Dargins history culture traditions. Dargins - forgotten stories. An excerpt characterizing the Dargins

Dargins are the indigenous inhabitants of Dagestan. The first mention of the Dargins (self-name - Dargan) dates back to the 15th century. Already in the 16th century, three types of Dargins emerged, differing in place of residence and occupation: lower foothills, mid-mountain and high-mountain.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Dagestan was included in the Russian Empire, which led to the start of the so-called liberation war. The Dargins took part in it on Shamil’s side, but not actively (due to their strong dependence on the Russians). However, during the anti-colonial uprising of 1877, they were already more militant.

In 1921, the Dargins, together with other peoples, became part of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. After this, part of the Dargins moved. In 1991, the Republic of Dagestan was formed.

Life of the Dargins

The main occupation of the Dargins was and remains cattle breeding (mainly cattle and sheep). The only difference between the past and the present is that now new highly productive crops and breeds are being introduced into these industries.

Traditionally, the Dargins lived in a rural community, which had the local name of jamaat. Communities united into unions of rural societies. Some of them, in turn, were part of the Akushim Confederation.

Nowadays, small families are common among Dolgan residents, although even in the last century there were large, undivided ones. In Dagestan, tukhums are also common - groups of families descending from the same ancestor. The mountain villages of the Dargins are mostly crowded and terrace-like.

The main type of mountain housing in the mountains and foothills is multi-story houses with a flat roof. In Soviet times, fairly modern villages with multi-storey buildings were built.

The men's traditional clothing of the Dargins is similar to the clothing of other peoples of the North Caucasus: shirt, trousers, beshmet, burka, fur coat, leather and felt shoes, chukta (headdress).

The main traditional food of the Dargins is flour, meat, and dairy. As a supplement, the diet also included vegetables, fruits, herbs, and berries. One of the national dishes of Dargin (North Caucasian) cuisine is miracle. This is a pie made from unleavened dough with various fillings - meat, cottage cheese, vegetables. Miracles can be either closed or semi-closed, like large cheesecakes. Like all the peoples of the Caucasus, the Dargins are restrained in food, but hospitable.

The main types of Dargin folklore: traditions, legends, fairy tales, proverbs and sayings, heroic songs. Some ancient rituals have been preserved.

Processing of wool, metal, wood, stone, and leather is developed. Different types of creativity developed in a certain area. Thus, weapons from Kubachi, Kharbuk and Amuzga, pottery from Sulevkent, wooden tools and household utensils from Kaitag, and so on were highly valued.

The Dargins are one of the largest nationalities of the Republic of Dagestan and belong to the Caucasian type of the Caucasian race. Self-name of the people dargan. The first mentions of the ethnonym “Dargins” date back to the 15th century. In the 16th century, the Dargins were divided into 3 types, which differed in place of residence and occupation:

1. alpine
2. mid-mountain
3. lower foothills

In 1921, the Dargins and other peoples of the North Caucasus became part of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Some of the people then moved to the plain. Dargins embody virtue, courage, hard work, piety and honesty. They instill these qualities in their children from an early age.

Where live

The bulk of the Dargins live on the territory of the Russian Federation and make up 16.5% of the total population of Dagestan. The largest community of this nationality is located in the Stavropol Territory. There are large diasporas in Kalmykia, Moscow, Rostov and Astrakhan regions.

A small percentage of Dargins live in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. They appeared in these areas in the 1930s. Representatives of this people also live in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

Name

The ethnonym “Dargins” is derived from the word “darg”, which translates as “group, people”. The ethnonyms “Dargan” and “Dargins” are of later origin, according to philologist R. Argeeva. In the pre-revolutionary period, this nationality was known as the Khyurkilins and Akushins.

Language

The Dargins speak the Dargin language, which belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch of the North Caucasian family of languages. Dargin consists of many dialects, some of them are:

• Urakhinskiy
• Akushinsky
• Kaitag
• tsudaharsky
• Kubachi
• Megebian
• Sirginsky
• Chiragsky

The Dargin literary language is used on the basis of the Akushin dialect. The Russian language is also widespread among the people. During the 20th century, the written language of the language changed twice. First, the Arabic alphabet, traditional for the Dargins, was replaced by the Latin alphabet in 1928, then in 1938 by the Russian script. In the 1960s, the letter Pl pI was added to the Dargin alphabet. Today there are 46 letters in the alphabet.

In schools, education is conducted in the Dargin language according to the all-Russian program. All textbooks, except books on literature, Russian, and foreign languages, have been translated into Dargin. There are Russian-language Dargin kindergartens.

Religion

The Dargins are Sunni Muslims; they adopted this religion in the 14th century. Before this, the Dargins were pagans, worshiped mythical characters of the pantheon of gods who personified the forces and phenomena of nature. Many of them have been preserved in the life of the people to this day:

• Kune, a mythical character who represents a kind spirit invisible to humans. He is the patron of the family hearth and clan, bringing prosperity to the house. People imagine him as a tall woman with a large bust and long red hair. The spirit appears in homes on Fridays and lives in the central pillar of the home. To appease him, housewives grease the hot stove with oil or a piece of fatty meat on this day of the week. If Kune leaves and does not return, it is unlucky.
• Moyu, these are the spirits who are in charge of the birth of children and are the patroness of women in labor. Common among the Dargin-Akush people. People imagine them as old women dressed in black and white clothes. They can send sickness and death to children;
• Berhi, the deity personifying the Sun, in the form of a beautiful youth who emits a dazzling and bright light. Berhi lives in the sea, enters it and leaves it. He is swallowed by the sea monster Kurtma. God Zal saves and returns to earth;
• Badz, a deity who personifies the Moon. Presented in the form of a beautiful girl. There is a legend about spots on the moon: Bazd and Berhi loved each other, but Budz began to brag that she was more beautiful than Berhi and people looked at her more than at him. Then the Sun threw lumps of dirt onto the Moon, which cannot be washed off, causing spots to form on it. The Moon was offended and ran away from the Sun, who later admitted his guilt and is now always trying to catch up with Badz;
• Abdal, or Avdal, patron of deer, aurochs, wild goats and god of the hunt. He takes care of wild animals, milks and grazes them, and limits their shooting. For good luck, people offered him a sacrifice in the form of the liver or heart of a killed animal. The bones were not thrown away or burned so that Abdal could use them to revive the beast.

The entire life of representatives of this people from birth to death is accompanied by religious rituals. Dargins believe that morality and religion are two inseparable things.

The Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha and Kurban Bayram occupy a special place in the life of the Dargins. Each family, according to custom, celebrates Mawlid an-Nabi - the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. An important part of the ritual is Dhikr.

