Zaur (village)

Zaur or Zaurovo[lower-alpha 1] was a Ingush village that existed in the 18th–19th centuries on the right bank of the Terek River and in the Tarskoye Valley.

According to most sources on its territory the fortress Vladikavkaz was founded in 1784, while according to other sources Vladikavkaz was built near Zaur.

The Ingush village Zaurovo and the fortress Vladikavkaz on Johann Vogt's map (1784).

Etymology

The Ingush name of the village, Zovr-Kov, translates as "the yard/settlement of Zaur".[1] According to Russian historian Pyotr Butkov the village was known by the Armenians as Zura, by the Byzantines as Tzur, and by Arab writers as Suariag and Saul.[2]

Orthography of the name
NameAuthorSourceDate
Zaur/Zaur-kabakJohann Güldenstädt[3]1770s
ZaurovL. Shteder[4]1781
Saukqua/SsaurowaJulius Klaproth[5]1807

History

Foundation
Kisty-Ingoschofski (Ingush) on Jacob von Staehlin's map in 1771, over a decade prior to the establishment of the fortress Vladikavkaz on the right bank of the Terek river.
Деревни Унгушевскïе (Ingush villages) on Trescot's map in 1783, the year before Vladikavkaz was founded.

Based on the analysis of maps of 19th century, historian and caucasologist Nataliya Volkova concluded that the village was founded in the period of 1730s to 1760s,[6] the same time that Ingush migrations to the right bank of Terek River accured.[7]

Reportedly, the village was built by Zaur, a representative from either the Malsagov branch of the Thargimkhoy clan (teip) or the Dolgiyev branch of the Thumkhoy clan.[8]

Later history
Burnashev's map (1784) illustrates the Ingush village Zaur (Заур) just below the newly built fortress Vladikavkaz.

The Russian authorities felt the need to establish reliable communication routes with the territory of Georgia. Hence why, on May of 1784,[9] 4 versts away from the village of Zaur, the Vladikavkaz Fortress was founded. At that time, there were 30 households in the village.[6]

The Ingush, who had their villages often attacked by Kabardian and Kumyk well-armed and numerous squads, needed the help of the Vladikavkaz's Garrison troops. At the first call for help, the Ingush also appeared under the walls of the fortress. Getta, the foreman of Zaur, was among the Ingush as attested by the Vladikavkaz's commandant's reports and other documents. Getta owned the single Ingush tower of the village.[10]

The village was an important center of the Ingush and served as one of the meeting places for the Mekhk-Qel (lit. 'Country's court').[11]

Modern localization

Zaur was located in the modern day city of Vladikavkaz.[8][12][13]

Notes
  1. Ingush: Зовр-Ков, romanized: Zovr-Kov; Russian: Заур, Заурово

References
  1. Kostoev 1989, p. 17.
  2. Бутков 1837, p. 8.
  3. Гюльденштедт 2002, pp. 45, 204, 221: "Нижний Чим, по имеющимся измерениям полковника фон Ливена, находится от Моздока на юг через Кургокин кабак 31 верста 320 саженей) и Заур-кабак 51 верста 220 саженей (...) то мы еще сегодня поехали обратно к селу Заур, которого мы достигли через 1½ часа. (...) Низкие осетинские горы перед селами Заур, Барукма, Флумирсина и Кубатер."
  4. Штедер 2010, p. 171: "Наконец я оставил ингушей, пошел по Кумбелею на запад под горами трех рек, текущих в узких берегах, и через 7 верст пришел в деревню Зауров. Она лежит на более высоком правом берегу Терека, в 2 верстах под предгорьями. Старшина Гетта, родственник моего хозяина Сайку, считается здесь самым знатным; он принял меня наилучшим образом. У него только одна башня и дом из камня, другие постройки деревянные, а двор обнесен забором."
  5. Klaproth 1814, pp. 368-369: "On the 24th of December we continued our route along the right bank of the Terek. We left Vladikavkaz with a far smaller escort than had attended us thither, being accompanied by no more than 30 Cossacks and 12 Jägers. After proceeding four versts we had the Ingush village of Saukqua, now called by the Russians Ssaurowa, on our left. It is seated on the steep bank of the Terek, about two versts from the first range of the Caucasus. No part of this village is to be seen from the valley, except a lofty conical tower built of very white calcareous stone. I rode up the hill to it, in order to examine it more closely. It had no door at the bottom, but a large oblong aperture at the height of about 12 feet, to which it was impossible to ascend without a ladder."
  6. Volkova 1974, p. 161.
  7. Dolgieva et al. 2013, p. 202.
  8. Крупнов 1971, p. 166.
  9. Dolgieva et al. 2013, p. 238.
  10. Genko 1930, p. 695 (note 1).
  11. Dolgieva et al. 2013, p. 305.
  12. Некрич 1978, p. 125.
  13. Akhmadov 2009, p. 270.

Bibliography

Russian sources
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