National patterns of Dagestan. Women's Dagestan national costume

Annotation.

This work is a study of the folk crafts of our Dagestan. The work studies the ornament of the language, reveals the meaning and essence of the pattern in ancient times.

This work contains informational material that can be used in the lessons of biology, history, history of Dagestan, KTND, Derbenology and after school hours

CONTENT

IIntroduction ……………………………………………. ………………… ..... 3

IIMain part:

1.Knot to the knot ………………… …………………………………….… 4

2. Kubachi silver: the wisdom of jewelers and the shine of the cold.

metal ………… ............................................. ............................................. 6

3. Lezginka ……………………………………………………… ..… ..7

IIIConclusion. ……………………………………………………............9

IVLiterature ……………………………………………………… ..… .10

VAppendices ……………………………………………………… ..… .11

Introduction

Do not rush to own the caskets of gold

And chased-white sabers!

Dream of owning golden hands

Who did it all!

Rasul Gamzatov

Traditional folk crafts are evidence of the ancient and long history of the peoples of Dagestan, part of their cultural heritage. However, this is not only the most important part of the national culture, but also a huge potential. economic development republics. Therefore, the study of the territorial organization of crafts allows both to understand the features of these most important areas of cultural and economic activity, and to outline ways of their preservation and further development at the level of modern requirements, especially during the formation of market relations and the formation of the tourist and recreational industry.

Dagestan in translation from Turkic means "country of mountains", this region is also called "mountain of languages". Ethnographers say that Dagestan can be safely called a country of unique folk crafts. This circumstance significantly distinguishes the Dagestanis from other Caucasian peoples. In Dagestan, almost every nation specializes in the manufacture of certain products of artistic handicrafts, and for many centuries they have achieved great success in their manufacture.

Purpose of study folk crafts of Dagestan.

Relevance revival of traditional art in Dagestan.

Novelty communication ornament with plant and animal images.

Object of study ornament used in folk crafts.

Chapter I Knot to knot

Carpets are the spell of the East. For many centuries, the carpet served as a table and bed, was a good gift and a rich dowry. The Dagestani peoples considered it the most reliable amulet. They knew that the carpet not only creates an atmosphere of warmth and comfort in the house, but is also able to protect the home from evil spirits. The fact that the carpet really has magical powers, you begin to believe, considering its hypnotic amazing ornament. And although today the knowledge of what this or that pattern hides is irretrievably lost, a special beautiful combination of colors and the traditional ornament of a man-made carpet still bring a special energy into the house, have a magical effect, attract happiness and good luck. 1 .

Ornament as an art, as a symbol, originated at the very dawn of human history and, therefore, can be considered one of the most ancient forms of human expression.

It is polysemous and deep in its essence, tk. it is based on symbols and signs. As a rule, some magical beliefs are associated with them - that the image of this or that animal or plant has protective functions: it can give protection, ward off bad influence, and be the patron of a person.

The carpet is part of the interior, and is practically inseparable from the everyday portrait, which shows the rather widespread use of carpets in Everyday life. 2

The first mention of carpet weaving on the territory of modern Dagestan, according to ethnographers, dates back to the 5th century BC. This information belongs to Herodotus

People's poet of Dagestan Rasul Gamzatov believed that the art of carpet weaving in Dagestan and the wonderful masters living in it is eternal ...

So, conjuring, you weaved a carpet of Blooming alpine meadows,

For a thread, choosing a thread in thought. Ancient legends and beliefs. 3

And the carpet bloomed to the flower flower,

Artisans inserted sacred symbols characteristic of their culture into household items of any nation. Sometimes they visually repeated the original, and sometimes these symbols were transformed in such a way that it is difficult for us to see the original meaning in them.

Appendix.

Your age………….

Which carpets do you prefer and why (handmade or factory made)? ................................... .................................................. ....

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Which silverware do you prefer?

Kubachinsky …………………

Modern …………………

What folk crafts are you familiar with …………………………… ..

Can you dance lezginka ………………………………………

Keywords

ORNAMENT / ETHNO-TERRITORIAL VARIETIES OF ORNAMENTS / GEOMETRIC ORNAMENT/ PLETENKA / EPIGRAPHIC ORNAMENT / KUBACHIN DECOR/ WORLD PICTURE / MENTALITY / DEFILE OF RELIGIONS / ORNAMENT / GEOMETRICAL ORNAMENT / POINT OF VIEW / MENTALITY / RELIGION

annotation scientific article on art history, the author of the scientific work - Magamedova Aminad Akhmednurievna

The ornament was originally used in various types of decorative and applied art in Dagestan. Under the influence of Zoroastrianism, pagan symbols of various kinds of solar signs, vortex rosettes, cruciform figures, etc., as well as images of a horse, rider, tulpara (winged horse) and birds were popular. With the adoption of Islam, starting from the 16th century, in the art of Kubachi and Dagestan, in general, there is a displacement of pictorial subjects and an increase in ornamentalism. The development of classical Arab-Muslim culture, a kind of "renaissance of medieval Arab culture", played a significant role in the formation of the Dagestan ornament. The Dagestan ornament is a stylized floral one with many leaves, buds and flower heads. Three of its ethnoterritorial varieties are distinguished: Kubachin, Lak and Avar. Kubachin decor it is distinguished by its high technique of execution, a variety of techniques and complex, delicately designed ornamentation. Basic ornamental compositions Kubachin decor: "Tutta", "markharai"; "Tamga". The medieval heritage of Dagestan is represented by architectural structures, memorial monuments and products of applied art, decorated epigraphic ornament... Most of the inscriptions are made in the late Kufi style; there are also inscriptions in the suls handwriting. Since the end of the 15th century, the naskh handwriting in combination with floral ornaments has been widely used. The ornament reflects the changes taking place in society and declares in a stylized form a legitimized picture of the world. The displacement of adaptation-activity models is accompanied by graphic reinforcement of a new picture of the world and the declaration of new traits of mentality. Layering of motives makes it difficult to trace the sequence of the development of the symbol and the path of its distribution. On the other hand, the change in styles allows one to judge the development of consciousness, about the ascent from the mythological level of consciousness to the abstract level. The plastic embodiment of the word and giving it a spatial volume are carried out. The ornament in the form of graphemes of one kind or another reflected and reflect religious beliefs and the actual picture of the world of the ethnic group. Modeling the world in symbolic forms, the ethnos develops activity models for its development and appropriation, captures and transfers generalized experience in graphemes.

The text of the scientific work on the topic "Cultorogenesis of symbolic forms: the formation of the Dagestan ornament"

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

Russia, Saint-Petersburg. St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Institute for Cultural Studies.

Sector Leader, Candidate of Philosophy

Russia, St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research.

Head of Department. PhD in philosophy.

CULTOROGENESIS OF SYMBOLIC FORMS: FORMATION OF THE DAGESTAN ORNAMENT

The ornament was originally used in various types of decorative and applied art in Dagestan. Under the influence of Zoroastrianism, pagan symbols were popular - various kinds of solar signs, vortex rosettes, cruciform figures, etc., as well as images of a horse, rider, tulpara (winged horse) and birds. With the adoption of Islam, starting from the 16th century, in the art of Kubachi and Dagestan, in general, there is a displacement of pictorial subjects and an increase in ornamentalism. The assimilation of the classical Arab-Muslim culture, a kind of "renaissance of medieval Arab culture", played a significant role in the formation of the Dagestan ornament.

