# Dagestan Oblast

The Dagestan Oblast was a province (oblast) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day southeastern Dagestan within the Russian Federation. The Dagestan oblast was created in 1860 out of the territories of the former Caucasian Imamate, bordering the Terek Oblast to the north, the Tiflis Governorate and Zakatal Okrug to the west, the Elizavetpol Governorate to the south, and Baku Governorate to the east. The administrative center of the oblast was Temir-Khan-Shura (present-day Buynaksk).

## Administrative divisions

The districts (okrugs) of the Dagestan oblast in 1917 were as follows:
Bold line denotes the largest city.
| Name | Administrative centre and the largest city | Administrative centre and the largest city | Administrative centre and the largest city | Population | Population | Area |
| Name | | 1897 | 1917 | 1897 | 1916 | Area |
| Avarskiy okrug (Аварский округ) | Khunzakh | 1,587 | --- | 37,639 | 35,749 | 1,148.27 square versts (1,306.80 km$^2$; 504.56 sq mi) |
| Andiyskiy okrug (Андийский округ) | Botlikh | 1,225 | --- | 49,628 | 57,875 | 3,152.17 square versts (3,587.37 km$^2$; 1,385.09 sq mi) |
| Gunibskiy okrug (Гунибский округ) | Gunib | 685 | --- | 55,899 | 76,175 | 3,422.33 square versts (3,894.82 km$^2$; 1,503.80 sq mi) |
| Darginskiy okrug (Даргинский округ) | Levashi | 1,343 | --- | 80,943 | 85,131 | 1,525.25 square versts (1,735.83 km$^2$; 670.21 sq mi) |
| Kazikumukhskiy okrug (Казикумухский округ) | Kumukh | 621 | --- | 45,363 | 51,250 | 1,270.80 square versts (1,446.25 km$^2$; 558.40 sq mi) |
| Kaytago-Tabasaranskiy okrug (Кайтаго-Табасаранский округ) | Madzhalis | 1,327 | --- | 91,021 | 82,154 | 2,896.54 square versts (3,296.44 km$^2$; 1,272.76 sq mi) |
| Kaytago-Tabasaranskiy okrug (Кайтаго-Табасаранский округ) | Derbent | 14,649 | 31,168 | 91,021 | 82,154 | 2,896.54 square versts (3,296.44 km$^2$; 1,272.76 sq mi) |
| Kyurinskiy okrug (Кюринский округ) | Kasumkent | 1,013 | --- | 77,680 | 117,218 | 3,066.85 square versts (3,490.27 km$^2$; 1,347.60 sq mi) |
| Samurskiy okrug (Самурский округ) | Akhty | 3,190 | --- | 35,633 | 71,556 | 3,258.87 square versts (3,708.80 km$^2$; 1,431.97 sq mi) |
| Temir-Khan-Shurinskiy okrug (Темир-Хан-Шуринский округ) | Temir-Khan-Shura (Buynaksk) | 9,214 | 15,239 | 97,348 | 136,234 | 5,464.01 square versts (6,218.38 km$^2$; 2,400.93 sq mi) |
| Temir-Khan-Shurinskiy okrug (Темир-Хан-Шуринский округ) | Petrovsk (Makhachkala) | 9,753 | 23,566 | 97,348 | 136,234 | 5,464.01 square versts (6,218.38 km$^2$; 2,400.93 sq mi) |

