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{{short description|Ethnic group in Dagestan (Russia) and Azerbaijan}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Original research|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Lezgins
| native_name      = Лезгияр; Лекьер
| native_name_lang = lez
| flag             = Lezgian flag.svg
| flag_caption     = Flag used by the Lezgin people
| image            = Globus illustrierte Zeitschrift für Länder und Völkerkunde, Volume 14 P. 138.jpg
| pop              = 1.2 million
| total_ref        = {{sfn|Minahan|2002|p=242}}
| rels             = [[Islam]] (mainly [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]])<ref>{{cite book |last1=Koter |first1=Marek |last2=Heffner |first2=Krystian |last3=Sobczyński |first3=Marek |title=The Role of Ethnic Minorities in Border Regions |volume=1 |year=2003 |publisher=[[University of Łódź]] |isbn=9788371261749 |oclc= }} "Although the Lezgin are Sunni Muslims, there is a strong Shiite minority."</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Wixman |first=Ronald |title=Lezgins |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofworldculturesvolume6russiaandeurasiachina_541_O/page/243 243] |editor-last=Friedrich |editor-first=Paul |editor-last2=Diamond |editor-first2=Norma |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Cultures |volume=6 |year=1994 |publisher=[[G. K. Hall]] |isbn=9780816118106 |quote=Given the strong Azerbaijani influence on them, however, there is a sizable Shiite minority among the Lezgins. }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last= |first= |title=Lezgins |page=237 |editor-last=Cole |editor-first=Jeffrey |encyclopedia=Ethnic Groups of Europe: An Encyclopedia |year=2011 |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |isbn=9781598843033 |quote=The Lezgins are Muslims; the great majority are Sunni of the Shafi'i rite, with small numbers of Lezgins living near or inside Azerbaijan being Shiite.}}</ref>
| langs            = [[Lezgian language]]
| related          = Other [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian peoples]], especially [[Aghul people|Aghuls]], [[Tsakhur people|Tsakhurs]], [[Tabasaran people|Tabasarans]], [[Udi people|Udis]], and [[Rutul people|Rutuls]]
}}

'''Lezgins''' ({{langx|lez|Лезгияр|lezgiär}} or {{langx|lez|лекьер|leq'er}})<ref name=":0">{{cite book |editor-last=Mikhalchenko |editor-first=Y. V. |title=Язык и общество |trans-title=Language and Society |year=2016 |publisher=Research Center for National-Language Relations |isbn=9785911721299 |language=ru |url=https://iling-ran.ru/library/sociolingva/2016_jazyk_i_obschestvo.pdf |page=253}}</ref> are a [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]] ethnic group native to southern [[Dagestan]], a [[Republics of Russia|republic]] of [[Russia]], and northern [[Azerbaijan]], who speak the [[Lezgian language|Lezgin language]]. Their social structure is firmly based on equality and deference to individuality. Lezgin society is structured around ''djamaat'' ({{langx|lez|жамаат||unions of clans}}) and has traditionally been egalitarian and organised around many autonomous local clans, called [[Lezgin clans|sykhyls]] (сихилар).

The land of the Lezgins has been subject to multiple invaders throughout history. Its isolated terrain and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Lezgins has contributed much to the Lezgin community ethos and helped shape its national character. Due to constant attacks from the invaders, the Lezgins have developed a national code of honor and conduct, [[Lezgiwal]], passed down from generation to generation by parents and society. It implies moral and ethical behaviour, generosity and the will to safeguard the honor of women.

== Etymology ==
The eagle being the Lezgin national animal, the term ''Lezgi'' is said to derive from ''Lek'', the Lezgin word for ''eagle''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Гаджиев |first=Владилен Гадисович|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtRilTKuhbMC&q=%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BD+%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA|title=Сочинение И. Гербера "Описание стран и народов между Астраханью и рекою Курой находящихся" как исторический источник по истории народов Кавказа|date=1979|publisher=Наука|language=ru}}</ref> Others believe ''Lezgi'' to be derived from the ancient ''Legi'' and early medieval ''Lakzi''.

Ancient Greek historians, including Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Elder, referred to the ''Legoi'' (or {{Langx|grc|Λῆχαι|Lē̂chai}})<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Lesghians |volume=16 |page=489}}</ref> people who inhabited [[Caucasian Albania]].