Food

In the cuisine of the Dargins living on the plain, plant foods predominated. In the highlands, they mainly preferred food from milk and meat. The most common flour products are khinkal and about 50 varieties of miracle pies with various fillings. The flour used was rye, millet, corn, barley and wheat. Sausages are made from beef and lamb meat, the meat is dried and smoked. Several types of cheese are made from milk. Soups are very popular among people; they are prepared with beans, vegetables, and ground wheat. Kebab, pilaf, sauces and kurze (similar to dumplings and dumplings) are very popular. For sweets, Dargins often make apple caramels - whole apples boiled in caramel. Supplements to the diet include greens, vegetables, fruits, and berries.

Common Caucasian dishes are common in Dargin cuisine. Representatives of this ethnic group have long learned to preserve fruits and vegetables. Food is served to the table on a common large platter from which everyone eats. Previously, the Dargins had hand mills at home, in which they themselves ground grain flour. The houses had a special fire room where food was prepared. There were entire neighborhood bakeries where pies and churek bread were baked. The favorite drink of the Dargins is buza kvass.

Life

For a long time, the Dargins have been engaged in cattle breeding, farming, processing wood, stone, leather and wool, and embroidering with gold threads and silk. In the village of Sulevkent they engage in pottery making. The Dargins process metals; pottery, copper hammering, bronze casting and blacksmithing are common among them. They produce jewelry and weapons. Everyone in Kubachi, from young to old, owns jewelry. This is passed down from generation to generation. They make ceremonial dishes, candlesticks, stunning jewelry for women, and work with bone, copper, enamel and silver. The masters decorated ceremonial weapons, dagger handles and scabbards with silver and gilding, and patterned bone plates. This art is still widespread today. Kubachi jewelers are known all over the world.

The Kubachi craftsmen who made helmets, chain mail, pistols and shotguns are also famous. Leather men's belts are always richly decorated with pendant plaques, silver and metal links.

The role of women in the household was significant. Her responsibilities included caring for cattle, harvesting crops, cooking, storing food, making household items and clothing. The man plowed, sowed, and was engaged in sheep breeding.

Girls began to be taught how to sew national costumes, make hats, weave breast ornaments, and various necklaces that consisted of coins and beads. Dargin women skillfully weave carpets, felt and knit.

Modern Dargins are engaged in viticulture and gardening. In many places, canning factories have been built where berries, vegetables and fruits are processed. Large fruit canning factories and industrial plants are located in the villages of Majalis, Serkzhala, Khoja-Makhi and Tsudahar. Plants for processing livestock products and enterprises for the production of cheese and butter were built.

Housing

Traditionally, the Dargins lived in rural communities called jamaat. The communities were united into unions of rural societies, some of them were part of the Akushim Confederation. Today, people have small families, which in the past were large and undivided. Tukhums are also widespread in the territory of Dagestan - groups of families that descended from one ancestor. After the October Revolution, schools, hospitals, clubs, village councils and reading huts opened in the villages.

Villages in the mountains are terrace-like and crowded. The main types of housing in the foothills and mountains are multi-story houses with a flat roof. During Soviet times, more modern villages of multi-storey buildings were built.

Dargins build modern houses from stone, sandstone, limestone and shale. In some villages they use adobe. The houses stand on a foundation or rocky base. Stone laying is carried out mainly using clay mortar. Older buildings have dry masonry. The floors in the dwellings are slate, adobe or wood. The ceiling is made from boards, slate slabs, brushwood or poles. In villages located in the foothills, gable tile or iron roofs began to be used more often. The facades of dwellings usually have an open gallery or veranda.

If the house consists of several floors, the lower one is reserved for a barn, stables, hayloft, space for storing firewood and storage rooms. There are living rooms on the upper floors. In villages located in higher mountainous areas, dwellings are often of irregular configuration and are adjusted in construction to the slope on which they stand. Because of this, rooms have irregular shapes, sometimes with five corners or rounded corners. All houses of the Dargins are well-equipped, kept clean and sufficiently equipped with amenities.

Appearance

The national clothing of Dargin men consisted of a tunic-like “kheva” shirt and “sharbar” trousers of a simple cut. These items were used not only as underwear, but also as part of outerwear. It was sewn from thick cotton or wool fabric of a dark color: blue, black or gray. Men in Nizhny Kaitag wore a white shirt and white trousers.

Over the shirt they put on a lined beshmet (captal), sewn from a dark dense material. To sew an elegant beshmet, they bought silk or wool fabric in black, dark green or blue. Shili dripped into the waist, according to the figure. There was a straight cut in the front, from top to bottom. The length of the clothing was slightly below or above the knees, at the request of the man. Below the waist, mainly at the back and sides, several wedges were sewn in, narrow and widening towards the bottom; they formed coattails. There were up to 10 such wedges.

The beshmet had a standing low collar, and there were internal pockets on the sides, below the waist. There were sewn pockets on the chest. The beshmet was fastened at the front with small buttons and loops, from the collar to the waist. The loops were made from homemade thin braid. The collar, sleeves, cutouts on the side pockets and the top of the breast pockets were trimmed with the same braid. The winter beshmet was sewn on cotton wool. A man wore a captal in the field, he could go out into the street in it and walk around at home. When it was cool, a Circassian coat was worn over it.

An important part of outerwear was a sheepskin coat; it was worn in winter over a beshmet and a Circassian coat. One fur coat took from 6 to 9 sheepskins of a young lamb. In inclement weather they wore a burka. A mandatory attribute of a Dargin man is a long and wide dagger.

They wore hats and felt hats. The wealthy sewed their own hats from Central Asian astrakhan fur. The Dargins had quite a variety of shoes. Many Dargins, especially residents of the villages of the Tsudakhar region, were excellent masters of leather and footwear. At home they wore woolen socks, which every woman knew how to knit. For strength, morocco, canvas or cloth were sewn onto them. Soft morocco boots were worn over the socks. They wore galoshes, boots and shoes.

Women's clothing consisted of an undershirt, wide or narrow pants, and a tunic-like or one-piece dress. They mostly wore scarves on their heads, a black or white “kaz” coverlet, which was wrapped around the head and hung low on the neck, shoulders and chest. In many areas, such bedspreads were decorated with borders and embroidery. Knitted stockings and boots were put on their feet. A mandatory element of a woman's costume is a white sash or one that matches the pants. The length of the sash was from 2 to 5 meters, it was wrapped around the waist and hips. It could be replaced with a metal or leather belt.

An apron was required. They believed that it protected a woman from the evil eye. They sewed amulets onto it: jewelry, coins and metal pendants, and embroidered it in the form of a trident or a hand with fingers spread out and pointing down. Shoes were worn from felt or leather.

Today, Dargins wear mostly urban-type clothes and shoes. To this day, there is a rule according to which only young girls can wear brightly colored clothes. Married women wear calm tones and fabrics of the same color. Older women wear clothes in brown, blue and black.

