Lezgins or Leks (Lezgian: Лезгияр, Лекьер. IPA: lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan, and speak the Lezgin language. Their social structure is firmly based on equality and deference to individuality. Lezgin society is structured around djamaat (Lezgian: жамаат- unions of clans) and has traditionally been egalitarian and organised around many autonomous local clans, called syhils. The land of the Lezgins has been subject to multiple invaders throughout history. Its isolated terrain and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Lezgins has contributed much to the Lezgin community ethos and helped shape its national character. Due to constant attacks from the invaders, the Lezgins have developed a national code of honor and conduct, Lezgiwal, passed down from generation to generation by parents and society. It implies moral and ethical behaviour, generosity and the will to safeguard the honor of women.
The Lezgins are the descendants of Caucasic peoples who have inhabited the region of southern Daghestan since at least the Bronze Age. The Lezgins are closely related, both culturally and linguistically, to the Aghuls of southern Daghestan and, somewhat more distantly, to the Tsakhurs, Rutuls, and Tabasarans (the northern neighbors of the Lezgins). Also related, albeit more distantly, are the numerically small Jek, Kryz, Khaput, Budukh, and Khinalug peoples of northern Azerbaijan. These groups, together with the Lezgins, form the Samurian branch of the indigenous Caucasic peoples. Prior to the Russian Revolution, the Lezgins did not have a common self-designation as an ethnic group. They referred to themselves by village, region, religion, clan, or free society. Before the Revolution, the Lezgins were called “Kyurintsy,” or “Akhtintsy,” or “Lezgintsy” by the Russians. The ethnonym “Lezgin” itself is quite problematic. Prior to the Soviet period, the term “Lezgin” was used in different contexts. At times, it referred only to the people known today as Lezgins. At others, it referred variously to all of the peoples of southern Daghestan (Lezgin, Aghul, Rutul, Tabasaran, and Tsakhur); all of the peoples of southern Daghestan and northern Azerbaijan (Kryz [Jek], Khinalug, Budukh, Khaput); all Daghestani peoples; or all of the indigenous Moslem peoples of the northeastern Caucasus (Daghestanis, Chechens, and Ingush). In reading pre-Revolutionary works one must be aware of these different possible meanings and scope of the ethnonym “Lezgin.”
Lezgins are one of five major ethnic groups living within Azerbaijan. The population of Lezgins makes up approximately 2% of the whole population of Azerbaijan. Their religion is Islam, and their language is Lezgi. Historically, Lezgins have inhabited the beautiful Caucasus Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas. Part of the ethnic group is living in Dagestan, Russian Federation and another is beyond the border with Russia in the north-eastern part of Azerbaijan; Qusar, Quba and Khachmaz. However, the western part of Azerbaijan in Zaqatala and Balakan regions are also populated with many ethnic minorities including Lezgins. The UNHCR states that Lezgins make up 40% of the population of the Qusar and Khachmaz regions and that Greater Baku is 1.8% Lezgin. Today the main language is Azerbaijani or Russian. In Qusar, Lezgin is taught as a foreign language in schools. Lezgin textbooks come from Russia and teachers complain that they are not adapted for contemporary teaching. These programs were implemented up to 20 years ago in the Qusar region. The Lezgi language was most valued for home life and communication within Lezgi-majority villages. Azerbaijani, as the state language, was considered important for communicating with Azerbaijani-speaking neighbours, for finding work and for participating in the republic as a whole.
Lezgins (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan ləzgiləri, Lezgian: Азербайжандин лезгияр) are the largest ethnic minority in Azerbaijan historically living in some northern regions of Azerbaijan. For most Lezgins, the mother tongue is Lezgin, and minorities have Azerbaijani and Russian as the mother language. The appearance of many Lezgian villages in Azerbaijan is associated with the relocation of part of the Dagestan Lezgins to the south its territory. At the beginning of the 18th century, a movement was launched among the ethnic groups of this part of the Caucasus against Persian rule in the region. During the first Russo-Persian war in 1806, the Quba Khanate became part of the Russian Empire. The territory of compact settlement of Lezgin occupies Qusar District, parts of Quba District and Khachmaz District. Several Lezgi settlements are located behind the Main Caucasian Range in Qabala District, Ismailli District, Oghuz District and Shaki District. There are also mixed settlements where Lezgins live with representatives of other nations. The Lezgin population is represented in large cities such as Baku and Sumqayit. According to the 2009 census, Baku itself ranks second among the country’s regions in terms of the number of Lezghins living here.
