Crimean Tatars are a nation that originated on the Crimean peninsula and in southern Ukraine. Experts say that this people came to the peninsula in 1223, and settled in 1236. The interpretation of the history and culture of this ethnic group is vague and multifaceted, which causes additional interest.
Nationality Description
Crimeans, Crimeans, Murzaks are the names of this people. They live in the Republic of Crimea, Ukraine, Turkey, Romania, etc. Despite the assumption of a difference between the Kazan and Crimean Tatars, experts claim the unity of the sources of these two areas. Differences arose due to the specifics of assimilation.
Islamization of the ethnic group occurred at the end of the XIII century. He has symbols of statehood: flag, coat of arms, anthem. The tamga, a symbol of the steppe nomads, is depicted on the blue flag.
In 2010, about 260 thousand were registered in Crimea, and in Turkey there are 4-6 million representatives of this nationality who consider themselves to be Turks of Crimean origin. 67% do not live in urban areas of the peninsula: Simferopol, Bakhchisarai and Dzhankoy.
Fluent in three languages: Crimean Tatar, Russian and Ukrainian. Most speak Turkish and Azerbaijani. The native language is Crimean Tatar.
History of the Crimean Khanate
Crimea is a peninsula inhabited by Greeks already by the 5th-4th centuries BC. e. Khersones, Panticapaeum (Kerch) and Theodosius - large Greek settlements of this period.
According to historians, the Slavs settled on the peninsula after repeated invasions of the peninsula not always successful in the VI century BC. e., merging with the local population - Scythians, Huns and Goths.
Tatars began to raid Tauris (Crimea) from the XIII century. This led to the creation of the Tatar administration in the city of Solhat, later renamed Kırym. Since the XIV century , the peninsula was so called.
The first khan was recognized as Haji Giray, a descendant of the Khan of the Golden Horde Tash-Timur - the grandson of Genghis Khan. Kettlebell, calling themselves Chingizids, claimed the right to the Khanate after the division of the Golden Horde. In 1449 he was recognized as the Crimean Khan. The capital was the city of Palace in the Gardens - Bakhchisaray.
The collapse of the Golden Horde led to the migration of tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Prince Vitovt used them in military operations and for discipline among the Lithuanian feudal lords. Instead, the Tatars received land, built mosques. Gradually assimilated with the locals, switching to Russian or Polish. Muslim Tatars were not persecuted by the church, as they did not impede the spread of Catholicism.
Turkish Tatar Union
In 1454, the Crimean Khan concluded an agreement with Turkey to combat the Genoese. As a result of the Turkish-Tatar alliance in 1456, the colonies pledged to pay tribute to the Turks and Crimean Tatars. In 1475, Turkish troops, with the assistance of the Tatars, occupied the Genoese city of Kafu (in Turkish Kefa), after - the Taman Peninsula, ending the presence of the Genoese.
In 1484, Turkish-Tatar troops captured the Black Sea coast. The state of Budzhitsky Horde was founded on this square.
The opinions of historians regarding the Turkish-Tatar alliance were divided: some are sure that the Crimean Khanate became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, others consider them equal allies, since the interests of both states coincided.
In reality, the khanate depended on Turkey:
- Sultan - leader of the Crimean Muslims;
- Khan's family lived in Turkey;
- Turkey bought up slaves and looted;
- Turkey supported the attacks of the Crimean Tatars;
- Turkey helped with arms and troops.
Long military operations of the khanate with the Moscow state and the Commonwealth suspended the Russian troops in 1572 at the Battle of Molody. After the battle, the Nogai hordes, formally subordinate to the Crimean Khanate, continued their raids, but their number was greatly reduced. The formed Cossacks took over the guard functions.
Life of Crimean Tatars
The peculiarity of the people was the non-recognition of a sedentary lifestyle until the 17th century. Agriculture was poorly developed, mainly nomadic: the land was cultivated in the spring, harvested in the fall, after returning. The result was a small crop. It was impossible to feed people through such farming.
The source of life for the Crimean Tatars remained raids and robberies. The army of the khan was not regular, it consisted of volunteers. 1/3 men of the khanate participated in large campaigns. In especially large - all men. Only tens of thousands of slaves and women with children remained in the khanate.
Life on a hike
Tatars did not use carts in their campaigns. It was not horses that harnessed themselves to the carts of the house, but oxen and camels. These animals are unsuitable for hiking. Horses themselves found their food in the steppes even in winter, breaking snow with a hoof. Each warrior took 3-5 horses with him to hike to increase speed when replacing tired animals. In addition, horses are additional food for a warrior.
The main weapon of the Tatars is bows. They hit the target with a hundred steps. In the campaign they had sabers, bows, whips and wooden poles, which served as supports for the tents. A belt, a knife, an armchair, an awl, 12 meters of leather rope for prisoners and a tool for orientation in the steppe were held on the belt. For ten people took one bowler and drum. Each had a flute for warning and a bucket for water. They ate oatmeal in a camping trip - a mixture of flour from barley and millet. Pecinet was made from this, and salt was added to it. In addition, each had roasted meat and crackers. Power source - weak and injured horses. Boiled blood with flour was prepared from horse meat, thin layers of meat from under the horse's saddle after a two-hour race, boiled pieces of meat, etc.
Caring for horses is the most important thing for Crimean Tatar. Horses were poorly fed, believing that they restore strength themselves after long transitions. Lightweight saddles were used for horses, parts of which were used by the rider: the lower part of the saddle was a carpet, the base was for the head, the cloak pulled over the poles was a tent.
Tatar horses - Bakemans - did not shoe. They are short and clumsy, at the same time they are hardy and fast. Rich people have beautiful horses, the horseshoe horns for them were cows.