Culture

Dargin literature until the 20th century was based only on oral literature. At the beginning of the 20th century, the first collections of poetry were published. After the October Revolution, Dargin literature began to develop. At first, it was possible to collect and translate into written form monuments of oral creativity; starting in May 1925, the first newspaper “Dargan” began to be published, which was published in the Dargin language. In 1961, the first Dargin drama theater was opened.

Folklore

In the folklore of the nationality, the main directions are:

• fairy tales
• heroic songs
• legends
• legends
• sayings
• proverbs

Agach-kumuz is the main musical instrument of the Dargin people. The musicians tuned the strings of the instrument in different ways and as a result received different harmonies and melodies. People also have other instruments for music:

• Chungur
• kemancha
• harmonic
• mandolin
• tambourine
• zurna

Traditions

Previously, men and women in the family ate food separately. Today, all family members sit down at the table together. In most of Dargin society today there is a custom of women’s meetings, which are prohibited for men. In the village of Kubachi there were even special premises that were called the women's house or the girls' house. The entire female population gathered there. People also have holidays only for women. But despite this, the situation of Dargin women used to be very difficult. They did not have the right to take part in the public affairs of the village, go to public village holidays, talk with men and communicate with their husbands in front of strangers. The man was the head of the house, and without his consent the wife could not sell, acquire or give anything. Everything that belonged to her in her husband's house was only her dowry.

A woman had no right to eat before her husband or go to bed until he came home. It was not customary for a man to raise children; only his wife did this. Senior family members also took part. In public, the father did not have the right to show feelings for his child, to caress him and calm him down if he cried. But when the children grew up and the question arose about any important decision related to them, only the father took part. The mother had no say. The role of women in the household was very significant.

Marriages among the Dargins were concluded within the tokhum - a certain social group or category. Questions about marriage were decided only by fathers, without children. The preferences and interests of children were not taken into account. The social position and dowry of the bride were important. Because a large dowry was required, girls were often unable to get married. Young men had similar problems, from whom expensive gifts were required for the bride and her relatives. Wealthy men often had several wives, which made life even more difficult for women. The second and third wives did not have the right to independence, since the first wife was the mistress.

A woman entered her husband’s house with her head covered, and the man’s family performed a ritual that protected the young from misfortune. They sacrificed a ram; it was believed that its blood drove away evil spirits.

Dargins are very hospitable; for them, a guest is the most important person in the house. The best is served to him: food, a place at the table and a bed. Hospitality is a great virtue for this people. Receiving guests and being hospitable is considered a great duty, which any Dargin will fulfill with pleasure.

Dargins respect their elders very much; for them this is the basis of ethics. Parents and other elders in the family always take pride of place at the table and are the first to speak. Young people should stand in their presence and always give up their place if necessary.

Children are usually given the names of prophets or deceased relatives. All Dargins honor family ties, it is important for them not to disgrace the family, not to disgrace themselves. Boys are taught from childhood to stand up for themselves and their loved ones. They must study well, respect their elders, and be an example for others. Girls are raised as future guardians of the hearth and family values.

Dargins live in the middle part of Dagestan. The meaning of their self-name is not entirely clear. According to one version, “dargo” or “dargva” is a territorial association of a group of neighboring “ghazis” (“fighters for the faith”), who flocked to Derbent from all over the Islamic world during the rule of the caliphate. According to another, the ethnonym “Dargins” comes from “darg” - inside, as opposed to outside. In the mass consciousness of the people, Dargo is understood as “the core of the Dargin land.” Therefore, the ancestors of the Dargins considered their distinctive feature to be that they inhabited the “inner” part of Dagestan, and this should have distinguished them from the inhabitants of the “external, external” lands. It was also suggested that “dargo” is a form of “dugri” - a term of Turkic origin and means “fair”, “straight”, “even”.

The first mention of the ethnonym “Dargins” is found in the 15th century - in the Latin work of Archbishop Johann de Galonifontibus “Libellus de notia orbis” (“Book of the Knowledge of the World”, 1404). Their ethnic group was formed at the junction of trade roads connecting Mountainous Dagestan with the outside world. This is probably why the Dargins are the most trade and craftsmen among the Dagestanis. The primary corporations here were not military detachments, but workshops, which gradually subordinated the surrounding population to their interests. In this sense, Darginstan is very similar to medieval Novgorod.

Settlement of the Dargins in the Caucasus


The territory of the Dargins is indicated in blue (red- their dialect groups)

The Dargins were characterized by a confederal principle of organization. We can say that it was they who first formulated the idea of ​​the unity of Dagestan in the form in which it now exists - a confederation of large and small nations.

Chirakh village

Dargin communities were ruled by qadis - representatives of the Muslim clergy who appeared in Dagestan at the beginning of the 8th century, after the campaign of the Arab commander Abumuslim (Maslama). But the real rise in power of the Qadis came after Timur’s hordes invaded Mountainous Dagestan in 1396. Timur dealt especially cruelly with peoples who did not profess Islam. According to Sheref ad-din Yazdi and another historiographer, Timur Nizam ad-din Shami, the massacre was carried out by Timur’s troops in Ushkuj. After its capture, the conquerors “killed all those infidels... they made hills from the dead and devastated their region.” Having plundered and destroyed Uskuje, Timur destroyed all secular and religious (Christian) figures who opposed him. But he elevated the Muslim qadis, and in the village of Akusha he established something like a patriarchal throne, which was supposed to contribute to the establishment of Islam. From now on, the Akushin qadi became the spiritual, secular and military head of Darginstan. His power was hereditary, and his personality was considered sacred. While he was performing his duties, ordinary people were not even allowed to look in his direction.

There were also Qadis in all Dargin unions and large societies. The qadi of the main village was always the qadi of his union, and the qadi of the jamaats that were part of this union were subordinate to him. The qadi was elected from among persons known for their learning, knowledge of the Koran and good morality.

Russian-Dagestan ties have developed since the 16th century. In 1813, according to the Treaty of Gulistan between Russia and Iran, the Dargins, together with Dagestan, became part of the Russian Empire.
During the Caucasian War, the Dargins officially maintained armed neutrality, friendly towards Shamil, but were not part of the Imamate, and only volunteers took part in the fight against the Russian army. The reason for this was the close proximity of Darginstan to the plain occupied by Russian troops, from where grain came to the mountaineers, and where there were rich pastures. But in the uprising of 1877, the Dargins took an active part, since their hopes for a privileged position in the Russian Empire were not justified.

Photo of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorsky.

During the Civil War, the Dargins were the first in Dagestan to side with the Bolsheviks, managing to defeat the Cossack units of Denikin’s army. The Dargins developed a true military brotherhood with the Russian people only during the Great Patriotic War. Darginstan paid for our common Victory with the lives of 25 thousand of its sons.