Arab historians of the 9th and 10th centuries mentioned a kingdom called Lakz, in present-day southern Dagestan.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Grammar of Lezgin |last=Haspelmath |first=Martin |year=1993 |publisher=[[Mouton de Gruyter]] |isbn=9783110137354 |page=17 }}</ref> Al Masoudi referred to inhabitants of this area as Lakzams (Lezgins),<ref>Yakut, IV, 364. According to al-Masoudi (Murudzh, II, 5)</ref> who defended [[Shirvanshah|Shirvan]] against invaders from the north.<ref>{{cite book |last=Minorsky |first=V. F. |title=A History of Sharvan and Darband in the 10th-11th Centuries |year=1963 |publisher= |isbn= |oclc= }}</ref>

Prior to the [[Russian Revolution (1917)|Russian Revolution]], "Lezgin" was a term applied to all ethnic groups inhabiting the present-day Russian [[Republic of Dagestan]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olson |first1=James Stuart |last2=Pappas |first2=Lee Brigance |last3=Pappas |first3=Nicholas Charles |title=An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires |year=1994 |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |isbn=9780313274978 |doi=10.5040/9798400647932 |page=438|url=http://www.h-net.org/review/hrev-a0a7b7-aa }}</ref> In the 19th century, the term was used more broadly for all ethnic groups speaking non-[[Nakh languages|Nakh]] [[Northeast Caucasian languages]], including [[Caucasian Avars]], [[Lak people (Dagestan)|Laks]], and many others (although the [[Vainakh peoples]], who were Northeast Caucasian language speakers were referred to as "Circassians").

==History==
In the 4th century BC, the numerous tribes speaking [[Lezgic languages]] united in a union of 26 tribes, formed in the Eastern Caucasus state of [[Caucasian Albania]], which itself was incorporated in the Persian [[Achaemenid Empire]] in 513 BC.<ref name="Chaumont" /><ref>Bruno Jacobs, "ACHAEMENID RULE IN Caucasus" in ''Encyclopædia Iranica''. January 9, 2006. Excerpt: "Achaemenid rule in the Caucasus region was established, at the latest, in the course of the Scythian campaign of [[Darius I]] in 513–512 BC. The Persian domination of the cis-Caucasian area (the northern side of the range) was brief, and archeological findings indicate that the Great Caucasus formed the northern border of the empire during most, if not all, of the Achaemenid period after Darius"</ref> Under Persian and Parthian rule Caucasian Albania was divided into several areas — Lakzi, Shirvan, etc.

The Lezgic speaking tribes participated in the [[battle of Gaugamela]] under the Persian banner against the invading [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="Chaumont">{{Encyclopædia Iranica Online |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/albania-iranian-aran-arm |title=Albania |first=M. L. |last=Chaumont |year=1985 |access-date=21 January 2025 }}</ref>

Under [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] rule, Iranian political and cultural influence increased in the whole region of their Caucasian Albanian province, therefore including where the Lezgic speaking tribes lived.<ref name="ToumanoffIranica">{{Encyclopædia Iranica Online |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/arsacids-index |title=The Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia |first=Cyrill |last=Toumanoff |author-link=Cyril Toumanoff |year=1986 |access-date=21 January 2025 }} "Whatever the sporadic suzerainty of Rome, the country was now a part—together with Iberia (East Georgia) and (Caucasian) Albania, where other Arsacid branched reigned—of a pan-Arsacid family federation. Culturally, the predominance of Hellenism, as under the Artaxiads, was now followed by a predominance of "Iranianism," and, symptomatically, instead of Greek, as before, Parthian became the language of the educated."</ref> Whatever the sporadic suzerainty of Rome of the region due to their wars with the Parthians, the country was now a part—together with Iberia (East Georgia) and (Caucasian) Albania, where other Arsacid branches reigned—of a [[Arsacid dynasty of Caucasian Albania|pan-Arsacid]] family federation.<ref name="ToumanoffIranica" /> Culturally, the predominance of Hellenism, as under the Artaxiads, was now followed by again a predominance of "Iranianism", and, symptomatically, instead of Greek, as before, [[Parthian language|Parthian]] became the language of the educated of the region.<ref name="ToumanoffIranica" /> An incursion in this era was made by the [[Alans]] who between 134 and 136 attacked regions including where Lezgic tribes lived, but [[Vologases III of Parthia|Vologases]] persuaded them to withdraw, probably by paying them.