The Lezgins are the second largest ethnic group and the largest ethnic minority group in Azerbaijan. Lezgins mostly reside in Northeastern Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan and their primary language is Lezgian. The present day Lezgins are more familiar with the Northeast Caucasian dialects. Lezgins are both linguistically and culturally closely related to the Aghuls and distantly related to the Tabasarans, Tsakhurs, and Rutuls and together with the people of northern Azerbaijan make up the indigenous Lezgic people. The Lezgins are predominantly Sunni Muslims with a small group of Shia Muslims. The Lezgins are best known for folk art including folk dance and music, and they account for 2% of Azerbaijan’s population.
Lezghin (lezghiyar, lekier, ed. lezgi, lek) is a Dagestani people, one of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus, historically living in southern Dagestan and northeastern Azerbaijan. They also compactly inhabit several villages in Turkey, where descendants of Muhajirs live. They speak Lezghin, a member of the Nakh-Dagestani family of languages. The overwhelming majority of Lezghin believers profess Sunni Islam. There are also a small number of Shiites. In pre-revolutionary Russian Caucasian studies, researchers often erroneously referred to all the mountain peoples of Dagestan under the ethnonym “Lezgin”. Some ancient authors call Lezgins by the name “Leki”, Georgian – “Lekebi”, Arabic – “Lakz”. Most medieval Arab authors compare al-Lakz (Leghov – Lekov) with the ancestors of modern Lezgins. Nevertheless, all ancient and Arabic sources extend this ethnonym not only to the Lezgin, but to the entire population of Dagestan.
Lezgins (also known as Lezgi or Kyirin) are a Caucasian mountain people related to smaller groups including Aguls, Rutuls and Tabasarans. Accounting for 2.2 per cent of the population with 180,300 recorded in the 2009 census, they are the largest ethnic minority group in the country. However, some local experts claim that their number is significantly higher, in the region of 250,000–260,000. Lezgins live on both sides of the Samur River in Southern Dagestan in Russia and in the northern district of Kusari in Azerbaijan, where they form a local majority, and in adjoining areas such as Hachmaz and Kuba. Their language belongs to the north-east Caucasian language group. In general, Lezgins enjoyed better rights in Dagestan under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation than in Azerbaijan itself, where they have been subjected to assimilation policies. This could in part explain the variance in official statistics and unofficial estimates in the numbers of Lezgins in Azerbaijan.
The area known as ‘Lezgistan’ was divided between the tsarist districts of Derbent and Baku in 1860, a division which continued into the twenty-first century. In 1992 a Russian organization named Sadval was established to promote Lezgin rights. Sadval campaigned for the redrawing of the Russian-Azerbaijani border to allow for the creation of a single Lezgin state encompassing areas in Russia and Azerbaijan where Lezgins were compactly settled. In Azerbaijan a more moderate organization called Samur was formed, advocating more cultural autonomy for Lezgins in Azerbaijan. Lezgins traditionally suffered from unemployment and a shortage of land. Resentments were fuelled in 1992 by the resettlement of 105,000 Azeri refugees from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on Lezgin lands and by the forced conscription of Lezgins to fight in the conflict. This contributed to an increase in tensions between the Lezgin community and the Azeri government over issues of land, employment, language and the absence of internal autonomy. A major consequence of the outbreak of the war in Chechnya in 1994 was the closure of the border between Russia and Azerbaijan: as a result the Lezgins were for the first time in their history separated by an international border restricting their movement.
