Mens and womens national costume
This costume reflects accepted esthetic principles and traditional lifestyles. Most materials for it are produced locally. They are leather, sheepskin, wool, woolen cloth and thick felt. Most men traditionally wore a waisted garment called beshmet a sort of tight semi-caftan reaching 8 to 10 centimeters above the knee (or a little lower in older men) and usually buttoned up from the waist to the neck using string buttons and button nooses of string. It has a stand-up collar and banana sleeves with buttons of the same type. It sometimes also has a wool or cotton wool lining for warmth. Materials for beshmets range from crude cotton cloth to expensive industrially-manufactured woolen cloth or even satin and silk, depending on occasion and wearers means. The colour may be anything from grey to bright red or blue. In old times, no undergarment was supposed to be worn underneath the beshmet. Mens pants sharply narrow down and disappear into knee-high stockings of woolen cloth, usually with leather garters under the knee. In combination with soft footgear of morocco leather or rawhide, such clothing makes for easy and noiseless movement across difficult mountainous terrain and is ideal for hunting, herding and waging war. It also stresses virility by accentuating thin waist, broad shoulders, elegance and good bearing. On festive occasions, Chechen men supplemented the beshmet with a light overall called cherkeska in fact another beshmet of thin woolen cloth, but without a collar, with a single button on the waist and with flared sleeves reaching below the hands. Such sleeves are usually seen rolled up. The cherkeska is recognizable by its symmetrical chest rows of gazyrnitzas narrow vertical patch pockets for shotgun or rifle cartridges. The advent of the repeat rifle in the late 19th century reduced the gazyrnitsas to traditional decoration. A narrow waist belt around a buttoned cherkeska usually served for carrying daggers, swords and pistols.
(in detail...)

Zaindin Mutalibov (1922-1977)
Zaindin Mutalibov was born on the 15th of January 1922 in the village of Khattuni in the Vedensky district of Checheno-Ingushetia. He published his first verse in a republican daily when he was 14 years. He joined the Soviet army after five years and went to the front as a volunteer. In the Second World War he fought in the 255th Checheno-Ingush cavalry regiment at the Southern, Stalingrad, South-Western fronts. He started to serve as an ordinary soldier and ended the war as the chief of staff of a cavalry division. He was awarded 7 government awards, including the Red Star. During the war Zaindin Mutalibov wrote many poems, essays, short stories about heroism of the Soviet soldiers and also novels. In the post-war years he worked in schools in Kirgyzstan. When he returned to Checheno-Ingushetia he worked as a journalist and studied at the Higher Party School under the central Community of the Soviet Communist Party and later was the director of the Checheno-Ingush publishing house. He created his best works in the second half of the fifties when several collections of his poems and novels were published. Many of his works were devoted to war against Nazis and wrote about brave deeds committed in the war and rear. His prosaic are interesting too. His collection of short stories, Injured Form was the first Chechen prosaic that not only praises brave deeds but also described the mentality of the people at the time.A senior school at the village of Khattuni has been named after him after his death.
(more about famous chechens...)

Nakhs in the North Caucasus
The people who lived in what is now Chechnya and Ingushetiya belong to what wereknown as Koban and Kayakent-Kharachoi archeological cultures. Learning the art of smelting and forging iron as early at the start of the first millennium B.C. this ethnic group, obviously related to the Nakh-speaking Trans-Caucasian tribes, played a determining role in the ethno-genetic processes and the very genesis of the Chechen and Ingush peoples as sharing one and the same material and spiritual heritage. It was a time when the Chechens and Ingushis finally shaped up anthropologically in the North Caucasus area as representatives of the Europeoid race. The Chechen and Ingush tribes living on the northern slopes of the Main Caucasus Range contacted with the Scythians of the steppes and later with the Sarmat and Alan nomadic tribes, and archeological finds all point to close trade, military and political ties once existing between the Vainakhs and their neighbors, with the ancient Georgian, Armenian and Persian kingdoms. These contacts were not always peaceful though, and occasional clashes with the Scythians of the steppe lands and nomadic forays prevented the ancient Vainakhs from settling on the flatlands, forcing them to spend centuries in their highland villages which they turned into impregnable stone fortresses. The Vainakhs occasionally ventured down into the plains as is proved by the villages and burial mounds which can still be found near Serzhen-Yurt, Alleroi, Mairtup, Zandak and Bamut where they widely engaged in metal smelting, pottery, farming and cattle grazing, and also all kinds of craft. The dawning of the first millennium of the new era saw the Chechens and Ingushis fighting hard for control over the mountain passes. Together with other tribes and states, among them the Georgian kingdom, they fought back the Roman legions and the Persian armies. Between the 7th and 9th centuries A.D. the Vainakhs successfully repulsed the invading troops of the Arab Caliphate. (more about ethnos...)

