The Chamalals are an indigenous people of
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North ...
,
North Caucasia
The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...
living in a few villages in the
Tsumadinsky District
Tsumadinsky District (russian: Цумади́нский райо́н, Tsumadínsky rayón; av, Цӏумада мухъ, Ⱬumada muӿ) is an administrativeLaw #16 and municipalLaw #6 district ( raion), one of the forty-one in the Republic of Dag ...
on the left bank of the
Andi-Koisu river. They have their own language,
Chamalal, and primarily follow
Sunni Islam, which reached the Chamalal people around the 8th or 9th century. There are about 5,000 ethnic Chamalals (1999, Kubrik).
They are culturally similar to the
Avars.
Neighboring peoples are the
Godoberi, Avars,
Bagvalals, and
Tindis
The Tindi are an indigenous people of Dagestan, North Caucasus living in five villages in the center area around the Andi-Koisu river and the surrounding mountains in the northwestern part of southern Dagestan. They have their own language, Ti ...
.
References
The peoples of the Red Book: Chamalals
Ethnic groups in Dagestan
Muslim communities of Russia
Peoples of the Caucasus
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