The Dagestan ornament is a stylized floral one with many leaves, buds and flower heads. Three of its ethnoterritorial varieties are distinguished: Kubachin, Lak and Avar. The Kubachi decor is distinguished by a high technique of execution, a variety of techniques and complex, delicately designed ornamentation. The main ornamental compositions of the Kubachi decor: "tutta", "markharai"; "Tamga".

The medieval heritage of Dagestan is represented by architectural structures, memorial monuments and products of applied art, decorated with epigraphic ornaments. Most of the inscriptions are made in the late Kufi style; there are also inscriptions in the suls handwriting. Since the end of the 15th century, the naskh handwriting in combination with floral ornaments has been widely used. The ornament reflects the changes taking place in society and declares in a stylized form a legitimized picture of the world. The displacement of adaptation-activity models is accompanied by graphic reinforcement of a new picture of the world and the declaration of new

traits of mentality. Layering of motives makes it difficult to trace the sequence of the development of the symbol and the path of its distribution. On the other hand, the change in styles allows one to judge the development of consciousness, about the ascent from the mythological level of consciousness to the abstract level. The plastic embodiment of the word and giving it a spatial volume are carried out. The ornament in the form of graphemes of one kind or another reflected and reflect religious beliefs and the actual picture of the world of the ethnic group. Modeling the world in symbolic forms, the ethnos develops activity models for its development and appropriation, captures and transfers generalized experience in graphemes.

Key words: ornament, ethnoterritorial varieties of ornament, geometric ornament, braid, epigraphic ornament, Kubachin decor, picture of the world, mentality, defile of religions

Cultural History of Symbolic Forms: The Genesis of Daghestan Ornament

Key words: ornament, geometrical ornament, point of view, mentality, religion

For centuries Dagestan has been subjected to political, ideological and religious influences: the invasion of Tamerlane, the flourishing of the Khazar Kaganate, the Arab expansion, the reign of the Persian king Khosrov I and the active expansion of missionaries of various confessions. The increased interest in this region is due to its geopolitical attractiveness. Highways passed through the territory of the North Caucasus

The Great Silk Road, one of the highways of which originated in ancient Samarkand: the Caucasian Silk Road through Khorezm, skirting the Caspian Sea, crossed the steppes of the North Caucasus and headed to Tskhum. From this city, trade caravans went to the capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople. Another main line ran from the Lower Volga region along the western coast of the Caspian Sea through Ka-

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

Rice. 1. Triangular-notched carving of the XVI-XVIII centuries: 1 - Dagestan; 2 - Georgia.

Spian Iron Gate - Derbent, south to ancient Albania and Parthia, connecting the northern and main routes of the Great Silk Road. Another route connected Byzantium and South Kazakhstan through Derbent and the Caspian steppes1. So, under the influence of multidirectional political and economic forces, a picture of the world of the peoples inhabiting Dagestan was formed.

The formation of the ethnic picture of the world of the highlanders was influenced, among other things, by religious beliefs. On the territory of Dagestan in the 1st century A.D. e. Christian missionaries preached. Representatives of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Monophysitism and Christian heresies exerted a significant influence on the autochthonous population. Christian missionaries freely preached in this territory until the 15th century, and the number of adherents of the Christian religion was quite large2. Medieval sources contain information about the followers of Zoroastrianism and describe the traditions and customs of the followers of Mazdeism in the territory of Zirehgeran and Derbent3. Judaism was introduced to the territory of Dagestan by exiled Jews from Rome and Persia4. Arabs, Seljuks and Mongols took an active part in the development of the North Caucasus. Over the course of 15 centuries, the Islamization of Dagestan was carried out5, but at the same time islets of the Christian, Jewish faith, as well as interspersed with pagan beliefs, have survived.

The culture of the mountaineers was a "melting pot" in which the autochthonous culture was enriched with the introduced ideas and forms. In moments of historical "challenge", thunder

1 See V. A. Radkevich. The Great Silk Road. - M, 1990; Petrov A.M. The Great Silk Road. - M, 1995; Akhmedshin N. Kh. Secrets of the Silk Road. - M., 2002.

2 Khanbabaev K.M. Christianity in Dagestan in the IV - XVIII centuries // http: // www.ippk.rsu.ru/csrip/elibrary/elibrary/uro/v20/a20_21.htm

3 Mammaev M.M.Zoroastrianism in medieval Dagestan // http: // dhis.dgu.ru/relig11.htm

4 Kurbanov G. Historical and modern aspects of Judaism in Dagestan // http://www.gorskie.ru/istoria/ist_aspekt.htm

5 Shikhsaidov A.R. The spread of Islam in Dagestan // http: //

kalmykia.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/50067

the decay of ethnic culture and the death of an ethnos, its survival was ensured by the flexibility of the minds of the highlanders and the ability to restructure the picture of the world, to the ability to form new adaptive-value models of mastering reality. Official written sources reflected significant events: military campaigns, battles, missionary activities. On the contrary, the processes that directly affected everyday life did not find their reflection. We can trace the transformation and processes that are significant for everyday experience, in particular, in the artistic activity of a person. For Dagestan, ornament is one of the most significant artistic phenomena.

Ornament is one of the most ancient types of human visual activity, a significant element of the symbolic space of culture. Presumably, the ornament appeared around X ^ X thousand years BC. e. and was a combination of geometric shapes in various combinations, complemented by zigzags, strokes, stripes. Through the grapheme, a person for the first time expressed his perception of the world around him, modeling it in symbolic forms, mastering and appropriating it6. The ornament demonstrated the spontaneous attitude of man to being and, at the same time, the content of the forms of consciousness. Graphemes have shown enviable style stability for millennia. Ariel Golan believes that ornament acts as a pre-written way of fixing concepts and ideas, that it forms the symbolic space of culture7.

“There is always something archaic in a symbol. Every culture needs a layer of texts that perform the function of archaism. The thickening of symbols is usually especially noticeable here. This perception of symbols is not accidental: their core group, indeed, has a deeply archaic nature and dates back to the pre-literary era, when certain (and, as a rule, ele-

6 See Svasyan K. A. The problem of the symbol in modern philosophy. - Yerevan, 1980.S. 143.

7 Golan A. Myth and symbol. - M .: Russlit, 1993.S. 7.

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

mentar in descriptive terms) signs were folded mnemonic programs of texts and plots stored in the oral memory of the collective ”8.

Graphemes were not homogeneous in nature. Among them, they distinguished those that indicated the right of ownership, and those that performed the magical function of a talisman. Graphemes, designed to have a certain effect on the world around them, have over time turned into an ornament. The most ancient layer of the autochthonous culture of the region is represented by geometric ornamentation, which was widespread in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus.

This type of ornament is found on ceramics, carved wooden products, in architecture. From the II millennium BC e. Until the beginning of the 20th century, geometric ornament prevailed in remote mountainous areas, the so-called Inner Dagestan. This type of ornament was placed on the facades and architectural details of the residential floor of the house in order to protect the inhabitants of this house. “Some of the plots, decorations and elements of ornamentation of a clearly magical incantatory nature performed at one time the role of conspiracies for prosperity or amulets from evil. Our distant ancestor was reassured and pleased by the sight of these amulets, and from here, from this joy, the feeling of the beautiful was born ”9.