Darginets Abdurakhmanov Zulpukar Zulpukarovich was born in 1924. In 1942 he went to the front. He received combat training in the battles of Stalingrad. Graduated from junior lieutenant courses.Was wounded twice. On August 27, 1944, in the battle for the capture of the village of Orac in Moldova, his platoon captured 150 enemy soldiers and officers. In the battle for the village of Orak Abdurakhmanov Personally destroyed 30 fascists, captured 36. October 3-4, 1944 on the Bulgarian-Yugoslav border, in the battles for the dominant height No. 499 Abdurakhmanov destroyed two machine gun points with their crews with grenades. In November 1944, in the battles for the village of Drazh, Abdurakhmanov’s group, repelling counterattacks, destroyed up to forty enemy soldiers and officers. Fighting for the village of Drazh, Lieutenant Abdurakhmanov - platoon commander of the 32nd Infantry Regiment - All the time he was in the forefront of the attack and personally destroyed 12 German soldiers with a machine gun. November 22, 1944 Abdurakhmanov, fulfilling the task assigned to the platoon After the liberation of the village of Gayich, he died heroically. By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for exemplary fulfillment of command assignments and the courage and heroism shown to Abdurakhmanov Zulpukar Zulpukarovich awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

However, anti-Russian sentiments have not disappeared here. In the first half of the 1990s. some Dargin villages came under the influence of the Wahhabis. They received the greatest support in the so-called Kadar zone in the villages of Karanakhi, Chabannakhi, Kadar, whose residents in 1998 declared themselves “a separate Islamic territory, independent of the republican authorities.” But the following year, Russian sovereignty in these territories was restored. Being the second largest people after the Avars (about 400 thousand souls), the Dargins until recently were the first most important ethnic group in Dagestan. Making up only 16% of the total population of the republic, the Dargins from 1990 to 2006, in fact, were the ruling clan, since the post of president of Dagestan at that time was held by their fellow countryman Magomedali Magomedov. Nevertheless, the unfavorable economic situation drove the Dargins outside the republic. Today, about 100 thousand Dargins live in other regions of Russia, and, unfortunately, they often find themselves involved in interethnic

***
However, in their homeland, the Dargins, like any other people, reveal themselves first of all from their best side. The Dargins have many customs, but the most important are two: the custom of hospitality and honoring elders. Of course, hospitality to one degree or another is inherent in all nations. But the Dargins consider it one of the greatest virtues. A guest in the mountains always appears unexpectedly. But he doesn’t take anyone by surprise, because they are always waiting for him. The best bed, the best food, the best place at the table - everything for the guest.

Even if a small child accidentally discovers a supply of sweets in the house, he will certainly ask the adults who these sweets are for: for guests or for family?

For many peoples, old age is considered not the best period of life. It's a completely different matter for the Dargins. Old age has an advantage here in all cases of life. The elder speaks first, in his presence the young people stand, do not smoke, do not drink. The old man is served food first, and his advice is heeded.

Disrespect for elders is condemned by Dargin society. Therefore, the curse is considered the most severe: “So that your old age is unnecessary to anyone!”

As for polygamy, which is permitted by Sharia law, in the past it was the privilege of rich, wealthy people. And today the so-called “new Dargins” are also most often polygamists. Polygamy is accepted by some young girls who do not mind being second and third wives.

The Dargins treat nature, animals and birds with reverence and love. I will end my story about this people with one Dargin parable:
There was a fire in one of the mountain villages: a house caught fire. The whole village, some in what, some in what, carried water from the only spring and put out the fire. Suddenly they noticed how a swallow flies to a spring, collects drops of water in its beak, flies to a house that is burning, and, having dropped its drops, flies for the next portion of water. People asked her:
- The whole village is carrying water and cannot put out the fire. What will your drops do?
- This house is my nest. “Besides, the owner listened to my songs every morning,” the swallow answered and flew off to get more drops.

* A resident of Siberian Priargunsk says: “We have 20 nationalities living in our village - Buryats, Tatars, Armenians, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis... But for some reason the problems are only with the Dargins. They first appeared here in the early nineties, when the status of a border zone was removed from our territory. At first they behaved quietly, but as soon as there were a lot of them, they began to become impudent.
They sell alcohol and drugs, and behave provocatively on the streets. As soon as they gather in flocks, they begin to dictate their own laws to everyone. These Dargins have some kind of innate sense of superiority over others; they probably consider themselves blue blood. The concept of general justice does not exist for them. What is good for the Dargins is fair. What is bad is unfair. It always seems to them that they are being oppressed, although they themselves have already occupied the entire market. Look, they even kicked out the Chinese.”

Dargins are one of the most numerous peoples of Dagestan. They make up 16.5% of the total population of the republic. In total, there are about 590 thousand representatives of this people in Russia. Outside of Dagestan, the largest number of Dargins - more than 50 thousand people - live in the Stavropol Territory.

Origin and history of the Dargins

The self-name of the people - Dargan, Darganti - apparently comes from the word "darg". The concept is quite difficult to translate into Russian - it is something internal, something that is opposed to the external environment. The formation of the Dargin people took place over the last thousand years under the influence of military strife among tribes living in the mountains of Dagestan, as well as invasions of Turkish and Iranian armies. For the first time, the ethnonym Dargins appears in one of the chronicles of the 15th century.

Despite the existence of a common literary Dargin language, developed on the basis of the Akushin dialect, not all Dargins understand each other equally well: there are about 17 dialects that differ quite significantly from each other. Written Dargin uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

Until they became part of the Russian state in the 18th century, the lands inhabited by the Dargins were under the control of the union of rural societies of the Akusha-Dargo region of the Kaitag region. During the Caucasian War, the majority of Dargins supported Shamil, but did not take an active part in hostilities.

During the Soviet period of the history of the Russian state, when the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed, many Dargins moved from the mountainous to the lowland regions of the republic.

Dargin crafts

Without exaggeration, the Dargins have golden hands. Folk craftsmen have achieved special art in the processing of metals, wool, wood, leather and stone. The professions of jeweler, gunsmith, tanner have always been and remain held in high esteem by the Russian people. Weapon blades from the villages of Kubachi, Kharbuka and Amuzgi are world famous.

Kubachi craftsmen have also long been famous for their production of chain mail, helmets, armor, elbow pads, rifles and pistols. The Dargins very skillfully mounted ceremonial weapons (sheaths, handles of checkers and daggers) with silver and gilding and decorated them with patterned bone plates. Moreover, the art of goldsmiths has not been forgotten even today. For example, in Kubachi, everyone, young and old, owns jewelry craftsmanship: it is passed on in families from generation to generation. In addition to weapons, local craftsmen create candlesticks, ceremonial dishes and, of course, women's jewelry. They work with silver, copper, bone and enamel.

