Introduction

The Tsakhur live in the Caucasus Mountains. They are one of the original groups of Dagestani peoples residing in their ancient homeland within the modern countries of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. They call themselves 'Yikbi', meaning 'we of the mountains' or 'we the people'. The name 'Tsakhur' comes from a village in Dagestan called Tsakhur. Present day Tsakhurs number around 70,000 people. Ten thousand of them live along the western end of the Upper Samur River in the republic of Dagestan in the Russian Federation and in long established settlements in the Babayurtovsk Region, as well as in the Dagestan cities of Makhachkala, Derbent, Kislyar and in other Russian cities. In Azerbaijan the Tsakhur live on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains in the southwestern regions of Qax, Zaqatala and Belekan as well in small pockets in the cities of Baku, Ganja, Sumgait and Sheki.