The feeling of security was formed by the aesthetic joy of acceptance, which was later probably supplanted by the awareness of the sacred and familiarity with the heavenly world. Geometric ornament to this day worries about the symbolism that is significant for the ethnos, therefore, today it is used to decorate the facades of houses and ceramic products.

“Samples of the age-old local, original style of architectural ornament in Dagestan are so characteristic that they are immediately recognized among other examples. Its distinctive features: irregularity of the general composition; geometric pattern; large, clear elements, each appearing separately, without being connected, intertwined with others; deep, luscious carving on the plane. One of the characteristic features of this ornamentation is the absence of rapport, i.e., the rhythmic arrangement of identical elements. In the Gorno-Dagestan ornament, the image consists of figures that are compositionally independent not only in their drawing, but also in their position. The compositions are composed of different motives, and they are located freely in relation to each other. The ornament consists of a set of simple shapes: rosettes, squares, triangles, crosses, zigzags, spirals, etc. "10.

For a resident of a remote mountainous region, the symmetry looked deliberate and did not reflect his ideological attitudes. The highlander's picture of the world was dominated by naturalness and emotionality. Features of archaic ornament have been preserved on the walls of the mosque. Tsnal, buildings in the village. Kvalanda, etc. The demand for geometric ornament in Inner Dagestan is explained, firstly, by the fact that

that the settlements of Inner Dagestan were not subjected to such a powerful influence of the culture of Western Asia as the coastal regions; secondly, the fact that the main consumers were autochthonous peoples; thirdly, because of the relative geographic isolation, the ornament continued to be perceived as an instrument of influence, as a magic weapon. Geometric ornament in demonstrative asymmetry and freedom of arrangement of elements is consonant with the Neolithic culture of Europe and Western Asia, and the actual area of geometric ornament coincides with the area of the complex of ancient cult symbols.

8 Lotman Yu.M. Symbol in the system of culture // Symbol in the system of culture. Proceedings on Sign Systems XXI. Tartu, 1987.S. 11.

9 Rybakov BA Applied art and sculpture // History of culture of Ancient Russia. T. 2.M.-L., 1951.S. 399.

10 Golan A. Myth and Symbol. - M .: Russlit, 1993.S. 240.

Rice. 2. Carved stone in the masonry of the wall. S. Machada, Dagestan.

“... in the style of the architectural ornament of Dagestan, two different origins appear: the technique of its execution belongs to the artistic traditions of the ancient Indo-Europeans, while in the principles of composition, the extinct line continues almost everywhere, going back to the aesthetics of another cultural layer, to the spiritual world of Neolithic farmers. Compositionally, the decorative art of Dagestan is indeed the last phenomenon of the Neolithic aesthetics. The most striking examples of this aesthetics are the art of Tripolye-Cucuteni culture and the art of Ancient Crete ”11.

Wickerwork also belongs to the archaic ornament. Braiding in the form of a flat two-plane thread was most often used to decorate architectural details. The pattern is formed due to the interlacing of ribbons arranged in the form of circles, squares, rhombuses, zigzags, stripes. Carvings of the "braid" type covered the front planes of windows and doors, support pillars with a trapezoidal capital, grave steles. Just like the geometric ornament, the "braid" plays the role of "amulet" and, perhaps, is demonstratively revealed or hidden from prying eyes. The localization of the braid covers Tabasaran, Agul, the southern part of Kaitag, Gidatl. It is difficult to determine the time of the appearance of this type of ornament on the territory of Dagestan. Popular in Byzantium, it appeared in Dagestan ready-made and was adopted from the culture of Transcaucasia around the 12th century. It is the XII century that the carved wooden

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MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

pillars of the mosque with. Richie 12. Comparison of the Kaitag-Tabasaran ornament with the Georgian and Armenian ones demonstrates a striking similarity in the uniformity of the composition structure and in the details of the drawing.

Rice. 3. Braid thread in Dagestan: 1 - the usual type of window frame in Tabasaran; 2 - a fragment of a carved partition in Gidatl.

The appearance of floral ornamentation on the territory of Dagestan is associated with the transmission of Muslim culture to the mountainous region. This type of ornament is characterized by the depiction of stylized plant forms. The ornamentalist modifies the natural forms of a plant, conforming them to the laws of symmetry. The most common forms of floral ornament: acanthus, lotus, papyrus, palm trees, hops, laurel, vine, ivy, etc. Floral ornament was formed in Mesopotamia and Iran in the Bronze Age, and had a significant impact on applied arts Europe and the Caucasus. Spreading from the 16th century on the territory of Dagestan, floral ornament replaced the geometric one. The Kubachi masters were the first to embrace the Middle Eastern tradition. Significant role in the formation of the Dagestan

12 See Golan A. Myth and Symbol. - M .: Russlit, 1993.S. 240.

174 | 4(5). 2011 |

floral ornament was played by the assimilation of the classical Arab-bo-Muslim culture, a kind of "renaissance of medieval Arab culture."

There are three ethnoterritorial varieties of the Dagestan plant ornament: Kubachin, Lak and Avar. The Kubachi decor is distinguished by a high technique of execution, a variety of techniques and complex, delicately designed ornamentation. The main ornamental compositions of the Kubachi decor are "tutta", "markharai", "tamga".

"Tutta" translated from Dargin means a branch or tree and is a symmetrical, usually vertical structure, the axis of which divides the decorated surface into two equal halves. The composition is based on a stem with symmetrical lateral leaflets, where pairs can differ in length and degree of curvature. The base is covered with a dense network of flower heads, leaves, etc. In a number of compositional constructions of the tutta, the axis is guessed due to the symmetrically located ornamental design. This type of decor is considered the most complex type of ornament13.

Rice. 4. Kubachi ornamentation: a) composition "tutta"; b) the composition "markharai".

According to P.M. Debirov, the dynamic decor "tutta" is created due to the contrasting movement of two pairs of curls. “The first pair forms a spiral movement, the second pair moves towards the first and forms a heart-shaped figure with its movement, pointing downward” 14.

The decor "markharai", translated from the Dargin language as a thicket, is compositionally not symmetrical and can develop in any direction, filling a space of any shape. “The base is luxuriantly and densely equipped with“ heads ”overgrowing from a complex rhythmic network of stems, creating a very evenly saturated ornamental fabric. It often has no top, no bottom, no beginning, no end, it can

13 Astvatsaturyan E. Weapons of the peoples of the Caucasus. The history of weapons. - M., 1995.S. 72.

14 Debirov P.M.

decorative and applied art of Dagestan and the present. - Makhachkala, 1979.S. 40.

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

Rice. 5. A set of silver dishes. Composition "markharai". Kubachi. Second half of the 20th century

grow and develop in different directions ”15. The plasticity of "markharaya" allows you to fill a space of any shape with decor. Quite often the decor "markharai" is used in combination with "tutta".

"Tamga" is a large closed-loop medallion. Depending on the shape of the product, it can approach a circle, oval, rhombus, square, rectangle. The inner field of a tamga is usually filled with small curls, heads, leaves of plants in a tutta or mar-kharai decor.