By the way, although Dargins live in the famous “silver” village, the local residents themselves prefer to call themselves Kubachi people or “Kubachi French”: in its gradation, the local dialect sounds more similar to French than to other Dargin dialects.

The leather craft also glorified the Dargins. Men's leather belts are richly “equipped” with clusters of silver or metal links and pendant plaques.

From early childhood, Darginkas became familiar with the art of making national costumes. Girls needed special skills in the production of hats, the frontal edge of which was decorated with an original chain of complex weaving, with coins of different sizes strung on the sides. Darginkas were also engaged in weaving breast ornaments: multi-colored necklaces consisting of beads and coins.

Dargin women are recognized masters of carpet weaving, knitting and felting.

Life of the Dargins

The life of the Dargins has long been regulated by traditional law - customs accepted in one or another jamaat (rural community). The communities, in turn, united into larger communities, part of which for a long time formed the so-called Akushima Confederation. Within communities, the life of the Dargins was formed around small families and their groups (tukhums), descended from one common ancestor.

Like many other Caucasian peoples, the customs of the Dargins are most clearly manifested in the ritual of hospitality: any person was invited to the house, regardless of his nationality, religious affiliation, or place of residence. Any visitor can still be sure that in the house of a hospitable Dargin, a table richly laden with food and a comfortable overnight stay awaits him. And the owner is personally responsible for the safety of the guest in the house.

It’s better to forget about diets right away at the Dargin table! At every feast, the national culinary pride - the miracle - is always placed in the center of the table - something between pancakes with seasoning and a “closed” pie. Traditional miracle fillings include meat, vegetables, cottage cheese and mountain herbs. Equally obligatory is khinkal (not to be confused with khinkali), the recipe for which is different for each housewife. The most popular soups are made from wheat, peas or beans. And all this variety should be washed down with buza - low- or non-alcoholic kvass, which the Dargins themselves call the drink of elders.

Dagestan

Main areas of residence of Dargins according to the 2010 census

District name	Population of the area	% Dargins
Dakhadaevsky district	36 709	99,0%
Sergokalinsky district	27 133	98,9%
Akushinsky district	53 558	96,0%
Kaytag district	31 368	90,1%
Levashinsky district	70 704	76,5%
Izberbash	55 646	64,9%
Kayakent district	54 089	42,3%
Karabudakhkent district	73 016	32,3%
Tarumovsky district	31 683	23,5%
Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk	10 035	21,1%
Kaspiysk	100 129	20,7%
Kizlyarsky district	67 287	19,5%
Makhachkala (m/o)	696 885	15,3%
Kizlyar (m/o)	51 707	14,4%
Buynaksky district	73 402	13,4%
Kumtorkalinsky district	24 848	8,4%
Nogai district	22 472	8,1%
Derbent district	99 054	7,9%
Dagestan Lights	27923	6,6%
Buynaksk	62 623	6,3%
Babayurt district	45 701	6,1%
Agulsky district	11 204	5,9%
Derbent	119 200	5,6%
Khasavyurt district	141 232	5,4%
Khasavyurt	131 187	4,1%
Gunibsky district	25 303	2,5%
Kizilyurt (m/o)	43 421	2,3%
Laksky district	12 161	2,0%
Dagestan	2 910 249	17,0%

Ethnonym

The ethnonym Dargins, derived from darg-?inside’, opposite to the external environment.

Soviet ethnographer, Doctor of Historical Sciences Zakhoder, Boris Nikolaevich, commenting on the information conveyed by the Arab writer al-Bakri about Zerikhgeran or Kubachi, notes that this medieval state formation also has another name - dairkan, which, conceptualized as zarahgaran, can be deciphered simply as darganti, self-name Dargins. They belong to the Caucasian type of the Caucasian race.

In the pre-revolutionary period, the Dargins were also known as Akushinians Also in Minorsky’s publication, the similarity of the ancient name of the modern village of Akusha, “Ashkuja” with the Akkadian name of the Scythians Ashguzai was noted.”

As part of the USSR

During the Soviet period, the Dargin regions became part of the created Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and since 1991 - the Republic of Dagestan. During the Soviet period, some Dargins moved to the plain.

Diaspora

Dargins live in different regions of Russia. The largest Dargin community outside of Dagestan is represented in the Stavropol Territory. The number of Dargins in the Stavropol Territory increased from 15,939 people in 1979 to 32,740 people in 1989, 40,218 people in 2002, 49,302 people in 2010. Dargins also have large diasporas in the Rostov region (8304 people, 2010), Kalmykia (7590 people, 2010), Astrakhan region (4241 people, 2010), Moscow (3255 people, 2010), etc. Several hundred Dargins live in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The first Dargins appeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the 1930s. According to the 2002 census, 367 Dargins lived in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, of which 32% were in Norilsk, 20% in Krasnoyarsk, 20% in Sharypovo and Sharypovo district.

A small group of Dargins also live in the countries of the former USSR. So in 1959, 965 Dargins lived in Kyrgyzstan, and by 1999 their number reached 2,704 people, which amounted to 0.1% of the republic’s population.

Dargins also live in Turkmenistan (1,600 people).

Anthropology

Dargins anthropologically belong to the Caucasian type of the Caucasian race, and accordingly they have a significant percentage of gallogroup I. Regarding the origin of the Caucasian variant, two hypotheses were put forward - autochthonous (developed in the works of M. G. Abdushelishvili, V. P. Alekseev, etc.) and migration (proposed by G. F. Debets). The hypothesis of long-term autochthonous development - isolation in conditions of inaccessible highlands is confirmed by the analysis of paleoanthropological finds made in these areas. V.P. Alekseev believed that the Caucasian group of populations formed on the same territory that it occupies at the present time, as a result of the conservation of the anthropological characteristics of the ancient population, possibly dating back to the Neolithic or Upper Paleolithic era and belonging to the Paleo-European type of the Caucasoid race . The appearance of the ancient Dargins was also described by Abd ar-Rashid ibn Salih ibn Nuri al-Bakuvi, an Arab geographer from Shirvan in the second half of the 14th - early 15th centuries.

Zerich Geran means “shell-makers.” Its inhabitants are tall people, blond, with sharp eyes.

Culture and life

Literature and theater

Until the 20th century, Dargin literature was exclusively oral literature. The first collections of poems were published at the beginning of the 20th century, however, in content they were religious, and in grammatical and linguistic terms they were half-Dargin, half-Arabic. Dargin literature developed after the October Revolution. In the first years of the revolution, it was only possible to collect and record monuments of the oral creativity of the Dargins, and in May 1925, the first republican newspaper in the Dargin language, “Dargan,” began to be published.