In 252–253, rule over the Lezgic tribes changed from Parthian to [[Sassanid]] Persian. Caucasian Albania became a [[vassal state]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Yarshater |first=Ehsan |title=The Cambridge History of Iran |year=1983 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |volume=3.1 |isbn=9781139054942 |page=141}}</ref> now of the Sassanids, but retained its monarchy; the Albanian king had no real power and most civil, religious, and military authority lay with the Sassanid [[marzban]] (military governor) of the territory.<ref name="Chaumont" />

The Roman Empire obtained control over some of the southernmost Lezgin regions for a few years around 300 AD, but then the Sassanid Persians regained control and subsequently dominated the area for centuries until the [[Muslim conquest of Persia|Arab invasions]].[[File:Khanates.jpg|thumb|Many Lezgins lived in the Persian-ruled [[Derbent khanate]], which Russia [[Russo-Persian Wars|occupied and dissolved in 1813]].|left]]

Although Lezgins were first introduced to [[Islam]] perhaps as early as the 8th century, the Lezgins remained primarily animist until the 15th century, when [[Muslim]] influence became stronger, with [[Persian people|Persian]] traders coming in from the south, and the [[Golden Horde]] increasingly pressing from the north. In the early 16th century, the Persian [[Safavid Empire|Safavids]] consolidated their control over large parts of Dagestan for centuries onwards. As a result of the [[Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590)|Ottoman–Safavid War of 1578–1590]], the Ottomans managed to wrest control of the region for a short period of time, until it was regained by the Safavids under king [[Abbas I of Persia|Abbas I]] (r. 1588–1629).

A notable Lezgin from the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid Iranian]] era was [[Fath-Ali Khan Daghestani]], who served as Safavid ''[[List of Safavid Viziers|grand vizier]]'' from 1716 to 1720, during the reign of king (''[[shah]]'') [[Sultan Husayn]] (1694–1722). By the early course of the 18th century, the Safavid Empire was in a state of heavy decline. In 1721, the Lezgins [[Sack of Shamakhi (1721)|sacked and looted]] the city of [[Shamakhi]], the provincial capital of [[Safavid Shirvan|Shirvan]]. The Lak Kazi Kumukh Khanate controlled a part of the Lezgins for a time in the 18th century after the disintegration of the [[Safavid Empire]].

In the first half of the 18th century, [[Afsharid dynasty|Persia]] was able to restore its full authority throughout the entire Caucasus under [[Nader Shah]]. After the death of Nader, the area divided into multiple khanates. Some Lezgins were part of the [[Kuba Khanate]] in what is now Azerbaijan, while others fell under the jurisdiction of the [[Derbent Khanate]] and [[Kura Khanate]]. The main part of Lezgins united in "free society" (Magalim) ([[Akhty para]] (now [[Akhtynsky District]]), [[Kura Khanate|Kure]] (now [[Kurakhsky District]]), Alty-para and Dokuz-para (now [[Dokuzparinsky District]])). Some Lezgin clans were in the [[Rutul Federation]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-last1=Friedrich |editor-first1=Paul  |editor-last2=Levinson |editor-first2=David  |editor-last3=Diamond |editor-first3=Norma  |title=Encyclopedia of World Cultures: Russia and Eurasia, China |volume=6 |publisher=G.K. Hall |year=1991 |isbn=9780816118106 |pages=(241–243,318)/527}}</ref>

In 1813, as a result of the [[Treaty of Gulistan]], the Russians gained control over southern Dagestan and most of what is the contemporary Azerbaijan Republic.<ref name="books.google.nl">{{cite book |editor-last=Dowling |editor-first=Timothy |title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond |year=2015 |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |isbn=9781598849486 |page=728 }}</ref> The 1828 [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]] indefinitely consolidated Russian control over Dagestan and other areas where the Lezgins lived and removed Iran from the military equation.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aksan |first=Virginia |title=Ottoman Wars, 1700–1870: An Empire Besieged |year=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781317884033 |page=463 }}</ref><ref name="books.google.nl"/> The Russian administration subsequently created the Kiurin Khanate, later to become the Kiurin district. Many Lezgins in [[Dagestan]], however, participated in the [[Caucasian War|Great Caucasian War]] that started roughly during the same time the Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century were happening, and fought against the Russians alongside the [[Avar people (Caucasus)|Avar]] [[Imam Shamil]], who for 25 years (1834–1859) defied Russian rule. It was not until after his defeat in 1859 that the Russians consolidated their rule over Dagestan and the Lezgins.