Issue 11
25.07.02

Chechen diary

25 July 2002  32 thousand tons of cargos went through St. Petersburg port to Chechnya and Ingushetia in the first half of the year

A total of 32 thousand tons of humanitarian cargos were transited through the seaport of St. Petersburg to Chechnya and Ingushetia over the past six months. According to back-of-the-envelope calculations, 50 thousand tons of humanitarian cargos may go through the port next year. This figure was cited by the head of the Balkan and East European countries office of the UN worldwide food program Saed Malik during his meeting with the St. Petersburgs vice governor Vladimir Derbin in the Smolny hall. It was agreed that the regional office would further transport cargos through the city port. Saed Malik asked the city administration to streamline inspecting and reloading procedures. Vladimir Derbin said that one of the snags was that papers for cargoes inspection must be sent to Moscow. The vice governor believes St. Petersburg branch of the Moscow-based inspection commission is called for. Another option is to transfer the commissions powers to the office of the presidential envoy or the city administration. The regional office of the UN worldwide food program has been carrying out cargo transits since the beginning of the year. Earlier, humanitarian cargoes were transited through the Baltic states ports. Possible transit of humanitarian cargoes through the St. Petersburg to Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Central Asian countries was on the drawing board now, Saed Malik said.
(more from Chechen diary)

24 July 2002  S. Yastrzhembsky believes it is high time to hand over Chechnyas rule to Chechens

The Russian Presidents aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky believes that it is high time to hand over Chechnyas rule and responsibility for the life in republic to Chechens. To this end capable police and special task force must be created quickly. In an interview with the Moscow-based daily Komsomolskaya Pravda S. Yastrzhembsky emphasized that there was no need to fear to arm those who proved their loyalty to Russian force. He noted that Russia wished to turn this page as immediately as possible and achieve stability, of course. According to S. Yastrzhembsky, there are many problems in Chechnya and the main thing is that people are being killed as before. Nevertheless, the situation in the republic has radically improved in the past two years. Sergei Yastrzhembsky believes that there is need to end the drafting of a constitution and discuss it in a referendum, hold elections and attract investment. The Russian Presidents aide warned that if the economy was not restored and new jobs were not created, new problems would appear. He said that the Chechen government is energetically taking steps to solve these issues.
(more from Chechen diary)

23 July 2002  The Council of Europe closes Ichkeria mission in Strasbourg

Ichkeria mission at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg has been closed. This was informed by the head of the international committee of the Federation Council, a leading member of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mikhail Margelov. Ichkeria mission was opened and functioned with support of the structures of the Council of Europe and the French government. Nevertheless, in response to a question by Russian journalists concerning the closing down of the mission, the head office of the Council of Europe said that CE never had such a mission since there had never been such a country and the Council of Europe had missions only of independent states. The move, according to Mikhail Margelov, is a result of successful work by Russian representatives at the Council of Europe who do their best to explain the country's policy toward Chechnya. This shows that the Council of Europe has given up its policy aimed to wage a noisy campaign on the Chechen issue and alleged human rights abuse in Russia.
(more from Chechen diary)