Cloth

Traditional clothing of the general Dagestan type: men have a tunic-like shirt, long pants, a beshmet, a Circassian coat, a burka, sheepskin capes, sheepskin hats, leather and felt shoes. A mandatory attribute is a wide, long dagger. The basis of a woman's costume is a shirt dress (tunic-like and with a cut-off waist), in some places a swinging dress - arkhaluk, as well as narrow or wide trousers, leather and felt shoes. Women's headdresses are chukta, as well as a black or white coverlet, made of linen and calico, sometimes silk, and in a number of places, such as Kaitag and Kubachi, with embroidery and border. Modern clothes are mainly of an urban type.

Language

The Dargins speak the Dargin language, which belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch of the North Caucasian family of languages. The Dargin language is divided into many dialects, including Akushinsky, Urakhinsky, Tsudaharsky, Kaitagsky, Kubachi, Chiragsky, Megebsky, etc. The literary Dargin language developed on the basis of the Akushin dialect. The Russian language is also widespread. The first information about the Dargin language appeared in the second half of the 18th century, and already in the 1860s P.K. Uslar created a fundamental description of the Urakhi dialect. During the 20th century, the writing of the Dargin language changed twice: the traditional Arabic alphabet was replaced first by the Latin alphabet in 1928, then in 1938 by Russian graphics. In the 1960s, the letter " PI pI.

A a	B b	In in	G g	G g g	Gee gee	GI gI	D d
Her	Her	F	Z z	And and	Thy	K k	K
Whoa	KI kI	L l	Mm	N n	Oh oh	P p	PI pI
P' p'	R r	With with	T t	TI tI	Tb tb	U y	F f
X x	x x x	HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH	XI xI	Ts ts	TsI tsI	Ts ts	H h
HI hI	Whoa whoa	Sh sh	sch sch	Kommersant	s s	b b	Uh uh
Yu Yu	I am

Education

There is school education in the Dargin language - it is conducted according to the all-Russian curriculum and textbooks translated into the Dargin language. Exceptions: textbooks and lessons of Russian language and literature, English and other European languages, commands in physical education lessons may be in Russian. There are also Dargin-language kindergartens. A secular school with a ten-year period of study began to exist among the Dargins with the introduction of compulsory secondary education for all citizens of the USSR.

In madrasahs in Akushinsky, Kaitagsky, Dakhadaevsky, Levashinsky and Sergokalinsky districts, education is conducted in the Dargin language. Also in some madrassas in the city of Izberbash and Khasavyurt region.

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Literature

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Links

Avaro-Ando-Tsez peoples Lezgin peoples Dargin peoples Laktsy Nakh peoples

Speakers of Dagestan languages Speaking Turkic languages Speaking Slavic languages Speakers of Nakh languages Speakers of Iranian languages

More than 10 million people From 1 to 10 million people From 500 thousand to 1 million people From 200 thousand to 500 thousand people From 100 thousand to 200 thousand people From 30 thousand to 100 thousand people From 10 thousand to 30 thousand people

An excerpt characterizing the Dargins

Having entered again into these certain conditions of regimental life, Rostov experienced joy and tranquility, similar to those that a tired person feels when he lies down to rest. This regimental life was all the more gratifying for Rostov during this campaign because, after losing to Dolokhov (an act for which he, despite all the consolations of his family, could not forgive himself), he decided to serve not as before, but in order to make amends, to serve well and to be a completely excellent comrade and officer, that is, a wonderful person, which seemed so difficult in the world, but so possible in the regiment.
Rostov, from the time of his loss, decided that he would pay this debt to his parents in five years. He was sent 10 thousand a year, but now he decided to take only two, and give the rest to his parents to pay off the debt.

Our army, after repeated retreats, offensives and battles at Pultusk, at Preussisch Eylau, concentrated near Bartenstein. They were awaiting the arrival of the sovereign to the army and the start of a new campaign.
The Pavlograd regiment, which was in that part of the army that was on the campaign in 1805, was recruited in Russia, and was late for the first actions of the campaign. He was neither near Pultusk nor near Preussisch Eylau, and in the second half of the campaign, having joined the active army, he was assigned to Platov’s detachment.
Platov's detachment acted independently of the army. Several times the Pavlograd residents were in units in skirmishes with the enemy, captured prisoners and once even recaptured the crews of Marshal Oudinot. In April, Pavlograd residents stood for several weeks near an empty German village that had been destroyed to the ground, without moving.
There was frost, mud, cold, the rivers were broken, the roads became impassable; For several days they did not provide food to either the horses or the people. Since delivery became impossible, people scattered across abandoned desert villages to look for potatoes, but they found little of that. Everything was eaten, and all the inhabitants fled; those who remained were worse than beggars, and there was nothing to take from them, and even little - compassionate soldiers often, instead of taking advantage of them, gave them their last.
The Pavlograd regiment lost only two wounded in action; but lost almost half of the people from hunger and disease. They died so surely in hospitals that soldiers, sick with fever and swelling resulting from bad food, preferred to serve, dragging their feet to the front rather than go to hospitals. With the opening of spring, the soldiers began to find a plant emerging from the ground, similar to asparagus, which they called for some reason Mashkin’s sweet root, and they scattered across the meadows and fields, looking for this Mashkin’s sweet root (which was very bitter), dug it up with sabers and ate it, despite to orders not to eat this harmful plant.
In the spring, a new disease appeared among the soldiers, swelling of the arms, legs and face, the cause of which doctors believed was the use of this root. But despite the ban, the Pavlograd soldiers of Denisov’s squadron ate mainly Mashka’s sweet root, because for the second week they were stretching out the last crackers, they were only given half a pound per person, and the potatoes in the last parcel were delivered frozen and sprouted. The horses had also been eating thatched roofs from houses for the second week; they were hideously thin and covered with tufts of matted winter hair.
Despite such a disaster, soldiers and officers lived exactly the same as always; in the same way now, although with pale and swollen faces and in tattered uniforms, the hussars lined up for calculations, went to the cleaning, cleaned horses, ammunition, dragged straw from the roofs instead of feed and went to dine at the boilers, from which the hungry got up, making fun of with your disgusting food and your hunger. Just as always, in their free time from service, the soldiers burned fires, steamed naked by the fires, smoked, selected and baked sprouted, rotten potatoes and told and listened to stories about either the Potemkin and Suvorov campaigns, or tales about Alyosha the scoundrel, and about the priest's farmhand Mikolka.
The officers, as usual, lived in twos and threes in open, half-ruined houses. The elders took care of purchasing straw and potatoes, in general about the means of subsistence of the people, the younger ones were busy, as always, with cards (there was a lot of money, although there was no food), and with innocent games - pile and towns. Little was said about the general course of affairs, partly because they knew nothing positive, partly because they vaguely felt that the general cause of the war was going badly.
Rostov lived, as before, with Denisov, and their friendly relationship, since their vacation, had become even closer. Denisov never spoke about Rostov’s family, but from the tender friendship that the commander showed to his officer, Rostov felt that the old hussar’s unhappy love for Natasha participated in this strengthening of friendship. Denisov apparently tried to expose Rostov to danger as little as possible, took care of him and after the case he especially joyfully greeted him safe and sound. On one of his business trips, Rostov found in an abandoned, devastated village, where he had come for provisions, the family of an old Pole and his daughter with an infant. They were naked, hungry, and could not leave, and did not have the means to leave. Rostov brought them to his camp, placed them in his apartment, and kept them for several weeks while the old man recovered. Rostov's comrade, having started talking about women, began to laugh at Rostov, saying that he was more cunning than everyone else, and that it would not be a sin for him to introduce his comrades to the pretty Polish woman he had saved. Rostov took the joke as an insult and, flushing, said such unpleasant things to the officer that Denisov could hardly keep both of them from the duel. When the officer left and Denisov, who himself did not know Rostov’s relationship with the Polish woman, began to reproach him for his temper, Rostov told him:
- How do you want... She’s like a sister to me, and I can’t describe to you how offended it was for me... because... well, that’s why...
Denisov hit him on the shoulder and quickly began to walk around the room, without looking at Rostov, which he did in moments of emotional excitement.
“What an amazing weather of yours,” he said, and Rostov noticed tears in Denisov’s eyes.

