ABOUT CHECHNYA
Chechnya, capital Grozny, is a 6,000-square-mile
, mostly Muslim republic in the Caucasus region with a population
of about 1 million. it's a republic in the eastern part of North Caucasia,
southwestern Russia, bordering Stavropol to the northwest, The republic
lies on the northern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains and encompasses several
natural regions. The main range of the Caucasus occupies southern Chechnya,
marking the republic’s southern border. The highest peak in Chechnya is
Mount Tebulosmta (4,493 m/14,741 ft). In the north are plains and lowlands
consisting of sandy ridges and hills. The
Terek and Sunzha
valleys of western Chechnya are the republic’s agricultural centers.
The main rivers of Chechnya include
the Terek, the Sunzha, the Argun, and the Assa.
Fertile soil covers the lowlands and valleys, while dry steppe vegetation
characterizes the northern plains. Forests of beech, birch, hornbeam, and
oak cover less than one-fifth of the republic and are located mainly on
the mountain slopes. Chechnya has hot summers and cold winters. Temperatures
are typically lower and precipitation levels higher in the mountain areas.The
Chechens, who call themselves Nokhchii,
are native to the Caucasus region. The Chechen language belongs to the
Nakh group of Caucasian languages and is closely related to the language
of the Ingush. The Chechens’ written language was based on the Arabic script
until the Arabic script was replaced by the Latin alphabet in the 1920s.
The Cyrillic alphabet replaced the Latin alphabet in 1938, but in the early
1990s the Chechens decided to revert to the Latin alphabet. The Chechens
have been Sunni Muslims since the 18th century, and Islam has served
as both a cornerstone of Chechen identity and a form of resistance
against Russian rule. Educational institutions in the republic include
the Chechen State University, founded in Groznyy in 1972.
HISTORY
Conflict
between Russia and the Chechens dates back to the time of the czars, more
than 200 years ago. The desire for a warm water port and imperial ambition
brought Russian troops to the Caucasus in the late 1700s. The powerful
Ottoman Empire also had interests in the rugged, mountainous region, forcing
local powers to choose sides.
Christian Georgia joined with Russia voluntarily, but
other peoples of the Caucasus viewed Russia with suspicion. The Muslim
Chechens, who had lived in their mountainous land since before the dawn
of history, resisted. Under the leadership of Sheikh Mansur the Chechens
held off Russia for more than 10 years. He was captured in 1791 and died
in the Russian capital, St. Petersburg, three years later.
But Mansur’s death didn’t mean the end of Chechen resistance.
When Russia again made war against the Chechens in the 1830s to solidify
their border with the Turks, Mansur’s name was the rallying cry for his
people. The Russians built the republic’s current capital, Grozny
as a fortress intended to dominate the landscape, but it took more than
20 years for them to succeed.
Though Chechnya fell under
Russia’s yoke in 1859, the spirit of rebellion was never quelled. War with
the Ottoman Empire in the 1870s provided the Chechens with a brief taste
of freedom, but Russian domination soon returned.
The Russian Revolution offered no relief. The Communists
grouped the Chechens together with the Ingush, another mountain people
with whom they share a religion and a similar language, in a single republic.
Despite the discovery of large oil reserves, life in the poverty-stricken
region didn’t improve under the Communists.
While life was hard, it wasn’t until 1944 that Chechens
were singled out for persecution. Soviet leader Josef Stalin feared the
Chechens and several other peoples of the Caucasus would support the Nazis
in World War II, though there was little evidence of Nazi sympathies. To
put an end to this perceived threat, Stalin ordered all Chechens deported
from their homeland to central Asia. Thousands died either resisting or
on the long cold journey.
The Ingush-Chechen Republic was removed from Soviet maps.
The Chechens were allowed to return home by Nikita Krushchev
in 1957, four years after the death of Stalin.
After the humiliating defeat of the Russian army in Chechnya in 1996, "when
the rebels took back Grozny on August 6 ",a ceasefire was signed, which
paved the way for a peace agreement signed on 12 May 1997 by Boris Yeltsin
and the Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. Both sides agreed to renounce
the use of force or the threat of force in resolving disputes, and to conduct
relations within the framework of international law.
After
that, the Chechen president and government have tried constantly to establish
a dialogue with the Russian president and government on many issues, including
the subject of fighting terrorism. The Russians refused to respond.
The reason behind
the current war was when Muslim rebels entered the Russian republic of
Dagestan, next-door to Chechnya, in August 1999. Russia claimed the rebels
came from Chechnya. Fighting flowed over the border into Chechnya. A series
attacks across Russia in September of 1999, which killed thousands was
also blamed on Chechen separatists "also with no evidence".
The Chechen
Government is willing to negotiate a solution to the conflict.
But if Russia will not negotiate,
Chechnya will continue to fight until the last Russian soldier leaves Chechnya.
The chechen
are fighting against Russia for one reason ,freedom and independence, or
at least self-rule, is that too much to ask for people who can't breath
under tyranny??
Brief History:Chechenia has been ruled by Russia since the end of the Caucasus War (1711-1864).
1922 Chechenia became an autonomous district in the Russian Federation.
1936 The territories of the Chechens and Ingush were combined into one region and obtained the status of an Autonomous Republic. Russian language is dominated in all activities.
1944 In order to maintain centralised control over Chechnia, the entire Chechen population weredeported to Soviet Central Asia.
1990 A Chechen national movement for self-determination emerged.
1991 The government of the Chechen-Ingush Republic fell. General D. Dudajev, a leader in theChechen national movement, was elected President of Chechnia. Chechnia officially declared its independence. Ingushetia was formed as a separate republic within the Russian Federation.Chechnia became a member of UNPO.
1994 Russia sent military forces to Chechnia. The war lasted for almost 2 years, around 100,000 people were killed, many towns and villages destroyed.
1996 A cease-fire was signed in Moscow.
1997 A new president, Aslan Maskhadov, was elected.Current situation:
Little substantial progress has been made in the negotiations between the Chechen and Russian governments of the future status of the Chechen republic Ichkeria. Although both parties agree that a settlement can be negotiated, disagreement on the key issues persist.
Russia insist that Chechnia remains an integral part of the Russian Federation. Chechen won't ever accept that.
When guy proposes to a girl he asks her for a gift (kar khum). If the girl gives it to the guy she thus implies she would marry him.
Girl can stop the fight between two guys by dropping her handkerchief to the ground. Guys must stop the fight.
A newlywed girl cannot talk to the male relatives and friends of her new husband until they give her some amount of money as a wedding gift.
Younger person must stand up when an elder comes into a room and cannot sit down while an elder is standing.
Younger must respect elders even if they were totally
strangers.
PHOTO GALLERY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