Chechen traditions

"Nokhchallah," the chechen character


The word "Nokhchallah" does not lend itself to translation . But it may and must be explained. "Nokhcho" stands for Chechen."Nokhchallah" brings together all the specific properties of the Chechen character. It implies a whole gamut of moral and ethical norms. It may be described as the Chechen code of honor. Chivalry, gentility, diplomatic skills, manliness, generosity and reliability are the qualities which a child of a hardline Chechen family imbibes with, as they say, his mother's milk. And the Chechen code of honor is rooted in the remote days of Chechen history. In the severe conditions of bygone years a refusal to open the door to a stranger could lead to lethal frostbites. He could succumb to fatigue or famine, fall prey to a wild beast or highway robbers. The ancestral tradition which has been held sacred, demands that a stranger be welcomed in, seated by the fire, offered food and shelter for the night. Hospitality is, thus, "nokhchallah." The narrow roads and paths of Chechnya zigzag around mountain cliffs and on the brink of precipices. A fight or a heated argument may send one down into the abyss. Politeness and willingness to compromise are "nokhchallah." The strenuous conditions of their life taught the highlanders to help and support one another, which is also "nokhchallah." But "nokhchallah" has nothing to do with the Table of Ranks. There have been neither princes nor serfs among the Chechens.
"Nokhchallah" is an ability to deal with people without showing your privileged position. The privileged should be extra polite and accommodating to avert hurting anyone's feelings. If two men meet and one of them is riding on horseback and the other walking, the one who is riding shall be the first to utter words of greeting. If the one who is walking is older that the one who is riding, the rider shall dismount to greet the older man.
"Nokhchallah" is friendship that lasts all life: in joy and sorrow. Highlanders hold friendship sacred. Inattentiveness or impoliteness shall be forgiven if they are displayed to a brother, but to a friend - never!
"Nokhchallah" is special respect for women. A man dismounts his horse before entering the village where the relatives of his mother or his wife live. And here is a story about a man who asked to spend a night in a house that stood on the outskirts of a Chechen village, without knowing that she was alone. The hostess could not reject his request. She gave him something to eat and made a bed for him. In the morning, the man realized that the woman was alone and that she had spent the night sitting by a lit lantern in the anteroom. As he was hurriedly washing up, he brushed the woman's hand with his small finger by accodent. The man cut the finger off with his knife before leaving that place. Only a man brought up in the spirit of "nokhchallah" will go to such pains to protect a woman's honor.
"Nokhchallah" rules out all attempts at subjugation. Male Chechens have, since times immemorial, been brought up as protectors and trained to bear arms. "Come at liberty" is the oldest of the greetings in actual use in Chechnya. The freedom of spirit and readiness to fight to protect it is "nokhchallah."
"Nokhchallah" demands that Chechens respect all other men, regardless of their social origins, family background and religious beliefs. The bigger the difference between a Chechen and someone else, the more respect the Chechen shall accord that someone. You have a chance to be forgiven for hurting a Moslem's feelings because, people say, you may meet the person whose feelings you have hurt on Judgement Day. But all is lost if you have hurt the feelings of a person of a different creed, because there is no chance of ever meeting him. The sin will stay with you forever.
"Nokhchallah" is no book of do's and don't's. It is of their own free will that the Chechens obey its rules. It is a condensed formula of a Chechen way of life. (more about traditions...) 

Chechen history

Awards from Imam Shamil in the collection of the State Military History Archives of the Russian Federation

All date from the 1840s and relate to some of the most heroic episodes of the Great Caucasus War (1817-64). An old research paper on them at the Archives says this: "... initially, Shamil presented best performing fighters with arms, equestrian items, clothing, horses, sheep and sometimes even cash. Indeed, it was considered a great honour to receive 30 roubles worth of silver coins from the Imam. But after creating a force of personal guards in 1841, Shamil instituted medals and honorary badges of all kinds." Remarkably, the collection contains antiawards for cowardice in battle -- usually in the form of bright pieces of cloth to be worn on the right sleeve or on the back pending commendable battlefield feats by the wearer. Not only Shamil himself, but also many of his Naibs, or Generals, enjoyed the right to give out awards. Many of the badges and medals in the collection are from Naib Daniyal Sultan, a former Russian General who changed sides. An order badge won by Daniyal himself carries a carved inscription on it: "This order was given to a courageous man who attacks. Allah lends his support to Daniyal and his men. He bestows courage, power and victories on them." Most of the badges and medals are anonymous. Some, however, carry the names of their winners on them. A medal to the Chechen Naib Djavat Khan carries not only his name but also his entire track record as a victorious military leader. Most of the badges and medals are convex round plaques, sometimes adorned with silver grains and/or embossed hemispheres and/or stars. Some have small seals on them, in the form of a broad crescent with the name 'Shamil' on it, in Arabic characters. An inscription, if there is any. praises the courage of the award winner. Ornamentation, if any. consists of 'shashka' swords or, rarely, pistols. There is also a collective award, in the form of a rather big silver crescent showing a picture of a 'shashka' sword and carrying an inscription in Arabic: "These brave men live amid dangers and never flee the battlefield." Experts believe a detachment of Shamil's fighters carried that crescent on their battle flag. After failing to establish a viable theocracy in the North Caucasus, Shamil surrendered to Russian troops in 1859, was brought before the Russian Emperor and swore allegiance to him. Memorabilia from his short-lived Imamate provide valuable insights into key chapters of this country's history in the century before last. Known awards from Shamil are spread among the Military History Archives (Moscow), the Dagestani Regional Geography and History Museum (Makhachkala), the State Hermitage (St Petersburg), the State History Museum (Moscow) and a number of private collections.
(more about history...) 

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