In the month of April, the troops were enlivened by the news of the arrival of the sovereign to the army. Rostov did not manage to get to the review that the sovereign was doing in Bartenstein: the Pavlograd residents stood at outposts, far ahead of Bartenstein.
They stood in bivouacs. Denisov and Rostov lived in a dugout dug for them by the soldiers, covered with branches and turf. The dugout was constructed in the following way, which then became fashionable: a ditch was dug one and a half arshins wide, two arshins deep and three and a half long. At one end of the ditch there were steps, and this was a porch; the ditch itself was a room in which the happy ones, like the squadron commander, on the far side, opposite the steps, had a board lying on stakes - it was a table. On both sides along the ditch, a yard of earth was removed, and these were two beds and sofas. The roof was arranged so that you could stand in the middle, and you could even sit on the bed if you moved closer to the table. Denisov, who lived luxuriously because the soldiers of his squadron loved him, also had a board in the gable of the roof, and in this board there was broken but glued glass. When it was very cold, the heat from the soldiers’ fires was brought to the steps (to the reception room, as Denisov called this part of the booth) on a curved iron sheet, and it became so warm that the officers, of whom there were always many at Denisov and Rostov’s, sat alone shirts.
In April, Rostov was on duty. At 8 o'clock in the morning, returning home after a sleepless night, he ordered the heat to be brought, changed his rain-wet clothes, prayed to God, drank tea, warmed up, put things in order in his corner and on the table, and with a weather-beaten, burning face, wearing only a shirt, he lay down on his back with his hands under his head. He was pleasantly thinking about the fact that one of these days he should receive his next rank for the last reconnaissance, and was waiting for Denisov to come out somewhere. Rostov wanted to talk to him.
Behind the hut, Denisov’s rolling cry was heard, obviously getting excited. Rostov moved to the window to see who he was dealing with and saw Sergeant Topcheenko.
“I told you not to let them burn this fire, some kind of machine!” Denisov shouted. “After all, I saw it myself, Lazag” was dragging the chuk from the field.
“I ordered, your honor, they didn’t listen,” answered the sergeant.
Rostov again lay down on his bed and thought with pleasure: “Let him fuss and fuss now, I’ve finished my job and I’m lying down - great!” From behind the wall he heard that, in addition to the sergeant, Lavrushka, that lively roguish lackey of Denisov, was also speaking. Lavrushka told something about some carts, crackers and bulls, which he saw while going for provisions.
Behind the booth, Denisov’s scream was heard again, retreating, and the words: “Saddle up! Second platoon!
“Where are they going?” thought Rostov.
Five minutes later, Denisov entered the booth, climbed onto the bed with dirty feet, angrily smoked a pipe, scattered all his things, put on a whip and a saber and began to leave the dugout. To Rostov’s question, where? he answered angrily and vaguely that there was a matter.
- God and the great sovereign judge me there! - Denisov said, leaving; and Rostov heard the feet of several horses splashing in the mud behind the booth. Rostov didn’t even bother to find out where Denisov went. Having warmed himself up in his coal, he fell asleep and just left the booth in the evening. Denisov has not returned yet. The evening cleared up; Near the neighboring dugout, two officers and a cadet were playing pile, laughingly planting radishes in the loose, dirty soil. Rostov joined them. In the middle of the game, the officers saw carts approaching them: about 15 hussars on thin horses followed them. The carts, escorted by the hussars, drove up to the hitching posts, and a crowd of hussars surrounded them.
“Well, Denisov kept grieving,” said Rostov, “and now the provisions have arrived.”
- And then! - said the officers. - Those are very welcome soldiers! - Denisov rode a little behind the hussars, accompanied by two infantry officers with whom he was talking about something. Rostov went to meet him.
“I’m warning you, captain,” said one of the officers, thin, small in stature and apparently embittered.
“After all, I said that I wouldn’t give it back,” Denisov answered.
- You will answer, captain, this is a riot - take away the transports from your own! We didn't eat for two days.
“But mine didn’t eat for two weeks,” answered Denisov.
- This is robbery, answer me, my dear sir! – the infantry officer repeated, raising his voice.
- Why are you pestering me? A? - Denisov shouted, suddenly getting excited, - I will answer, not you, and don’t buzz around here while you’re still alive. March! – he shouted at the officers.
- Good! - without timidity and without moving away, the little officer shouted, - to rob, so I tell you...
“To chog” that march at a fast pace, while it’s still intact. - And Denisov turned his horse towards the officer.
“Okay, okay,” the officer said with a threat, and, turning his horse, he rode away at a trot, shaking in the saddle.
“A dog is in trouble, a living dog is in trouble,” Denisov said after him - the highest mockery of a cavalryman at a mounted infantryman, and, approaching Rostov, he burst out laughing.
– He recaptured the infantry, recaptured the transport by force! - he said. - Well, shouldn’t people die of hunger?
The carts that approached the hussars were assigned to an infantry regiment, but, having been informed through Lavrushka that this transport was coming alone, Denisov and the hussars repulsed it by force. The soldiers were given plenty of crackers, even shared with other squadrons.
The next day, the regimental commander called Denisov to him and told him, covering his eyes with open fingers: “I look at it like this, I don’t know anything and I won’t start anything; but I advise you to go to headquarters and there, in the provisions department, settle this matter, and, if possible, sign that you received so much food; otherwise, the demand is written down on the infantry regiment: the matter will arise and may end badly.”
Denisov went directly from the regimental commander to headquarters, with a sincere desire to carry out his advice. In the evening he returned to his dugout in a position in which Rostov had never seen his friend before. Denisov could not speak and was choking. When Rostov asked him what was wrong with him, he only uttered incomprehensible curses and threats in a hoarse and weak voice...
Frightened by Denisov's situation, Rostov asked him to undress, drink water and sent for a doctor.
- Try me for crime - oh! Give me some more water - let them judge, but I will, I will always beat the scoundrels, and I will tell the sovereign. Give me some ice,” he said.
The regimental doctor who came said that it was necessary to bleed. A deep plate of black blood came out of Denisov’s shaggy hand, and only then was he able to tell everything that happened to him.
“I’m coming,” Denisov said. - “Well, where is your boss here?” Shown. Would you like to wait? “I have work, I came 30 miles away, I don’t have time to wait, report.” Okay, this chief thief comes out: he also decided to teach me: This is robbery! - “Robbery, I say, is committed not by the one who takes provisions to feed his soldiers, but by the one who takes it to put it in his pocket!” So would you like to remain silent? "Fine". Sign, he says, with the commission agent, and your case will be handed over to the command. I come to the commission agent. I enter - at the table... Who?! No, just think!...Who is starving us, - Denisov shouted, hitting the table with the fist of his sore hand, so hard that the table almost fell and the glasses jumped on it, - Telyanin! “What, are you starving us?!” Once, once in the face, deftly it was necessary... “Ah... with this and that and... began to roll. But I was amused, I can say,” Denisov shouted, baring his white teeth joyfully and angrily from under his black mustache. “I would have killed him if they hadn’t taken him away.”
“Why are you shouting, calm down,” Rostov said: “here the blood is starting again.” Wait, I need to bandage it. Denisov was bandaged and put to bed. The next day he woke up cheerful and calm. But at noon, the regimental adjutant with a serious and sad face came to the common dugout of Denisov and Rostov and with regret showed a uniform paper to Major Denisov from the regimental commander, in which inquiries were made about yesterday's incident. The adjutant reported that the matter was about to take a very bad turn, that a military court commission had been appointed, and that with the real severity regarding the looting and willfulness of the troops, in a happy case, the matter could end in demotion.
The case was presented by those offended in such a way that, after the transport was recaptured, Major Denisov, without any summons, came to the chief of provisions in a drunken state, called him a thief, threatened him with beatings, and when he was taken out, he rushed into the office and beat up two officials and one of them sprained his arm.
Denisov, in response to Rostov’s new questions, laughingly said that it seemed like someone else had turned up here, but that it was all nonsense, nonsense, that he didn’t even think of being afraid of any courts, and that if these scoundrels dare to bully him, he would answer them so that they will remember.
Denisov spoke disparagingly about this whole matter; but Rostov knew him too well not to notice that in his soul (hiding it from others) he was afraid of the trial and was tormented by this matter, which, obviously, was supposed to have bad consequences. Every day, requests for papers and demands to the court began to arrive, and on the first of May Denisov was ordered to surrender the squadron to his senior man and appear at the division headquarters for explanations in the case of rioting in the provisions commission. On the eve of this day, Platov made reconnaissance of the enemy with two Cossack regiments and two squadrons of hussars. Denisov, as always, rode ahead of the line, flaunting his courage. One of the bullets fired by the French riflemen hit him in the flesh of his upper leg. Maybe at another time Denisov would not have left the regiment with such a light wound, but now he took advantage of this opportunity, refused to report to the division and went to the hospital.