==Culture==
[[File:Globus illustrierte Zeitschrift für Länder und Völkerkunde, Volume 14 P. 138.jpg|thumb|Lezgins in the 1860s]]
Lezgins culture is a unique blend of native customs ([[adat]]s). There is a strong theme of representing the nation with its national animal, the ''Lek'' (eagle), it's connected with a strong value on the concept of freedom. A large majority of the nation's national heroes fought for independence (Abrek Kiri Buba, Hadj-Dawud, etc.). Lezgins don't like coercion, their social structure being firmly based on equality and deference to individuality. Lezgin society is structured around ''djamaat ({{langx|lez|жамаат- unions of clans}})'' and about 200-300 ''syhils ({{langx|lez|сихил - clan}}).'' ''Syhils'' descended from a common ancestor who lived a long time ago and each ''syhil'' has its own village and mountain. ''Syhils'' are further subdivided into ''miresar'' (patronymic families).<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=Kamran |first=Alamvi |title=Lezgival |date=20 April 2020 |url=https://www.alamjurnal.com/2862-lezgival/ |publisher=АЛАМ |access-date=22 January 2025 |language=ru, lez }}</ref> The main type of settlement in Lezghins - the village ("hur"). With regard to social groups Lezgin village, it is divided into quarters. Distributed large geographically related settlement (one quarter - one syhil). Each village had a rural area - Kim, a gathering of residents (male part) at the village assembly to address the most important issues of public life of the village.

=== Lezgiwal ===
{{Main|Lezgiwal}}

[[Lezgiwal]] ({{langx|lez|Лезгивал}}) an unwritten code of honor used as a set of ethical rules for Lezgins.<ref name=":1" /> It covers all spheres of life of any member of society, starting from childhood. Lezgival is a Code of honor and conduct passed down from generation to generation by parents and society. It implies moral and ethical behaviour, generosity and the will to safeguard the honor of women. The legendary [[Abrek]] Kiri Buba before he was killed by the Russians said ''"Better a knife in the chest than honor in the dirt."''<ref>{{cite book |last=Tishkov |first=V. A. |title=Российский Кавказ: книга для политиков |trans-title=Russian Caucasus: A Book for Politicians |year=2007 |publisher=Rosinformagrotekh |isbn=9785201008062 |pages=138, 384 |language=ru }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6ojAQAAIAAJ&q=%D0%91%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%B0+%D0%98%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9|title=Vestnik Evrazii|date=2000|publisher=Izd-vo "DI-DIK"|language=ru|page=36}}</ref>

===Religion===
Lezgins like other [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]] majority are Muslims, although, due to the long traditional beliefs, religion did not take root in its strict form. Under the influence of the neighbouring states, it was to a known extent suppressed, predominantly by Soviets, and nowadays plays a less significant role than the cultural traditions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hahn |first=Gordon M. |author-link=Gordon M. Hahn |title=Russia's Islamic Threat |year=2007 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=9780300120776 |pages=100, 217 }}</ref> However, the practitioners follow either the Shafi'i or the Hanafi schools of jurisprudence, fiqh. Lezgins celebrate ''Yaran Suvar'', which dates to the pre-Islamic period, some also celebrate Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tkachenko |first=Galina |date=23 March 2019 |title=Покачёвские лезгины отметили «Яран сувар» |trans-title=Pokachev Lezgins celebrated "Yaran Suvar" |url=https://lezgigazet.ru/archives/78495 |work=Лезги газет |language=ru |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>

=== Languages and literature ===
{{Main|Lezgin language}}
The [[Lezgian language|Lezgin language]] belongs to the [[Lezgic languages|Lezgic branch]] of the [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian language family]] (with [[Aghul language|Aghul]], [[Rutul language|Rutul]], [[Tsakhur language|Tsakhur]], [[Tabasaran language|Tabasaran]], [[Budukh language|Budukh]], [[Khinalug language|Khinalug]], [[Jek language|Jek]], Khaput, [[Kryts language|Kryts]], and [[Udi language|Udi]]).
The Lezgin language has three closely related (mutually intelligible) dialects: Kurin (also referred to as Gunei or Kurakh), Akhti, and Kuba. The Kurin dialect is the most widespread of the three and is spoken throughout most of the Lezgin territories in Daghestan, including the town of Kurakh, which, historically, was the most important cultural, political, and economic center in the Lezgin territory in Daghestan and is the former seat of the khanate of Kurin. The Akhti dialect is spoken in southeastern Daghestan. The [[Quba Rayon|Kuba]] dialect, the most Turkicized of the three, is widespread among the Lezgins of northern [[Azerbaijan]] (named for the town of Kuba, the cultural and economical focus of the region).

