Ethnic groups of Russia: Tsakhurs

This is one of the oldest ethnic groups of the Caucasus, tracing its history back to the powerful state of Caucasian Albania and recalling the invasions by the troops of the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great). Today, there are over 12,000 Tsakhurs living in Russia, primarily in southwestern Dagestan.

The ethnonym ‘Tsakhur’ comes from the name of the village of Tsakhur. Today, it’s a small village on the border with Azerbaijan, but once it was the capital of influential kingdoms, khanates and sultanates. The Tsakhurs call themselves ‘Yikhby’.

Zoroastrianism was the ancient religion of the Tsakhurs and remnants of ancient Zoroastrian shrines are still found in the areas where they settled. Christianity began to spread among them as early as the 4th century. Today, however, they practice Sunni Islam.

The most popular dish in Tsakhur cuisine is ‘khinkal’. Lamb or beef is served with potatoes and very thin dough cut into small pieces. The Tsakhurs also bake flatbreads known as ‘kyutsyar-chudu’, filled with meat, cottage cheese or sweet pumpkin.