## Demographics
### Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Dagestan oblast had a population of 571,154 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 283,279 men and 287,875 women. The plurality of the population indicated Avar-Andean to be their mother tongue, with significant Dargin, Kyurin, Kazi-Kumukh, Kumyk, and Tatar speaking minorities.
Linguistic composition of the Dagestan oblast in 1897 :
| Language | Native speakers | % |
| Avar-Andean | 158,550 | 27.76 |
| Dargin | 121,375 | 21.25 |
| Kyurin | 94,596 | 16.56 |
| Kazi-Kumukh | 76,381 | 13.37 |
| Kumyk | 51,209 | 8.97 |
| Tatar | 32,143 | 5.63 |
| Russian | 13,111 | 2.30 |
| Jewish | 7,361 | 1.29 |
| Tat | 2,998 | 0.52 |
| Ukrainian | 2,895 | 0.51 |
| Nogai | 1,909 | 0.33 |
| Persian | 1,720 | 0.30 |
| Armenian | 1,636 | 0.29 |
| Polish | 1,630 | 0.29 |
| Arabic | 912 | 0.16 |
| Chechen | 757 | 0.13 |
| Lithuanian | 520 | 0.09 |
| Georgian | 375 | 0.07 |
| German | 261 | 0.05 |
| Belarusian | 38 | 0.01 |
| Other | 777 | 0.14 |
| TOTAL | 571,154 | 100.00 |
Religious composition of the Dagestan oblast in 1897 :
| Faith | Male | Female | Both | Both |
| Faith | Male | Female | Number | % |
| Muslim | 263,475 | 276,815 | 540,290 | 94.60 |
| Eastern Orthodox | 10,996 | 5,341 | 16,337 | 2.86 |
| Judaism | 5,367 | 4,689 | 10,056 | 1.76 |
| Roman Catholic | 2,079 | 137 | 2,216 | 0.39 |
| Armenian Apostolic | 955 | 668 | 1,623 | 0.28 |
| Old Believer | 184 | 114 | 298 | 0.05 |
| Lutheran | 185 | 100 | 285 | 0.05 |
| Armenian Catholic | 24 | 5 | 29 | 0.01 |
| Baptist | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Anglican | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Buddhist | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Reformed | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Other non-Christian denomination | 7 | 2 | 9 | 0.00 |
| TOTAL | 283,279 | 287,875 | 571,154 | 100.00 |
Linguistic composition of uezds in the Dagestan Oblast in 1897
| Okrug | Avar-Andean | Avar-Andean | Dargin | Dargin | Kyurin | Kyurin | Kazi-Kumukh | Kazi-Kumukh | Kumyk | Kumyk | Tatar | Tatar | TOTAL |
| Okrug | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | TOTAL |
| Temir-Khan-Shura | 15,194 | 15.61 | 9,724 | 9.99 | 15 | 0.02 | 588 | 0.60 | 49,730 | 51.08 | 1,261 | 1.30 | 97,348 |
| Avar | 36,063 | 95.81 | 18 | 0.05 | 4 | 0.01 | 13 | 0.03 | 4 | 0.01 | 5 | 0.01 | 37,639 |
| Andi | 48,637 | 98.00 | 9 | 0.02 | 1 | 0.00 | 27 | 0.05 | 24 | 0.05 | 15 | 0.03 | 49,628 |
| Gunib | 52,227 | 93.43 | 774 | 1.38 | 0 | 0.00 | 2,113 | 3.78 | 17 | 0.03 | 35 | 0.06 | 55,899 |
| Dargin | 3,131 | 3.87 | 73,899 | 91.3 | 9 | 0.01 | 3,739 | 4.62 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 0.01 | 80,943 |
| Kazikumukh | 2,446 | 5.39 | 3,657 | 8.06 | 943 | 2.08 | 38,014 | 83.8 | 47 | 0.10 | 145 | 0.32 | 45,363 |
| Kaitago-Tabasaran | 628 | 0.69 | 33,186 | 36.46 | 350 | 0.38 | 17,678 | 19.42 | 1,035 | 1.14 | 28,975 | 31.83 | 91,021 |
| Kyurin | 50 | 0.06 | 45 | 0.06 | 59,309 | 76.35 | 13,694 | 17.63 | 5 | 0.01 | 1,321 | 1.70 | 77680 |
| Samur | 174 | 0.49 | 63 | 0.18 | 33,965 | 95.32 | 515 | 1.45 | 346 | 0.97 | 379 | 1.06 | 35633 |
| TOTAL | 158,550 | 27.76 | 121,375 | 21.25 | 94,596 | 16.56 | 76,381 | 13.37 | 51,209 | 8.97 | 32,143 | 5.63 | 571,154 |

### Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Dagestan oblast had a population of 713,342 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 369,737 men and 343,605 women, 659,976 of whom were the permanent population, and 53,366 were temporary residents:
| Nationality | Urban | Urban | Rural | Rural | TOTAL | TOTAL |
| Nationality | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| North Caucasians | 12,247 | 17.50 | 533,367 | 82.90 | 545,614 | 76.49 |
| Sunni Muslims | 1,137 | 1.62 | 90,840 | 14.12 | 91,977 | 12.89 |
| Russians | 27,045 | 38.65 | 9,078 | 1.41 | 36,123 | 5.06 |
| Jews | 11,913 | 17.03 | 5,397 | 0.84 | 17,310 | 2.43 |
| Shia Muslims | 11,263 | 16.10 | 4,352 | 0.68 | 15,615 | 2.19 |
| Armenians | 4,668 | 6.67 | 84 | 0.01 | 4,752 | 0.67 |
| Other Europeans | 736 | 1.05 | 251 | 0.04 | 987 | 0.14 |
| Asiatic Christians | 785 | 1.12 | 0 | 0.00 | 785 | 0.11 |
| Georgians | 179 | 0.26 | 0 | 0.00 | 179 | 0.03 |
| TOTAL | 69,973 | 100.00 | 643,369 | 100.00 | 713,342 | 100.00 |