Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-16
Geographic News
Bulletins BY the
National Geographic Soctoty
Land of

- ASAAA0 Va N~AAN 5SSOAAA AhtsT
in magnitude to the Himalayas of
men and customs that are hold
overs from the tenth century and OF
cliff side villages that resemble
nothing so much as our own Indian
pueblos of the Southwest"
Such is Daghestan, says a bulle-
tin from the Washington, d. c.,
headquarters Of the National Geo-
graphic Society in regard to 'the
Russian Switzerland" tiny ''repub-
lic' of the Soviet federation, whose
starving people, it has been an
neunced are to be given American
relief.
"Daghestan, it is safe to say, Is
one of the least known regions of
Europe" continues the bulletin.
Zone a for this is that it is On
one of Europe's remots border
lands. Despite political borders Of
the past and muddled racial boun-
daries of the present, the Caspian
seG and the Caucasus mountains
are generally accepted as marking
the southwestern lines where
Europe ends and Asia begins. Da-
| ghestan is wedged in between the
two.
Live Life OF Middle Ages
1.-THE rough reetangle of Daghs-
| stan, about 60 miles wide by 100
miles long consists almost entirely
of practically treeless mountains
that extend from the crest Of the
Caucasus to the lea, and deep val
leys and gorges. In the more open
valleys near the coast the inhabit-
ants were influenced by the Rus
slams and became relatively civil
lied and prosperous. But in the
deep valleys and on the precipis-
GUS terraces of the higher noun
tains the primitive life and customs
Of the Middle Ages still exist.
"Daghestan has had waves Of ira-
migration since before Jason and
his Argonauts went into this part
of the world In search of the Col
den Fleece. But 1t cannot be called
a melting pot Instead it has been
a sort of racial sample room
where the odds and ends of many
peoples have been thrown together.
Descendants Of Aryans, who drop
|ped out there as Aryan tribes moved
westward, were Joined by d~eserters
from the Greek and Roman armies
of Alexander and Pompey. The
|celts who founded Galatia probably
lost some stragglers there. Some of
ITamerlane's Mongols were added
y a VI VIM OFSI4dA tA6 COQIlLl
In the eighth century established in
the mountains military colonies,
whose members became another
factor in the population and gave
it the Mohammedan religion. CRU
saders. wandering back from the
Holy Land, stopped there to rest
and never took up again their home
ward journey. To these mountain
Businesses, too, have come the per-
secuted OF all ~neighboring lands
Jews, Georgians, Persians, Armen-
ians and Tatars.
Highlanders Look Like Scotsmen
There has been a fusing of these
diverse elements, of course, but in
many of the isolated villages or
aeuls certain dominant strains are
easily recognized. Dress some Da-
ghestanian highlanders in kits AMI
bonnets and you could hardly dis
ttnguish them from Scotsmen. Some
fair-haired, blue-eyed villagers
might meet on a German highway.
Others are obviously of italian, Ar
menian, Jewish or Mongol origin
But though they keep the appear
ance of their remote ancestors and
resemble their distant cousins of
today, psychologically they have lost
LAAS LAC4I l1ODl1Id4n III
vironment has nodded them as
mountain environments ever do.
They have common traits; and the
~plainsman of the north does not
differentiate. To him they are
merely the gortse, or m~ountaineers.
Like m~ountaineers throughout
the world the people of Daghestan
cherish their liberty. They were
unconquered until the tremendous
numbers and modern equipment of
the Russians, pushing their empire
southwark, overwhelmed them
about the middle of the nineteenth
century. Even then, it had taken
two generations to subdue them.
They are picturesque people, the
Daghestanians. Like the Georgiaos
on the south slope of the Caucasus. |
they wear long, tightwaisted Guitar
garments, decorated across the
chest with shining cartridge cases.
brimless hats.
Enter Houses by Ladders
Just as the need of protection
of southwestern United States to
build dwellings on the cliff-sides, so
a similar need developed su.h
houses in Daghestan. Some of the
villages or aouls are as much as /
a,600 feet above the valley floors,
on almost perpendicular cliffs and
can be reached only by several
hours of climbing along zigzag
paths. The houses are built of
rough stone stuck together with |
clay. The floors are of hard heaten
clay. but in many cases are COW
cred with rugs. House rise above
house in terraces, the roofs of the
lower n serving as courts for
those above. The comparison with
pueblo villages does not depend on
superficial appearances, but may ex-
tend even to the ladders and notch
ed logs used to mount from Ievsl
to level.
"Deep among the higher Daghe
stan mountains the traveller dnis hiS
calendar turned back almost a mil.
.leAnium. The port-hole windows OF
the houses have neither glass nor
sash. Dried human hands, the tro-
piles of battle. may now and then
be found nailed to a door. Meals
are eaten On the floor from a com.
mon dish with sharpened splinters
of pine. There is trial by ordeal,
and the blood feud still RACES"