Alans and Vainakhs in 7th-9th centuries

Abstract

The article considers the issue of territorial settlement of the Alans in the North Caucasus in the 7th-9thcenturies and it indicates that the area occupied by them is presented schematically in written sources.They occupied the mountainous territories of modern North Ossetia, the Balkars and the Karachays by the 10thcentury.Here they entered into a rather long and deep conflict with the local indigenous population. As a result of such relations, assimilation processes took place with tribes of different ethnic origins. In this process gaining the dominant position by the Iranian tribes is discussed, which laid the foundation for the process of ethnic formation of the Ossetian people.
“Geography of Armenia in the 7th century” mentions the settlement of Vainakh tribes in the North Caucasus. For this period, the Nakhs are represented as a union of several tribes that spoke a common language. Such tribes included the “Kusts”.In the same historical sources in the 7th century there is a reference to “Gurtsi” - which are Durdzuks and Nakhchmatians are mentioned with them.A special novelty in the article is the existence of another large Vainakh tribal union in the North Caucasus for this period, which is based on interesting considerations. These are the Malkhs, the worshipers of the sun god. Sun - Malkh, in Chechen.