Floral ornament as a new direction of surface decoration is being formed and developed simultaneously in different regions: Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Muslim countries of the Middle East and the North Caucasus, enriching with autochthonous culture. “Floral ornament, as an important component of artistic culture, is as organically inherent in the Islamic art of Dagestan as it is characteristic of the art of the peoples of the Near and Middle East. The Dagestan masters contributed to the development of ornamental motifs of the plant style, as well as the epigraphic, ribbon, geometric and other types of patterns. Over the centuries, this type of ornament has been improved, enriched and perfected by many generations of craftsmen. At the same time, the ornament acquired a "handwriting" characteristic of a particular historical epoch, that is, features of style and ethnic originality. For many centuries, add

15 Shilling E. M. Kubachins and their culture. M. - L., 1949.S. 107.

there were local features of plant ornament - Kuba-Chinskiy, Lak, Avar, etc. The plant ornament in all its inexhaustible variety of motifs and compositional constructions has found and is now finding wide application in the most various types of decorative and applied and monumental decorative art of Dagestan ”16 ...

Another type of Dagestan floral ornament is the Lak ornament. The Kazikumukh period (up to the 70s of the XIX century) is characterized by an ornament, the pattern of which is symmetrically diverging in different directions stems with rosettes, pointed petals with leaves, buds, curls of a very bizarre pattern. Stylized bird heads were woven into the plant base of the Lak ornament. In the period when the Lak masters began to leave the borders of Dagestan, they began to use ornamental compositions "kuradar", "murkh-nakich", which stylistically were very close to the Kubachi decors "tutta" and "markharai". The composition "kuradar" is a spiral braided and intersecting stems, whose petals and leaves are turned into the spiral. This type of ornament was carried out using the technique of deep engraving interspersed with rosettes, petals and leaves. "Murkhar" was a symmetrically located pattern in the center of which there was a rod of small rosettes or buds, made in niello with a white pattern. On both sides of the rod there was a spiral

16 Mammaev M.M. Islamic art of Dagestan: the formation and

specific traits// Islam and Islamic culture in Dagestan. -

M .: Publishing house "Vostochnaya literatura" RAS, 2001. P. 91.

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

Rice. 6. Silver service. The composition "tamga". Kubachi. 1980 g.

but twisted stems with petals and leaves facing inward a spiral17.

The third type of Dagestan ornament, the Avar ornament, is similar to the Kubachin and Lak ones. Avar floral ornament is distinguished by two features: firstly, a very deep selection of the background, thanks to which the ornament stood out against a dark background, and secondly, the fact that many elements ended in a curl with a small circle at the end18.

Weapons, jewelry and decorative details were decorated with floral ornaments. Floral ornament, as well as other types of ornament, performed four main functions, which were formulated by Josef Vydra:

Constructive, supporting the tectonics of the subject and influencing its spatial perception;

Operational, facilitating the use of the item;

Representative, enhancing the impression of the value of the object;

17 See Gabiev D.-M. C. Metalworking of varnishes. - Teaching notes of the Dagestan branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. NIYAL them. Tsadasi. T. IV. - Makhachkala, 1958.

18 See Kilcheskaya E. V. Avar jewelry art. Art of Dagestan. - Makhachkala, 1965.

Psychic, providing symbolic impact 19.

In medieval Dagestan, following the countries of the Near and Middle East, Arabic calligraphy is becoming a widespread type of surface decoration. Researchers of the medieval art of the East rightly note that “highly developed calligraphy, which was a letter not only of religion, but also of poetry, philosophy, science, was regarded as an art and occupied an honorable place among its other types. Having reached an unusual subtlety and grace in the use of various complicated handwritings, calligraphy turned into one of the forms of ornament that played a significant role in the art of the Muslim Middle Ages ”20.

Epigraphic ornament became widespread in the form of aphorisms, sayings from the Koran, good wishes, inscriptions of historical content applied to ceramics, metal products, carved wood, stone and bone, artistic fabrics and carpets, weapons, as well as religious and civil architectural structures. The lettering from the intricate

19 See Voronchikhin N. S., Emshanova N. A. Ornaments, styles, motives.-Izhevsk: Publishing house of the Udmurt University, 2004. P. 17.

20 Kaptereva T.P., Vinogradova N.L.

current. M., 1989.S. 14.

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

ligatures of Arabic letters, woven into ornamental compositions, were used for artistic decoration of memorial monuments in the form of vertically placed stone slabs. Late kufi served as one of the main types of decorative handwriting. On the territory of Dagestan, there are inscriptions made in the handwriting of suls, and since the 15th century, the handwriting of naskh in combination with floral ornaments has become the most popular21.

Rice. 7. A grave monument from the village of Kalakoreish. Combination of epigraphic and floral ornaments. 783 / 1381-1382 g.

An overview of the types of ornaments known and common on the territory of Dagestan will be incomplete without mentioning the zoomorphic style. Despite the displacement of images of living beings by Islamic ideology, the masters who worked in the Middle Ages enriched epigraphic compositions with images of animals, birds and fantastic creatures. “Often, pre-Islamic pagan symbols that had existed in folk art for a very long time - various kinds of solar

21 See Mammaev M. M. Islamic art of Dagestan: formation and characteristics // Islam and Islamic culture in Dagestan. - M .: Publishing house "Eastern Literature" RAS, 2001. P. 93; Shikhsaidov A.R. Epigraphic monuments of Dagestan. M., 1984.S. 346-347; Gamzatov G. G. Dagestan: historical and literary process. - Questions of history, theory, methodology. Makhachkala, 1990.S. 226.

signs, vortex rosettes, cruciform figures, etc., as well as images of a horse, rider, tulpar (winged horse) and birds. On men's tombstones, images of cold weapons and firearms, gazyrs, shoes, a jug for ablution were also carved, and on women's tombstones - combs, scissors, various decorations, etc. "22.

As examples of products that have preserved the zoomorphic style, one can cite the Kubachi stone reliefs of the 14th-15th centuries, on which images of living beings - animals, people or birds, are carved along with Arabic inscriptions and floral ornaments; the tympanum of a two-span window of the 14th century, now kept in the State Hermitage. with the image of a lion attacking a wild boar; a stone tombstone in the form of a semi-cylindrical or "chest-like" sarcophagus of the 13th - early 14th century. with various pictorial subjects from the village of Kalakoreish; carved doors of the Kalokoreish mosque of the XII-XIII centuries. other. Despite the fact that, starting from the 16th century, under the influence of Islam, the development of the art of Dagestan proceeded along the line of increasing ornamentalism and the gradual displacement of pictorial subjects, it should be noted that each subsequent ornament does not completely replace the previous one. For example, a Balkhar ceramic vessel of the early 20th century contains archaic graphemes that refer to the symbolic series of archaic culture. The presence of archaic symbols on the vessel of the 20th century is explained by the fact that in Balkhar, making ceramics is the prerogative of women who act as keepers of tradition and strive to preserve the symbolic space of everyday life.

A large two-handed vessel "kakwa" is molded on a potter's wheel and decorated with engobe painting in white and red colors. The vessel is decorated with an ornament that has ancient roots and serves as a talisman. The painting of the vessel demonstrates the coexistence of the introduced painting technique with the dominance of graceful floral ornamentation and archaic, in which geometric ornament dominates in a combination of solar signs, borders, rhombuses, zigzags, etc.