LESGHIANS, or Lesghis (from the Persian Leksi, called Leki by the Grusians or Georgians, Armenians and Ossetes), the collective name for a number of tribes of the eastern Caucasus, who, with their kinsfolk the Chechenzes, have inhabited Daghestan from time immemorial. They spread southward into the Transcaucasian circles Kuba, Shemakha, Nukha and Sakataly. They are mentioned as Λῆχαι by Strabo and Plutarch along with the Γῆλαι (perhaps the modern Galgai, a Chechenzian tribe), and their name occurs frequently in the chronicles of the Georgians, whose territory was exposed to their raids for centuries, until, on the surrender (1859) to Russia of the Chechenzian chieftain Shamyl, they became Russian subjects. Moses of Chorene mentions a battle in the reign of the Armenian king Baba (A.D. 370–377), in which Shagir, king of the Lekians, was slain. The most important of the Lesghian tribes are the Avars (q.v.), the Kasimukhians or Lakians, the Darghis and the Kurins or Lesghians proper. Komarov gives the total number of the tribes as twenty-seven, all speaking distinct dialects. Despite this, the Lesghian peoples, with the exception of the Udi and Kubatschi, are held to be ethnically identical. The Lesghians are not usually so good-looking as the Circassians or the Chechenzes. They are tall, powerfully built, and their hybrid descent is suggested by the range of coloring, some of the tribes exhibiting quite fair, others quite dark, individuals. Among some there is an obvious mongoloid strain. In disposition they are intelligent, bold and persistent, and capable of reckless bravery, as was proved in their struggle to maintain their independence. They are capable of enduring great physical fatigue. They live a semi-savage life on their mountain slopes, for the most part living by hunting and stock-breeding. Little agriculture is possible. Their industries are mainly restricted to smith-work and cutlery and the making of felt cloaks, and the women weave excellent shawls. They are for the most part fanatical Mahommedans.
Lezgins or Leks (Lezgian: Лезгияр, Лекьер. IPA: lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan, and speak the Lezgin language. Their social structure is firmly based on equality and deference to individuality. Lezgin society is structured around djamaat (Lezgian: жамаат- unions of clans) and has traditionally been egalitarian and organised around many autonomous local clans, called syhils (сихилар). The land of the Lezgins has been subject to multiple invaders throughout history. Its isolated terrain and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Lezgins has contributed much to the Lezgin community ethos and helped shape its national character. Due to constant attacks from the invaders, the Lezgins have developed a national code of honor and conduct, Lezgiwal, passed down from generation to generation by parents and society. It implies moral and ethical behaviour, generosity and the will to safeguard the honor of women.
The Lezghins are not a common topic for documentaries. Yet, this minority group is one of the most ancient ethnos in the Caucasian region, with a vibrant culture and a distinct language. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Lezghins are divided by a border separating the Republic of Dagestan – a federal subject of Russia – and Azerbaijan. In a photo reportage, O-C Media details the living conditions of Lezghins in Azerbaijan and reveals the beauty of their culture. Lezgins are one of five major ethnic groups living within Azerbaijan. The population of Lezgins makes up approximately 2% of the whole population of Azerbaijan. Their religion is Islam, and their language is Lezgi. Historically, Lezgins have inhabited the beautiful Caucasus Mountains between the Black and Caspian Seas. Part of the ethnic group is living in Dagestan, Russian Federation and another is beyond the border with Russia in the north-eastern part of Azerbaijan; Qusar, Quba and Khachmaz. However, the western part of Azerbaijan in Zaqatala and Balakan regions are also populated with many ethnic minorities including Lezgins. The UNHCR states that Lezgins make up 40% of the population of the Qusar and Khachmaz regions and that Greater Baku is 1.8% Lezgin.
The Lezgins are an ethnic group that live in northern Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan in Russia. They are the second largest Dagestani group with 367,0000 members and are the dominant group in southern Dagestan. They are similar culturally and linguistically to the Agul and to a lesser extent to Tabasarans, Rutuls and Tsakhurs. They are also known as the Lezgi, Lezghins and Lezgians. Because of the Lezgins’ location, their society has been more affected by foreign cultural influence than the other groups. The Lezgin language belongs to the Lezghian subgroup of the Dagestani group of North Caucasian languages. It was written for many years in Arabic and then written with a Latin alphabet in the 1920s as part of the anti-Islamic campaign and written in Cyrillic beginning in the 1930s as part of the Russification campaign. Lezgins speak more than 20 different languages. Many speak Russian, Azerbaijani and at least one of the other Dagestani languages. Many Dagestani groups speak Lezgin. The Lezgins have traditionally lived mostly in the valleys of the tributaries of the Samur and Gulgeri Rivers in an area of high mountains and foothills. The area is distinguished by rugged gorges with torrential rivers. Some mountains are over 3,500 meters high and have permanent snow. There is generally enough rain to provide good pastures for the animals. Agriculture is difficult. The Lezgins have traditionally raised goats and sheep and grew barley, rye, and millet. In the foot hills the pastures are better and agriculture is easier but these area are also very dry.