===Dances and music===
{{Main|Lezginka}}
Lezgin dance, including the Lezgin solo male and pair dance, are common among many peoples of the Caucasus. The dance uses a 2 image. The man moves in the way "eagle", alternates between a slow and rapid pace. The most spectacular movements are dance movements of men, when he is on his toes, throwing his hands in different directions. The woman moves in the form of "Swan", bewitching graceful posture and smooth hand movements. The woman increases the tempo of her dance after the man. Not surprisingly, the dance, common among all the Caucasian peoples, was named in accordance with the ancient totem of the Lezgins: the word "Lek" ({{langx|lez| лекь}}) means eagle.[[File:LESGHI RUG, EAST CAUCASUS, c. 1880.jpg|thumb|An antique Lesghi rug, east Caucasus, c. 1880|286x286px]]Epic-historical songs about wars are popular among Lezghins, Best-known are the ballads "Shamil atana"(about [[Imam Shamil]]) and "Kiri Buba." (about a Lezgin [[abrek]]). In the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Lezgin culture and literature underwent a culture significantly influence Azerbaijan. First Lezgin theater originated in 1906 in the village of Akhty. In 1935, based on the semi-professional team was created Lezgin State Music and Drama Theatre named after S. Stalsky. In 1998, the State Lezgin theater was opened in Azerbaijan, located in Qusar.

==Demographics ==
[[File:Гербер Каспий 1728 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Lezgistan from map of the Caucasus by Johann Gustav Gaerber (1728)|left]]
The Lezgins inhabit a compact territory that straddles the border area of southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan. It lies, for the most part, in the southeastern portion of Dagestan in ([[Akhtynsky District]], [[Dokuzparinsky District]], [[Suleyman-Stalsky District]], [[Kurakhsky District]], [[Magaramkentsky District]], [[Khivsky District]], [[Derbentsky District]] and [[Rutulsky District]]) and contiguous northeastern [[Azerbaijan]] (in [[Quba Rayon|Kuba]], [[Qusar District|Qusar]], [[Qakh Rayon|Qakh]], [[Khachmaz Rayon|Khachmaz]], [[Oguz Rayon|Oguz]], [[Qabala Rayon|Qabala]], [[Shaki Rayon|Nukha]], and [[Ismailli Rayon|Ismailli]] districts).

The Lezgin territories are divided into two physiographic zones: a region of high, rugged mountains and the piedmont (foothills). Most of the Lezgin territory is in the mountainous zone, where a number of peaks (like Baba Dagh) reach over 3,500 meters in elevation. There are deep and isolated canyons and gorges formed by the tributaries of the [[Samur River|Samur]] and Gulgeri Chai rivers. In the mountainous zones the summers are very hot and dry, with drought conditions a constant threat. There are few trees in this region aside from those in the deep canyons and along the streams themselves. Drought-resistant shrubs and weeds dominate the natural flora. The winters here are frequently windy and brutally cold. In this zone the Lezgins engaged primarily in animal husbandry (mostly sheep and goats) and in craft industries.

In the extreme east of the Lezgin territory, where the mountains give way to the narrow coastal plain of the [[Caspian Sea]], and to the far south, in Azerbaijan, are the foothills. This region has relatively mild, very dry winters and hot, dry summers. Trees are few here also. In this region animal husbandry and artisanry were supplemented by some agriculture (along the alluvial deposits near the rivers).

Lezgins live mainly in [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Russia]] (Dagestan). The total population is believed to be around 700,000, with 474,000 living in Russia. In Azerbaijan, the government census counts 180,300.<ref name=azeristats>[http://www.azstat.org/statinfo/demoqraphic/en/1_12en.xls The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Population by ethnic groups] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103234751/http://www.azstat.org/statinfo/demoqraphic/en/1_12en.xls |date=2012-01-03 }}</ref> However, Lezgin national organizations mention 600,000 to 900,000, the disparity being that many Lezgins claim Azeri nationality to escape job and education discrimination in Azerbaijan.<ref name="JM">{{cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations |year=2002 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=9780313321115 |page=1084}}: "Lezgin national organizations estimate the actual Lezgin population in Azerbaijan at between 600,000 and 900,000, much higher than the official estimates. The disparity arises from the number of ethnic Lezgins registered as ethnic Azeris during the soviet period and continue to claim Azeri nationality to escape job and education discrimination in Azerbaijan."</ref> Despite the assimilationist policy of the Azeri government, the Lezgin population is undoubtedly greater than it appears.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ware |first1=Robert Bruce |author-link1=Robert Bruce Ware |last2=Kisriev |first2=Enver |title=Dagestan: Russian Hegemony and Islamic Resistance in the North Caucasus |year=2009 |publisher=[[M. E. Sharpe]] |isbn=9780765633682 |page=46 }}</ref>