The most convex part of the body is decorated with a rhombus. The center of the composition can be interpreted in two ways: either as a solar sign inscribed in a rhombus - a symbol of the sun, fire, warmth, life, or as a symbol of an object in need of rain. On the one hand, he is credited with the role of a talisman that guarantees high-quality firing, on the other, he declares a picture of the world.

A rhombus in combination with curls, as well as a number of similar curls radiating from the center with a belt, forms the main ornamental composition - the Tree of Life. The sacred tree of life symbolizes the source of vitality and fertility. Under the rhombus there is an element typical for the whole "Old Balkhar" - "baba". The semantic load of the ornament is traditional - it protects the contents and the vessel itself.

The main pattern above and below is framed by ornamental belts, which together form a clear vertical division into three ornamental zones. The shoulders and neck of the vessel are decorated with a light wavy border of white-angled painting. The body is decorated with a three-part composition,

22 Mammaev M. M. Islamic art of Dagestan: formation and characteristics // Islam and Islamic culture in Dagestan. - M .: Publishing house "Eastern Literature" RAS, 2001. P. 91.

MAGAMEDOVA Aminad Akhmednurievna / Aminad MAGAMEDOVA

| Cultogenesis of Symbolic Forms: Formation of Dagestan Ornament |

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

Rice. 8. Two-handed vessel "kakva". The village of Balkhar. The beginning of the twentieth century.

carried by an engobe of two colors - white and red. The upper ornamental belt contains a rain grapheme. On this vessel, the rain sign is included in the cloud, declaring not just a cloud symbol, but a rain cloud that should pour out onto the earth and give it water. Since Neolithic times, the cloud sign has been considered a symbol of the sky goddess23. In the process of simplifying the drawing, the semi-ovals were transformed into triangles, and the zigzag and wavy lines were replaced by shading. Consequently, the lower belt of the Balkhar vessel, as well as the upper belt, contains the symbolism of the goddess of the sky. The three-part division used in Balkhar ceramics has ancient roots and reflects the picture of the world of our ancestors: the world consists of three parts: the heavenly world, the terrestrial world and the underworld. The base of the body is decorated with a wide belt, consisting of two ornamental stripes, with oblique shading and a wavy line24.

An attempt to read the graphemes applied to this vessel leads to the following conclusions:

23 A. Golan, Myth and Symbol, Moscow: Russlit, 1993, p. 16.

24 See http://keramika.peterlife.ru/keramikahistory/keramika_history-32.

Layering of various ornamental styles;

Preservation of the archaic layer of consciousness;

Declaration of ethnic constants in household items made by women;

Preservation and transmission of the ethnic picture of the world in everyday life.

“... the sacred sphere is always more conservative than the profane one. This increases that internal diversity, which is the law of the existence of culture. Symbols represent one of the most enduring elements of the cultural continuum. Being an important mechanism for the memory of culture, symbols transfer texts, plot schemes and other semiotic formations from one layer of culture to another. Constant sets of symbols that permeate the diachrony of culture to a large extent take on the function of unity mechanisms: realizing the culture's memory of itself, they do not allow them to disintegrate into isolated chronological layers. The unity of the main set of dominant symbols and the duration of their cultural life largely determine the national and areal boundaries of cultures ”25.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the ornament reflects the changes taking place in society and visualizes the legitimized picture of the world in a stylized form. The displacement of archaic types of ornament coincides with the historical process of the displacement of the hunting civilization by the civilization of agricultural culture. Symbols of hunters are replaced by symbols of farmers, and they, in turn, are replaced by symbols of pastoralists. The displacement of adaptation-activity models is accompanied by graphic reinforcement of a new picture of the world and the declaration of new traits of mentality. Layering of motives makes it difficult to study the sequence of development of the symbol and the path of its distribution.

On the other hand, the change in styles allows one to judge the development of consciousness, about the ascent from the mythological to the abstract level. Geometric ornament and braiding, archaic styles of ornament, reflect the mythological level of consciousness. The floral ornament introduced in the Middle Ages along with the ideology of Islam demonstrates the formation of a religious worldview. The emergence and widespread dissemination of the epigraphic style produces a hermeneutic turn, expressed in the abstraction of key concepts. The plastic embodiment of the word and giving it a spatial volume are carried out. The ornament in the form of graphemes of one kind or another reflected and reflects religious beliefs and the actual picture of the world of the ethnos. Modeling the world in symbolic forms, the ethnos develops activity models for its development and appropriation, captures and transfers generalized experience in graphemes.

25 Lotman Yu.M. Symbol in the system of culture // Symbol in the system of culture. Proceedings on Sign Systems XXI. Tartu, 1987.S. 12.

Luxury and mystery, oriental wisdom and aristocracy - all this is summed up in two words “Kubachin silver”. A silver bracelet on a delicate woman's hand attracts and bewitches with an intricate interweaving of a pattern. I would like to unravel these jewelry signs, to comprehend their secret, without taking your eyes off the shine of the precious metal.

Since ancient times, one of the most skilled artisans, creating real masterpieces of silver, were kubachi - inhabitants of a settlement in the mountains of Dagestan, famous for their ability to make armor and chain mail. Since then, Kubachi silver has been a quality mark worthy of the most precious persons.

The Kubachi craftsmanship is named after the place of origin of the craft - the Dagestan aul of Kubachi. In ancient times, the ancient Greeks developed mines in the Caucasus, mined precious metals, including silver, and also made jewelry here. This is how the local people adopted the art of using metal. Nevertheless, it became known about independent Kubachi masters from the works of the Arab historian Al-Masudi, who lived in the 10th century. According to his stories, artisans - chain mail men lived on the territory of the present aul of Kubachi, who made not only chain mail, excellent in their protective properties, but also the best military weapons. This is where the name "Kubachi" came from, which in translation from Turkish means "weapons craftsmen" or "kolchuzhniki".

"Kubachi" is rightfully a brand in the world of exclusive silver jewelry.

Silver handicrafts have always been considered a sign of good taste. The silverware of the Kubachin people amazes with its luxury and originality. Silver bowls and dishes with blackened floral patterns will surprise true connoisseurs of exclusive jewelry. Drinking cups inlaid with various stones are reminiscent of oriental tales of gins and padishahs. Kubachi silver will rightfully take the main place in the collection of heirlooms.

Products of Kubachi craftsmen have been awarded prizes and certificates of many Russian and foreign exhibitions. Some silver items are exhibited in museums around the world. Kubachi silverware is distinguished from other manufacturers by original metal processing, intricate engraving, magnificent patterns, often covered with niello, enamel, and also Kubachi craftsmen place ivory inserts and stones of various beauty and value on their products.

In history, the Kubachins have been known since the 11th century as zirikhgerans (Persian "kolchuzhniki"), and from the 15th century. - as Kubachi (Turkish "kolchuzhniki"). In the V-X centuries. Kubachi is the center of Zirikhgeran, one of the early state formations of Dagestan, which played an active role in the political life of the North-Eastern Caucasus. In the XVI-XVII centuries. defended independence in the fight against the Kaitag Utsmiy and the Kazikumukh khans. In the XVIII century. the Kubachins experienced the invasion of the troops of the Iranian conqueror Nadir Shah. After the annexation of Dagestan to Russia under the Gulistan Treaty of 1813, the village of Kubachi became part of the Kaitago-Tabasaran District. Since 1921, Kubachi has been a part of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, since 1991 - the Republic of Dagestan.