The Lezgins are the descendants of Caucasic peoples who have inhabited the region of southern Daghestan since at least the Bronze Age. The Lezgins are closely related, both culturally and linguistically, to the Aghuls of southern Daghestan and, somewhat more distantly, to the Tsakhurs, Rutuls, and Tabasarans (the northern neighbors of the Lezgins). Also related, albeit more distantly, are the numerically small Jek, Kryz, Khaput, Budukh, and Khinalug peoples of northern Azerbaijan. These groups, together with the Lezgins, form the Samurian branch of the indigenous Caucasic peoples. Prior to the Russian Revolution, the Lezgins did not have a common self-designation as an ethnic group. They referred to themselves by village, region, religion, clan, or free society. Before the Revolution, the Lezgins were called “Kyurintsy,” or “Akhtintsy,” or “Lezgintsy” by the Russians. The ethnonym “Lezgin” itself is quite problematic. Prior to the Soviet period, the term “Lezgin” was used in different contexts. At times, it referred only to the people known today as Lezgins. At others, it referred variously to all of the peoples of southern Daghestan (Lezgin, Aghul, Rutul, Tabasaran, and Tsakhur); all of the peoples of southern Daghestan and northern Azerbaijan (Kryz [Jek], Khinalug, Budukh, Khaput); all Daghestani peoples; or all of the indigenous Moslem peoples of the northeastern Caucasus (Daghestanis, Chechens, and Ingush). In reading pre-Revolutionary works one must be aware of these different possible meanings and scope of the ethnonym “Lezgin.”
The Lezgins are a Sunni Muslim people whose lands are divided by the international border between two countries – Russia and Azerbaijan (BELIEF = 2). In Russia, the Lezgins are concentrated in southern Dagestan (GROUPCON = 3), which is one of the most diverse regions of the world. The term “Lezgin” was once used by outsiders to refer to all of the ethnic groups of Dagestan, but today it correctly refers only to the people who refer to themselves as “Lezghi” and share a strong group identity .The history of this group probably began with the merger of various indigenous groups of the Caucasus early in the last millennium. The Lezgin language is part of the Caucasus family of languages and includes three distinct dialects, although virtually all Lezgins also speak Russian as a second language (LANG = 1). Throughout most of the Soviet era, the Lezgins were subjected to various cultural manipulations. Moscow went through periods of promoting Arabic and Turkic as the “official” cultures and languages, as well as a period of promoting the diversity of the region. However, shortly after World War II Soviet authorities began to impose Russian as the only language of choice in schools and government offices. These manipulations only irritated the anti-Russian feelings of most Lezghi and they resisted Russification by the Soviets just as they had under the czars. To this day, Lezgins still share a profound distaste for and distrust of Russians. According to the 2002 Russian census, there were 411,000 Lezgins in Russia, over 85 percent of whom live in Dagestan. By far the largest grievance that the Lezgins have against the government in Moscow is what they see as the artificial division of their lands that occurred when the Soviet Union collapsed. The nominal border between Soviet Socialist Republics along the Samur River became an international border in 1991.. Movement for the Lezgins was still more-or-less free until 1994, when the Russian government tightened border controls, after the outbreak of hostilities in Chechnya, in order to try to stop Islamic guerillas and military supplies from the Middle East from reaching the break-away republic.
The Lezgin ethnic group has been divided between southern Dagestan, in Russia, and northern Azerbaijan since the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Although the division between the Lezgins during the Soviet period was purely formal, after the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence, the Lezgins were faced with being divided between two separate countries. Nobody but the Lezgins cares about this divided status, and they blame both Moscow and Baku for their travails. The Lezgins would like to create autonomous zones on both sides of the Russian-Azerbaijani border, in the areas where they are concentrated. Lezgin activists have been trying to raise the issue at the international level, engaging in discussions at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations. The latest census in Russia put the number of Lezgins in the country at 473,722 (Gks.ru, 2010), while approximately 200,000 Lezgins reside in Azerbaijan (Demoscope.ru. March 12, 2001). Despite their small numbers, the Lezgins are well represented in the government of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, but they consider their representation as insufficient.