As [[Svante Cornell]] adds;

{{blockquote|Whereas officially the number of Lezgins registered as such in Azerbaijan is around 180,000, the Lezgins claim that the number of Lezgins registered as Azerbaijan is many times higher than this figure, some accounts showing over 700,000 Lezgins in Azerbaijan. These figures are denied by the Azerbaijani government, but in private many Azeris acknowledge the fact that the Lezgins—and for that matter the [[Talysh people|Talysh]] or the [[Kurds in Azerbaijan|Kurdish]]—population is far higher than the official figures.<ref name="Routledge">{{cite book |last=Cornell |first=Svante |title=Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus |year=2005 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781135796693 |page=259 }}</ref>}}

Lezgins also live in [[Central Asia]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Karny |first=Yo'av |title=Highlanders: A Journey to the Caucasus in Quest of Memory |year=2001 |publisher=[[Farrar, Straus & Giroux]] |isbn=9780374528126 |page=112 }} "The last 1989 all Soviet census recorded 204,400 Lezgins in Daghestan and 171,395 Lezgins in Azerbaijan. Both figures reflected a relative, almost identical decline (5 percent) in Lezgin numbers in both "homelands".  Roughly 65,000 Lezgins were counted in other parts of the Soviet Union, mostly Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan."</ref> mainly due to [[Stalin]]'s deportation policies.

==Status==
===Azerbaijan===
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2021}}
Lezgins are, "generally speaking", well integrated into the society of Azerbaijan. Mixed marriages are furthermore common. Lastly, Lezgins in Azerbaijan have a better level of education compared to their kin in Dagestan.<ref name="Routledge"/>

In 1992 a Lezgin organization named [[Sadval (organization)|Sadval]] was established to promote Lezgin rights. Sadval campaigned for the redrawing of the Russian–Azerbaijani border to allow for the creation of a single Lezgin state encompassing areas in [[Russia]] and [[Azerbaijan]] where Lezgins were compactly settled. In Azerbaijan, a more moderate organization called Samur was formed, advocating more cultural autonomy for Lezgins in Azerbaijan.

Lezgins traditionally suffered from unemployment and a shortage of land. A major consequence of the outbreak of the war in [[First Chechen War]] in 1994 was the closure of the border between Russia and Azerbaijan: as a result, the Lezgins were for the first time in their history separated by an international border restricting their movement.

The high tide of Lezgin mobilization in Azerbaijan appeared to have passed towards the end of the 1990s. Sadval was banned by the Azerbaijani authorities after official allegations that it was involved in the [[1994 Baku Metro bombings]]. The end of the Karabakh war, and Lezgin resistance to forced conscription, deprived the movement of a key issue on which to mobilize. In 1998 Sadval split into ‘moderate’ and ‘radical’ wings, following which it appeared to lose much of its popularity on both sides of the Russian–Azerbaijani border.

Lezgins expressed concern over underrepresentation in the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Meclis) after a shift away from proportional representation in the parliamentary elections of November 2005. Lezgins had been represented by two members of parliament in the previous parliament, but are now represented by only one.

Lezgins state that they face discrimination and that they feel forced to assimilate into Azeri identity to avoid economic and education discrimination. Therefore, the real number of Lezgins may be significantly higher than presented in censuses.<ref>Bolukbasi, Suha. "Azerbaijan." (2013): 1-312.</ref><ref>Sayfutdinova, Leyla. "Ethnic boundaries and territorial borders: on the place of Lezgin irredentism in the construction of national identity in Azerbaijan." Nationalities Papers 50.4 (2022): 794-812.</ref>

Lezgin is taught as a foreign language in areas where many Lezgins are settled, but teaching resources are scarce. Lezgin textbooks come from Russia and are not adapted to local conditions. Although Lezgin newspapers are available, Lezgins have also expressed concern over the disappearance of their rich oral tradition. The only Lezgin television broadcasting available in Azerbaijan is that received over the border from Russia.