In June, the Battle of Friedland took place, in which the Pavlograd residents did not participate, and after it a truce was declared. Rostov, who deeply felt the absence of his friend, having had no news about him since his departure and worrying about the progress of his case and his wounds, took advantage of the truce and asked to go to the hospital to visit Denisov.
The hospital was located in a small Prussian town, twice devastated by Russian and French troops. Precisely because it was in the summer, when it was so nice in the field, this place, with its broken roofs and fences and its dirty streets, ragged inhabitants and drunken and sick soldiers wandering around it, presented a particularly gloomy sight.
In a stone house, in a courtyard with the remains of a dismantled fence, some broken frames and glass, there was a hospital. Several bandaged, pale and swollen soldiers walked and sat in the courtyard in the sun.
As soon as Rostov entered the door of the house, he was overwhelmed by the smell of a rotting body and a hospital. On the stairs he met a Russian military doctor with a cigar in his mouth. A Russian paramedic followed the doctor.
“I can’t burst,” said the doctor; - Come to Makar Alekseevich in the evening, I’ll be there. – The paramedic asked him something else.
- Eh! do as you please! Doesn't it matter? - The doctor saw Rostov going up the stairs.
- Why are you here, your honor? - said the doctor. - Why are you here? Or the bullet didn’t kill you, so you want to get typhus? Here, father, is the house of lepers.
- From what? - asked Rostov.
- Typhus, father. Whoever rises will die. Only the two of us with Makeyev (he pointed to the paramedic) are chatting here. At this point, about five of our brother doctors died. “Whatever the new guy does, he’ll be ready in a week,” the doctor said with visible pleasure. “They called Prussian doctors, because our allies don’t like that.”
Rostov explained to him that he wanted to see the hussar major Denisov lying here.
- I don’t know, I don’t know, father. Just think, I have three hospitals for one person, 400 patients are too many! It’s also good, the Prussian ladies who are benefactors send us coffee and lint at two pounds a month, otherwise they would disappear. - He laughed. – 400, father; and they keep sending me new ones. After all, there are 400? A? – he turned to the paramedic.
The paramedic looked exhausted. He was apparently waiting with annoyance to see how soon the chattering doctor would leave.
“Major Denisov,” Rostov repeated; – he was wounded near Moliten.
- It seems he died. Eh, Makeev? – the doctor asked the paramedic indifferently.
The paramedic, however, did not confirm the doctor’s words.
- Why is he so long and reddish? - asked the doctor.
Rostov described Denisov's appearance.
“There was, there was one,” the doctor said as if joyfully, “this one must have died, but I can handle it, I had the lists.” Do you have it, Makeev?
“Makar Alekseich has the lists,” said the paramedic. “Come to the officers’ chambers, you’ll see for yourself there,” he added, turning to Rostov.
“Eh, it’s better not to go, father,” said the doctor, “otherwise you might end up staying here.” “But Rostov bowed to the doctor and asked the paramedic to accompany him.
“Don’t blame me too much,” the doctor shouted from under the stairs.
Rostov and the paramedic entered the corridor. The hospital smell was so strong in this dark corridor that Rostov grabbed his nose and had to stop to gather his strength and move on. A door opened to the right, and a thin, yellow man, barefoot and wearing only underwear, leaned out on crutches.