Activities and traditions

The main traditional occupation of the Kubachin people is craft. Farming and cattle breeding were of an auxiliary nature. The developed branches of the craft were metalworking, stone and wood carving, construction, and bone processing.

Women's crafts were hand knitting, embroidery, weaving (production of cloth), making felt and footwear from it. There were no established shop organizations in the village of Kubachi. Craftsmanship was inherited. The leading and highly developed branch of traditional craft - metalworking included: 1) copper-chased business - the manufacture of water-bearing vessels, ritual dishes, lids for boilers; 2) casting of bronze boilers, lamps; 3) the manufacture of artistically finished edged weapons and firearms; 4) production of various women's jewelry, items of men's costume (belts, gazyri), details of horse equipment. Products of these industries were widely sold far beyond the borders of the region. It reached a high degree of perfection in the XIII-XV centuries. casting of decorated bronze cauldrons. In the XIV-XV centuries. wood and stone carving flourished. On the stone reliefs, scenes of hunting, competitions, animal fighting, animal rutting, images of animals and birds, raises, and epigraphics were carved. ornament. In the XVI-XVII centuries. the main types of Kubachi ornament of the plant style, which were widely used in various types of folk art, took shape. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the manufacture of edged weapons and firearms trimmed with silver, carved bone, gold notching, as well as jewelry, patterned knitting and gold embroidery were widely developed. Kubachi became the largest center for the manufacture of the best weapons and jewelry in the Caucasus. From the 2nd half of the 19th century. otkhodnichestvo masters in the cities of the Caucasus was widely developed. Among the Kubachins, the owners of goldsmithing workshops, who used hired labor, as well as buyers, usurers, and antique dealers, stood out. In the life of the Kubachin people in the 19th - early 20th centuries. retained the importance of related groups - tukhums, consisting of consanguineous families (initially on the paternal side, later on the maternal side). Tukhum maintained social and ideological unity, and economically, each kindred family was an independent unit. Tukhum was endogamous; intra-tukhum marriages were preferred. The conclusion of marriage, divorce, the procedure for the division of hereditary property were determined by the norms of Sharia. The position of a woman was powerless, her behavior was strictly regulated by adat and sharia. Polygamy has not become widespread. Marriages between cousins and second cousins were not limited and were committed at the behest of the parents. The Kubachians almost never entered into marriages with representatives of other peoples. In the public life of the Kubachins, a large place was occupied by the male unions of gulalla ak bukun (union of the unmarried), which abounded in complex and heterogeneous, strictly observed ceremonies and rituals. The basis of the social organization of the Kubachin people was the rural community - the jamaat, whose internal life was regulated by the norms of adat and sharia. Internal and external affairs, judicial and executive powers were under the jurisdiction of a special organization Chine of 7 people. elected by the jamaat at the people's meeting. The military organization Batirte was subordinate to her, whose functions included protecting the village from external attacks, protecting forest, pasture and hayfields, and livestock. After the introduction of administrative management in the middle of the XIX century. the significance of Chine faded away, but the village remained a self-governing unit. Kubachi is a large mountain village (shi). When choosing a place of settlement, four factors were taken into account: 1) maximum saving of land; 2) the proximity of water sources and land; 3) reliable defense; 4) solar (southern) orientation. According to the layout and nature of the development, Kubachi is a terraced (multi-tiered) settlement with closely and compactly built-up quarters and vertical zoning. In the planning and general architectural appearance of the Kubachi villages, significant changes have occurred since the early 60s. XX century, when intensive construction began in all directions, where the terrain allows.

Traditional dwellings

The dwellings of the Kubachins are multi-chamber, 2-3-storey, flat-roofed structures made of stone. In the lowest floors there were a barn, a stable, on the 2nd - a hayloft, a fuel storage, and in the upper floors - housing of many rooms, pantries for food, home workshops of goldsmiths. The interior of the living room was distinguished by its originality. Carpets were laid on the floor. In the middle part of one of the walls there was a wall fireplace with an ornamented smoke. Along another wall were shelves for a variety of metal utensils of local production and Middle Eastern origin (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria). The other two walls were hung with rows of copper trays, porcelain and earthenware dishes from the ceramic centers of Iran, China, Syria, Japan, Russia and European countries. The Kubachi interior with peculiar home museums is still preserved by the majority of the inhabitants of the village, although the dwelling has undergone changes (beds, furniture, televisions, etc., rooms, except for a fireplace, are furnished in a city style).

Traditional clothing

Traditional women's clothing: tunic-cut shirt dress; brocade coat; with short sleeves (now out of use); a chukhta headdress (a square bandage with sewn multi-colored patches), a kaza (a white, usually embroidered towel-like bandage cape), a kate - a woolen cape shawl, white felt boots (now out of use) and knitted patterned socks. Wedding dress: dress from east. brocade embroidered with gold and silver threads "kazy", various ornaments - silver chains on chukhta, large gold rings, silver bracelets, pendants trimmed with grain, pearls and gems. Men's clothing of the general Dagestan type: a tunic-cut shirt, straight pants, beshmet and Circassian coat, morocco or felt boots, sheepskin coats and hats. The set of clothes included a silver typesetting belt, a dagger and gazyri for a Circassian coat. Nowadays, the national men's and women's clothing has been supplanted by the common European clothing of the urban type. However, the “kaz”, which is unique for the region, has remained an indispensable element of women's wardrobe and is worn together with modern clothing of a common European type.

Traditional food of the Kubachi

The traditional food of the Kubachins is generally similar to the food of other peoples of Dagestan, but has some peculiarities in the methods of cooking, their components and names. The main products are grain and meat and dairy products. Common dishes are khinkal made from wheat and corn flour, soups with beans, rice, lentils, "pies" (the traditional name in Dagestan is "miracle", in the village of Kubachi - "Alya-kutse") and dumplings stuffed with meat, cottage cheese, eggs, nettles, potatoes, offal, pumpkin, local melted cheese. Dairy products are widely used - milk, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, milk soups with rice, noodles, porridge ...