In March 2006 Azerbaijani media reported that Sadval had formed an 'underground' terrorist unit carrying out operations in Dagestan. Security forces across the border in Dagestan in Russia, responded skeptically to these reports having found no evidence.

=== Dagestan ===
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2016}}
According to reports Lezgins in Dagestan suffer disproportionately from unemployment, with unemployment rates in Lezgin-populated areas of southern Dagestan twice the republic average of 32 percent. This may be one contributory factor to renewed calls from within the Sadval movement in January 2006 for a redrawing of the Russian-Azerbaijani border to incorporate Lezgin-populated areas of southern Dagestan within Azerbaijan.

In March 1999 another organization, the [[Federal Lezgin National Cultural Autonomy]], was established as an extraterritorial movement advocating cultural autonomy for Lezgins.

== Genetics==

According to a genetic study in 2023, the following haplogroups are found to predominate among Lezgins :<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Agdzhoyan |first1=Anastasia |last2=Iskandarov |first2=Nasib |last3=Ponomarev |first3=Georgy |last4=Pylev |first4=Vladimir |last5=Koshel |first5=Sergey |last6=Salaev |first6=Vugar |last7=Pocheshkhova |first7=Elvira |last8=Kagazezheva |first8=Zhaneta |last9=Balanovska |first9=Elena |date=9 September 2023 |title=Origins of East Caucasus Gene Pool: Contributions of Autochthonous Bronze Age Populations and Migrations from West Asia Estimated from Y-Chromosome Data |journal=[[Genes (journal)|Genes]] |volume=14 |issue=9 |pages=1780 |doi=10.3390/genes14091780 |doi-access=free |pmid=37761920|pmc=10530682 }}</ref>

* [[Haplogroup J-M267|J1]] (63%)
* [[Haplogroup R1b|R1b]] (13%)
* [[Haplogroup G-M201|G2]] (7%)
* [[Haplogroup J-M172|J2]] (6%)
* [[Haplogroup E-M215|E1b1b]] (3%)

Modern-day Lezgins speak [[Northeast Caucasian languages]] that have been spoken in the region before the introduction of [[Indo-European languages]]. They are closely related, both culturally and linguistically, to the [[Aghuls]] of southern [[Dagestan]] and, somewhat more distantly, to the [[Tsakhurs]], [[Rutuls]], and [[Tabasarans]] (the northern neighbors of the Lezgins). Also related, albeit more distantly, are the numerically small [[Jek people|Jek]], [[Kryts people|Kryts]], [[Shahdagh people|Shahdagh]], [[Budukh people|Budukh]], and [[Khinalug people|Khinalug]] peoples of northern [[Azerbaijan]]. These groups, together with the Lezgins, form the Samur branch of the indigenous [[Lezgic]] peoples.

Lezgins are believed to descend partly from people who inhabited the region of southern [[Dagestan]] in the Bronze Age. However, there is some DNA evidence of significant admixture during the last 4,000 years with a Central Asian population.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wade |first=Nicholas |date=14 February 2014 |title=Tracing Ancestry, Researchers Produce a Genetic Atlas of Human Mixing Events |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/science/tracing-ancestry-team-produces-genetic-atlas-of-human-mixing-events.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=22 January 2025}}</ref>

== Notable Lezgins ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2024}}
* {{ill|Hadji Dawud|ru|Хаджи-Давуд}} (1680{{snd}}{{circa | 1736}}), a Lezgin military commander and Islamic religious leader
* [[Suleyman Kerimov]] (born 1966), [[Russian oligarchs|oligarch]], billionaire and politician
* [[Nazim Huseynov]] (born 1969), judoka
* [[Ruslan Gurbanov]] (born 1991), footballer
* [[Ikram Aliskerov]] (born 1992), MMA fighter

==See also==
* [[Nader's Dagestan campaign]]
* [[Lezginka]]
* [[Lezgian language|Lezgin language]]
* [[Lezgistan]]
* [[North Caucasian languages|North Caucasian people]]
* [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian people]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{European Muslims}}
{{Peoples of the Caucasus}}
{{UNPO}}
{{Ethnic groups of Russia}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lezgian People}}
[[Category:Lezgins| ]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of the South Caucasus]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Dagestan]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Russia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups divided by international borders]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of the Caucasus]]