Crimeans hiking
The Tatars have special tactics for conducting a campaign: on their territory, the transition speed is low, with the concealment of traces of movement. Outside, speed was reduced to a minimum. During the raids, the Crimean Tatars hid in ravines and hollows from enemies, did not make fires at night, did not allow horses to laugh, caught tongues for intelligence, before going to bed they fastened themselves with lasso to horses for quick escape from the enemy.
As part of the Russian Empire
In 1783, the “Black Century” began for the nationality: accession to Russia. In the decree of 1784 "On the device of the Tauride region," management on the peninsula is implemented according to the Russian model.
The noble nobles of Crimea and the supreme clergy were equal in rights with the Russian aristocracy. The massive weaning of lands led to emigration in the 1790s and 1860s, during the Crimean War, to the Ottoman Empire. Three quarters of the Crimean Tatars left the peninsula in the first decade of the power of the Russian Empire. The descendants of these migrants created the Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian diasporas. These processes led to the devastation and desolation of agriculture on the peninsula.
Life as part of the USSR
After the February Revolution in Crimea, an attempt was made to create autonomy. For this, a Crimean Tatar kurultai of 2,000 delegates was convened. At the event, the Provisional Crimean-Muslim Executive Committee (VKMIK) was elected. The Bolsheviks did not take into account the decisions of the committee, and in 1921 the Crimean ASSR was formed.
Crimea during the Great Patriotic War
Since 1941, Muslim committees were created under occupation, which were renamed Crimean and Simferopol. Since 1943, the organization was renamed the Simferopol Tatar Committee. Regardless of the name, its functions included:
- opposition to partisans - resistance to the liberation of Crimea;
- formation of voluntary detachments - the creation of Einsatzgruppe D, in which there were about 9,000 people;
- the creation of an auxiliary police force - by 1943 there were 10 battalions;
- propaganda of Nazi ideology, etc.
A committee acted in the interests of forming a separate state of Crimean Tatars under the auspices of Germany. However, this was not part of the Nazi plans, which included the accession of the peninsula to the Reich.
But there was an opposite attitude towards the Nazis: by 1942, one sixth of the partisan formations were the Crimean Tatars, who formed the Sudak partisan detachment. Since 1943, underground work has been carried out on the territory of the peninsula. About 25 thousand representatives of the nationality fought in the Red Army.
Deportation of Crimean Tatars
Collaboration with the Nazis led to mass evictions to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the Urals and other territories in 1944. In two days of the operation, 47 thousand families were deported.
It was allowed to take clothes, personal items, utensils and products in an amount of not more than 500 kg per family. In the summer months, food was provided to the settlers on account of the abandoned property. Only 1.5 thousand representatives of the nationality remained on the peninsula.
Return to Crimea became possible only in 1989.
Holidays and traditions of Crimean Tatars
The customs and rituals include Muslim, Christian and pagan traditions. Holidays are based on an agricultural work calendar.
The animal calendar, introduced by the Mongols, reflects the influence of a particular animal in each year from the twelve-year cycle. Spring is the beginning of the year, so Navruz (New Year) is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. This is due to the beginning of field work. For the holiday, it is necessary to cook eggs as symbols of a new life, bake pies, burn old things at the stake. For young people, jumping over a fire, masked house trips were organized while the girls were wondering. And to this day, this holiday is traditionally visited by the graves of relatives.
May 6 - Hyderlez - the day of two saints Khidir and Ilyas. For Christians - the day of St. George. On this day, work began in the field, cattle were driven out to pastures, and a stable was sprayed with fresh milk to protect them from evil forces.
The autumnal equinox coincided with the Derviz holiday - harvesting. Shepherds returned from mountain pastures, arranged weddings in the settlements. At the beginning of the celebration, according to tradition, prayer and ritual sacrifice were held. Then the inhabitants of the settlement went to the fair and dances.
The celebration of the beginning of winter - Yil Gedzhesi - accounted for the winter solstice. In this it is customary to bake pies with chicken and rice, make halva, walk dressed around home for sweets.
Crimean Tatars also recognize Muslim holidays: Uraza Bayram, Kurban Bayram, Ashir-Kunu and others.
Crimean Tatar wedding
The Crimean Tatars wedding (photo below) lasts two days: first at the groom, then at the bride. Parents of the bride are not present at the festivities on the first day, and vice versa. Invite from 150 to 500 people on each side. By tradition, the beginning of the wedding is marked by the ransom of the bride. This is a quiet stage. The bride's father ties a red scarf to her waist. This symbolizes the strength of the bride, who becomes a woman and devotes herself to order in the family. On the second day, the groom’s father will remove this scarf.
After the ransom, the bride and groom perform the ceremony of marriage in the mosque. Parents do not participate in the ceremony. After reading the prayer by the mullah and issuing the marriage certificate, the bride and groom are considered husband and wife. The bride during a prayer makes a wish. The groom is obliged to execute it within the time specified by the mullah. Desire can be anything: from decoration to building a house.
After the mosque, the newlyweds go to the registry office for the official registration of marriage. The ceremony is no different from the Christian, except for the lack of a kiss with other people.
Before the banquet, the parents of the bride and groom must buy the Koran for any money without bargaining from the smallest child at the wedding. Congratulations are not accepted by the newlyweds, but by the parents of the bride. There are no competitions at the wedding, only performances by artists.
The wedding ends with two dances:
- the national dance of the bride and groom - haitarma;
- Horan - the guests, holding hands, dance in a circle, and the newlyweds in the center dance a slow dance.
Crimean Tatars are a nation with multicultural traditions that go far into history. Despite assimilation, they retain their own identity and national flavor.