The culture

The spiritual culture of the Kubachins, with its commonality with the spiritual culture of the Dargins and other peoples of Dagestan, also has specific features that are manifested in the features folk customs, rituals, traditional beliefs, great uniqueness of everyday life and industries, activities. These features are manifested in folk choreography, music, folklore. Carefully designed ceremonial and ritual dances different types performed to music (zurna and drum) by members of men's unions during the cycle of the "union of the unmarried", as well as at weddings. Kubachi folklore, typologically close to the folklore of the Dargins, has its own characteristics, due to the nature of the main. labor activity of the Kubachins - masters - gunsmiths and jewelers. Are noted New Year's celebration(according to the lunar calendar) - the day of spring and every year at the beginning of May the holiday "walking on water from the evil eye", accompanied by ceremonial processions, music, dancing, fun, picking flowers. Until the XX century. among the Kubachins, traditional pre-Islamic beliefs were preserved, manifested in the rituals of invoking the sun and rain, veneration of sacred trees, the cult of the eagle, and others. animals, magic. rituals of treatment from the evil eye, wearing various kinds of amulets and talismans. In the late XIX - early XX centuries. Masters Magomed Hasan, Usta Ibragim, Hajiabdulla Ibragimov achieved high professional skills, whose products were exhibited at exhibitions in Tiflis, St. Petersburg, Paris, London, Constantinople, Tehran and were repeatedly awarded gold and silver medals. In 1924, a jewelry artel was organized in the village of Kubachi, which was transformed in 1960 into the Kubachinsky art plant, which became a large enterprise of folk arts and crafts in Dagestan (780 craftsmen and craftswomen, of which 230 homeworkers knitting patterned socks). The plant produces a variety of silver products, including highly artistic samples - jugs, vases, cups, sets, decorative dishes, women's jewelry, which have won awards at many domestic and foreign exhibitions (Brussels - 1958, Montreal - 1967, Osaka - 1970 year, etc.). Leading masters developing national traditions of folk art were awarded the honorary titles of People's Artists of Russia and Dagestan, many were members of the Union of Artists of Russia, awarded orders and medals, and R. Alikhanov, G. Magomedov, A. Abdurakhmanov, G. Kishev and G. Chabkaev awarded the State Prize Russian Federation... Collections of products and monuments of Kubachin art are kept in the largest museums in Russia and foreign countries - in the State Historical Museum, Moscow; Hermitage, St. Petersburg; Louvre, Paris; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and many others. The activities of the Kubachins have now gone far beyond their traditional occupations. Among the national intelligentsia there are writers (Abu Bakar and others), scientists, doctors, engineers.

Folk arts and crafts of Dagestan

Dagestan, everything that people gave me
I will share with you on honor
I have my orders and medals
I'll pin your tops.

I will dedicate you sonorous hymns
And the words turned into verse
Give me only a burka of woods
And the hat of the snow peaks!

Rasul Gamzatov

It is difficult to get away from the feeling when you read Rasul Gamzatov: you are talking not with one person, but with the whole of Dagestan - the land of extraordinary, unique nature, misty mountains, crystal air and silver streams.
Reading beautiful poetic lines, you involuntarily begin to feel that the world of mountains and highlanders is getting closer and more interesting. After all, the poetry of Rasul Gamzatov is both a river, and a sea, and mountains, and, of course, people. He managed to tell about his homeland in such a way that one would like to know as much as possible about this wonderful land.
In his work, the folk poet of Dagestan Rasul Gamzatov repeatedly mentioned the folk masters and artists for whom the Country of Mountains has been famous since ancient times:
“For centuries, its unsurpassed folk craftsmen have worked in Dagestan: the goldsmiths of the aul Kubachi, the silversmiths of the master Gotsatl. The Untsukulites created hand-made poems from wood, Derbent and Tabasaran women transferred all one hundred colors of my land onto carpets, balhark people wrote mysterious poems on clay jugs. "
We will tell you more about some of the fisheries.

Kubachi

The secret of Kubachin art
Don't look for silver in threads.
Carry the secret of this art
In the heart of the Kubachin masters.
Rasul Gamzatov "Inscriptions on Kubachi gold items"

In the high mountains, among the rocks covered with rare vegetation, lies the ancient famous village of Kubachi.

Kubachi

As early as the 7th century, the products of Kubachi craftsmen were known in the Transcaucasus and the Middle East. The chain mails, helmets, swords, knives, daggers, firearms, copper dishes and jewelry made by them were highly valued in many countries of the world.

Rasul Gamzatov

If suddenly I become metal
Don't mint coins out of me.
I don't want to strum in anyone's pockets
Light up an unkind light in your eyes.

If I am destined to be metal
Forge the weapon out of me
To me with a blade or a dagger
Sleep in a scabbard and fly into battle, ringing.

A Kubachi master usually has several professions; he must be an engraver, know to the finer points of plumbing, metal notching, artistic casting, filigree, enamel, bone, wood and stone carving. All these types of work in various combinations are used to create Kubachi works, in the production process of which several or one master take part.

First, the master creates a graphic drawing that will decorate the future product. Then he proceeds to make the work itself. This work is divided into several stages: mounting, engraving, notching, filigree, enamel work. The author, as a rule, is fluent in one of the stages of work, although there are masters in Kubachi who perform all types of work from start to finish.

There are whole dynasties of engravers, assemblers, filigree workers in the aul. Specialization was hereditary, passed from generation to generation, and the family was a kind of school of craftsmanship.
The creation of any Kubachi work begins with the manufacture of its form by forging or casting, be it a vase, a jug, a dish, a sheath for checkers or daggers. This process is called prying. After mounting, the blank of the future product goes to the "habich usta" - the master of engraving, who very often is the author of the future work of art.

Women's belts

In Kubachi, the engraving master is considered the central figure in the production. He develops an ornament, suggests the form of the work, and performs the most important and important part of it - engraving work. The peculiarity of Kubachi engraving is that the entire surface of the product is covered with an ornament.
Since the working metal used by the Kubachi master is usually silver, when creating an ornament, the author, using the features of the metal, uses various engraving techniques, blackening and gilding, achieving a harmonious combination of dark and light tones.
Kubachi masters are excellent experts in various styles. They are well acquainted with the art of Iran, the Middle East, India, Ancient Russia.

Female headset. Based on sketches by A. Abdurakhmanov

Rasul Gamzatov
Among the Kubachin people
In Kubachin this spring
I watched how subtle and sly
The master weaves the lace carved
In blackened cast silver.

The glass of the glasses equips the sight,
Unhurried sensitive hand.
There is love in the eyes
and in the heart - inspiration,
Winged like clouds in the sky.

Coming to him, you would see yourself,
That the master is faithful to the end to himself.
He does not straighten his back for hours,
So that a new sign could be born in carving.

And if you make a mistake inadvertently
And he will make a wrong sign with a chisel,
It will become sad in deep silence
And all the work will start all over again.

And, without breaking the glory of the Kubachin people,
He will once again shine with high skill,

That excites our souls
And sometimes it seems like magic.

So that the poem could live longer,
I study, friends,
sometimes cheerful, sometimes severe,
I have Kubachin patience,
The exactingness of the aul masters.

Powder boxes. Based on sketches by A. Abdurakhmanov

Gotzatl

Koisu dear, crushing stones,
Who are you running after, sparing no effort?
Was it not a wicked thief who robbed you,
Has the guest left and forgot something?

Where are you going? The paths are far away.
What is driving you away? What calls to the lowlands?
Why are you all the rivers and all the streams
Are you taking it with you from the white-breasted heights?

I love to stand on a steep bank
In the gorge where your run begins.
I can tell your deaf voice
In the sound of a choir from a thousand rivers.
Rasul Gamzatov "Avar Koisu" (Excerpt)

The beautiful Avar village of Gotsatl, hidden among the high mountains on the banks of the Avar Koisu. In this village one hundred - one hundred and fifty years ago art was born, which is now well known in our country. According to legend, one of the first craftsmen was Alibek, who served with Shamil.

Rasul Gamzatov

They burned on Shamil's saber
Words, and I remembered them from childhood:

Thinks about the consequences! "

Poet, let the marks of words be struck
They live next to your feather:
"He is not a brave man who is in abusive business
Thinks about the consequences! "

The Gotsatlinsky master, like the Kubachinsky, has several professions; he must know smelting, forging, plumbing, engraving, drawing, grinding and polishing. Gotzatl's products are made of silver, copper and cupronickel. But if the labor processes of the Gotsatlinsky and Kubachinsky masters are generally similar, then their works differ in their ornament.
Gotsatla produces kumgans, cutlery, wine sets, decorative plates, women's jewelry, wine horns.

