KIPCHAKS IN THE CAUCASUS
Authors:   Ganja State University, Azerbaijan, Ganja, Ismailzade Saida Jafar 
Published: May 2024

Relevance of the Topic The events and changes happening in our modern world, particularly globalization and secularization processes, also impact the history and culture of different nations. While these events indeed promote globalization, they also lead to the assimilation and disappearance of individual cultures within dominant ones. Therefore, studying the history and cultural history of different nations is one of the most urgent issues of our time. It is known that currently, the field of Turkology has embarked on a path of significant development worldwide. In this regard, researching the history of each Turkic nation is extremely important. It is also known that the attitude towards Turkic peoples and the approach to their history are not unambiguous. This viewpoint further confirms the relevance of the topic. In Azerbaijani science, the study of Turkic peoples, their history, Turkic linguistics, and the culture of Turkic peoples are still areas that have not been fully explored. Naturally, this refers to the monographic and conceptual study of the history of these peoples. Throughout history, some Turkic peoples have existed and been active on the historical stage, about whom there is sufficient information in other languages, including Russian, but the information in Azerbaijani is brief and superficial. One of these Turkic peoples is the Kipchaks. Throughout history, the Kipchaks have played a significant role in the history of both Turkic and non-Turkic speaking peoples and states. This is confirmed by their frequent mention in medieval sources. Studying the history of the Kipchaks is important both from the perspective of understanding the history of Turkic-speaking peoples and non-Turkic speaking peoples who interacted with the Kipchaks. Some sources present these Turkic tribes as uncivilized, wild tribes. However, research shows that this view is not accurate. The Kipchaks' military traditions, statehood history, customs, and rich culture have also played a significant role in shaping the cultures of other nations. The Kipchak tribes played a major, even decisive role in the ethnic and historical formation processes of both Turkic and non-Turkic peoples in the modern North and South Caucasus, particularly in the development of some peoples (especially the Karachays, Circassians, and Kumyks). However, this issue remained unstudied until the 1970s, and although research began in the 1970s, it was not investigated at the necessary level. The issues that were studied were approached unilaterally. Georgian historians, for example, can be cited in this context. Although their works mention the migration of the Kipchaks to Georgia and their political activities there, the role of the Kipchaks is generally downplayed, and some Georgian commanders of Kipchak origin are presented as Georgian. An example of this is the book "The Battle of Didgori" published in Georgia. The author initially notes the small size and weak combat capability of King David IV's army, then discusses the migration of the Kipchaks. However, when describing subsequent events, the author persistently attributes these victories to the Georgian army and even tries to undermine the undeniable fact of the Kipchaks' decisive role in the Battle of Didgori (75, 75). The question of how King David IV could train and field an army of 60,000 in a short period in a small and sparsely populated state does not interest him at all. The same can be said about other Georgian historians. A similar issue is observed in Azerbaijani history. The ethnic and political role of the Kipchaks in Azerbaijani history is still being studied as a separate problem. The names of Lala Aliyeva and Rauf Huseynov should be mentioned in this regard. Academician Ziya Bunyadov also played a special role in studying the activities of the Kipchaks in Azerbaijan. His book "The State of the Atabegs of Azerbaijan" is noteworthy. However, the book focuses on the political activities of the Eldiguzid dynasty, which was of origin, rather than the role of the Kipchaks themselves. The role of the Kipchaks as an ethnic group in the Atabeg state is only briefly mentioned. Therefore, much work is still needed for an in-depth study of this problem.