The Lezgins are a Sunni Muslim people whose lands are divided by the international border between two countries – Russia and Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan, the traditional Lezgin lands are concentrated in the northeast, but there are Lezgins in other areas of the country as well and consequently they do not have as strong a group identity as their brethren to the north. The term “Lezgin” was once used by outsiders to refer to all of the ethnic groups of Dagestan in southern Russia, but today it correctly refers only to the people who refer to themselves as “Lezghi.” The history of this group probably began with the merger of various indigenous groups of the Caucasus early in the last millennium. The Lezgin language is part of the Caucasus family of languages and includes three distinct dialects. Before the Russian Revolution, the Azeris embarked on a campaign of assimilation aimed at all groups that lived in what they saw as their lands. Today most Lezgins still speak Azeri as a second language, and are fairly well-integrated into the society of Azerbaijan. Culturally, they differ from the Azeris in that nearly all are Sunni Muslims (the primary exception being those living in Dokuzpara who are Shi’i). Politically, the Lezgins never formed a large confederation, preferring through most of their history to maintain their tribal loyalties. A large number of Lezgins, however, share a profound distaste and distrust of Russians. Throughout most of the Soviet era, the Lezgins were subjected to various cultural manipulations. Moscow went through periods of promoting Arabic and Turkic as the “official” cultures and languages, as well as a period of promoting the diversity of the region. However, shortly after World War II Soviet authorities began to impose Russian as the only language of choice in schools and government offices. These manipulations only irritated the anti-Russian feelings of most Lezgin and they resisted russification by the Soviets just as they had under the czars. Today there are approximately half a million Lezgins, of which probably under half live in Dagestan. Although official records report that Azerbaijani Lezgins number 178,000, their real numbers are probably quite a bit higher. Azeri officials admit that many ethnic groups are underrepresented by their censuses, a condition that Lezgin nationalists claim is due to the cultural and economic discrimination that minorities face in Azerbaijan. Although their numbers are unlikely to be as high as these Lezgin nationalists claim (700,000 or more), the Lezgin population in Azerbaijan may be double of what is officially reported.
The Lezgins are historically famed for bravery, blood feuds and of course the legendary lezginka, a Caucasian dance packing enough energy to inspire even the most placid to perform something heroic. They are also the most numerous of Azerbaijan’s great tapestry of ethnic minorities, the centre of their culture being Qusar, a town at the base of the Caucasus Mountains some 30km from the Russian border. Generally Lezgin cuisine overlaps broadly with Azerbaijani – think plovs, dolma, kebabs and salads – but there are some interesting national dishes and various nuances on dairy and flour-based products which, reflecting the Lezgins’ historically agricultural and cattle-breeding way of life, form the basis of much of Lezgin cuisine. At the heart of this is the kharak, a special oven used to bake pies and bread, which come in a variety of shapes and forms.
The Lezghian people are one of the minority ethnic groups in the Caucasus, and have traditionally lived in the areas corresponding to southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan . After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a large number of Lezgins living in Azerbaijan migrated to southern Dagestan, and the Lezghin population in Russia increased significantly. Today, the Lezghian population in Russia is estimated to be between 480,000 and 180,000 in Azerbaijan. In addition, more than 18,000 people live in Turkmenistan . They speak Lezginic, which belongs to the North Caucasian language family . The Lezgins had been ruled by the Sassanian dynasty since Shapur I annexed Caucasian Albania , and the Lezghin emirs, who had enjoyed autonomy since Kavad I expanded Derbent’s military bases and cities, were also subjugated by Derbent . He came into frequent contact with the Persians. From the 6th to the 13th century AD, the Lezghians built the emirate of Lakz, the so-called Lezghistan, in the interior mountainous regions near Derbent, spanning southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan. Throughout the 7th century, the West Turks and the Sassanids fought over this area, and after the Sassanids fell, the Khazar Khanate and the Umayyads took over the fighting in the 8th century. The Lezgistan were alternately ruled by the Turkic Jews of the Khazar Khanate and the Umayyads. Eventually, Kievan Rus , a third party in the war, invaded and destroyed the Khazar Khanate, and the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties took control of the region. Islam slowly spread to the Lezghian who lived in the highlands. However, due to the nature of the isolated and self-sufficient people living in mountainous areas, the spread of Islamic culture and lifestyle was quite limited, and many Lezgins refused to accept Islam and adopted their indigenous beliefs influenced by Zoroastrianism . adhered to. Thanks to this, many of the Lezgins have preserved their native beliefs and Zoroastrian customs to this day.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 