Rasul Gamzatov
Raising the Avar horn

Let's get off our horses ...
Sparkles by the road
Stream,
Behind us is a wall of snowy mountains ...
Let it be reflected in our full horn
Horseshoe golden moon.

Let's drink by the hand - the one that lifts the horn,
For lips burnt with wine
For the sky above the earth, for our land,
Beautiful in the silence of the night ...

Unlike the Kubachi ornament, the Avar, Gotsatlinsky, on the surface of the product does not occupy the entire area and is performed in a strict graphic form. There are several main Gotsatla ornaments. One of the most ancient is called in Avar "zhurab-nakish" and is a set of decorative flowers, leaves, arranged in a strict sequence on the surface of the product.
"Kahab-nakish" and "cherab-nakish" are the most common Gotsatla ornaments. They differ from each other in the way they are played. One and the same pattern on the surface of the product can be made at the request of the master using the "kahab" or "cherab-nakish" method. If the pattern is white and is made on a black background that covers the surface of the product, the ornament is called "khab-nakish"; on a white background, a black drawing - "cherab-nakish". In the manufacture of women's jewelry, a symmetrical ornament called "damgan" is used. When creating a piece, the Gotsatlinsky master very often uses all types of ornaments, skillfully combining them.

Rasul Gamzatov
I happened to see sometimes:
Goldsmiths are my neighbors -
With the help of the kazab without difficulty
Distinguished gold from copper.

My reader is a connoisseur of values,
It's hard for me without your kazab
Recognize in the intricacies of lines,
Where under the guise of gold - a copper.

Untsukul

The distant peak seems close
You will look from the foot - give it with your hand,
But with deep snow, a stony path
You go and you go, but you can't see the end
Rasul Gamzatov from "Vosmistishy"

Among the wild steep mountains, standing in a circle with a high wall, there is a large village - the regional center of Untsukul - the birthplace of a unique decorative art.
Like Gotsatl, Untsukul is an Avar village. The origins of the craft, as the legend says, go back to the distant past - the 17th – 18th centuries. Old people remember how a large wooden ring with a silver notch hung on the door of an ancient mosque. Legends tell about the wonderful ancient masters Huseyn and Martal, whose names are today borne by the most ancient Untsukul ornaments. Also known is the master Aligadjimesta, who lived about two hundred years ago.

The first piece of art that was characteristic of the masters of that time was the handle of a whip, made of dogwood, decorated with an artistic notch. Later in Untsukul craftsmen began to decorate decorative walking sticks with notches, artistic pipes and snuff boxes began to appear.

Rasul Gamzatov
Inscriptions on Untsukul sticks
* * *
When you get off your horse, only she

One will replace your horse.
* * *
Although the pattern on it is more cheerful, -
Those who are with her have a sad look.
* * *
A hand will fall to her
What used to lift
And the silver of the blade
And the gold of the dagger.
* * *
My poor master,
You are worthy of honors
You or an old gray-haired man,
Or a crippled warrior.
* * *
No matter how respectable you are, no matter how great,
But you will bow down to her, gray-haired old man.
* * *
I was making noise,
I was young.
I'm sad with you
About the youth of the past.
* * *
I am legs for a legless
Dzhigit the brave.
I’m eyes for the wretched
The blind man.

To comprehend the secrets of Untsukul art, one must get acquainted with its ancient ornaments and the production process.
The master is required to be not only an artist who perfectly knows all the existing types of Untsukul ornaments, but also to be fluent in turning and carpentry, to be well versed in the structure of valuable tree species, to know jewelry, since ultimately it is only in the combination of this knowledge that the Untsukul master.
The work of the master begins with the selection of the right wood. Usually, for the manufacture of products, apricot, dogwood trees are used, aged for at least five years, having a perfectly flat surface and a beautiful texture. Taking into account the nature and size of the wood, the artist chooses the shape of the product, develops a special ornament for his work.

Then the wood is processed on a lathe or by hand, and the workpiece takes the form of a vase, plate, mortar, etc. For the finished shape, the master makes a drawing.
The drawing made on paper is transferred to the tree with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimeter. This process is one of the most crucial moments of the master's work. First, the drawing is transferred with a pencil, and then slightly outlined with a chisel.
The next stage of work begins - a notch. In the applied drawing, the master makes an incision in the wood, into which the plate is inserted. Then it is trimmed with special scissors; with a sharp and precise blow of a hammer, a cupronickel plate 2.5 mm long and 0.05 mm thick is driven into the wood. The distance between the notches is 0.8–0.9 mm. The master usually spends ten to fifteen seconds to strengthen one notch. A kind of path is formed from the notches-strokes, which is then lined on both sides with a special thin wire-border, which is also strengthened in the wood. Depending on the chosen ornament, such a path can be straight, in the form of a ball.
Very often, together with the plate, special carnations are used, which are used to perform a dot pattern, as well as metal circles, around which carnations are hammered in the form of a border.

When creating a drawing of a product, the master uses various combinations of geometric shapes in the form of daggers, circles, nets, etc. Usually, the paths are made entirely of nails alone, framing the basic geometric shapes that are repeatedly repeated on the surface of the form. The product of the Untsukul craftsman has up to one hundred thousand notches-strokes in the drawing.
After notching, the product is polished, sanded and varnished.
There are thirteen main ancient ornaments used by Untsukul craftsmen to create their works. All the main ornaments are geometric patterns made of a track of plates, decorated with wire thread on both sides. Such a path in Avar is called "kvat". None of the main Untsukul ornaments can do without this pattern. In addition, there are dozens of auxiliary ornaments that are used only in combination with the main ones, complementing them, decorating the geometric pattern.

A. Magomedov. Mortar and jug

Rasul Gamzatov
Blurred outlines of rocks -

The day is foggy and hazy since dawn.
He came to us, came down, came,
But he left the sun somewhere.

He looks like a horse in the darkness
Returns from the battlefield
Leaving the rider to lie on the ground
No movement ...

We talked about only three famous villages of Dagestan, known to the whole world thanks to the unique masters who preserved and multiplied the ancient traditions of folk arts. The story could be continued, but I really want everyone who read this short article to want to learn more about the numerous crafts and folk craftsmen of the talented Mountain Country.

And I would like to end with one more quote from Rasul Gamzatov:
“In the aul of Tsovkra - the aul of famous tightrope walkers - the day when a little boy begins to walk on a tightrope for the first time is considered the son's birthday, and in the aul of famous goldsmiths Kubachi the day when the boy brings his first work to his father is considered to be the day when the boy brings his father his first work - patterns on silver - and when the delighted father says: "So my son was born!"
I remember a picture: aul Tsada, spring. For the first time a beardless youth goes out to plow the stony ground; the second - his peer - starts building a house for the first time; the third, having saddled a horse, sets out for the first time on a long journey, and looking at them, my satisfied father says: "How many sons were born this spring in our little aul!"
About a person without a vocation and talent, who does not benefit from his work, does not know heartfelt friendship, does not dream of exploits, in the mountains they say: "He lived to be gray, but was not born into the world."("The Highlander's Constitution").