Tabasaran language Tabasaran (also written Tabassaran) is a Northeast Caucasian language of the Lezgic branch. It is spoken by the Tabasaran people in the southern part of the Russian Republic of Dagestan. There are two main dialects: North (Khanag) and South Ta ...

. They are mainly Sunni Muslims.

History

The earliest mention of the Tabasarans are found in 7th century Armenian sources referring to them as an independent people of Dagestan. Arab historians referred to their land as "Tabarstan". In the 8th century, the Arabs conquered parts of the Caucasus including the territory of the Tabarsarans. In the 15th century, the Tabasrans formed a powerful principality called the Maisumat of Tabarsaran. However, the state was eventually divided into two due to internal struggles and both were conquered by the Russians in the early 19th century.

Culture

Language

The main language of the Tabasaran people is the

(табасаран чIал‎, ''tabasaran ҫ̇al''), which belongs to the

Lezgic The Lezgic languages are one of seven branches of the Northeast Caucasian languages, Northeast Caucasian language family. Lezgian language, Lezgian are literary languages aside from being extant (currently spoken). Classification * Peripheral: ...

branch of Northeast Caucasian language family. It is closely related to neighbouring Lezgian and Aghul languages.

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

classifies Tabasaran language as " vulnerable". According to 2002 Russian census 97% of the Tabasaran can speak their ancestral language and a further 87% of them know Russian. Under Soviet control Tabasaran has become one of the official languages of Dagestan.

Religion

The vast majority of Tabasarans profess Sunni Islam and belong to the

Shafi'i school The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...

. Some elements originated from pre-Islamic Tabasaran beliefs, such as deity names and annual spring celebration known as Elbetsan (parallel to Iranic ''

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

'' and Lezgian '' Yaran-Suvar'') have been preserved in the contemporary Tabasaran society.

Economy

Tabasaran traditional economy has been based on agriculture and animal husbandry, as the regions inhabited by the group have a mild and warm climate with abundant water sources. Agriculturally grain farming, orchards and

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

is common among the people. Carpet weaving, leatherworking, woolen clothes, woodworking and beekeeping form the domestic industries.

Notable people

* Russian pole vaulter

Yelena Isinbayeva Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva ( rus, Елена Гаджиевна Исинбаева, p=jɪˈlʲɛnə gɐˈdʐɨjɪvnə ɪsʲɪnˈbajɪvə; born 3 June 1982) is a Russian former pole vaulter. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2004 and 20 ...

and

Kamal Khan-Magomedov Kamal Haji-Kurbanovich Khan-Magomedov (russian: Камал Гаджи-Курба́нович Хан-Магомедов, az, Камал Һаҹы-Гурбанович Хан-Магомедов, italics=no); born 17 June 1986 in Derbent, Dagestan, ...

, the 2015

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from European nations and several transcontinental countries. The Games were envisioned and are governed by the European Olympic Committees ...

champion in men's Judo -66 kg, are both half-Tabasaran.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabasaran People * Lezgins Ethnic groups in Dagestan Muslim communities of Russia Peoples of the Caucasus