The Information Channel Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue 63 28.01.03 Actual News from Chechnya News update Four Chechen rebels from the force of Aslan Maskhadov turn themselves in Colonel Ilya Shabalkin of the North Caucasus Anti-Terror Command tells the agency ITAR-TASS that all four were formally processed in the village of Dattykh in the Nozhai-Yurt District on Thursday a few days after they notified public prosecutors about their surrender plans. The surrendering rebels disclosed the whereabouts of their ammunition cache, which proved to contain 400 grams of TNT, 65 mines of all kinds, 8 hand grenades, 6 rounds for hand-held grenade launcher and an assortment of rifle, handgun and machine-gun cartridges, about 52 thousand in all. If found clear of capital crime, all four will be granted amnesty on illegal gun possession charges and will return to normal life. Colonel Shabalkin believes the surrendering rebels in Dattykh took their cue from several members of the gang of Rizvan Kutzuyev, who surrendered earlier in January. Kutzuyev is a maverick and has never sided with Aslan Maskhadov in score-settling among warlords. (more... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=Moseng) Two teenagers die in Chechnya in the explosion of a terrorist-planted landmine The ITAR-TASS news agency quotes the Russian Federal Security Service Department for Chechnya as saying that two teenagers died and another two were injured when a landmine that terrorists planted in Chechnyas Nozhai-Yurt district went off last Sunday. The two injured boys are now under treatment in hospital of Dagestans city Hasavyurt. By preliminary estimates, the explosive device, made up of trinitrotoluene, was activated by accident, but anyway the fighters criminal activities have again resulted in injuring peaceful civilians, who are, besides, underage people. Police are now engaged in finding out just who may be involved in laying the explosive device (more... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=Moseng) Multi-ethnic Chechnya The history of the Cossack community of Chechnya The life and culture of the Terek-Greben Cossacks The everyday life of Cossacks formed under the influence of the traditions of the local mountain people: Chechens, Ingushes, Kabardians, Kumyks. In rural areas Cossacks built izbas (peasants log huts), saklyas (mountain huts) and store-huts, so-called khatkas. In villages bordering on Grozny, Vladikavkaz or railways Cossack houses approached the city type. The interiour lay-out of the houses of Cossacks and mountaineers differed very slightly. Saklyas were normally divided into two parts and Cossack izbas had two rooms. Furniture in the rooms was similar too. Leo Tolstoi, who lived in Chechnya when he was young, wrote that Greben Cossacks arranged their houses according to Chechen traditions. Traditionally every Cossack, just as mountaineers house, had an arsenal of weapons. Hanging on one of the walls were a holster and a dagger in a leather or silver sheath, near them a sword adorned with silver, a revolver, a Berdan rifle or double-barrelled gun and several daggers in simple sheaths. For Cossacks, just as for Chechens, Ingushes, Kumyks and Kabardians, weapons were an integral part of everyday life. Cossacks thought much of the skills of Chechen weapon-makers, even old Cossack songs tell about famous Atagi swords. Clothes, suitable for life in the mountains, were taken on by Cossacks, both men and women. Men wore Caucasian felt cloaks, beshmets (quilted coats), papakhas (tall astrakhan hats), bashlyk or hoods and Circassian coats (long-waisted outer garments). For decoration they used Caucasian belt, dagger and metal or silver-tipped cartridge-holders on the breast. Clothes for special occasions were hanging at a prominent place: several Circassian coats of different colour adorned with simple and silver cartridge-holders and soft footwear high boots, slippers with stockings trimmed with lace or velvet. Chechens, Ingushes, Kumyks, Circassians and Nogaitsy took much of their clothing from the Russians. The result of closer ties with Russians, - wrote a contemporary in 1859, - was evident. Children began to wear shirts. And later on adults too began to put on European-styled clothes. Terek Cossacks enriched their cuisine with a number of Chechen dishes: flat cakes stuffed with cheese and vegetables, unleavened pasta bread, dat-kodar a mixture of curds with melted butter etc. Mountaineers came to like some of purely Russian food, including Caspian roach and sour cabbage, so good in winter months. Music instruments and dances traditional for mountaineers found their way naturally into the life of Terek Cossacks. Men played zurna, reed-pipe and pondura and women played accordion. And the circular dance Naura lezghinka, so full of vigour, became a national dance of Terek Cossacks. Trick-riding contests too became popular among the Cossacks, who got a chance to show off their courage and riding skills. And Cossack women, just like mountaineer women, looked after the horses with love and care. The multi-ethnic nature of the area inevitably told on language borrowings. Both Cossacks and mountaineers expanded their vocabularies. Its due to that process that we can now describe Chechen clothes and customs. For information on Russian borrowings click here . (in detail ... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=mhiscoseng&row=2) Russia - Chechnya Russian regions to Chechnya Sverdlovsk Chechen community condemns terrorism According to the special representative of Chechnya in Sverdlovsk region Lom Ali Saliev, terrorism, as a solution of the Chechen conflict, will not stand. Most of the Chechen community members all over Russia were shocked by the tragic events in Moscow. Saliev and other community leaders spoke on the local TV channel against terrorists, phrasing their determined position on the hostage-taking in Moscow. Saliev believes that the peoples wounds started to skin over as the situation in Chechnya is coming back to normal. He says that Chechnya has established relationships with other Russian regions, and that Ekaterinburg authorities have been sending humanitarian help to the Chechen refugees in Ingushetia. However, according to Saliev, terrorists barbarously tried to ruin peace in Russia, and to separate its people. Though he is absolutely sure that bandits and terrorists will fail. Saliev has underlined that Ekaterinburg is still ready to aid Chechnya, since its authorities are eager to help Chechens to return to their normal lives. (more... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=sregeng&row=3) Chechnya: news | arguments | facts 27 January 2003 Gudermes hosts Chechnyas boxing championship From January 16 to 19, Gudermes hosted the Chechen boxing championship that brought together 18 teams from 12 districts of the republic. The competition was organized by the Chechen Boxing Federation led by Ramzan Kadyrov. The fighters competed in three age divisions: youth, junior and adult. The Argun boxing school was the first on team standings followed by Gudermes and Grozny school of highest sports mastership. Hosting Gudermes athletes won five gold medals. Pupils of Alim Ayubov and Mayerbek Shamilov, Masters of Sport and republican referees, received not only gold medals but also prizes for best technique. There were many rewards at the championship, including TV sets and money bonuses. The results of the championships will determine lineups of teams for participation in All-Russia tournaments. According to head of the Gudermes administration Ahmed Abastov, the main thing is that the competitions reaffirmed the hard fact that peace is coming back to the republic. The young have more reasons for joy and happiness. A. Abastov said that the Chechen Boxing Federation is now building a gym in Gudermes that will boost sports in the city. Gudermes is one of the most sport-energetic cities in Chechnya. Many local athletes glorified their home-city by gaining victories at Russian and international competitions. The city gave birth to several world champions. Gudermes will shortly hold district tournaments in free-style wrestling, volleyball and kiokushinkai karate. There is a very good karate school in the district. Several Gudermes karate fighters are now training in Moscow. They have become members of the Russian national team. (more News from Chechnya http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 25 January 2003 Chechnyas future is in the hands of youth Chechnyas education ministry is aware that the republics future is in the hands of youth and is ready to help them. To this end it has done a good job last year. The head of the civil and patriotic education section of the Russian Education Ministrys department for youth policy Igor Melnichenko has recently visited Chechnya. He took part in the youth forum held in Grozny under the motto of Young generation for peace and the revival of Chechnya. Among the guests attended the forum were deputies of the Lower House of the Russian parliament and representatives of the Russian Presidents staff and the government. Chechen youth who represented all districts put forward many interesting proposals and ideas. Forum discussed many issues and broached those problems, which have yet to be solves since the previous meeting. And youth made a new initiative. On behalf of the forum, co-chairman of the first congress Turpal Khasbulatov, chairmen of Chechnyas youth affairs committee called on the Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting with them. Russian Education Ministrys department on youth policy cooperates actively with Chechnyas youth affairs committee. Last year it organized rest for more than one hundred Chechen girls and boys at the camp of Orlyonok. It also gave aid to children in the flood-affected areas last summer. Chechen representatives took part in the second national youth festival held at the national exhibition centre in Moscow. More than one hundred Chechen armature actors staged a concert, which was highly praised. Another the activity of the section is designed to immortalize the defenders of the fatherland. It coordinates the activity of searching groups. Last year a group found the remains of a soldier of the Great Patriotic War Abdulaev Tabsultan Baigerievich, a Chechen, near St. Petersburg who was born in 1918. His medals were found in a mass grave of Soviet servicemen in the Kolpinskom district of the Leningrad region. They were handed over to the head of the Chechen administration Akhmand Kadyrov. Unfortunately, his relatives have not yet been found. Possibly, the Internet site Chechnyafree may help to do so. (more News from Chechnya... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) 24 January 2003 Chechnya rebuilds its capital The first stage of reconstruction and repairing programme worked out by the Russian government is being realized. A Moscow-based Interbiznes-55 Company has been restoring the water supply pipelines and power lines and pulling out buildings unsuitable for living near Minutka Square, and streets of Khankalskaya and Krasnykh Frontovikov. Work has been intensified near the former theatre and concert hall since the builders plan to end the work this year. Cokhdezh building company commissioned a 124-apartment building in Mayakovsky Street late last year. It is restoring the central dental clinic too. Three new temporary accommodation centres that can house 4 000 people were commissioned in January. Debris is being continued to remove from the city. According to the mayor Oleg Zhidkov, up to one hundred thousand cubic meters of building debris will be removed this year. Two loaders, two sewage-disposal machines and a dump truck are removing debris from the largest district of Leninsky where fierce fighting went on. A new asphalt layer has been put on Tukhachevsky Street, which was one of the dirtiest streets earlier. Meanwhile, the major plan of the reconstruction of Grozny is being reviewed at Russias State Building Committee. It provides for the construction of buildings in the east and centre of the city since these areas are seismologically more reliable and the ecological situation there is much better. The administrative buildings are expected to build in the centre and apartment buildings for one hundred thousand people will be erected in micro-regions. Since there could be earthquakes of 8 to 10 points in the Richter scale in Grozny multi-storied buildings will not be built in the city. Parks will be laid in the places where damaged multi-storied buildings are. Mayor told journalists that the two thirds of buildings were destroyed when the city was liberated from militant groups. 66 percent houses were damaged. The federal reconstruction programme has been worked out for five years but it may take much more time to realize it. So far Grozny get 500 million rubles a year to this end. Several Russian regions are also involved in the restoration of Grozny. For one, the Moscow city government plans to finance the construction of additional building for in the government complex destroyed as a result of the terrorist attack on the 27th of December. A delegation led by the deputy head of the Moscow government Mikhail Men visited Grozny early January. According to Mikhail Men, a 2 000 square meter building will be constructed using pre-fabricate metallic structures with solid ceilings. It will be built at the same time as the restoration of the main administrative building. At present the Chechen government works in the wagons placed near the damaged building which is expected to restore in three months. (more News from Chechnya... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=§ion=diaryeng) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chechen ethnos The legend of the ascent of Mount Tebulos-Mta Mount Tebulos-Mta, 4512 meters above sea level, is situated in the south-eastern part of the territory now occupied by Chechnya and Ingushetia. Chechens know a lot of legends pertaining to the ascent of the peak. Here is one of them. On learning about enemy hordes on horseback looming over their territory as if black clouds covering the sun in foul weather, tribes living in the south-eastern mountains decided to retreat to areas inaccessible to the enemy. They inspected all surrounding gorges and mountains but found no place good enough for routing the enemy. The elders unanimously came to the conclusion that the best place to hide from the enemy was Mount Tebulos-Mta, from where Chechens would make a sudden descent and wipe out the Tatars. They chose the most experienced and fearless of hunters mountain climbers, who knew the approaches to the peak. After preparing long ropes made of horsehair, 12 young Chechens led by the 50-year-old hunter Idyg went to search for the easiest ascent route. At first, they inspected Tebulos-Mta from where the sun rises, that is, from the east. But there they saw cliffs and glaciers. Despite that, Idyg suggested that they should take that, seemingly impossible, route. After days of rain, they saw a sunlit blue sky at last. But how deceptive the cloudless blue sky in the mountains is! A small cloud ran across the sky and then darkness fell over the peak. And as the Chechens began to climb the steep mountains they found themselves wrapped up in darkness. A strong wind began to blow and it started snowing. Finding a small jut in the rock the group took shelter under the felt cloaks. The storm raged on for three days and three nights. The slopes and peak of Tebulos-Mta were under a thick layer of snow. The Chechens were heading for a snow-covered black massif with silver crooks of frozen brooks. Huge icicles resembling beards of evil ice giants were hanging from the rocks. But the bold men defied the difficulties and continued their ascent. The peak was just 200-300 steps away when an avalanche struck wiping them off. Of the 13 people only three survived, and in rather battered condition. Several days later the survivors were picked up by those who had come to search for them. Hence, the old legend says, the first attempt to conquer Tebulos-Mta ended tragically. However, the elders were quick to send other ascent groups, for Tatars led by Subed and then Sart had invaded the Nakh country and forces of Meng and another Mongol commander had conquered the Cherkiz territory. As they were getting ready to leave, Idyg, severely injured in the previous, abortive attempt, told the Chechens why his group had failed the ascent and advised to start from where warm winds are blowing, that is, from the south, for the slopes there are less snowy. (more ... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=etneng&row=8) Chechen culture Architecture THE MEDIEVAL STONE TOWERS OF CHECHNYA The mountainous part of the Chechen Republic boasts stone buildings that tower over the terraced villages. These towers are seen as the highest achievement of Chechen architecture and may also be seen as a stone chronicle of Chechen history. Most of the towers were built in the period between the 14th and 18th centuries. Although each century left an imprint on their architecture, the towers share some characteristic features. The towers are cone-shaped and have no groundworks. Slabs of rock were placed in the square-shaped foundation, special cornerstones projected inside the tower and held up the tiers. Ladders were used for communication between the tiers. They were raised at night. There were three kinds of towers: residential, watch and fortification. Two or three storey residential towers had a flat roof and archways. Watch towers were built at the entrance to a canyon. Towers that served as fortifications had embrasures and were crowned with a terraced pyramidal roof. Their lower part was used as dwelling quarters. The stone towers and adjoining buildings were fenced off from the rest of the world, which turned them into fortresses. Scholars describe them as castle complexes. A glance at a castle complex reveals whether the man who lived in it was wealthy, what his trade was, and, sometimes, what his social status was. A slave set free by his owner was allowed to build a house and a stone tower on the condition that his tower remain unfurbished. The stone towers are centuries-old monuments to those who made them. Tall as they were, they stood firm, which proves that the Chechen masons were highly experienced engineers. Some of their stones are decorated with petroglyphs. Architects were highly respected people and highly paid professionals. They worked both at home and in the neighboring provinces of the Northern Caucasus because the residents of those provinces also appreciated their talents. (in detail ... http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng§ion=carchitectureeng&row=2) Copyright CHECHNYA FREE.RU http://www.chechnyafree.ru/index.php?lng=eng -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=news.media.chechnyafree http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com